Firewood - How to get the best value in logs for firewood....

Jack180570

I have seen a number of posts here enquiring about how/where to buy logs that people can cut up for firewood. I am involved in forestry in the Mid West area and here is my tuppence worth.

1. Buy logs which are stacked at roadside in a forest. This is because no other cost has been incurred by the owner of the logs with the exception of cutting them and having them brought to roadside.
2 Buy local - haulage is a big cost ranging from 200e a load right up to over 400e load for longer distances.
3. Buy freshly cut wet logs - and have them hauled home, stack them properly and cover them. If you buy dry seasoned logs it will have cost the seller an additional haulage (to their own yard to dry them), and time (logs will take one to two years to dry fully). This costs money and has to be added to the price you will be charged for dry/seasoned timber.

If you have installed a wood stove or are going to install one dont be too worried about fuel, no-one is going to outsmart you if your fuel is chopped firewood. Initially you might have to pay a higher price for dry/seasoned firewood but if you are dealing with reputable supplier then you can order ahead your wet load of firewood (or half load) and next time your supplier is thinning a forest in your area he can ring you and if you are ready to take the logs your will have them...

Regarding the heat value of firewood versus oil...
Coford have a very interesting 'Fuel Conversion Cost Comparison' programme and I plugged in a few figures into it..
1000 litres of light oil (kerosene) is equivalent to 2.4T (or 4.7m3 solid) of softwood at 20% moisture content. Based on oil costing 85 cent litre and dry seasoned logs costing €112.50T (€1800 for a 16T load of dry logs), both being burned in boilers/stoves at 85% efficiency... the oil would cost €850 and the logs would cost €274, less than a third of the cost of oil. This represents a huge potential saving for any house owner.
Granted you have the costs and work of buying and cutting the logs but if you are currently burning 2000 litres to heat your house, changing to logs could save you over €1000 this year and next year if you bought the wet logs for say €1200 load you would save even more...

Hope this has been helpful and answers some of your questions...

as an afterthought I am attaching a picture of how to stack wet logs properly so as to ensure proper drying...

shanemc123

Do u have logs for sale

Jack180570

Yes... where are you based and how much are you looking for?

shanemc123 wrote: »

Do u have logs for sale

Oldtree

Nice one Jack thank you.

That looks like a very high stack, do you have a crane to take it apart. Do you stack it in a sort of triangle with post at either ends to hold in place? How high above the top of these posts is the apex of the stack? Would love to see pictures of completed stack from a few angles.

shanemc123

Galway/Clare.maybe a lorry load.where are u

milkprofit

shanemc123 wrote: »

Galway/Clare.maybe a lorry load.where are u

yes in Wicklow

lejeffy

Hi jack, i am living in Stillorgan south dublin and would be interested in buying some wood from you as well...
What are the quantities you are selling and what would be your price?
Thanks in advance.
Best regards
Lejeffy

mr lee

cant beat free advertising

Qualitymark

What types of timber are you selling? Ash? Beech? Spruce?

shanye

Also looking for a lorry load of logs would prefer a single lorry not lorry and trailer. Mayo/Westport area if anyone know were I could get one would be grateful.

Rebel001

I am looking for a lorry load of logs to process myself for domestic use, based in the Drogheda area. After contacting Coillte, it looks like they have a long list of customers to satisfy before I can be supplied. Anyone else with timber for sale please PM me.

e39bmw

milkprofit wrote: »

yes in Wicklow

Hi im interested in a load can you PM with price? im based in artane Dublin 5

fulhamfan

Hi, Also living in Dublin 5. Can u PM me price per ? quantity thanks. Need a large load. Thanks

Paudi04

Living in north Louth area, looking for large delivery of logs? Pm too please

Danger22

Living in West Wicklow. Looking for large delivery of logs. Please PM me if you can help. Many thanks.

