Wood costs and chopping advice

chickaroonee

We have recently had a lovely Charnwood stove fitted and are very much looking forward to a warmer winter in our old house!

I've got a couple of questions and hoping others can help.

First of all, what do other people pay for their logs? I realise that this is going to vary on location but it'd be nice to get an idea of what is reasonable. Also interested to know how much people get through during the winter, and whether it's worth stocking up over the summer i.e. is it cheaper. The local suppliers I've seen seem to sell by bulk bag and I'm not sure how long that's going to last us.

Secondly, what tool would people recommend for chopping some wood. Not too keen on getting a chainsaw, it will just be for chopping branches from our garden and some other fallen branches, not too much, but would like something to make it easier.

greyteam1959

All I can say is 'you get what you pay for'.
Good quality well seasoned hardwood logs are going to cost you a lot more than the cr*p they sell in the sheds.
I think you really have to go on recommendations......& maybe just buy a few logs to see how they burn on your particular stove.
How much are you going to use ???
If you have the dry storage space then you might pay a bit less in the summer months.
HTH
Well that depends on how cold the weather is & how warm you want your house, & also how dry the logs are.

chickaroonee

I have been recommended one place locally, so will definitely look into that.

We do have some storage space and can build some more so I think it might be worth stocking up.

We live in a cold, rural area and have a stone built house, so it'll definitely be used a lot.

Gloomendoom

chickaroonee wrote: »

Secondly, what tool would people recommend for chopping some wood. Not too keen on getting a chainsaw, it will just be for chopping branches from our garden and some other fallen branches, not too much, but would like something to make it easier.

What do you mean by chopping? If you mean splitting logs, I find that a splitting maul is the best tool. If you mean actually producing logs in the first place, then a bow saw or a Silky saw would be useful... but bloody hard work.

Don't underestimate how much fuel your stove will gobble up. Unless you have a huge garden, I doubt you will be able to satisfy it's appetite. The same goes for fallen branches. You are going to need fallen trees (potentially very hazardous to chop up.)

If you are collecting wood from somebody else's property, it is good manners to ask first.

alleycat`

As per G&D it depends on what you mean by chopping.

I prefer my wetterlings axe for splitting, compared to a Maul, but that's more to do with what suits me.
For most people a Maul would be a better tool for the job.

I also have a couple of bow saws for cutting up branches and odds and ends to get them down to the required length.

I, personally, tend to buy my wood in May but it's the same price from my supplier all year around.

The only reason i pick May is i can season most off for the following year and not rely on him having to do it.

I tend to try and have a couple of cubic metres on site ready to go and about the same seasoning off at my lottie.

I've seen people buying wood from him in January when it's obvious it won't be ready for a good period of time and they intend to use it straight away.

He warns them about it but what can you do.

If you intend to burn just wood and are going to use the stove often you'll need at least (at a guess 3 cubic metres).

Obviously if you've got a 16Kw monster stove that could go up much much higher.

Edit:- O and i only have a 5Kw stove, use some smokless fuel and have access to GCH so this isn't my primary heat source.
If you factor that in it is very easy to see how you could much through a lot of wood.

notanewuser

Debating getting a stove ourselves after our neighbour has done a deal for about 30 cubic metres of ash tree for free!!!

pauletruth

thats a very good deal. FREE]

notanewuser

pauletruth wrote: »

thats a very good deal. FREE]

It is...............

...........but not when you consider the £4k it will cost to replace the gas fire in my living room with a wood burner, and its such an antisocial thing to have. I live in a small cul-de-sac and the single wood burner at my neighbours' house makes such a smell and soot on cars etc. if the other neighbour plus is get them too I think the other neighbours might object!!!

chickaroonee

Gloomendoom wrote: »

What do you mean by chopping? If you mean splitting logs, I find that a splitting maul is the best tool. If you mean actually producing logs in the first place, then a bow saw or a Silky saw would be useful... but bloody hard work.

Don't underestimate how much fuel your stove will gobble up. Unless you have a huge garden, I doubt you will be able to satisfy it's appetite. The same goes for fallen branches. You are going to need fallen trees (potentially very hazardous to chop up.)

If you are collecting wood from somebody else's property, it is good manners to ask first.

I mean chopping up branches into logs, I'm not sure what the correct term is? I know it's hard work and it certainly won't come anywhere near what we'll burn, but I still think it's worth doing and wanted to know which tools were best.

I am not under any illusions that a log burner uses a lot of logs, hence me asking how much people get through and how much they pay for them.

We will use coal as well, and also have CH, but would prefer to use the burner more over the winter period, but it will have to produce a good heat for us. It is a 9kw so a big burner, I realise this will burn more wood than a smaller model.

suisidevw

notanewuser wrote: »

It is...............

...........but not when you consider the £4k it will cost to replace the gas fire in my living room with a wood burner, and its such an antisocial thing to have. I live in a small cul-de-sac and the single wood burner at my neighbours' house makes such a smell and soot on cars etc. if the other neighbour plus is get them too I think the other neighbours might object!!!

£4k.... why?!??!?! I replaced mine for less than £1.5k all in and fitted with a Charnwood replacing a gas fire!

notanewuser

suisidevw wrote: »

£4k.... why?!??!?! I replaced mine for less than £1.5k all in and fitted with a Charnwood replacing a gas fire!

Because we'd have an inset slimline stove rather than the fire and huuuuuge surround we inherited when we bought the house. Would need to make walls good and repaint and the carpet would be replaced with wooden flooring - it's 24ft x 14ft-ish. So around £1.2k for stove plus fitting, £300 for plastering and decorating and £2.5k for the new floor.