Tomatin Firewood

No problem with volume, just have not really purchased this way before, everyone I have dealt with to date has done things by tonne so I guess I have more of a feel for that.

Hi everyone, I am based just south of Inverness and have been offered some birch recently but the guy was trying to sell it to me by cubic meter rather than by tonne. Does anyone in the area know going rate for freshly cut birch roadside is at the moment? Also what would be the conversion rate from stacked cubic meter to tonne weight? For freshly/ recently cut birch? From 1 tonne of fresh birch would I get 2 cubic meters of split firewood? I have mainly done softwoods and other hardwoods to date so do not have a lot of experience with birch. Be really grateful for any advice. Also looking for any suppliers for hardwood for 2013/14 season! Many thanks James

Couple of other things I noticed, customers can only pay by credit card, paypal- all very high tech and expensive to run. I mainly do cash/ cheque (if they seem honest) and bank transfer. You may be putting off a large part of your market especially computer illiterate - be flexible. I google searched your profile name and 'c firewood' and could not find you, had to use the link in one of the other replies.

Depends what form. I get by pallet load (960kg) 96 bags 10kg bags, rrp £280, I sell £250. In this form for small pellet boiler users cheapest around £240 ish. Loose pellets no idea but can imagine it will be much cheaper

Do you use Google Adwords (not express version -rubbish) - make a map of your target market, bid on key words such as firewood etc. Also agree with others,Gumtree good & local newspaper ads. Chimney sweeps are good as are stove shops, particularly if you do them favours (ie. discounts)! Whilst I keep everything fairly mechanised I have to admit retaining a level ofquality is paramount as word of mouth is my biggest advert. Agree with others about vehicle choice, big brute, would not be ideal delivering to my customers. Where ever a car can go I can normally reverse my trailer, customers really appreciate it if you can get wood where they want it dropped. I also do a stacking service which if you are quiet may help bring in a few bob. Your website is very clean and presentable. I am based up in Highlands where people do not necessarily have so much money but I think you are too expensive. Get cubic meter volume bags, easier volume for customers to understand. Your website does not seem to offer bulk buy deals (had quick check). For instance - 1 cube for £85, why not try something like 2 for £150 -160, 3 for £200-220? Your business practices are commendable but we live in a recession and most folk are strapped for cash and will buy where cheapest.

I started selling Verdo pellets earlier this season; have a few customers but nothing great. Customers very focussed on price, they seem to rather buy cheap not so good pellets than buy better quality. I have to admit I only make around £50 before transport costs are deducted and that is buying in bulk. Not sure if it is worth it. To be honest I think the wood pellet market will grow hugely when domestic RHI kicks off next June (if gov does not change mind...). But I think you really need a small lorry with a blower and a setup to store all the pellets properly as I think that is the way it will go. Setting that up would be seriously expensive. Anyway far too busy selling firewood at the moment to worry about pellets!

I charge £10 per hour. Maybe I am a bit cheap but am a new business so still building my customer base. I would be careful about saying £10/ CM, what if you have stack around back of house and it takes double the time.

Up in the highlands it is mainly conifer and whilst customers definitely prefer hardwood, the stove & biomass market does not seem to mind the softwood. Since starting up last November sold around 600 cubic meters of the stuff. (it was all I had to sell in first months). I try and make sure I sell it under 25% moisture content and advise customers to store properly and burn as dry as possible. I only burn dry softwood in my own wee stove and think it is absolutely fine.

I left my hardwood outside and it really helped seasoning and I just brought them in a few days back, in the knick of time!

I think having accredited suppliers would be the answer and it would also help reputable firewood merchants. I also think that rather than giving no grant support for log gasification boilers they could at least provide some element of support. People do not have the money to buy these systems outright but if it can be financed somehow and it still works out cheaper than oil, then people will consider it. I just think this is a good technology that is going to be overlooked now which is a real shame.

Log gasification boilers are still applicable for commercial RHI, but will not be for domestic.

I heard a rumour that the Renewable Heat Incentive Domestic will not include log gasification boilers. Has anybody else heard anything? As this is in consultation stages we really want to try and push for this. Obviously for anyone selling logs it is in their best interests that this grant does support our woodfuel as it will not only mean only more business for everyone, but also in my opinion it makes use of the most locally sourced wood fuel and is the woodfuel with smallest carbon foot print. Possible reasons for removal of log gasification boilers from RHI include more feeding of log boilers compared with pellet systems, concerns that customers will source wood from unsustainable sources and that proper supply of logs for these systems cannot be properly governed. Does anybody know if we have representing body who will back our corner on this?

Does anyone have any tips on how to best tip the vented bags into trailer? I noticed some of my bags have loops at the bottom does anyone use these? Be useful for ideas as presently I tip the whole bag from pallet (which vented bag on) into trailer but can be 50:50 success!

Start of August was quietish for me but really got busy over the last week or two

I think it all comes down to cost, I looked at the possibilities of a second tractor, skidsteers, teleporters etc. In the end I bought a second hand Bobcat that could lift a ton on Ebay. So far it has been invaluable, it can turn on a penny so can stack cubic metre bags in tight spots and it has a quick release mechanism so I can change to bucket in less than 2 mins (and I am slow!). Use it for taking logs from stacks, taking pallets of coal and briquettes, as well as loading up my trailer. Really useful but make sure you get one which can lift a ton and try and find a good second hand one for £6,000 rather than pay £35,000 for a new one!

