Windy Trick

I'm a cheapskate and won't pay 200 quid for a pair of boots. I generally wear rigger boots costing 40 quid, on me second pair in two years. I only work on the ground, I don't like gravity changing it's behaviour at heights. The only concession to safety is the steel toecaps. A pair of Doc Martin's were lasting well sole wise until the pallet loader ripped off the leather on top of the toe cap. Could've been me tootsies I suppose so no harm done. I glued the leather back together and they're ready to go again - true cheapskate stylie. The laces last only minutes though which is rubbish from the Doc.

Sell high quality ASH,is smooth,without any rot.Of 22 m3.For furniture.For questions write on e-mail.

Furniture?? This is the firewood forum. I may be an antique but that's bananas.

What predictions. That we are completely unable to prevent the introduction of alien organisms

More your predictions about the next serious tree disease being somehow connected to the last foot and mouth outbreak, tied in with the greed of man and a heinous 1500 mile trip in a container!

[Head;sand;buried. We all need to wake up and smell the coffee, as the Americans might say.

 

EdQUOTE]

 

Again, some facts to back up your predictions, all I see here is foot in mouth. And a kick in the teeth is so unpleasant in the morning when without substance.

today I was admiring some twenty foot ash that I've previously planted. I hope you're wrong about ash dieback.

 

 

one of the reasons people like log fires is that it's a "green" energy. if they knew it was getting trucked in 1500 miles from East Europe they might be less keen to buy them.

Really? They only ever seem interested in the price to me, although perhaps people in different areas of the country can afford such unilateral principles.

After a very slow start to the season, now in full swing and busy with deliveries. Marvellous!

Ed, I took the time to read your lengthy post, and, interesting though your claims are, I see only pure conjecture and accusations of greed. How about some evidence?

Spoke to a guy yesterday, he has just sold 200 tons of assorted hard, all sorts of lengths and diameters at £60 a ton ride side for firewood. God knows how anyone is going to make a sensible return selling that.

 

A

True! The haulage contractor might make a sensible return!

Sorry wasn't critising the rhi because the numbers don't add up but based on the fact claims of being eco/carbon neutral. When if that was the fact you would aim to make the most efficient kiln possible utilising heat exchangers insulation etc so that your using the minium heat input to dry the logs as opposed to the most heat input to claim rhi.

 

On a separate note about the UK has plenty of wood. We have by area around 12%. Lithuania 32%. Latvia 50%. It's certainly noticeable driving round those countries that they have a lot of wood. From looking on the forums sourcing hardwood can be difficult and expensive. It is surprising that with all the people who import that prices aren't lower. If people didn't import I would think there quite a shortage of wood

Source from 2011European countries and their forest cover | Gabriel Hemery

Hear hear!

Whilst there may be a perception of a lot of trees in this country, it's the British Rail type, producing the wrong kind of leaves. We have demand for hardwood from 80% of our customers, and 20% buy softwood because it is cheaper. We can't source hardwood in this country in the volumes we require at sensible prices. £60 and £70 a tonne makes it actually cheaper to source from the free trade (last I checked) European market. If people think that's wrong, you all have the right of free voting. Vote green party and best of luck to ya. Meanwhile I continue to make money and give my customers what they want within the framework of UK and European law. To say it is wrong to do so, well in actual fact it isn't: it is perfectly legal, encouraged by the vat man and is, in essence the principle of being in Europe in the first place. Jeez!

I read an article today about Sales of timber in The uk has increased a huge amount in 2015 and the price for cordwood will significantly increase in the medium and long term... They have already gone up 50% in the last 2 years and I'm paying £60-70+vat a ton delivered at the moment for hardwood and softwood is nearly at £45+vat. If it goes up anymore it wouldn't be viable for me to buy it so what do I do? Close my doors because importing timber is worse for the environment? No I will be buying imported Firewood in.

What he said

What's the condition of the imported firewood? I've heard quite a few people opening up 20ft containers to find it moldy.

Beautiful. 15% or less on the meter. Lovely heavy ash logs burning nicely now in our stove. Is it cold out, I hadn't noticed?

See it here:

Not me but the way I read it is 149 to get the stuff in then split it in 2 and then sell for £158 it don't add up to me

Oh I see! No, that's the price we retail a crate for. I guess you're right though, it's only nine quid extra to bag it, which only takes five minutes, but I see what you mean now! My post was a bit misleading...apologies.

