I had a wood burning stove (multifuel) fitted before Christmas and have been slowly filling my wood store with off cuts from neighbours skips (non treated/painted) and some windfall branches. Does anyone have any good ideas though where to acquire a steady supply? The local B&Q sold out of seasoned logs 2 days ago due to the burner being this seasons latest accessory!
Local woodland is a ten minute drive away, but as we know all land belongs to someone (even woodland).
The attached store I made from a pallet as the base, four uprights from a skip and a broken fence panel for slats. I got a feeling I'm going to need a bigger boat as its now nearly full!
Thanks in advance for any help.
The Baron
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I get my wood from diverse sources.
I'm friends a chap with a wood so I get a really cheap deal on seasoned wood. That probably accounts for half of my store and is the only wood I pay for.
A roofer I know regularly drops off slats in my yard - that's the kindling sorted.
Skips are my best friend though
There are woods and a graveyard on the way to my allotment (15 minutes walk) so I gather woodfall and stack it in the big greenhouse on the allotment to season.
Artist and frame maker friends always let me have offcuts too.
The problem with pallets is they are usually made from pine wood which isn't really the best especially in pallet form, good for kindling though.
This little poem will help you with your selection of wood needed.
Beech-wood fires burn bright and clear
If the logs are kept a year;
Store your beech for Christmastide
With new-cut holly laid beside;
Chestnut's only good, they say,
If for years 'tis stored away;
Birch and fir-wood burn too fast
Blaze too bright and do not last;
Flames from larch will shoot up high,
Dangerously the sparks will fly;
But ash-wood green and ash-wood brown
Are fit for a Queen with a golden crown.
Oaken logs, if dry and old,
Keep away the winter's cold;
Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
Fills your eyes and makes you choke;
Elm-wood burns like churchyard mould,
E'en the very flames are cold;
It is by the Irish said;
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread,
Apple-wood will scent the room,
Pear-wood smells like flowers in bloom;
But ash-wood wet and ash-wood dry
A King may warm his slippers by.
Anon.
One day I hope to get a wood burner, in the mean time gas is a lot easier to deal with
Get in touch with afuel merchant. I used to get ALL mine for nothing. Then 2008 came and everyone jumped on the bandwagon and got stoves. So, I pick mine up from my coal merchant(my stoves are both multifuel).Or get in touch with a tree surgeon. You will pick free wood up, especially when you develop the mindset. You will(or should) get to be at least a year in front-I keep two years,so your wood is seasoned. Burn fresh wood and it will not yield the heat it should. Also, you will end up with a creosote build up and a chimney fire. PLEASE do not underestimate this problem. My neighbour burns anything, and I mean anything just because it is free. Boxing day his chimney caught fire!
This is scary. I have never seen smoke like it. It has wrecked his chimney,and split open 'cos of the heat. The smoke entered a bedroom and wrecked that. He never swept it and burns crap. And there is my last pointer. Sweep the chimney at least once a year(I do both mine twice) and please do not ignore it.
After all that ranting, enjoy your fire and the independence it gives!
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.
Robert Frost.
Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.
I asked our local council tree people ( happened to drive past them one day). We get a lorry load off them and all we need to do is to split and stack. The price is good and its beer money for them (cash in hand!).
You have to think ahead. Over the summer we were splitting wood for next winter. We season on pallets in the back garden then move to the garage, ready to use. It is hard work and you have to plan.
preppingsu wrote:I asked our local council tree people ( happened to drive past them one day). We get a lorry load off them and all we need to do is to split and stack. The price is good and its beer money for them (cash in hand!).
You have to think ahead. Over the summer we were splitting wood for next winter. We season on pallets in the back garden then move to the garage, ready to use. It is hard work and you have to plan.
Cash in hand,indeed just think of the economy will you? If we all did that...
Joking aside, though, you are right, you have to plan.
Now where's me wallet?
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.
Robert Frost.
Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.
For reference my house is a 1880 Victorian Terrace and when I moved in it had 6 coal burning fire places throughout the hose (no central heating), so I had the ones I intend to use swept and the rest have been sealed leaving the fire places in view but not working.
One question - when the stove was installed I had a metre flue going up into the chimney which then had a metal fire plate cemented (with fire cement) into the base of the chimney - flue goes through it and into the chimney cavity. How would I arrange in future to have it swept? Surely I dont need to dismantle each time I want it swept and have reinstated each time?
Unfortunately I was away when it was being installed.
My partner barters wood for used oil, works well. local tree surgeon/gardners are good, few cans of beer and you can get a good few. An old boy I know lets us have a huge trailer load for about £120.
just think of the economy will you? If we all did that...