SIX PACK

We have yard full of Softwood cut into 5- 6 foot lengths selling cheap we are based North Tipp PM me if interested

milkprofit

SIX PACK wrote: »

We have yard full of Softwood cut into 5- 6 foot lengths selling cheap we are based North Tipp PM me if interested

What price for 12 * 6 ft 2 ft heigh




8 6

periodictable

When I see this thread, I wonder why the State is not grant aiding the installation of wood burning stoves,as opposed to pellet boilers, etc. It would stimulate demand, keep prices competitive, encourage forest owners to thin properly and wean people off turf.
I asked a politician about it -he said that it was nobbled by some govt. hack who said people could not be trusted not to burn their household rubbish in the stoves....

SIX PACK

milkprofit wrote: »

What price for 12 * 6 ft 2 ft heigh




8 6

€70. if you want that 12 x 6 filled with Ash in 5 foot lengths €100

Qualitymark

SIX PACK wrote: »

€70. if you want that 12 x 6 filled with Ash in 5 foot lengths €100

How does one cut that five-foot-long ash into 10-inch pieces? Speaking as a wimp, like? I just spent half an hour trying to cut a eucalyptus log with an axe and ended up with a log with a few little marks on it.

SIX PACK

I suppose 1 of these bad boys is your best friend then http://www.stihl.ie/
8x4 trailer with cut up Ash €125. Their is a lot of Labour involved in this game.
Anyone who sells timber knows how much hardship is in it.
Most people who do this occupation just do it because they love working with wood.

Its Just a Hobby your not going to get Rich

Mojo66

Hi, Living in Bray, Wicklow. Interested in Lorry load of logs. Any still available? Wood? Price?
Thanks.

lejeffy

Hi, i am Living in south dublin, stillorgan. Looking for logs. Please PM me if you can help. Many thanks.

Qualitymark

SIX PACK wrote: »

I suppose 1 of these bad boys is your best friend then http://www.stihl.ie/

I've heard that you shouldn't use a chainsaw without doing a course first. Where do you find these courses?

TTTT

Qualitymark wrote: »

I've heard that you shouldn't use a chainsaw without doing a course first. Where do you find these courses?

http://www.treecareireland.com

http://www.dermotcaseytreecare.ie

Qualitymark

TTTT wrote: »

http://www.treecareireland.com

http://www.dermotcaseytreecare.ie

Hm, doesn't say how much the course costs - http://www.treecareireland.com/BasicChainsaw%20course.asp
and broken link:
http://www.dermotcaseytreecare.ie/our-services/tree-surgery-courses
Maybe people aren't doing the safety courses. Might give B&Q a ring - they often run handy DIY courses.

ford2600

A course won't be cheap but then again saws need to be handled safely.
A good saw needs care regular edging, cleaning and clean properly mixed fuel. Learn all you can about basic maintenance on course.
Good luck and be careful.
PS while PPE such as boots chaps gloves etc are strongly recommended they are no substitute for unsafe techniques/equipment

TTTT

Qualitymark wrote: »

Hm, doesn't say how much the course costs - http://www.treecareireland.com/BasicChainsaw%20course.asp
and broken link:
http://www.dermotcaseytreecare.ie/our-services/tree-surgery-courses
Maybe people aren't doing the safety courses. Might give B&Q a ring - they often run handy DIY courses.

Phone them.
I did the CS 30 + 31 with Tree Care Ireland for €975 although you might only need CS 30 for cutting up firewood as CS31 is felling small (under 380mm) trees.

steven704

hi im looking for some unseasoned logs if you still have them can collect

Qualitymark

TTTT wrote: »

Phone them.
I did the CS 30 + 31 with Tree Care Ireland for €975 although you might only need CS 30 for cutting up firewood as CS31 is felling small (under 380mm) trees.