Is it worth it for £9 less expenses?

How do you make any money at that.unless you are selling 200 a day plus delivery charge.I'd rather stay in bed

Are you saying it costs you £140 for a crate of kiln dried ash? Gulp! In which case it most certainly isn't worth it.

1 cu metre crate of imported ash £149 the tightly packed crate tips into exactly two full bags of loose logs. Bags are 0.85m all sides. We sell bags at £79. It's selling well even though it is expensive, but it is very good quality kiln dried stuff. Customers love it. Softwood goes out at £49 a bag. Mixed seasoned hardwood at £59 but we're running out of that.

...but as soon as you make reference to cubic metres the transaction is caught by the Weights and Measures Act 1985 and suitable equipment needs to be used to measure the goods.

What is this suitable equipment, and where does one obtain it? He does not say.

I know it goes against what you would think but not declaring a weight or volume is the easiest and most straight forward option for the seller.

What a load of absolute rubbish. My wife is easier to understand than this, and all married men know there is no logic whatsoever in a wife!

The Trading Standards letter refers to a recognised measuring device? A ruler or tape measure? Why can't you therefore just measure your dumpy bag when it's full, do the sums w x h x l and call it x cu metres of loose logs? If they're stacked in crates I simply give the dimensions of the crates and point out they are not loose logs, but packed tightly.

Have you asked Darren Taylor https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=533880380031557 ?

I love firewood, yes it's a bit sad, and everything associated with producing it. Primarily though I am a retailer first and producer second. I retail wood. Any retailer gives the customer what he wants. We produce air dried firewood and import kiln dried as we don't have a kiln. Some customers love our air dried product. Most, however, only want to talk about kiln dried hardwood (I actually quite like softwood firewood too, but the customer doesn't want to hear it, even though it is extremely cheap). So I give them what they want and bite my tongue whilst jingling the coins in my pocket.

I don't think carrying your own goods, in this case logs to deliver to your own customer is for hire or reward. You are not a courier carrying someone else's logs and being paid by the seller of the logs to deliver them. I would say that in the above scenario the logs become the customers when the sale completes ie when you deliver them. Again this is pure opinion, but I feel that is the aim of the ruling. "You are NOT usually operating for Hire or Reward when you carry goods you own or goods

you have used or will use in the course of your business." In this case the logs are goods you are using in the course of your business (selling logs is your business right?).

There is this also: Under Schedule 3 (2) of the goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Regulations 1995 "a

dual purpose vehicle and any trailer drawn by it" is identified as exempt from goods vehicle

operator licensing.

The dual purpose category generally includes cars, estates, pickups (with a second row of

seats (crew cab) only), and domestic 4x4 vehicles such as Land Rovers, Jeeps, and other

similar vehicles below 2040kgs unladen weight.

Blimey, 5 cu m per annum maximo. I feel effeminate in these circles ;-)

Is that price delivered in .was it 25 ton load or stack measure.

Cheers Chris.

Hi Chris, that was delivered, and yes they call it a 25 tonne load. The hardwood came on a road train type lorry, the softwood on one artic. About the same amount of wood both times.

That seems a high price Windy Trick!!

 

Price seems to vary regionally and how many cube you get per ton varies from person to person. I work on roughly 1.5 cube per ton, I know some reckon 2 cube per ton. Ask 5 people and you'll get 5 different answers!

Rovers, I figured it probably was, but having expanded this year and only bought tree surgery offcuts in small amounts prior to the first lorry load, I didn't have anywhere else to compare. That was Scotts, who ended up being the cheapest, the hardwood has sold well in fairness but I had my doubts when it came as a lot didn't need splitting, but clients have lapped up the round logs, and I sold a load to a wedding party as decorative logs too. Euroforest quoted even more per lorry load and the third quote was from county durham which was higher again. Any tips for suppliers gratefully received, pm me or just put it on here. I'll take all the advice going.

£1600 plus vat in Northumberland. £900 plus vat for softwood. Probably less if you're bigger than us and can buy more.

Hardwood £3000, softwood £2250 or more than those figures. Below that I shouldn't bother with the hassle, make more money on smaller deliveries.