Duffields and their home made logs.....

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djellworth

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A few thoughts for you on a Friday evening.

I really love this forum. Huge experience and knowledge - a cross section of views - pros and amateurs - young and old. It does seem to occasionally get a bit heated but bubbles back down again and most seem to end up as friends.

I was very recently introduced to Godwin's law - for those of you, like me, who have not heard of it: (thanks wikipedia) Godwin's law, short for Godwin's law (or rule) of Nazi analogies,[1] is an Internet adage asserting that as an online discussion grows longer (regardless of topic or scope), the probability of a comparison to Nazis or Adolf Hitler approaches

I suspect there is something similar on this form but it is called Jacob's Law. I'll leave you to define it but its is much nicer and less aggressive/offensive but none the less somewhat inevitable. (By the way Jacob, as an aside, I see you are in Derbyshire and when I next visit I'd love to drop in for a cup of tea if you'd have me)

Yesterday I was reading a Thread here about burning lime wood which followed Jacob's Law perfectly. Anyway it got me thinking about the "compressed sawdust" logs I have been using which Duffields in Ripon have started making using their waste on a new machine. I think the product is great - very dense, burns hot and quite slowly. So based on input from Forum member WoodyWoodpecker (I assume that is not their real name...) I tried to calculate the difference between these and my local traditional suppliers of firewood which over the past year has 1) gone up in price significantly and 2) is often really rubbish and I am pretty sure more damp than the regulations allow.

We pay on average £125 for a "tonne" bag which WoodyWoodpecker tells me is actually about 250kg of actual wood which should be no more than 20% moisture. 56p per kg of actual wood I think.

Today I paid £360 (Black Friday -10%) for a pallet of Duffield's "lava logs" made from their recycled sawdust. For this I get 106 x packs - each weighs 8.77Kg. They state 12% moisture and I have no reason to doubt this as they are v dry but have not measuredthe actual %. So 44p per kg of actual wood

So my calculations make these quite a bit more efficient financially than my locally available firewood. IF I've got the maths right.......

Now I happened to be there buying a few pieces of wood anyway so could have it loaded on my truck and didn't need it delivered plus Black Friday-10%. Normally it would be I think £472 delivered, which again by my maths is 57p - about equal to the cost of firewood but so much more convenient and at least for me better..

Have I got my maths right - what do you think? Maybe a good alternative if your local supply is as bad as mine?
 
As you suggest the biggest problem with logs is there often still wet or at least damp. My big local joiners sells 10kg of briquettes for £2 a bag(on 15 bags) there not massive more like a large pellet. They are dense and burn slowly. Needless to say there really popular and sell out.
 
.... (By the way Jacob, as an aside, I see you are in Derbyshire and when I next visit I'd love to drop in for a cup of tea if you'd have me)
Yes do. Moving shortly so you will miss the experience of our converted chapel! For Sale: Main Street, Middleton-by-Wirksworth, Derbyshire | The Modern House

As I said (numerous times) with the right stove it's possible to burn sawdust direct and I imagine it could be cheap or free if you don't make your own. Only problems - storage and frequency of recharging. Stove needs to be roughly pyramidal or conical so the the whole surface of the heap within can burn.
Main advantage is cheap and also can be very hot with a fast burn.
Briquettes seem to get a bad press. Have tried "Hemplogz" but they too slow HempLogz - East Yorkshire Hemp and no you can't smoke them. o_O

"Logs" in general seem a bad idea to me. Smaller stuff dries faster, burns faster and is more controllable.
 
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Our local Farm Cooperative, is now stocking "Hotmax" logs in 20kg bags. They seem to have improved since last year, and are a much higher density. They are a darker brown on the outside and don't break up as readily into piles of sawdust. :giggle:
They're a good interim measure for when the real logs run out, though you don't get the " bang for your bucks" that you get from burning Lignite Briquettes ( Sorry, Greta :cry: )
 
Very nice house Jacob. Are you moving to somewhere that will suit your book and art collection? A Rietveld chair is my next project when I get the time between jobs for my daughters.
It is spectacular place to live.
Downsizing to small detached modern 3 bed but with a big garage. Too much routine work needed keeping the chapel going and lots of stuff unfinished. Too old!
There's a book with full details of the chair https://www.waterstones.com/book/ho...eter-drijver/johannes-niemeijer/9789068682809
 
Yes do. Moving shortly so you will miss the experience of our converted chapel! For Sale: Main Street, Middleton-by-Wirksworth, Derbyshire | The Modern House

As I said (numerous times) with the right stove it's possible to burn sawdust direct and I imagine it could be cheap or free if you don't make your own. Only problems - storage and frequency of recharging. Stove needs to be roughly pyramidal or conical so the the whole surface of the heap within can burn.
Main advantage is cheap and also can be very hot with a fast burn.
Briquettes seem to get a bad press. Have tried "Hemplogz" but they too slow HempLogz - East Yorkshire Hemp and no you can't smoke them. o_O

"Logs" in general seem a bad idea to me. Smaller stuff dries faster, burns faster and is more controllable.
Lovely place Jacob, how come its in council band A, my small three bed terrace is in B?
 
Lovely place Jacob, how come its in council band A, my small three bed terrace is in B?
Band A when it was a chapel and us in a caravan around the back. They haven't got around to up-rating it. :unsure:
 
The usual council efficiency, when I saw that I was going to write to my local council for an explanation. Is the next place you're moving to a project?
Council Tax bands are based on how much a property was worth on:
• 1 April 1991, for England and Scotland
• 1 April 2003, for Wales

https://www.gov.uk/challenge-council-tax-bandhttps://www.ericwhitehead.co.uk/general/council-tax-band-increases-following-home-improvements
Next home is extremely ordinary and in good nick. It may turn into a project but that isn't the prime objective, except for looking at workspace.
 
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