What does this mean, please?

leacy22

Wheres the best place to get the tool that checks moisture in wood? I tired aldi but didnt have it,. alternatively if I buy wood thats wet how long does it usually take to dry... I presume depends on the moisture (e.g. 20-80%)

Qualitymark

leacy22 wrote: »

Wheres the best place to get the tool that checks moisture in wood? I tired aldi but didnt have it,. alternatively if I buy wood thats wet how long does it usually take to dry... I presume depends on the moisture (e.g. 20-80%)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/moisture-meter

ford2600

leacy22 wrote: »

Wheres the best place to get the tool that checks moisture in wood? I tired aldi but didnt have it,. alternatively if I buy wood thats wet how long does it usually take to dry... I presume depends on the moisture (e.g. 20-80%)

A kitchen weighing scales and your oven

locky76

leacy22 wrote: »

Wheres the best place to get the tool that checks moisture in wood? I tired aldi but didnt have it,. alternatively if I buy wood thats wet how long does it usually take to dry... I presume depends on the moisture (e.g. 20-80%)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moisture-Digital-Tester-Detector-Timber/dp/B004NQ0RL4
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056806379

wayoutwest

Got the one off ebay for 13.90 - works o.k Don't push the probes into the end grain, instead - split your firelog in half and then take a reading from the very middle.

GY A1

leacy22 wrote: »

Wheres the best place to get the tool that checks moisture in wood? I tired aldi but didnt have it,. alternatively if I buy wood thats wet how long does it usually take to dry... I presume depends on the moisture (e.g. 20-80%)

It was about 2 months ago aldi had them,
Got one just to have it for a check now and again

An Ri rua

You can get the moisture meters also from www.Purchase.ie

ps I know its going to sound fruitbat to the commercial lads but I sawed through a good bit of green wood with a good old bow-saw. And I also picked up the excellent maul and wedge from Aldi last Autumn. Went looking for my sledge but some *********** had broken the handle. And left it back!! So I grabbed a lumphammer and bet the Be****** out of 1.5 foot lengths of 2 year old oak. I would say it was best split green. Lesson learned! But I agree with what others have said here; you have to love wood to work with it. I'm splitting wood since my teens and, though I love bogs and turf, nothing beats wood for the look, the smell, the heat, the lack of smoke, the lack of ash. Great stuff altogether.

pps As someone else noted here, the fact that the government aren't grant-aiding wood stoves is disgraceful. PARTICULARLY with regards to the fuel allowance. The government could have got a max 2 year ROI on the installment by working the 80/20 rule. 80%+ of an open fire's heat goes straight up the chimney. Yet that's exactly WHAT the government subsidises to the tune of 20pw for 20+weeks a year; across thousands of households. How many teams of young bricklayers, plumbers could have been paid decent money across the country to SAVE MONEY for everyone across a 2 year ROI ?? The idiots that we have in government......

I spent a large number of hours over two years lobbying Dan Boyle on this issue. Waste of time. Possibly the rubbish-burning issue as noted above. who knows?? What's obvious is that it takes the private sector, usually, to get things done. I had no agenda, only what I thought was good maths and common sense. Common what??

Thank God for Boards and for all of the great contributors here that keep peoples' minds open and hearts hopeful.

GY A1

30 euro tho for that meter

An Ri rua

GY A1 wrote: »

30 euro tho for that meter

Yeh, its pricey alright. I just saw that website from a recent business survey on Businessworld.ie. Mightn't even be in stock, could be quicker from the big sites! Just said I'd throw it out there though.

Qualitymark

I got my first moisture meter from amazon.co.uk; I think it was around £15. The wood man bought that from me, and I bought a second one from Ebay, for around a fiver, which works just as well. I punch it into the end grain - it gives a perfectly good reading.
This one http://www.amazon.co.uk/Handheld-Digital-Moisture-display-MD-812/dp/B0076LABVE/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1391583390&sr=8-8&keywords=wood+moisture+meter is typical (though '40%' isn't what you want to see!) Here's another cheaper one http://www.amazon.co.uk/iXium®-DETECTOR-MOISTURE-PLASTER-CARAVAN/dp/B004LXXUC2/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1391583390&sr=8-12&keywords=wood+moisture+meter and another for under a tenner in a nice little pouch http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Display-Moisture-Detector-Tester/dp/B00F5NV0EW/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1391583559&sr=8-13&keywords=wood+moisture+meter

TomOnBoard

An awful lot depends on what you want to use the meter for.

