Logs - S.W London/Surrey

surrey_commuter
surrey_commuter Posts: 18,864
edited March 2018 in The cake stop
As a newbie to the world of log burning stoves and having turned my garden into the Easter Islands I thought I would turn to the collective wisdom to see if anybody can recommend me a good supplier of logs. Happy to collect as the kids like doing jobs like that.

I have learnt enough to know that quality is more important than price and even found a charity with good logs but they are only open in office hours.

Comments

  • mamba80
    mamba80 Posts: 5,032
    As a newbie to the world of log burning stoves and having turned my garden into the Easter Islands I thought I would turn to the collective wisdom to see if anybody can recommend me a good supplier of logs. Happy to collect as the kids like doing jobs like that.

    I have learnt enough to know that quality is more important than price and even found a charity with good logs but they are only open in office hours.

    I ve been cutting down loads of Sycamore, Ash and beech, mixed in with some pine, all logged, split and seasoned, £100 per load.

    I live in Cornwall but not to worry because distance is no barrier to trade....... :wink:
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Head in to the BB - loads of log burner discussion in there recently.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,218
    As a newbie to the world of log burning stoves and having turned my garden into the Easter Islands I thought I would turn to the collective wisdom to see if anybody can recommend me a good supplier of logs. Happy to collect as the kids like doing jobs like that.

    I have learnt enough to know that quality is more important than price and even found a charity with good logs but they are only open in office hours.

    Hate to be a boring green eared fun sponge...

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38746482
  • As a newbie to the world of log burning stoves and having turned my garden into the Easter Islands I thought I would turn to the collective wisdom to see if anybody can recommend me a good supplier of logs. Happy to collect as the kids like doing jobs like that.

    I have learnt enough to know that quality is more important than price and even found a charity with good logs but they are only open in office hours.

    Hate to be a boring green eared fun sponge...

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38746482

    I have brand new stoves so they actually clean the air on it's way through (if I understood the promo literature)
  • mamba80 wrote:
    As a newbie to the world of log burning stoves and having turned my garden into the Easter Islands I thought I would turn to the collective wisdom to see if anybody can recommend me a good supplier of logs. Happy to collect as the kids like doing jobs like that.

    I have learnt enough to know that quality is more important than price and even found a charity with good logs but they are only open in office hours.

    I ve been cutting down loads of Sycamore, Ash and beech, mixed in with some pine, all logged, split and seasoned, £100 per load.

    I live in Cornwall but not to worry because distance is no barrier to trade....... :wink:

    I see you have a Surrey price. This is half of the problem that there is no consistent unit of purchase. Your £100 load may be the best or worst deal ever.
  • Head in to the BB - loads of log burner discussion in there recently.

    I will put on a disguise and pop in when it is quiet. Maybe unfairly I see them more as a scavenge, in a Toyota Hilux in the remote badlands, group of people rather than knowing a good vendor in leafy Surrey
  • haydenm
    haydenm Posts: 2,997
    Depends if you are in a smoke controlled zone or not but you can get smokeless stuff even if you are. Give a few local tree surgeons a call, they should either have their own or will know someone who does

    These are good also if you want to supplement 'acquired' wood:
    https://www.woodfuel-direct.co.uk/hotti ... S0QAvD_BwE
  • haydenm
    haydenm Posts: 2,997
    Head in to the BB - loads of log burner discussion in there recently.

    I will put on a disguise and pop in when it is quiet. Maybe unfairly I see them more as a scavenge, in a Toyota Hilux in the remote badlands, group of people rather than knowing a good vendor in leafy Surrey

    It's an Isuzu Dmax actually but yes, all 'scavenged' in my case :wink:
  • You can buy them on Wimbledon Common, near the Windmill. I haven't been for years but it used to be something like £40 to fill the boot of an estate.

    edit: https://www.wpcc.org.uk/the-commons/log-sales
  • Prhymeate wrote:
    You can buy them on Wimbledon Common, near the Windmill. I haven't been for years but it used to be something like £40 to fill the boot of an estate.

    edit: https://www.wpcc.org.uk/the-commons/log-sales

    that looks perfect - many thanks.
  • HaydenM wrote:
    Head in to the BB - loads of log burner discussion in there recently.

