We have enough wood to burn for the rest of this winter but I am going to build a decent sized log store, should be able to fit enough wood in for 2 winters.

So I need to buy some wood for next winter my question is weather I buy now, I can get some good hard wood but it’s definately no good for this winter but will probably be dry enough for next winter but its pretty pricey about £75 for a half plant trailer.

Is it likely that I can get cheaper wood in spring that will still be dry enough by next winter.

I am in East Devon if that affects anybodies advice.

I’m in the same situation (although the wood I have for this winter isn’t brilliant) – we’ve gone through a lot this winter and will be getting all I can afford for next year.
Buying wood is very tricky as all trailers/pickups, etc are different so you rarely know how much you’re getting 🙁
I’d probably wait for spring unless you don’t think you’ll get hardwood in the spring.

Due to not having space for a massive log store plus burning more this year than last I have had to buy wood a couple of times this year 🙁

I have found that the price varies about a pound a sack (about 20kg) so not that much but it seems that the quality and choice is better through summer. The wood I have at the moment is poop.

I will be stocking up as soon as the warmth of spring/summer is with us.

We bought got some wet wood last spring and it dried over the summer for this winter, but it wasnt a massive quantity so wasnt stacked too deeply etc. I guess if you have to stack alot closely together the results might be different.

Our local supplier charges the same price of £50 per metric tonne bag regardless of the time of year.

It may sound like an irrational and convoluted way of getting cheap fire wood, but have you considered going dogging?

I’m merely suggesting this judging by the actions of Darwen council recently. There’s (apparently) a very popular dogging hot-spot there. Picked I presume as it is secluded woodland. The local council got all uppity about people fondling each others bottoms and such-like, so they leveled the whole place. Its looks positively post apocalyptic. Just felled trees lying around everywhere. Premium firewood

So there’s your answer. Pick a popular, secluded, and more importantly… combustable, area of woodland, get some mates together and lurk around there at night, then phone the local council to complain about yourselves. Bobs yer aunties live-in-lover!

Hope that helps

binners – true blue sky thinking sir. I doff my cap to you :O)

Pretty much the same as us the wood we have bought this winter is pretty wet still but using the small amount of really dry wood we have to get the stove going means we can burn the wetter wood. Really don’t want to have to go through next winter with wet wood again.

A top tip, if you live in a rural area. One of the jobs farmers need to do is to prune back trees on field boundarys to allow maximum light to whatever they are growing. Make a mutual deal for free wood. Plus you get all the fun of outdoors work, if you like that sort of thing.

Only caveat is you need the skills to avoid dropping limbs on fences, and maybe the skills to fix fences 😀

Whatever you do, wood is not to be paid for in my world.

but I am going to build a decent sized log store, should be able to fit enough wood in for 2 winters

How big is that ? Only asking as I’m building a log store at the Mo. 6 metres long, a metre deep & two metres high.

TIA Dave.

Davesport,

I wish I knew the exact answer to your question, we have only had the log burner for this winter so its not yet set in stone, although we do have gas fired central heating so we onl tend to light the log burner mid afternoon. I would have thought yours sounds as if it would keep me going for at least 2 years. I have 3 places that I can store logs the biggest is 4.5m wide x 1m deep by unlimited height. Probably be 2.4m high as its a standard timber length. I am pretty sure this will keep 1 years stock and then have 2 other places that I can store extra wood if I can source more but they are not as easy to access in the dark when its raining.

Is it likely that I can get cheaper wood in spring that will still be dry enough by next winter.

There is no seasonal difference in prices or at least none I have seen.

Anyone got any tips on building a log store as I have zero joinery skills.

I want it to look semi decent (i.e.) not pallets screwed together as it is going to sit near the back door.

Going to support it from an existing timber fence, so do i just need to concrete some corner poles into he ground and go from there?

Organic – if you have Solidworks, I can send you solidmodels and cut-lists for a 4 x 1.5 x 1m woodshed that is ‘based on’ the top on here. Yes, probably overkill, but it does look very nice 🙂

http://edistone.com/Pattern_A_2Bays.html

We buy our firewood from our local hardwood sawmill. We cut and store it for a minimum of two years. Here is a link to the construction of a small wood store. We used telegraph poles and scaffolding battens and some salvaged slates. Salvaged corrugated iron would be easier and quicker.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mcmoonter/SmallWoodshedProject2009#

McMoonter – you just love giving the rest of us ‘woodstore’ envy don’t you!!

I reckon that would occupy not far short of half our garden, so I’ll have to satisfy myself with something more modest.

True – I just love a wood pile thread.

Don’t get me started on summerhouses