maurice pyle woodsmith
services
woodcraft training
demonstrations
books/tools/devices
willow fencing/bundles
firewood
charcoal
other wooden products
woodland mamgement

Firewood

On this page we supply seasoned hardwood logs and other related products

  • Seasoned hardwood logs
  • Rather special logstores
  • British made log baskets
  • Gransfors Bruks splitting axes

Seasoned hardwood logs

We supply hardwood logs processed from timber that was cut the previous winter, generally sourced from certified woodlands approved by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as being from a sustainably managed resource. Otherwise our timber comes from managed thinning operations. All woodland trees, no recycled timber or railway sleepers!  We have been producing firewood for more than 12 years

What do we mean by seasoned wood?  All of our wood is keep outside, so whilst we have given it time to allow a lot of the inherent moisture of the wood to evapoarte off you will still need to finish the drying before burning it in your stove or open fire.  You will have to store the logs in a dry place protected from rain but with plenty of fresh air circulating around it

Available in 1.8 / 2.7 cubic meter trailer loads delivered or convenient pre-packed nets delivered.

More and more people are enjoying burning wood on open fires and wood burning stoves. Burning wood properly is not rocket science but to do it efficiently and safely does need good advice. The first thing to get right is the right species and then to get it dry enough. Buying wood in the spring/summer to burn in the winter is about right. Never burn wet or green wood, it will not burn efficiently and will be bad news for your chimney. Split logs bought before the summer will allow you to stack it in the sunniest, windiest position you can find, out of the rain, ensuring your logs are dry enough to burn safely. Several customers have asked us to construct them log stores, to keep their firewood in the best condition, see the bottom of this page for photos. Logs should be brought into the house for at least a couple of days prior to burning. The best species to burn are ash, oak, beech, cherry, and birch, other native hardwood species such as sycamore, alder and poplar etc. are ok to use but will not last very long. Click here for advice on burning wood

Our firewood prices

During the winter of 2008 / 2009 there was a hugh increase in demand for firewood, due mainly to factors such as increases in gas and electricity prices and interest in reducing our carbon footprints.  Such increase in demand has resulted in forestry contractors and woodland owners increasing the cost of timber roadside to firewood merchants such as ourselves.  Our new prices reflect these increases in the raw material we work with.  We beleve this will be a good thing in the longer term, because hopefully our local woodland resource will be better managed and respected and support jobs in the forestry industry which has been in staedy decline for many years.  We will try to keep our prices as reasonable as possible, but further price increase cannot be ruled out.

We supply logs in trailer load measures of 1.8 cubic meters. Our trailer measures 8' x 5' x 20" high, which is clearly marked so a consistent quantity is supplied each time.  The load is off loaded from the trailer onto your drive or garden.

1.8 cubic meters split hardwood logs delivered loose in our marked trailer.

Cost: £114. 29+ 5% VAT

Total £120

Including delivery within reasonable distance of my site in Gateshead.  We will consider delivering further afield but an extra charge will apply, please ask for a quote

A larger 2.7 cubic meter load costs: £166. 67 + 5% VAT = £175. 00

    

Approx 10kg nets of split hardwood logs, delivered locally.

Cost each: £3. 33 + 5% VAT = £3. 50

Minimum delivery 10 nets, within reasonable distance of our site in Gateshead

 

Mobile firewood processing

If you are lucky enough to have your own woodland and have a big stack of timber at roadside, then why not hire man and mobile firewood machine, we can process about 6 tonne per day. See case study at Ghyllheugh.

Hardwood logs for winter 09/10

The best time to be stocking up with a winter's worth of logs is in the summer time in order that it can be working towards an air dry condition, losing copious amounts of water form their cells. However if that has not been possible, for the forthcoming firewood season we have some excellent logs, great species well seasoned. Our timber is felled one winter for sale the next, usually kept in the round until an order comes in. If you buy your split firewood early in the year and keep it in favorable conditions for drying, it will be in great condition when you need to use it. So buy early for dryer, better burning wood!