If you want to assess 20 tons of thinnings you're buying as to their worth, based on moisture content, you'll need one type;

If you want to assess your own 20 tons (or even 100 Kg) as to whether its ready for use in your gasification stove, Ford2600's method may be more appropriate.

Furthermore, knowing how to use a meter is crucial. How many people bring an axe or hatchet with them when using a meter- You must do, as you must measure at a recently exposed point. Also, are you measuring at end grain, or on a lateral surface? Moisture, particularly in hardwoods tends to be released though the existing 'canals'; lateral cell to cell moisture transfer is much less speedy than is vertical.

Before you even start, consider what you are trying to measure. Is it

a) the proportion of the timber that contains water (i.e. weight of moisture expressed as a % of the oven-dry weight)? or
b) the extent to which the timber has been seasoned (which more closely relates to its combustability)? or
c) the distribution of moisture with a log or block, plank etc? or
d) something else?

SIX PACK

Anyone still looking for trailer load Logs at reasonable price. Cant go too far wrong at these prices
http://www.donedeal.ie/heating-for-sale/spruce-logs-in-5-6-foot-lengths-cheap/5807732

TomOnBoard

SIX PACK wrote: »

Anyone still looking for trailer load Logs at reasonable price. Cant go too far wrong at these prices
http://www.donedeal.ie/heating-for-sale/spruce-logs-in-5-6-foot-lengths-cheap/5807732

AND he's selling by the cubic metre, not weight. Excellent value IMHO.

cena

There us a 60Ft spruce tree in the local woods that the wind knocked down at Christmas at the entrance of the woods. Could I go in and cut it up to bring it home

Mycroft H

Depends on who owns the land I'd say.

cena

Coillte as far as I know. It is right beside the secondary school. Its the start of walk area for the woods

Jack180570

TomOnBoard wrote: »

AND he's selling by the cubic metre, not weight. Excellent value IMHO.

Hi sixpac... looked at the ad and it is selling logs at €25 a cubic meter but the calculations appear to be incorrect.
Using a rough conversion of 30 cm = 1 ft the 8 x4 x 2 Iis approximately 1.7 m3 odd and when you convert to solid m3 it's just over 1 m3 of logs for €50...
If you take that general calculation an comoare to a typical artic load which would contain around 30m3 it would equate to a price of approximately €1500... not particularly cheap Imho

Jack180570

TomOnBoard wrote: »

AND he's selling by the cubic metre, not weight. Excellent value IMHO.

Hi sixpac... looked at the ad and it is selling logs at €25 a cubic meter but the calculations appear to be incorrect.
Using a rough conversion of 30 cm = 1 ft the 8 x4 x 2 Iis approximately 1.7 m3 odd and when you convert to solid m3 it's just over 1 m3 of logs for €50...
If you take that general calculation an comoare to a typical artic load which would contain around 30m3 it would equate to a price of approximately €1500... not particularly cheap Imho

Jack180570

TomOnBoard wrote: »

AND he's selling by the cubic metre, not weight. Excellent value IMHO.

Hi sixpac... looked at the ad and it is selling logs at €25 a cubic meter but the calculations appear to be incorrect.
Using a rough conversion of 30 cm = 1 ft the 8 x4 x 2 Iis approximately 1.7 m3 odd and when you convert to solid m3 it's just over 1 m3 of logs for €50...
If you take that general calculation an comoare to a typical artic load which would contain around 30m3 it would equate to a price of approximately €1500... not particularly cheap Imho

sawdoubters

where I live there lots fallen logs I just go in with my trailer to the woods and chain saw after about 40 minutes I have 3 months supply
free

cena

sawdoubters wrote: »

where I live there lots fallen logs I just go in with my trailer to the woods and chain saw after about 40 minutes I have 3 months supply
free

There is two 60ft trees fallen near me. One spruce and the other brich. Brother ripped the thread for the sparkplug in the chainsaw, only hand saw for me