returning home...

[gum nut]

Hello guys, I've been reading this forum for a wee while, as a consumer rather than supplier - hope this is OK

 

returning home next month after 11 years overseas - 6 in the Middle East and the last 5 in Australia

 

will be returning to our house in Aberdeenshire (Banchory Devenick) that we've obviously not lived in over that time

 

looking forward to firing up the old Jotul wood burner - spec'd to pump out up to 20kW when fully loaded

 

so...

 

looking for a reliable supplier in the area, say three to four 2 x cubic metre loads of good seasoned hardwood over the peak season - if you can help, let me know

 

used to do a bit of scavenging myself back in the day but looks like things have moved on a bit since we've been away but, if i do get the time/opportunity, would appreciate your collective thoughts around...

 

best wood splitting axe for an amateur like me

decent chainsaw for the odd foray into the wilderness

moisture meter (don't remember these back in the day but seems everyone has one now)

 

the old place has the wood burner but everything else is LPG dependent - AGA, central heating/hot water, gas fire - nearly fell off my chair when finding out how much you guys are now paying per litre - I'll be bankrupt before Xmas !

so, been thinking about changing over to a biomass system for heating/hot water - wood pellet (or wood chip) fired boiler working in conjunction with an array of solar panels - hefty initial investment but, with the help of Govt grants etc., could be looking at a payback of around 5/6 years - anyone had any experience with these particular type of systems ? Any feedback welcome, thanks

 

Cheers

[Woodworks]

Lots of question here .

 

I can help with some.

 

Axes. I am a big fan of the Fisker X27 and I think some on here rate a Helko one as well.

 

Chainsaws. Forays into the wilderness?

 

Moisture meters. Try this thread http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/general-chat/56110-moisture-meter-advice-needed-please.html

 

Heating a home is a BIG subject and hard to cover quickly. Yes there are government incentives but they require your home to come up to certain standards in regard to insulation levels. My advise is to do the insulation first then look at how much heating the house then needs. For quality hard line information on insulating your home I would have a read on Green Building Forum. All fuels are going to become disproportionately expensive in the near future due to demand so insulation will probably work out cheapest in the long run.

 

Welcome to Arbtalk by the way

Edited May 17, 2013 by Woodworks

[face cord]

550xp for chainsaw probably, & wood is harder to foray for free nowadays with every man & his dogs installing a wood burner etc, & FC don't issue scavanger lieciences any more.

 

 

Wonder how much approx a cubic metre of wood cost was 11 years ago?

[rowan lee]

Axe x27 Fisker for anything straight grained, and one of these Mauls Leborgne | Produits - Woodcutting Tools for gnarlier stuff in conjunction with a sledge hammer. Make sure you get a good knee to waist high chopping block with a low profile tyre nailed onto the top (stops split bits flying off each time and reduced the amount of bending you have to do).

 

Chainsaw wise, a small pro saw like a stihl 260 or husky 346 in a domestic environment will last you years and years.

[gum nut]

many thanks for the feedback guys, much appreciated

 

Woodworks - think my 'foray into the wilderness' statement didn't sit that well with you. didn't wish to imply that I go off on a reckless mission to chainsaw half the greenbelt - rather, back in the day, I used to take advantage of the odd 'wind blown' spoil - think these days any spoil wouldn't be around for too long plus it would appear that the protocol now would at least be to check with the land owners first

Appreciate your thoughts around the focus on house insulation prior to heating system improvement, ta

 

face cord - used to pay around 30/40 squid for a 'trailer load', no weight or volumetric measurement and no moisure meter paranoia back then - quality used to be quite variable though - these days things look like they're better regulated in terms of quality, wood type and volumes

 

rowan lee - thanks for the tyre on the chopping block tip

[face cord]

Firewood isn't any better regulated now imo, than before. Most is still sold by the trailer load or pickup back load, no proper volume measurements & moisture varies etc.

 

That trailer load will be around £140 minimum now i'd guess if its say 2 cubic metres approx, still supposedly wood is competitive with other energy on price:

 

Energy Cost Comparison | Nottingham Energy Partnership

 

If you want bargin wood try source leylandi & unseasoned arb waste etc or even consider buying in some cordwood if your property has good access for articulated lorry.