Martin Jenkins

cedar wood and burnda wood

Gransfors Bruk Splitting Maul WWW.NORDICOUTDOOR.CO.UK The Gransfors Bruk Splitting Maul is specially designed for splitting large, thick logs with a bevelled poll for striking a log splitting wedge. Grannsfors-Bruk for the winn! Since the brexit though, it has gone from £70 to more than that now - although if you look around you can get it cheaper It is SO LUSH

Nice that you used an Oxford comma correctly in your post!

I read something a few years back about electric chainsaws having a much higher torque, and that normal class C chainsaw trousers (e.g.) won't save against an "interaction" - the electric chainsaw just won't stop (is what I read). MIND YOU, I do expect that at some point, all our petrol driven gear will need to be replaced by battery electric things. So they will need to sort that out

Pole vaulting, innit

About 4.5k for the stove; my brother is doing the installation, so assume a couple of k for that. Two ton of pellets cost me £420 - that was 65 bags, and I do not yet know how much I will use (it is actually waiting for my brother to install). My brotherinlaw is quite frugal with his, and does not use anywhere near a bag per day. For seasoned logs, I do that myself, so the cost is time. And some fuel.

We have an MHRV, mechanical heat recovery ventilation, which has a load of vents installed with ins and outs in various rooms, and an in and out to the outside. Cold fresh air is grabbed from outside, and warmth is exchanged from inside, and then the air is distributed to the rest of the house. Have an "in" in the airing cupboard, and in the boiler stove room, and in the kitchen, toilet, and bathroom (removing warm wet air) and outs everywhere else. No more mould, that part worked, but I would not swear to the house being much warmer! Definitely a lot dryer though. And we stopped drying any clothes on radiators, after I realised (doh) that all that water that comes out when I use a tumble dryer now would just be going into the air, and then into the walls!

My log boiler goes to a vented buffer tank incorporating (about 170 litres I think), and there is a pump attached to a heat exchanger to take heat from that to the 300 litre solar tank, and onwards to the radiators. The vented buffer with heat exchanger provides the link. For oil boilers linking I have heard talk of a Dunsley linkage device - dunsley baker neutralizer link-up system

Nobody has said otherwise - good point though, as I know you don't quality for non-domestic RHI if you have an oil burner as a backup.

I started with just a wood log boiler stove (Dunsley Highlander 10CH) - but when my wife got sick, she couldn't light it. SO I have now got a Palazzetti Ermione pellet stove, to run in a different room, and alongside it. I get £2000 per year just for having the pellet stove, for seven years, so that pays for it (this is RHI). I can set the pellet stove to come on like a gas boiler, at 6am etc. - and then when I am home, I can light the wood log stove, and that takes over the water heating, and reduces the pellet usage.

Yes I love that one - although I remembered it (probably incorrectly!) as the third one being "Once when you burn it"! Also - split as soon as you can - it splits so much more easily when it is wet. I have a pile of rounds outside, and a few of them have fallen into the lee of the wood shelter, and those ones, which have dried out, are astonishingly hard to split in comparison to the ones in the open air - which have a little bit of moisture at the ends!

If it was in the next county it would be the Tree of Devon.

I live and learn. Will check what I have for my two stroke mix.

Thanks. Generally I use the saw for felling ash and alder, up to about 24" diameter, cut about 20 each year, then round them in the woods and tractor them all back. I use a 15" bar currently, which seems to be a good compromise, as for a 24" base, the trunk rapidly gets narrower. Lighter is good, and agree that the 357 is (WAS, sob) quite heavy at the end of the day - although I always think "Got to be good for me, like lifting weights!" On the security, yes. I had heard there were garage breakins, with the up-and-over doors being targetted, and I do not use my up-and-over door, so I stuck a bit of metal in the works, so there was no way it could be opened. That actually worked fine, as it is clear they had a go and failed - but then they pulled apart the door frame for the side door; the door (solid wood) is essentially undamaged, but the frame is shot. Only thing I can think of is a much beefier frame that cannot be pulled apart like the existing one. They had all my chainsaw gear too, including my lovely Pfanner forest helmet. They also took my 7 years old generic helmet, which will be as much use as a chocolate teapot. I am keeping my eyes open on ebay, see if I can spot any of my gear...!

