Processing Your Own Timber

[Jelly]

The risk you take is that the Forestry Commission won't Issue and/or Transfer a felling licence for the extraction of the timber,

The forestry commision no longer exists, it disappeared with the mining industry.
AFAIK

Are you sure about that?

I know it merged with NRW in wales back in 2013, but I was under the impression they were still responsible for England and Scotland, in fact they just started a new project with brian blessed to raise awareness of the risk to forest posed by climate change earlier this month.

 

[Rhossydd]

Still there at http://www.forestry.gov.uk/

 

[DennisCA]

I'd love to be able to get my own logs to mill up, but as one that doesn't own any woodlands, or a tractor or anything like that I think my only recourse is buying sawn lumber from the mill. It's hard to give up the notion though...

 

[dickm]

Anyone with an interest in small-ish scale timber production might like to join the Farm Woodland Forum. Interesting mixture of academics, growers and a few dreamers, but there is a mine of knowledge on there.

 

[acewoodturner]

I have been milling up trees with an Alaskan Mill now for 15 years. They are all windblown on local estates within about a 5 mile radius of the workshop. I have a Stihl 66 with a 36" baar and a Stihl 88 with a 56" bar. I have a couple of winches to pull the logs into a better position for milling and have done up to 4' dia logs on my own. If I am lucky I can park the van pretty well near the tree or use a carpet fitters trolley to wheel the planks back to the van. It is hard work and not for the faint-hearted, but the rewards are pretty good. I cant remember the last time I had to buy any hardwoods and some years I can get through 4 or 5 cubic meters worth in my business.
I built a new kiln last year and I have filled it 4 times this year with sycamore, douglas fir and poplar.
On Monday I am heading out to plank up a 3' dia oak which has been down for about 3 years. I have a long list of trees to mill and the next 2 will be a couple of large beech which I reckon I will be able to fill the kiln with at least twice.
I have several thousand pounds worth of gear invested in the milling set up which has easily had the costs covered with a couple of kiln loads. I obviously have the costs of electricity in running the kiln but when you work out the costs of say 60mm oak, it works out about £3 per cube which is pretty good.
In the last few years I have planked oak, beech, sycamore, yew, walnut, cedar, doug fir, poplar amongst others. Many of these trees wouldnt have been touched or cut for firewood. One other reason for getting into milling was that the nearest hardwood sawmill is about 30 miles away and only open 4 days a week. Any timber over 30mm thick as well was total rubbish and a nightmare to work with.

Mike