I sell my softwood at 25cm length for the stove market and hardwood generally at 30cm. I sometimes get requests for a 20cm cut and it is a bit of a hassle (logs do not fall right in the processor, sawdust, etc!), I think I should consider charging extra. Is a third extra charge the norm for smaller logs? what does everyone else do?

Hi, I bought an Ifor Williams trailer ex demo for £3000 (ex VAT). It is a tipping trailer with cage, 10ft by 5ft. I have admit having trailer slightly less wide than the pick up is ideal, it makes reversing so much easier. I think it is a really good trailer, sturdy which I think is important for longevity.

That's funny I am just about to try something similar. I am also busy filling up my barn with wood but need more space... I am going to put wood into cubic meter vented bags on pallets and have bought this clear plastic stuff from builders merchants which I will try and tie down. I will see how it goes, but am awaiting my bobcat I ordered on ebay before I get started. Coming from Jersey! Those cages are smart but they look rather expensive. Next year may consider putting up a dutch barn to put cubic meter bags under instead. Does anybody have any advice / experience on this?

Hi All, I am still on look out for hardwoods and birch in highland area so if anyone has any ideas / contacts I would really appreciate. Also keen on seasoned softwoods or deadwoods ideally under 38cm diameter (so they can fit through my processor!). Am able to provide immediate payment if that makes any difference. Another question I want to ask if anyone here has experience splitting seasoned (deadwood) elm. I believe I am shortly due to receive around 40T of the stuff but have being told it is a nightmare to split! So if there are any pros out there I would really appreciate advice. Cheers James

Hi all, Does anyone know of any good wholesalers delivering to Inverness-shire for briquettes, pellets and coal? Planning on expanding my range for next season so if anybody has any tips much appreciated. James

Hi Steve, I just started up in November. I invested quite a bit! One of those idiots buying all the flashy tools! I bought a toyota hilux and a tipping cage trailer (2nd hand) and a Taijfun firewood processor (PTO of tractor). Trying to diversify the farm a bit! I am quite lucky as I already have a large shed to store wood (albeit will have to modify it to allow more ventilation) and a tractor. The advice given to me by one harvester was to go for largest processor you can afford which I have to say is not bad advice. My one does up 38cm which processes the bulk of timber that I have had in to date. The rest of it I split with an electric splitter. I am quite pleased with my processor as it has really sped things up for me, and there would have been no way I could have kept up with demand without it. If possible try and source deadwood or wood that is already seasoned if you need to kick start things. Also if you are buying by weight the more seasoned the wood you can buy the better, otherwise you are buying expensive water! Fuel is a major cost for me, as is my loan repayments and my processor uses fair amount of oil (1-2 25l drums of oil/ month). I have now got better only having tractor and processor on when actually processing and after every 2m cubed I turn off, tidy up and get my next line of wood ready and repeat. I think you do have offer competitive pricing initially in order to get your foot in the door and I think good customer service is really important. Getting set up is quite an investment and I am currently just trying to reinvest in more stock all the time. I nearly ran out of seasoned wood in January and that would have been really embarrasing! I also think marketing is crucial, I advertise in the local papers, gumtree and Google search and whilst this is a cost to date I have found it has paid for itself, particularly when customers are repeat business. I am sure the experienced members here will be able to give far better advice than me, but I think like any business you do have to invest in it to begin with and then once established reap the rewards. More and more people starting to take up wood fuel again and if domestic RHI comes out think there will be even greater demand. Regards James

Thanks Phil, will give the office a call tomorrow

Hi all, I would be really grateful if anyone in Inverness-shire area knows of any birch or hardwood roadside? I am based around 20 miles south of Inverness off A9. I am also keen to get an idea what the going rate is roadside? To date I have been selling just softwoods (since starting up in November) and this has being going well but could really do with a supply of hardwood and have struggled to find a source of supply. Thanks James

Thanks everyone for all your replies! I have already done chainsaw course so have a reasonable idea about sharpening with file and am always looking to improve. As quite a few of you have said when you get a length of wood full of nails, it is is a bitch to restore chain afterwards. For some reason I always seem to get the bit of wood with nails right after I have done a sharpen! I will continue to use my files but will have a look for Oregon grinder, it sounds like the best bit of kit. Thanks to everyone for all the advice, really useful.

Hi I was wondering what is best chainsaw sharpener out there? I have my 14"-18" bars for my stihl saw and firewood processor with Oregon bar. Need to sharpen on a daily basis. To date have been filing manually, which is quite time consuming. I recently bought a PROFESSIONAL ELECTRIC CHAINSAW SHARPENER AUTO ADVANCE from ebay which is a load of rubbish, really cheap and nasty and does not do a good job. I was wondering if anyone with more experience has any good suggestions? Also what is best file gauge? I have a Stihl gauge but was wondering if there are any better ones? Finally seen these Powersharp accessories. Does anyone rate these and does they also file down leaders as well as cutters, or does leader have to be filed manually?