Spring is here and with it a few different coloured bespoke log store orders, one lilac another blue, both using Sadolin, and this lovely one in brown with a touch of black. I think this would look lovely with a shelf too. I'm secretly hoping someone wants one in green, I think that would look lovely in pale green with a touch of black.

Another lady wanted totally enclosed with doors, so had a tongue and groove very posh log store, it looked really nice when finished.

 

More in the gallery on my website

Unusual uses for a log store.

Today someone said they would like one of our wood stores, but not to store logs :)
No, she wanted it for the tools that need a bit of shelter, and are used more during the summer months so a log store would provide just enough cover and make for easy access to her tools.

Sounds like a good idea to me, in fact another lady had us build something similar, but with different heights of shelves, she wanted it to store different sized plant pots on. We meet some lovely creative people (and get some great ideas for our own garden).

When we deliver and little ones are about, they invariably get inside and have a good jump about, or sit inside (looking very pleased with themselves). I like to think the parent don't fill it straight away, give the little ones a few days of fun with it. (Not just human little ones either, Ive seen cats and dogs giving them the once over, checking for potential comfy hiding places.

Standard sizes

Our standard size log stores are very popular. The 6' x 4' will store a cubic metre of logs, and can go fully constructed and ready to use on a standard pallet for delivery. It comes either 6ft tall or 6ft long.

Tall log store

Long log store

The 6' x 6' wood store holds around 1.5 cubic metres of logs. This shows untreated, you can choose the colour from light brown, dark brown, cedar, green or ebony.

The 6 x 4, tall or long, are £285, and the 6 x 6 £395. We also do a long design with 3 bays, approx 10ft long for £410. Delivery is usually £35 in England and Wales.

Nearly February, thankfully no sign of the very cold snap we have been promised this month, so we are on course to finish all orders and get them delivered on time.

We have a some lovely new designs of bespoke log stores, from building very small to fit where space is tight right up to the very large 5m ones.

In a funny shaped space, under a window or out in a field, size really doesn't matter :)

Which way will the roof slope?

We have just made another large 3 bay backwards sloping roof log store. This design will store more wood than the normal roof slope, and you're less likely to bang your head when filling it or collecting logs to burn. That isn't such an issue with the smaller or less deep log stores, but when you have very large amounts of wood to season then a backwards sloping roof can be very useful.

15 foot log store

It can be just as good if you are short on space to maximise storage space, like this one at just 3ft wide. This couple wanted to maximise storage of kindling. The shelf is strong enough to take logs if needed, it is as strong and sturdy as the base.

3ft by 6ft log store

This one looks so nice with the heart decoration. We constructed this one in situ, it looked really lovely when it was completed. They sent me this photograph after putting some logs in and had added that lovely rustic heart making it looks even more attractive.

Wood log store 8ft x 4ft x 6ft 6in

Wood stores with different shaped side bars

Sometimes the smallest change can make a big difference to how something looks. Houses and gardens are very individual so you want garden furniture that blends in nicely. By changing the side bars, adding a slight curve or perhaps an arch, you can change the overall look of the wood store. 

Andrew cuts the side bars to shape by hand, so if you would like a different shape on your log store he will make it.

Straight

Curved

Single arch

Long arch

Small curve

Large curve

Small straight

Buying a log store

There are so many things to look for when buying a log store it can get very confusing. Different sizes, different types of wood, delivery options, can you choose a colour, will you have to build it yourself, and so many differing costs for what appears to be the same thing.


We believe it should be as easy as possible to get a Log Store to suit you and your home.

The first thing to establish is the size you want, and the size you need. The size you want will be based on what room you have and where. Some find a larger log store further from the house and a smaller one near the door works very well. The advantage is, the small one can be used in the summer for the BBQ charcoal and Chimnea wood.

Generally for a single open fire or log burner, about a cubic metre of wood will last you a fairly long time. It will last longer if the wood is 'hard wood', so if you can get hard wood or a 50/50 mixture of soft and hard wood that is ideal. For very large log burners, or multiple log burners, you might need 2 or more cubic metres. As an example, one of our customers with 2 large log burners, has 4 of our Long Log Stores, which he fills up in Spring to season over summer, and burns over winter, that is 4 cubic metres which he can buy when wood is at its cheapest and use when he needs it (yes the wood suppliers do put the price up in winter, because wood gets more scarce!).  Last winter was long and bitter, so he had to buy an extra cubic metre of logs.

Some Log Stores are manufactured in sections abroad and imported by UK companies ready to be sent out in a flat pack, some are manufactured in the UK using imported wood, these will usually be tanalised, or may come untreated and be tanalised or otherwise treated here. Tanalised means chemically pressure treated, often with a poison which can contain copper and arsenic. You should never burn tanalised wood, it is toxic. Extra care should be taken when handling tanalised wood, wear gloves. If sawing or working on it in any way take care and wear protection from inhalation.

