IMPORTANT MESSAGES
Only 2 weeks left in the diary for log orders before our
Spring Clean Shutdown in April.
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(last updated 6th March 2025)
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THE QUICK READ:
ABOUT THE WOOD:
Locally sourced hardwoods
Felled for at least 2 years
Stored outside in 2.5m lengths
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ABOUT THE FIREWOOD LOAD:
Standard load is a 2cu.m loose load - picture above shows it stacked - delivered in the back of our pickup truck.
Cut to your preferred size - minimum length 20cm/8", maximum length 60cm/24".
Loads can be delivered and tipped/stacked or collected from our yard.
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ABOUT THE DELIVERY:
For Stacked deliveries, access to the log storage area must be easy to access with a loaded wheelbarrow (no steps, deep gravel, slippery decking, narrow alleyways and no going through the house).
For Tip Only deliveries, we need to be able to park (safely) where we are going to throw off the logs, without blocking the highway.
We will deliver whatever the weather, unless it is not safe to do so.
We deliver all year round - except for April, when we have our Spring Clean Shutdown.
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ABOUT THE COLLECTION:
Orders are booked in to be collected on a specific day. You can take as many trips as you like, but the entire order has to be collected on the allocated day.
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THE SLOW READ:
ABOUT THE WOOD.
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The wood is locally sourced and seasoned for at least a year.
The wood is collected from where it is felled along the South Downs (from managed woodlands between Singleton and Uppark) and brought back to the yard in long lengths (either 2.5m or 5m) to finish seasoning outside.
That way the sun and winds dry the sap all the way through.
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What does seasoned wood mean?
Young wood that has not had time for the sap to dry out of it is called GREEN WOOD.
This is not the best thing for your fire. The logs won't burn as well, they will blacken the glass on your stove and they will gum up your flue.
SEASONED wood is wood that has been felled (cut down) for at least 12 months.
Some woods, like oak, need even longer before it is ready to burn.
There is a mixture of hardwoods - including cherry, ash, hazel, sycamore and birch and oak, although due to felling because of ash dieback, loads are predominantly ash.
We do not pre-cut the wood into logs and store it in a barn.
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When you place your order, it is scheduled so the load is cut as close to delivery as possible. This is so the wood is as dry as possible when you receive it.
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Because it is stored outdoors, it is open to the sun, wind and rain.
The bark on the wood acts like a raincoat and where the wood is stacked up, the rain tends to run off more.
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If the wood is being cut before delivery day, it is stored in large wooden boxes (2 boxes can be seen in the photo on the right of the lorry delivering wood).
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Because of the nature of trees, trunks and branches are thicker at the base, gradually getting thinner as they reach the tip, our logs are the same.
Each load will contain a variety of different thickness logs. The load will also contain some logs that are shorter than the requested length - this is because the wood does not come in specific lengths, so the final part to be cut in the processor will be shorter than average.
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There is always a certain amount of thrift in each load. This is the smaller splinters of wood that occur during the cutting process. This is not waste. It is a great resource and great for starting the fire and we recommend you have containers ready to collect it when we deliver.
ABOUT THE FIREWOOD LOADS.
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Each load of firewood is cut to the length to fit in your stove or open fire - anything from 8" (20cm) to 24" (60cm), in 1" increments.
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Our standard load is a 2 cubic metre loose load. This is approximately 1.6 cubic metres when stacked.
Or to put this in a more visual way, this fills an area approximately 1.8m x 1.5m x 2 logs deep when stacked (this is a guideline only).
The photo at the top of the page shows a 2cu.m load stacked in a customer's garage, with the thrift from the load in the boxes in front.​
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For Tip Only deliveries, the logs are thrown off the truck. We have a neat bit of kit to help us with that.
A short video showing how the logs are unloaded from the truck
ABOUT THE DELIVERY.
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We aim to provide the best service for you.
On our price list, you will see we offer a Stacking or Tip Only service (restrictions apply on both options), giving you the convenience of not having to stack the logs yourself or saving yourself a bit of money.
