arboriculturist

I am sure many on the Forum are interested to learn what numbers others are producing in the industry and I havn't seen this question posted for a while - so here we go. How many cubic metres of firewood did you process in the last 12 months ( reasonable guesstimates please! ) Softwood and Hardwood figures would be a bonus - Thanks

In the South West softwood from them can be around £35 roadside Hardwood £50. Haulage 8 wheeler app. 17.5T £ 190 whatever distance. How does this compare? Thanks for the reply.

I meant to say En24

This is a simple case of 'you get what you pay for' Follow the link below. RBK COBALT JOBBER DRILL SET 1-10X0.5MM - Buck & Hickman These are great people to deal with. There are better quality drills on the market but come at a premium. High Cobalt drills are available singly also. I have fabricated steel harder than En25 with these. Good luck.

If you want to dry logs, get the bottle as far away from the crate as you can! Drilling holes forget it - unless you wish to grow mushrooms. Load them up and its surprising how few actually end up on the G. If bothered wire the cheapest mesh you can find inside with multistran galv electric fencing wire. You can sell your empty bottles on ebay for £15 -20 each. What I really like about the Forum is that there are so many wise individuals who freely give their advice - I for one appreciate it hugely! So you can afford to go to the pub for lunch now!

Yes £20

Depending where you are in the UK the prices for roadside Roundwood for firewood seems to vary widely from Euroforest. Where are you and what do you pay for Softwood / Hardwood from Euroforest?

Depending where you are in the UK the prices for roadside Roundwood for firewood seems to vary widely from Euroforest. Where are you and what do you pay for Softwood / Hardwood from Euroforest?

There is some interesting points here. However I know someone close to where I live who has imported a boiler themselves and OFGEM are requiring that the have the NOx and Particulates independantly tested on site and the results to be submitted as part of their RHI application! The boiler was supplied with the correct certification when delivered, so is OFGEM's request 'reasonable' / justifiable?

Are your powered vents linked to a RH stat, so vents open and dump the moisture laiden air every 10-30 mins depending on at what point in time you are in the drying cycle? Do you agree with 3.5 days to get 36m3 down to 20-25%?

Ah thanks for the reply. The timber I tested was fresh felled, crosscut, split and centre of log tested. However I know internal moisture levels can vary a lot. You must use use the full 40ft of container to get in 36M3 in stillages. Are you running a chip/pellet boiler?

We have all suffered from 'delusions' from time to time and no disrespect, but I would suggest that many firewood producers who have now installed a KIln Drying setup, will never attain the RHI returns their initial 'desktop study' predicted. I think it is accepted that in a 40ft container you can dry 30m3 of green split logs (e.g. S.Chestnut 60% moisture Ash 37%) in stillages down to 20% moisture average, providing it is insulated in 3.5 days. You would need to burn 10.5 m3 of timber below 20% moisture to do this. The big boys can attain this production in 2.5 days, but small setups will never achieve the 2.5 day threshold. Anyone like to crunch the numbers on this one!

I'll keep hauling the logs up the hill then - thanks

Please correct me if I am wrong - 50 tonnes for circa 7.5 tonnes of fuel. Is this not 50 m3 of loose fill containerised logs.

Many of the Forum posters will realise that they should take heed of what you post and if others they knew your track record I would suggest that very few would ignore your advice. Prudent questions and many would find it difficult to provide answers. 1. With that design of Boiler it will not perform continuously at the claimed output without perfect low moisture content fuel. 2. Yes I agree 3m3 of timber sub 20% moisture will be required to get anywhere near 175kw/hr. 3. The will not meet the emissions test. I would suggest it is a huge gamble using that type of boiler at this moment in time. How long before more regular emissions tests are brought in with boiler at full pelt, a bit like MOT test for emissions revving the guts out the vehicle! D do you know the current emissions testing requirement for these. As far as I know only 1 initial test is required on commissioning? If they bring in more rigourous testing then many of the installations currently operating could come unstuck - badly!

Looks like G.Farrow about the only setup in the country with a Log burning kiln that will meet the new September emissions criteria. Do you know the Sept 2014 criteria for where the timber to fuel the kiln now has to be sourced? Thanks

So to summerise, the claim from JAS P's customer that hardwood logs pack fix wrapped up on the exposed windy hill covered on top can reduce to a moisture content of approx 20% after 3 months in the winter months - could be correct?

Only smallish scale 500M3 nothing like the pro's.

Anyone on the Forum with experience - good or bad of Kiln Drying their own Firewood to sell. The purveyors of the 'plonk it down and turn the key' Kilns argue that you are making a huge saving on tying up capital buying in roundwood and seasoning it yourself. There is of course possible RHI payments to consider when crunching the numbers. However when some of their setups are anywhere between £40 and £100K, buying a few arctic loads of roundwood to season isn't looking so bad after all!

Nice setup and thanks for replying. I agree if you are a practical person not afraid to do the research, going it alone can often be the way forward. Many many people jumping onto the Renewable E bandwagon who know less than you or I. Looking forward to seeing more pics! Where abouts r u?

That may well be true, but for some who have limited space to air dry timber it could be necessary so they can still feed those hungry children waiting at home. Some people use waste wood to fuel their Kiln, so perhaps eco-friendly in some cases, particularly if they are supplying people who normally use fossil fuels to heat their homes.

Perhaps save a lot of messing about and buy a Log Drying Kiln!

How are you getting on with your Log Dryng Kiln?

Ah, any idea why this is a Beech 'appears' to be denser than Ash? Certainly easier to cut Ash when green.

Yes Bakers bags are surprisingly tough and give good airflow as you have just confirmed. 6 months to nearly 20% with Beech - thats interesting.