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Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15669

Posted: Fri Oct 10, 14 6:37 am Post subject:
Nice store Bodger. Just what is needed.

Chickpea

Joined: 05 Nov 2004
Posts: 208
Location: Buckinghamshire

Posted: Sat Oct 11, 14 7:09 am Post subject:
Thank you all, and bodger, that's perfect! Yes, I think I got wrong end of stick (excuse the pun), and it was a two ton tipping truck. However, there is more than enough mixed wood there for my needs to last through winter. I'm pleased anyway.

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2507
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 14 10:34 pm Post subject:

Stacking firewood in a cylinder is very efficient. This stack is 9 feet in diameter, so better than 27 feet for perimeter. Very stable, and holds a lot of firewood.

The gazebo is made from a non-working satellite dish. Snow does sift through the mesh, so we "shingled" the stack with slabs taken off the edges of stove-length logs.

Wood is cut on our own property, standing dead or storm toppled for preference. Mostly oak. Never thought about weight. Here it is generally by cord - 128 cu. ft. We burn 2 to 3 cords / winter in a Vermont Castings Vigilant stove. In fact, have a fire going right now. There have been a couple of nights that were already flirting with a frost, dipped down to 35 degrees Fahrenheit. And today is raining and damp. Love a fire in the stove!

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15669

Posted: Thu Oct 23, 14 6:38 am Post subject:
Good idea for large quantities Jam Lady, but in the UK we tend to use less firewood. Timber is sometimes sold in cords: 4'x4'x8', as you say, 128 cu ft, but firewood usually in cu m. We have some customers who use only 1/2 cu m per winter, and most use 1-2.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Thu Oct 23, 14 10:02 am Post subject:
I've only ever bought wood 'by the load' which is very variable (both quantity and quality) but have noticed it more often comes in cubic metre bags now. Much more of a nusciance for access for us (we had an open fronted garage and the tippers used to just tip straight in. It's too low for a crane lift thingy)

Pilsbury

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex

Posted: Thu Oct 23, 14 12:18 pm Post subject:
Get a sheet of heavy ply cut into 2 4'x4' squares and put some heavy duty casters on the corners and hhave the crane lift tye bag into it, then its easy enough to pull into your garage and you can have a spare for your next load to.

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2507
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Thu Oct 23, 14 1:09 pm Post subject:

If they're only burning 1/2 cu. m. Mistress Rose, then I would assume they're enjoying the ambiance of a fire. Our goal is "Can we keep the furnace from coming on."

There are numerous places selling firewood by the stack, an even more nebulous amount. (Same method as eggs for sale at the end of a driveway, though eggs are always by the dozen.) The price varies, currently about $10 / stack. The example here works out to 50 cents a piece.

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2507
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Thu Oct 23, 14 1:17 pm Post subject:
Let's see - using my handy dandy calculator, 128 cu ft works out to 221,184 cu inches. Divide by 39, 3 times, and it becomes 3.73 cu m. So Mistress Rose, even your best customers are using significantly less than we are burning.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Thu Oct 23, 14 8:48 pm Post subject:

That's a great idea, Pilsbury - I don't have the garage any more, but access is now a pain, so I still might use it. I'm very much hoping to fell some trees this year, so shouldn't have to be buying wood again, Fingers crossed!

We used to have fires just for ambience - in a large detached house that was not designed to be heated by it's equally large, fairly inefficient wood burner. We had approx 2 cubic metres delivered annually, and burned through most of it, using the remains on outdoor fires and barbecues in the summer. We used the heating as normal, although we did have room thermostats so at least they wouldn't be on at the same time. I don't expect it made any significant contribution to the heating.

This year I am in a terraced house with two small and (fairly) efficient wood burners. I have some weird electric radiator thingies, which I have no intention of turning on. I'm expecting to go through about the same amount of wood, perhaps a little more. Annoyingly, neither will stay lit through night like my old clearview as they are too small. The last one was too big!

I love the idea of buying by the stack. I've just paid £7 for a bag half the size of that (I'm trying to find a good supplier, and am experimenting by the sack. I'm not buying a cubic tonne of crappy wood! The last lot I had was so wet it was dripping!)

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42208
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Oct 23, 14 9:31 pm Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

Annoyingly, neither will stay lit through night like my old clearview as they are too small. The last one was too big!

Buy a bag/couple of bags of coal. If you chuck a little bit on last thing at night it'll still be going in the morning.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15669

Posted: Fri Oct 24, 14 6:45 am Post subject:

I agree with Sean. We use a bit of Stove esse on our fire with some logs at night, and it keeps going all winter.

WW, you could try www.coppice-products.co.uk to find a firewood supplier. It is nothing like comprehensive, but may point the way for you. Otherwise, try https://ncfed.org.uk/ the National Coppice Federation website. There is a forum on there where you could ask for anyone near you supplying firewood to make contact. Afraid I don't know anyone to recommend as far away as you.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45676
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Oct 24, 14 12:33 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

wellington womble wrote:

Annoyingly, neither will stay lit through night like my old clearview as they are too small. The last one was too big!

re overnight burn

Buy a bag/couple of bags of coal. If you chuck a little bit on last thing at night it'll still be going in the morning.

homefire ovals are ace at keeping lit all night ,dont bank them if part burned together as they will self regulate

if you have it well seasoned oak is good even in a small stove (as is blackthorn) especially if you add it lateish,open the flue to burn out the gassy stuff and then close the vent(or bank the ashes over it in an open fire ) to give a slow charcoal burn.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Fri Oct 24, 14 3:31 pm Post subject:

Place is swimming with coal (lots of old miners who have coal for life. Hardly surprising really in Coalville!) I've never used it myself, dunno why. I'll give a go for nighttime. The kitchen stove can be closed down so tight that it does make charcoal. I'm looking forward to that when I've got the wood sorted out. I can get wood no problem, it's just very variable so I'm trying it out by the bag until I find some good quality stuff.

I do have some oak, but it's still in the tree. With a TPO on it. I'm working on it! I don't know it well enough to pick it out of a load of mixed hardwood.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45676
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Oct 24, 14 3:54 pm Post subject:

just to complicate matters there are several dozen types of oak and they can have quite varied properties between types and even within one type depending on age ,heart or sapwood,seasoning etc etc

i just had a look online for a guide to identification of split firewood and failed to find anything useful

it does matter as different woods are best used in different ways ,a list of what to do with what is not much good unless one can id what is in the pile

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15669

Posted: Sat Oct 25, 14 8:38 am Post subject:

I have trouble identifying split firewood, and we sell it! I have to check with husband and son if any is non-standard.

Start with any bark on the log then look at the colour and check the weight of the seasoned log. I would quality any of the following with the word 'usually'. Beech is smooth, fairly heavy and brownish wood. Ash can have quite heavily furrowed bark, although young trees are smoother, bark grey, lightweight, often white wood. Sycamore bark is smooth, wood white, not as light weight as ash. Oak is dark wood, heavily furrowed bark and very heavy. Just a few to be getting on with.

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