Some, like our log stores at Woodstores will be treated by hand.  Some wood has a natural preservative which also protects from wood boring insects, even some pines have this, so when combined with regular treatment (painted yearly) will last a lifetime. Even wood with limited natural preservative will last for decades so long as they  by a yearly coat of preservative. If you grow fruit or veg, or have an organic garden, this is in my opinion the best type of wood treatment to use (if any).  Larch or Pine will last for about 10 years WITHOUT any treatment (so long as it is not in contact with the soil). With treatment done yearly (and it only takes an hour or two)  you can double or triple this life span.

When we say UK handmade we mean it. We are a small family firm, but we get our wood locally, we also mill wood ourselves, plane it, and measure and cut each piece by hand.  We do not mean we nail together already manufactured pieces, or flat pack for you to nail together.  Check with  your supplier how their stores are put together, ask if they have a rigid frame, make sure you are not getting a 4 piece structure nailed together, or cheap wood that won't look good.

Andrew uses 3 x 2 for the basic structure, 12 sectioned fitted together then screwed in place with 3 inch anti corrosion gold colour screws.  The sides and back are 3/4 inch, each piece nailed on with sheradised corrosion-resistant ringed nails, builders use it for where very strong joints are required. The rings keep that nail in place.  The roof is 1/2 inch overlapped board, has the angle set for maximum falloff of rain, and underneath (out of sight) a sheeting of protective membrane. Keeps the store visually nice without the need for an ugly roof covering because it is underneath.

Delivery, there is no way around it, delivery costs.  Petrol and time costs combine to make delivery seem expensive, but when you think the cost is going towards making sure a very large log store arrives safely, often hundreds of miles away, in one piece and ready to use, it doesn't seem so bad.

We use Hickmans because they are a local family firm, and we know they will treat our consignments as if they were their own. We have never been let down by them in all the time we have been in business.  We work with our customers, every order is important to us, so delivery is at your convenience not ours; to be able to offer this customer service we do need time to make each log store.

I've tried here to cover some of the things we have been asked by our customers, and I am sure there will be other things I think of later to add. If you have any questions feel free to ask, we are always happy to help. You can find contact details on the website. We are happy to talk about wood burning in general because we understand it is a new experience for some, and are happy to share our knowledge.

Sadie

Happy new year! After an incredibly busy Summer with a 6 week lead time we then had an even busier Autumn and ended up having a 12 week lead time by Winter. Thank goodness for patient and pleasant customers. Even with 3 of us working flat out it seemed as if we would never get to the end of the list. January and February are usually a bit quieter, so we are down to 4-6 weeks (and getting the odd day off), still double the usual lead time but we are very much looking forward to being able to book a holiday some time soon!

We had a lovely customer from Ireland, he knew exactly what he wanted which is always good, and was very happy with it. I think his spec combined with Andrews skill and design made a really beautiful Cedar wood log store, and the base he made is perfect for it.

 The doors have a slight arch shape, with 10" black hinges and hand carved handle, the same as our wheelie bin stores

We used clear Blackfriars to treat it, then our customer used Osmo on top, which gave it the lovely golden colour. I must admit I had not heard of Osmo, and am very impressed with the finish.

This is another bespoke 4 bay wheelie bin store, again in Cedar wood, for two full size wheelie bins, shelves for smaller recycling bins and a storage cupboard. This is finished in light brown Blackfriars.

When Andrew isn't making log stores he relaxes making wood art. He is always after new tools, my fault for buying him subscriptions to magazines about turning and carving :)

 The latest tool is a hand held motorised carver, which he assures me will help get more definition than an angle grinder. The funniest thing about it though, with the set of blades that you use with it, the manufacturers included a bright yellow plaster dispenser.

It remains to be seen what he will make that needs this kit, but there is some talk of a carved hare, which he is building in plasticine first to see what the lines are.

Pleasantly surprised, the special offer I put on over the Easter holiday for  Cedar Wood Log Stores is proving very popular. This one is 6ft x 6ft and comes fully treated and constructed read to use for £640. 

Good news, Andrew has finally made a cover for the wheelie bins. The best bit for me is I now know he can do lovely doors, which is something I often get asked about for the Log Stores

What does your desk say about you?

What does your desk say about you?

You might be very surprised, and at the very least it will make you smile. I prefer to think of mine as the artistic chaos, rather than the whirlwind....

How will it end? March I mean.

Maybe March will go out like a Lamb, but it certainly came in like a Lion. I had a busy January catching up on orders, then February was very quiet, but it did give me time to indulge my other interests, wood turning and wood carving. In fact my wife decided to build another website for some of it, take a look if you have time woodtablelamps.co.uk.

Now March has again brought daily orders, mostly for bespoke Log Stores, so it is back to the workshop for me, and just as the sun was starting to come out too!