We use a wheelbarrow to move the firewood from our vehicle to your storage area.
If the route to your log storage area is too difficult or dangerous - deep gravel, steep gardens/drives or slippery decking for example - we won't be able to stack the logs for you.
We will not carry through your house or stack them in the house.
If you're not sure about access, please send us photos so we can let you know.
These restrictions are for health and safety reasons. We have to look after ALL our machinery and that includes our bodies!
For Tip Only deliveries, we need to be able to park (safely) where we are going to throw off the logs, without blocking the highway.
We don't have a tipper, we throw the logs off manually.
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We can also supply loads to meet specific requirements - only chunky logs, or specific varieties of wood, for example - but there will be at an additional cost.
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We have taken a lot of time calculating our prices, to make them as competitive as possible.
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We only deliver within a 5 mile radius of our yard.
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We deliver whatever the weather, unless it's not safe to do so.
So, if it's raining the day we deliver and you are having a Tip delivery, we recommend stacking the logs away as quickly as possible or covering the logs with a large tarpaulin if you can't put them away immediately.
(Note: any moisture on the ground will be absorbed by the logs - puddles, water running under the logs etc.)
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There is also the option to collect your order from our yard, so it doesn't matter where you live.
We still have to schedule in the preparation of the order, so like to book in what date you will be collecting.
You can collect in as many trips as you need, as long as the entire order is collected on the same day.
HINTS AND TIPS.
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How should I stack my logs?
We like to say that your logs like dry feet and a roof over their head.
The best place to stack your logs is in a log store. These are specially designed to contain the logs in a tidy manner, keep the rain off the logs but allow the wind to circulate around them.
If you don't have a log store, they can be stored in a shed or garage, or even outdoors, as long as the rain is kept off the top of them and they are kept off the floor so they don't absorb moisture from the ground.
If you aren't using a log store, it makes it a lot easier to stack if the area where the logs are to go has supportive ends. The sides of a shed, or between two walls, for example.
If there is no end support we can build the stack with log ends, but this is less stable and we will be unable to make the log stack so high.
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I already have some logs but am expecting another delivery, what should I do?
We recommend that you use the older logs first - remember, when a tree is cut down it dies and slowly decays.
In other words, logs have a shelf life.
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The best way to do this is to use a section of logs at a time.
In the picture below, the log store has three bays.
If you use one bay in turn, there will be empty bays for your new logs when they arrive .
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If you don't have a log store, it is advisable to move the logs before the delivery or
have the new logs stacked elsewhere.
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I have heard about having a bucket or box ready for the delivery, why?
When seasoned wood is cut to size, there are always splinters of wood. These are fantastic for lighting the fire or instead of kindling.
If you have a box or bucket to hand, we can pick the pieces our of the trailer for you.
Check out our Thrift page for more information.
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I have placed an order for logs, but have to wait for the delivery. Why?
Aldsworth Logs is completely run by us - Nick and Suze. No other staff. All the jobs are done by us.
Cutting the wood is only part of the process. The wood has to be collected by Nick, with the tractor and wood trailer, from where it is stored in the woods close to where it was felled, and brought back to the yard.
All the machines have to be regularly serviced and maintained.
Kindling has to be cut to length, before being split and boxed up.
All the paperwork - including quarterly VAT returns - have to be maintained.
Telephone calls, texts and emails for information and booking log deliveries take time - 2-3 hours a day in the busy periods.
And all this has to be done before we even start delivering firewood.
Which is why we only deliver on Saturdays between September and March and on Wednesdays and Saturdays between May and August. All the other 'stuff' is completed on the other days.
And if we are very lucky, we get to have some time off on Sundays!! But not always!
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(We have a Spring Clean Shutdown in April - to give us time to get the yard in order, machines serviced and paperwork for year end completed.)
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We want to provide quality products and service, but not at the expense of our health and wellbeing.
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Once you are a customer, we recommend that you sign up to our mailing list. That way, you will receive regular information about firewood delivery spaces, other important news and receive mailing list only special offers.
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