This year our firewood supplies have come mainly from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) sources, including the National Trust, Forestry Commission and other estates in Northumberland. One of our sources of timber extracts by horse. Normally it is a mix of hardwood species including oak, ash, beech, birch, elm and sycamore.

If you would like a Forestry Commission leaflet 'Wood as Fuel - A Guide to Burning Wood Efficiently' let me know. We also have copies of Code of Practice for Fuel Wood Merchants, let us know if would like one of these.

Rather special Log Stores

This double load logstore costs £495, fully built up in your garden in the north east. More details below

Dimensions:

Double

2.1m wide x 1m deep x 2m high at the front sloping down to the back. Price £495

Single

1m wide x 1 m deep x 2m high at the front sloping down to the back.  Price £395

 

Firewood is often thrown into the garage or put under a taup, but this is to be avoided at all costs as the wood will not continue to dry and may go mouldy. Whereas a well built log store, keeping your winter's supply of firewood out of the rain but open to the drying effects of wind and sun, will produce wood that burns so much hotter and cleaner.

There are only three main design factors in the creation of a good wood shed:

  • shelter
  • ventilation
  • access

If a design makes provision for these factors, it will work. It also helps if a design has two sections, as featured in our double logstores; this allows you to easily keep track of the amount of wood you consume, or have delivered. Each section should accommodate the amount of wood you get from one trailer delivery. For proper stock rotation, use up one section completely before starting on the next. That way you won't end up with all your seasoned stuff at the back, buried under a new load of less dry wood!  As soon as one section becomes empty it's time to give us a call, or your local firewood merchant

The LH log store was designed for a single load of 1.8 cubic metres of split firewood and the RH log store for two loads of 1.8 cubic meters of split firewood. We build a central partition wall in the double logstore toallows for good stock rotation of your logs. If you would like us to make you one of these allow £395 for the single logstore and £495 for the Double Logstore including buiding-up on site, within a reasonable distance aound Tyne and Wear.   All timbers are pressure treated apart from the hazel wattle.  If you would rather have plain boards in the side panels rather than the hazel wattle, deduct £50 from each of the prices above.

We do get enquiries from around the country about our hazel wattle logstores, if you don't live within reasonable distance of us in Tyne and Wear there are several options

1) be prepared to cover our travel costs

2) buy the logstore as a partially assembled kit which you build up yourself

3) just buy the hazel sides and build the rest up yourself with standard fencing stock.

e-mail for more details Maurice

 

British made log baskets

Made by British craft workers, know personally to us.

LH picture above, made from somerset and locally produced willow prices from £35-£65

RH picture, oak swill baskets traditional design made in south cumbria, standard size £65, larger size £72. All plus p+p.  Follow the link to buy on line http://www.woodsmithstore.co.uk/shop/Products/Baskets/

 

Gransfors Bruks splitting axes

We import these axes directly from Swedish manufacturer Gransfors Bruks because they are simply a joy to own and use.  Each axe is hand made by an axesmith who is not paid by the number of axes they make and must stamp their initials into the head of each axe once they are happy with the quality. Each axe comes with a grain leather sheath, the Axe Book and a twenty year guarantee. Where practical, we will supply a free chopping block to our firewood customers. Follow the link below to our buy on line tools, books and devices website

The Woodsmith's Store

 

Logs to Burn

Logs to burn, logs to burn
Logs to save the coal a turn
Here's a word to make you wise
When you hear the wood-mans cries
Never heed his usual tale
That he has good logs for sale
But read these lines and really learn
The proper kinds of logs to burn

OAK logs will warm you well
If they are old and dry
LARCH logs of pine wood smell
But the sparks will fly
BEECH logs for Christmas time
YEW logs heat well
SCOTS logs it is a crime
For anyone to sell
BIRCH logs will burn too fast
CHESTNUT scare at all
HAWTHORN logs are good to last
If cut in the fall
HOLLY logs will burn like wax
You should burn them green
ELM logs like smoldering flax
No flame to be seen