It seems some people need a much smaller depth but still want a long width and height to fit in smaller spaces. For these orders we have adapted the design slightly by adding one thicker back board then drilling pilot holes so the Wood Store can be screwed into a wall giving extra stability.

Middle of Winter and still busy making Log Stores

It has been a very long winter, and a very busy one at Wood Stores. We have talked with and met some lovely people. I think we are all hoping for Spring to come soon, because it is rather cold working outside in this weather, brrr, even Jake the dog keeps going indoors regularly for a warm by the fire.

Sales took us by surprise as Autumn started, hence the blog not being updated very regularly! At one point, we had to close the website to new orders for nearly 3 weeks in November to catch up with the backlog. When each item is made to order, and often to an individual design, you just can't rush things, and we did not want to compromise quality for quantity, so putting sold out for a few weeks enabled us to catch up.

Orders started to come in, and again we quickly got a waiting list, and had to keep a 4 to 6 week wait on the website. This was not helped by the big freeze and the snowfall that affected the whole Country for 3 weeks. At one point we had 8 Log Stores just waiting for the snow to clear so the Lorry could get out delivering. And then on Christmas Eve we had the Pallet Company out on two deliveries, and we were out ourselves morning and then afternoon delivering another two! Can you imagine? Father Christmas would have been proud! A bit colder than this day in the summer, where we loaded the lorry and had a nice warm day out!


So, we took 2 days off for Christmas, then got back to work, and haven't stopped since. We do have the waiting list down to about 3 weeks now though.

I have been dressed up like an Eskimo to treat the Logstores, and in that cold snap we had I looked a bit like the Michelin man on a bad day. But I didn't care, it was too cold to care. Tomorrow is the start of February, so we are wondering what sales will be like for Feb, March and April, by which time we will have a whole year to look back on.

Save money on winter fuel bills

There is nothing nicer than the flames of a fire in winter, making us feel warmer just by looking at them. But did you know that using Logs as fuel is a cheaper and more eco friendly way to keep warm in winter? It is cheaper than coal gas or electric heating, and is a renewable and sustainable source of heating.

Tips:

Buy wood as dry as possible.

It is very simple really, Dry (seasoned) logs will burn longer and give more heat out, and will therefore work out cheaper.

Buy as early as you can.

Spring if possible, for cheaper 'wet' wood, and let it air dry over summer and Autumn. It is fine to buy later than Spring, just make sure it is seasoned by the time you burn it. Check with your supplier what you are buying, while burning 'wet' wood is still cheaper than other fuels it is much better to burn 'dry'.

Keep the logs in a log store

They will air dry. This is very important, and will make wood fuel even more economical. By storing under cover in a wood store the logs will not reabsorb the water they have lost being seasoned.

Bring some logs inside

to house dry for a few days prior to burning, try to always have enough ‘house dried’ logs ready for your fire.

You can burn unseasoned (wet) wood, but it will burn quicker and with less heat, and will leave more sticky soot, meaning you need the chimney cleaned more often. But it looks just as nice, smells just as nice, and is still cheap.

A coal grate is not really suitable for wood, so cover it with a metal base plate for best results. Reduce the area of the lowest part of fire with sloping fire bricks to deepen the ash and charcoal bed but leaving more space for logs above.

Busy Summer

Well, here at Wood Stores we had a lovely uptake on the offer to preorder our Log Stores for Autumn. Customers were thinking well ahead for storing their winter fuel. Always a good idea to buy logs in advance for good seasoning, because 'dry' wood burns longer and warmer so is very cost effective.

We are all very busy working to fill current orders, and delivery dates for new orders are into early September now.

I like to ask customers why they chose our stores for their homes, and the answer we get is that they are attractive, competitively priced, and come ready constructed. And, Jake our dog helps, he often gets a mention :) So I made Ginger George pose too, and he shows off the small Chimnea log stores to purrfection (oh yes, and my sense of humour was mentioned a couple of times too).


The smaller logstores have proved very popular too, but we found the one drawback is they are still a size that needs Pallet delivery, so is the same cost as the big woodstores. So, we are in the process of looking at having another smaller size that can be sent by courier instead of pallet.

Sadie

Order now for delivery anytime up to October, pay on delivery

Setting up the website in April, and then getting indexed so quickly, was a nice start to selling online. In all honesty it has been a whirlwind experience. We didn’t expect people to be thinking of their storage for winter fuel in Spring and Summer, and it has been a pleasant surprise to find that the design is well liked and sales keep happening. It hasn’t been 3 months yet, but we have far exceeded the orders we expected for 6 months. I think this is because we have a good design at a good price, but having been so busy have not really had time to look into this properly yet!

We are now ordering wood in at this years prices for what we predict will be the amount needed, so, if you are planning to have a log store in future, the offer is on for ordering now and not paying until just before it is delivered. This way we both win, you get the log store you need at current cost without having to pay till you need it, and we know better how much wood to order.