    I will put on a disguise and pop in when it is quiet. Maybe unfairly I see them more as a scavenge, in a Toyota Hilux in the remote badlands, group of people rather than knowing a good vendor in leafy Surrey

    It's an Isuzu Dmax actually but yes, all 'scavenged' in my case :wink:

    I have realised that I did not scavenge enough 2 years ago and am now redoubling my efforts. Plus I have realised that I am going to need another log store
  • HaydenM wrote:
    Depends if you are in a smoke controlled zone or not but you can get smokeless stuff even if you are. Give a few local tree surgeons a call, they should either have their own or will know someone who does

    These are good also if you want to supplement 'acquired' wood:
    https://www.woodfuel-direct.co.uk/hotti ... S0QAvD_BwE

    paying £400 for a pallet of those is going to challenge my ability to convince myself that the payback time on the burners is relatively short.

    Not smoke controlled and have clean burners.
  • haydenm
    haydenm Posts: 2,997
    HaydenM wrote:
    Head in to the BB - loads of log burner discussion in there recently.

    I will put on a disguise and pop in when it is quiet. Maybe unfairly I see them more as a scavenge, in a Toyota Hilux in the remote badlands, group of people rather than knowing a good vendor in leafy Surrey

    It's an Isuzu Dmax actually but yes, all 'scavenged' in my case :wink:

    I have realised that I did not scavenge enough 2 years ago and am now redoubling my efforts. Plus I have realised that I am going to need another log store

    I've realised that now and I don't have central heating :(

    You wouldn't need anything like a pallet, it was just the first thing I saw. You might use one or two a night along with scavenged stuff
  • mamba80
    mamba80 Posts: 5,032
    mamba80 wrote:
    As a newbie to the world of log burning stoves and having turned my garden into the Easter Islands I thought I would turn to the collective wisdom to see if anybody can recommend me a good supplier of logs. Happy to collect as the kids like doing jobs like that.

    I have learnt enough to know that quality is more important than price and even found a charity with good logs but they are only open in office hours.

    I ve been cutting down loads of Sycamore, Ash and beech, mixed in with some pine, all logged, split and seasoned, £100 per load.

    I live in Cornwall but not to worry because distance is no barrier to trade....... :wink:

    I see you have a Surrey price. This is half of the problem that there is no consistent unit of purchase. Your £100 load may be the best or worst deal ever.

    in all seriousness, ask down your local pub/shop, u really need at be buying at least a year in advance and local recommendation is your best bet, seasoned hardwood can be v expensive.
  • mamba80 wrote:
    mamba80 wrote:
    As a newbie to the world of log burning stoves and having turned my garden into the Easter Islands I thought I would turn to the collective wisdom to see if anybody can recommend me a good supplier of logs. Happy to collect as the kids like doing jobs like that.

    I have learnt enough to know that quality is more important than price and even found a charity with good logs but they are only open in office hours.

    I ve been cutting down loads of Sycamore, Ash and beech, mixed in with some pine, all logged, split and seasoned, £100 per load.

    I live in Cornwall but not to worry because distance is no barrier to trade....... :wink:

    I see you have a Surrey price. This is half of the problem that there is no consistent unit of purchase. Your £100 load may be the best or worst deal ever.

    in all seriousness, ask down your local pub/shop, u really need at be buying at least a year in advance and local recommendation is your best bet, seasoned hardwood can be v expensive.

    the problem in built up areas is that there are more people looking than there are potential supplies. When I go to the sticks the pricing model is turned on it's head. Maybe I need to buy a trailer.
  • HaydenM wrote:
    HaydenM wrote:
    Head in to the BB - loads of log burner discussion in there recently.

