Price Of Timber.

[Atheist]

Searched for a 4x4 8ft tanalised timber fence post today. £30.00! Some suppliers didn't have any. Is this a Brexit thing?

[vulcan42]

I don't think it's due to Brexit. During the lockdowns people here wanted to refurbish their gardens and the contractors responded. Instead of buying the timber needed for the job in hand they bought up entire stocks of fencing, posts etc. My local sawmills went from a five day week to double shifts and a seven day week and they still couldn't meet the demand. One elderly man made garden trellis for a pastime and he started buying all the rails every week, far more then he could use in the same period. It's a combination of greed and an unexpected huge demand . I visited the saw mills last week and they thought things were beginning to return to normal now that autumn was here.

[Atheist]

Thanks, V. It's not urgent for me, I just wanted to replace a flimsy post that supports the garden end of my clothes line. I'll wait and make a move if the price drops.

[jno]

this is no time of year to be using an outdoor clothesline, is it? Something to think about in spring, imo.

[Atheist]

jno, we use nothing else! We wouldn't dream of using a tumble dryer. We go with the flow and hang when it's dry and bring in when it starts to spit. That's what we did in the olden days before you were born. :-)

[gulliver1]

Yes Atheist. all shortages in the UK are caused because of Brexit, and it will get worse before it gets better, ... self inflicted.. .

[THECORBYLOON]

Have you looked on ebay?

[jno]

we just hang them in the bathroom (which is generally warm) or drape them over radiators. But we're fairly sheltered so get little wind, and at this time of year the sun's behind trees (and even if it wasn't, it's not remotely warm).

[vulcan42]

\\ Yes Atheist. all shortages in the UK are caused because of Brexit, and it will get worse before it gets better, ... self inflicted.. .//

Rubbish, the sawmills around my part of the country source their timber from within the UK.

[Buenchico]

Climate change is partly to blame for the shortages.

From Aunty Beeb a couple of months ago:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-57920510

[Stickybottle]

Lies by gulliver as ever

It is a worldwide problem.

From the web:

As the pandemic caused devastation to the US economy, many sawmills had to shut down lumber production with an expectation that there would be a slump in the housing market. ... This meant that the price of the material soared during the 13 months after the pandemic, with an estimated growth of 500%.

[diddlydo]

Atheist - I'm glad I'm not alone in hanging washing outdoors on a proper clothes line all year round!

[Stickybottle]

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/fortune.com/2021/09/27/lumber-prices-rising-2021-covid/amp/

[Atheist]

OMG, I only asked about my new clothesline post! But then I did use the B word.
Anyway, we do our little bit to avoid unnecessary electricity usage. Glad we're not alone. We have been like that ever since the war - still keep bits of string and brown paper in a kitchen drawer.

[hellywelly4]

I realised many, many years ago that it was a waste of time putting washing on the line in the winter. You got cold putting it out, cold bringing it. It was often frozen solid or just not dry and then had to be draped around the house on a clothes horse. I bought a tumble dryer and have never looked back, and think of the time I’ve saved!!

[Buenchico]

>>> Rubbish, the sawmills around my part of the country source their timber from within the UK

However much of the wood sold by builders' merchants, etc, has never been anywhere near to a UK saw mill anyway, as it arrives from overseas already sawn. Last year UK saw mills produced 3.4 million cubic metres of sawn wood but we imported 7.2 million cubic metres.

https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/statistics-by-topic/timber-statistics/uk-wood-production-and-trade-provisional-figures/

[Stickybottle]

No idea why you would use timber anyway

Metal clothesline post and a bag of post fix is far easier and more durable

[THECORBYLOON]

There's cheaper posts on eBay

[Stickybottle]

2.4M Washing Line Post Support Pole Dryer with Socket& Prop Line Clothes Laundry

£20.95 on eBay

[vulcan42]

Buenchico, I buy my timber from two local saw mills, both have told me they use locally sourced timber. I have no reason not to believe them.

[Buenchico]

I wasn't disagreeing with you, Vulcan42, but even if every saw mill in the country only uses UK timber it can't change the fact that less than a third of sawn wood sold in this country has been grown in the UK. The rest comes from overseas (where it's sawn before being shipped to the UK).