Starting up firewood business

[LittleLogCo]

Hi all, long story short I have basically been given approx 3 acres of woodland to "help myself to", I also have space for storage (or rather to build a shelter for storing/drying logs) for free, mixed with a keen interest, I would like to enter into the firewood business.

 

Once this three acres has run out, where would I source a constant supply of cordwood?

 

As for kindling, is it better to buy bulk bags of processed kindling, or source the timber and process it all myself?

 

Any help/tips/info would be greatly appreciated.

[Logsnstuff]

id recommend cut the 3 acres sell to someone already established and move onto something else with better prospects.

[ash_smith123]

If you just want to make a few quid out of your 3 acres like logsnstuff said sell the timber on and save yourself the hassle. Someone started a similar thread a few weeks ago and I will say the same thing. If you have the space just import kiln dried and sell on unless you have £100k burning a hole in your back pocket to buy some serious kit. I have done the calculation a hundred times and I have always said if you want to earn half decent money doing firewood you need to be selling at least a 1000 cubic metres per full time man. Anything less you may as well go work for someone else.

Buying kiln dried in gives you a lot more time to do something else to bulk up your funds.

[LittleLogCo]

I already have a full time job, the logs is something I enjoy doing already as I rely on logs for heating myself. I'm not expecting to earn a living out of it, just to sort bump up my wage. Where would I go to import logs? Surely if it was as simple as that, more people would be doing it?

[Alycidon]

Problem is that their are a lot of crooks out there and paying up front you take the risk of being stitched up. If you need a good supplier as long as you are not within 50 miles of me ( NN6 post code) I will give you one. I paid my money, took a chance all be it a small one and found a good honest supplier.

 

You will need a good loader, something like a teleporter to offload a container, min order is a container so around 54 crates, so something like £4500 depending on supplier, time of year, species etc.

 

3 acres of timber is not a lot unless it needs to be clear felled and replanted, hell of a lot of work there for little profit.

 

A

[william petts]

what part of it do u enjoy, is it the processing part or the selling and delivering part or all of it. me myself i quite like all of it but my favourite part is doing the odd day of coppicing in the woods out of the way of everybody and everything haha

[LittleLogCo]

Problem is that their are a lot of crooks out there and paying up front you take the risk of being stitched up. If you need a good supplier as long as you are not within 50 miles of me ( NN6 post code) I will give you one. I paid my money, took a chance all be it a small one and found a good honest supplier.

 

You will need a good loader, something like a teleporter to offload a container, min order is a container so around 54 crates, so something like £4500 depending on supplier, time of year, species etc.

 

3 acres of timber is not a lot unless it needs to be clear felled and replanted, hell of a lot of work there for little profit.

 

A

 

 

I am EX14 so quite a way lol thank you for that, the details would be nice. I have access to a fork lift truck if that will be enough? The three acres is just a bit of clearing, I'm hoping enough to stock up and dry for a year before I actually have a go at this without it really costing a lot.

[ash_smith123]

I already have a full time job, the logs is something I enjoy doing already as I rely on logs for heating myself. I'm not expecting to earn a living out of it, just to sort bump up my wage. Where would I go to import logs? Surely if it was as simple as that, more people would be doing it?

 

 

That's fair enough. If you enjoy it just get yourself a chainsaw and an axe and make a few quid a year. A guy down the road from me has a full time job, sells about £2000 of wood a year and takes his family away on a nice holiday every year. Wood costs him nothing just his time on a Saturday cutting or delivering. Got to watch out for the tax man but if your careful and the wood is free you can make ok beer/holiday money

[LittleLogCo]

what part of it do u enjoy, is it the processing part or the selling and delivering part or all of it. me myself i quite like all of it but my favourite part is doing the odd day of coppicing in the woods out of the way of everybody and everything haha

 

 

I've not actually sold or delivered any yet. I like my own company so a day spent chopping and splitting timber is my ideal day. Just me and the dog

[LittleLogCo]

That's fair enough. If you enjoy it just get yourself a chainsaw and an axe and make a few quid a year. A guy down the road from me has a full time job, sells about £2000 of wood a year and takes his family away on a nice holiday every year. Wood costs him nothing just his time on a Saturday cutting or delivering. Got to watch out for the tax man but if your careful and the wood is free you can make ok beer/holiday money

 

 

That's pretty much it mate. Just thought I would run it as a business to avoid upsetting the tax man, and to have my name to something. It's just finding the wood!