Alycidon

Yes, lots of it about, kiln dried to around 20/22% ( alledgedly). Coming mainly from Baltic countries, Scandinavia and the Ukraine. If you are looking to buy you will need to be buying at least one big lorry load, this varies between 20 and 30 2 cu m pallets. ( Is also available in 1 cu m pallets). It makes sense to opt for the biggest load as haulage costs are about the same irrespective of load size. If you are looking for a smaller volume then you can buy it in the UK, carriage though from the importer to you may make it very expensive. However there is no real benifit in buying this product that I can see other than the kilning process should kill any insect infestations. When I did the excercise a few months ago most were charging around £230 + VAT for a 2 cu m pallet of Ash/Birch/Alder delivered to Northants. Ok that is a stacked 2 cu m pallet which would equate to a loose 2.4m roughly but it is still an expensive product and with all the carbon emissions caused by the haulage not exactly as 'green' as it could be. Hope that helps. A

Enqiry sent for the beech, I am about 50 miles away. Need to find a haulier though. A

Barrow bag is my my calcs around .2 of a cu m. I am offering free delivery of 3 or more within 5 miles. A

Its not the same one, the first one was pictured inside with a pile of split logs under the elevator, this one is outside. Built 1995, that 16 years of use, about like buying an L or M registered car, you better be good at repairing it !!. A

Think I am a bit to old to be shifting much by hand on a regular basis. Currently use a 2 cu m bucket on a teleporter, one scoop and loaded. Bobcats take a bit of getting used to from what i hear, never actually had a go in one myself. So you boys putting logs into weldmesh type cages and drying outside, do you just run a loader shovel across the top of the pallets or handball it out. As an aside I drove by a yard near Warwick a few months ago that appeared to have double height sheep netting cages. I may have been mistaken but it looked a fair sized set up. A

How do you boys load your pile and your trailers/vans for delivery ?. I assume your processors convey it onto the heap or are you using a bucket on a tractor or teleporter?. A

Strikes me that there is some money to be made here, assuming they have a teleporter or similar then go down with a 40 foot artic tipper trailer. That would probably hold 70 cu m ( 40' x 8' x 8 foot tall = 2560 cu ft = 73 cu meters approx) Transport above maybe 30 or 40 miles would kill it though unless you have your own. 'Seasoned' though might want more drying as well and no means of bulk loading would also kill it. A

So are you subsidising the within county rate or delivering it yourself?. A

Sounds like you have an excellent pallet rate from your haulier, most are £40 or so for 3 days, A

Looks like its now been removed anyway, probably as well. A

I started doing reserch yesterday on my local competitors, most are calling a builders bag a cubic meter, no idea on moisture so you might guess its wet, price around £90 a bag. A builders bag is usually .6 cu m so that makes £130 a cu meter!!> A

Add all the figures together and you get £120 if my maths is OK. I store mine loose in a barn, it has to be rented but comes with access to handling gear so there is a cost there. A

JAPA 700 wont cut 15 inch without turning the timber 180 degrees. The top section of the split at that diameter tends to curl back over the top of knife and splitter ram and its so big it needs putting through again. Looking at it I would walk away, yes its cheap but why is the seller being evasive, ie is it nicked?. In this life you tend to get what you pay for, does it work for a start?. A

Agreed. Cord cost, 60, processing 15, storage 10, delivery 10, profit 20, VAT 5, cant be anything less. But for that the customer will expect top line product. A

hyd oil is quite expensive, these machines tend to use LIC 30?, different from the universal and cheaper LIC10 spec tipper ram etc hyd oil. A

Cut to 240mm, that will fit all stoves. Most of the kiln dried is 250mm, that is a bit tight for some stoves. Downside is the smaller the lengths the more cuts needed and a slower production rate. I would keep it and sell retail only, wood will only rise in price so what does not sell this winter will be perfect for next, yes it means tying cash up but you dont get any interest on it !!. Bit different if you are borrowing I suppose. Sell a high quality product that is ready for use immediately, this will differentiate yourself from people selling crap or stuff that is to wet for immediate use. Be interested to see what output you get from your machine, got a good supplier of spare blades as well, in your area too. E mail me for details. A

Compared to what I have seen and moderated on other forums that is no more than mild teasing !!. I am sure you get the point that processors are expensive and frankly dangerous to the unskilled. As such most wont hire out but will process timber for you. A

Anything I split from the store that shows under 20% burns a treat over 25% forget it. For Ash and other hard woods that is spot on, soft wood will burn at 25% but not well. A

I have been quoted around £15 for a 700mm x 56T blade. Around £200 for a new one so your £120 was a bargin. A

I for one did not realise the complexity of the issue. Thanks for the advice and links provided. A

Got some Morso ones that I use and sell, do you two for £60 inc VAT + post. Full VAT receipt supplied. Wood Moisture Meter Design has changed slightly from the picture, they now use a two pin not a four pin version. This tester is specificlly designed to test wood mositure. A

I hope you advised him that he needs his chimney lined PDQ, failure to do so will lead to smoke and CO2 being emitted into the room. A

They dont calibrate, or at least the Morso ones I sell dont. Dont quite understand what your question means?. The meters give a reading, this reading is the percentage of moisture that is present between the pins. It is normal to get slightly differing readings off the same log. Typical reading could be 12% or 15.3% or 45% if sold by others !!. A true reading would be to spilt a log and take it off the newly exposed face. Generally I demonstrate MC to a customer before tipping by just grabbing a few logs off the load and showing them. It prooves the wood was dry when you dropped it. Hope that helps. A

Builders bags (.6 cu m) or arb bags at 1cu m. Good going anyway depending on the size of your machine and timber input. A

Split will dry faster as the moisture can escape via the split face, otherwise is only escapes from the end grain. A