    I will put on a disguise and pop in when it is quiet. Maybe unfairly I see them more as a scavenge, in a Toyota Hilux in the remote badlands, group of people rather than knowing a good vendor in leafy Surrey

    It's an Isuzu Dmax actually but yes, all 'scavenged' in my case :wink:

    I have realised that I did not scavenge enough 2 years ago and am now redoubling my efforts. Plus I have realised that I am going to need another log store

    I've realised that now and I don't have central heating :(

    You wouldn't need anything like a pallet, it was just the first thing I saw. You might use one or two a night along with scavenged stuff

    so you think they are cost effective for the heat they throw out.

    What about coal or coal substitutes - a mate swears by the heat they throw out and he lives in a wooden house on an island in the Thames :shock:
  • Moonbiker
    Moonbiker Posts: 1,706
    Have a look here:

    https://arbtalk.co.uk/forums/forum/12-firewood-forum/

    Cheapest source of logs is green "arb waste" if you can get hold of it, but then you have to have a chainsaaw & axe to process & wait a year for it to season.

    Some tree surgeons actually have to pay to get rid of it, its normally logs & wood chip combined though.

    Firewood seems to be something that if you know the right person/place can be cheap, otherwise is very expensive.
  • Moonbiker wrote:
    Have a look here:

    https://arbtalk.co.uk/forums/forum/12-firewood-forum/

    Cheapest source of logs is green "arb waste" if you can get hold of it, but then you have to have a chainsaaw & axe to process & wait a year for it to season.

    Some tree surgeons actually have to pay to get rid of it, its normally logs & wood chip combined though.

    Firewood seems to be something that if you know the right person/place can be cheap, otherwise is very expensive.

    Chaps on there are mostly talking in terms of grab lorries :shock:
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 17,685
    Moonbiker wrote:
    Firewood seems to be something that if you know the right person/place can be cheap, otherwise is very expensive.
    That about sums it up. My efforts to get decent firewood once I didn't have a van and access to wood from farms were mostly experiences of dishonesty: a 'load' would be whatever the seller felt like, reduced by keeping a load of tools under a tarpaulin under the 'pile'; and 'well-seasoned hardwood' was hardly-seasoned-at-all softwood. It was costing me far more to heat the house with wood, with all the effort involved, than just turning up the gas fire.

    In the end I took the woodburner to the French house, where the sellers seem to be 100% straight, and the wood a good price.

    I'm sure there are some good wood sellers in the UK, but I didn't find one, and in a rural area, at that.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    We joined the ranks of log-burner owners last year. Initially we just bought bagged kiln-dried logs, but it was inconvenient, expensive and some of them were pretty poor quality. The best ones had been from Certainly Wood, so I took a punt and ordered a bulk bag of kiln dried from them.
    Arrived on the allotted day, bag on a pallet, parked right outside the garage, and I spent the evening stacking it inside. It's quality stuff, very dry (the garage now smells of slightly charred wood) and reassuringly heavy. It lights easily, burns for a long time, and throws out a lot of heat leaving almost no ash.
    There's a free returns bag to put the big bag in, and I'll turn the pallet into kindling.

    I'd initially planned to build a log store and buy cheaper, local logs and keep them for 18 months to season them, but I might not bother now...
  • grenw
    grenw Posts: 803
    https://www.andrewheard.co.uk/

    I've used these folks for a few years now. Probably not the cheapest source but good quality logs. I only get a trailer load every couple of years as I only burn them on an open fire - weekends in winter only so price less of an issue.

    They are not far off the usual Surrey hills loops (Shalford - just south of Guildford) so you may save some cash by stashing a log in your saddle bag every time you go past!
  • surrey_commuter
    surrey_commuter Posts: 18,864
    I found a Polish builder, in West Molesy, on ebay who has literally thousands of very dry logs, many are eucalyptus or oak
    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bag-of-Mixed ... SwH3haIv0U

    And by dry I means three years old