Dave Martin

Good god man .. up your sites a bit .. that should be the EOS 1DS

Cry .. Whimper and Sob ... go for the sympathy vote and milk it

Are they expensive ?

A photo would be handy Dean if you have a minute next time your delivering.

I know that this is going to make me look seriously stupid but does everyone who delivers in Bulk bags have a crane on their vehicle or is ther another way?

But you must admit `Burnt Bob` has a bit of a ring to it suppose it could even get better to somehow include Barbie and Beer

Just shown those to my daughter who was 14 last week and is top of her class in art .... seriously impressed ... I was talking to a girl who used to work for me as a manageress yesterday and her 21 year old daughter has just been employed by Hallmark on a cracking starting wage ... definitely a career to pursue

The power of Arbtalk

How many cubic metre bags do you normally have seasoning at any one time ... AND you said that I needed to space my bags and you havent

I owe I owe so its off to chop I go

I use a Hakki Pilke Eagle which takes up to 10" ... much quicker than a chainsaw.

Yes but they have only just been cut so they are just for ornamental purpose for the next six months ... I have never actually burnt any but I have some sitting next to another stove to try in a couple of weeks.

Once again I saw someone mention on a thread that Poplar is rubbish as firewood. I am processing loads of it at the moment and also have a quantity that has been seasoning for just six months over winter. With drooping shoulders thinking that I was wasting my time I thought I had better test it … its b***dy fantastic and that’s just after six months.

Well I suppose thats good that the general public are starting to see wood as a valuable commodity and as for the amount to invest in startup it really has got to be tailored to your targeted REALISTIC turnover.

and thats probably why he keeps the book in the toilet

Yes .. just moving them a hundred yards or so to season.

ACTUALLY .. thats something that bugs me about Arbtalk .. we have had threads on advice of cheap woodland for sale, difficulty getting self cert mortgages etc etc but we never get the happy ending info

I`ve actually found that I dont need the tipper at the moment cos I`m hand loading them into vented bags

It is imperative with any business venture to watch your costs be they capital investment, overheads or in labour and materials. I've run some spreadsheets and firewood doesn't look a money maker at all but I'm in the fortunate position I have free days for my staff to throw into the venture. So, effectively their labour is already covered by another business and is waste to that business. I'm just turning what would presently be their non productive time (in quiet trading periods) into a saleable comodity (firewood). If you look at ROI then with interest rates what they are specualtion on anything is better at the moment. I prefer to look at covering depreciation and costs then anything on top is a bonus - basically pay day or dividends. At least I wont be running out of wood for my own home fire this winter. Thanks everyone for their input, it's been tremendously helpful. I'm really quite excited about doing something new so will go into it with a great amount of energy. 200 tons later it may be different but I'll find that out in a few months. Pretty much ditto ... I see my main source of income as property speculation but whilst I tap my toes and twiddle my thumbs waiting for something to sell I can utilise my time and for a very modest investment test the viability of the firewood market. I intended to limit my investment to 20k and as yet have only spent around 7k (I already had a tractor). I have two woodburners and any storage facilities that I build will enhance my properties value so its a no risk enterprise apart from the bad back, shoulder, hip, general lack of fitness due to being to fatigued to go in the gym

In the end the dealer gave me a used cable and I just detach one of the four from the loader ( meaning that the loader still works apart from one function ) and attach the trailer hose. £26 job done

Yep .. not a bad little wheel barrow ( about 3.5 cube )

Suppose it beats playing Solitaire whilst waiting for Arbtalk to load

I had the same problem but with horse manure and my first port of call was to speak directly to them and after bending over backwards to resolve the situation .. even offering to let them use my tractor and put it on my muck heap I ended up having to speak to Enviromental Health who sorted the situation .. let us know how you get on.