Saronne Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Just wondered how this year's wood womblers have got on. Have you found plentiful sources - or are you finding it more difficult to source your free wood? I scour Gumtree for leads and still 'skip dive' I think more people are doing the same, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I think I have enough free wood to last through an ice age! I already had two piles in the garden, awaiting my attention with the chainsaw, then my chippie texted me for some sacks to fill with ready chopped offcuts, THEN another friend offered me some recently chopped pine (all the right size, but needs 2 years to season). And just last week, I took my old shed down and had it replaced, so there's all that to chop up too. My garden looks not unlike Steptoe's yard at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Same here - a full stack of seasoned wood mixed with joinery/pallets inside the garage. A similar amount outside on the drive, some of which needs splitting and stacking. Some of it is too big for my chainsaw, and I'll need to get a friend who has a more powerful petrol chainsaw to help. Some of it is from skips and similar, some has been donated by friends clearing their gardens. At this rate I won't be burning much - it's too warm to light the stove most evenings. I still haven't bought any wood in the seven years since I had the stove fitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saronne Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 Sounds great! I sometimes get 'anonymous' gifts of wood. I have put the word out so people have contacted me. I never say no - as I don't know whether the source will dry up! I also found a bed factory who advertised free offcuts to the public. The problem is storing it all. I also haven't had to buy any wood in a couple of years. I recently got another stove fitted in my kitchen - it's got a built in oven - which is great! I've been baking bread and roasting veggies, etc. so hopefully I'll be using less electricity (i.e. my cooker). My antennae is always on the lookout for pallets and skips! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 The stove in your kitchen sounds amazing Saronne My house would have originally had a cast iron range in the kitchen, sadly this has been taken out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Ooh, I'm really envious of that stove! Can we see a picture? if I could afford it I would definitely fit another wood-burner in my front room. I also have a few small industries nearby who leave pallets out for free. Like you I always say yes to donations although that left me with some rather sticky Leylandii branches on the last occasion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Your stories are very encouraging, I normally have to buy wood We'll be back in the UK shortly and although I know there is some wood left from last year, its not a full season's worth. Every time I go to the tip I linger by people's boots so I can ask if I can have any wood they are chucking out, but the real problem for me is that literally all my close neighbours have woodburners, so none of us will share any freebie wood sources we happen to come across, and any trees chopped down remain firmly in owners gardens A question on burning pallets - am I right in thinking they burn fast and furious, almost like kindling, rather than long and slow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Yes, pallets won't keep you very warm, but are good to mix with other wood or split as kindling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I try to have a mixture - pallets split as kindling, as DM says, and some chunkier bits of pallet and joinery wood (roof slats, old door frames, whatever to hand to get it hot before I start with the logs. Even seasoned wood needs a bit of time to get going. I know that strict advice is that you should only burn timber but needs must and it has not harmed my woodburner or chimney. I don't burn stuff with paint on though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saronne Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 (edited) I always struggle to put pictures on here, but have tried to post a link to the type of stove I bought. click Edited November 11, 2015 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 That stove looks really handy! I have a woodpile fit to burst and no woodbuner yet We had three mature trees taken down in the garden and building work has produced some joists and other modern stud walling pieces that just need to be de-nailed! I think there's almost 8 cubic metres of wood at the mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 I dread to think how much i need to cut up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 We keep our eyes peeled for wood, we have a friend who has built a few developments of flats and small houses so we did well for a long time with trimmings from partition wall frames and roof trusses. He has stopped this now though and we don't have a big estate car anymore for transporting it either. We pick up odd bits but also order a trailer load of logs from a local farmer each year too, so we have kindling and logs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Revisiting this thread I can report that there was no wood left at all when we arrived home, despite instructing our tenant not to touch it, she burnt the lot. I was furious. I would have been incandescent with rage, but there was no wood So, I bought a double load, which will last us this winter and part of next and I spent a day breaking up a sumach tree thicket into kindling for next year. Another question - "Ooops, word censored!"ody else's house resembles mine, in that we always have piles of old cardboard/paper ready for the fire and it doesn't look attractive! What do you all do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 My kindling is all kept dry in an old composter. There is a basket by the stove with paper and kindling. Got a chop saw for christmas. ... brilliant for cutting all the fence posts and joists quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I'm afraid I don't know the answer, Daphne - I've always got a pile of old newspapers and kindling, it's not pretty but I'm used to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saronne Posted January 11, 2016 Author Share Posted January 11, 2016 My son bought me a crowbar (sp?) for Christmas to dismantle pallets. He wrapped it very nicely (I guessed what it was straight away). He tried to make me believe it was a walking stick! I keep a small stump and hand axe by the woodburner and chop up timber offcuts for kindling as and when I need it. Though I got a little over-enthusiastic one evening and had a knock on the door from my neighbours asking me if everything was 'alright.' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 luckily my neighbour also has a woodburner, so when I hear chopping and sawing late at night I know what it is! I have a small crowbar, axe, handsaw, small sledgehammer (I can't lift a large one and am not much use with this one), electric chainsaw and an electric log splitter. It's a good job the wood is free! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 sounds like my 'house-breaking kit' Olly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 I love chopping kindling with an axe My ED brought her first boyfriend home one afternoon and before coming in she took him around to the garden to show him the chickens and they met my OH coming the other way with an axe in his hand. Poor lad went pale and suffice to say the relationship didn't last much longer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