Ah, that's really good to hear. I will stick with a close to like-for-like replacement then. The powersharp looked so easy... I think I am alright with sharpening - a veteran groundsman gave me a good lesson, and made me get a Oregon sharpening jig (one of these https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/filing-guide?da=1&TC=GS-030433736&gclid=CjwKEAjwtYSsBRCDx6rM1v_uqmsSJAAZgf2qSV-8QfNJGfdDMIHJYY05uGIbXj_nzv5krVyWLPmSvhoCpRbw_wcB) and I have that, a bench vice, and I did have a stump vice (one of these [ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chain-Stump-Sharpening-Chainsaw-Makes/dp/B00LKLQ1F6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1434555405&sr=8-2&keywords=chainsaw+stump+vice]Saw Chain Stump Sharpening File Vice For All Chainsaw Makes: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41BVoR-qX5L.@@AMEPARAM@@41BVoR-qX5L[/ame]) that I used with a normal file holder, but that has gone with my lovely chainsaw. Thank you.

Some heartless swines smashed my garage door in yesterday (in broad daylight!) and swiped my chainsaw and some other stuff. I had a Husqy 357xp, 57cc, selected after a previous request to this community (http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/firewood-forum/9148-chainsaw-recommendation.html), with the advice being "get as big as you can afford, as you will thank the extra power". Now I am in a position to make a new selection. I am considering getting a smaller Husqy, so that I can get the Oregon Powersharp system for it, which maxxes out at about 42cc I think - valid Husqies: HUSQVARNA 36, 41, T425, 136, 137, 141, 142, 235, 236, 236e, 240, 240e, 334, 334T, 335XPT, 338XPT, 339XP, T435. PLEASE NOTE only suitable for Husqvarna chainsaws which use 3/8 low profile chain. What do you reckon? Has anybody got an Oregon powersharp system? I am weighing up the benefits of a 2 minute break to sharpen really easily against a more powerful, but heavier, chainsaw. Thanks!

I reckon somebody should tell the seller to look here, and be educated! Perhaps if she dropped the price to £100, somebody might consider that reasonable - clearing the garden, for about £200 worth of wood.

...my sister managed to arrange a course at her place, with her own trees being chopped; my brother, bro-in-law x 2, and somebody else attended; that is where I got my copy of the notes.

The Lantra course when I checked it out was about £400. On my list...

Although I have not done any formal chainsaw courses, I have gone through the notes of the main one (LANTRA? - my brother did it and talked me through it), cross cutting and small tree; I have all the safety gear, and go through the checks for brake, chain stopper little metal bit, all that; always have my visor down before starting the chainsaw, etc. - and I have a friend who is the groundsman for the local golf course, who trained me how to properly sharpen the chain, and stood with me while I did some felling. Informal courses! A momentary slip, that I hope can remind others; what was it Bismarck said? "Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. A wise man will learn from the mistakes of others"

Much appreciated all. I have a replacement set of Type A Class 1 on order from FR Jones. And oh yes, once bitten twice shy.

That is my view as well - be damn careful about considering where the chainsaw can go. I do not want to be hung up.

The chain was running when the tree knocked it - it happened very quickly and I am sure my hand came off the throttle, so must have been free spinning for the fractional second between impact of wood, and my knee. Bar is 15".

Thanks - which Jones? FR Jones & Son? They seem to be £72 for type A, class 1

I am a software architect, work on big computer systems. For fun, I grow and fell trees - i.e. I am no expert. I do have a full set of PPE. Sunday, felled a tree - not massive, maybe 10 inches at the cut point, but it got hung up; wrong stance (my fault definitely) saw me help the thing come down, and it dropped suddenly, bashing the chainsaw, which swung into my knee; the chainsaw trousers (type A. class 1) shredded, and no broken skin, but big bruise. Looked for new chainsaw trousers - and thought better check what this class business means - and my chainsaw (Husqy 357XP) has a 22m/s speed, which means it is a class 2 - good grief! Class 1 trousers seem to be about £70, but class 2 about £250! Cheapest I have found is £150. I have been doing this for 7 years; am wondering if I learn from my mistake, and make sure that stance is such that very unlikely to have a chainsaw swing into leg in the first place, and get a replacement set of Class 1 trousers. A search on here had somebody pointing out that the trousers must be seen as the last line of defense - and that oily dirty class 2 will be shredded just the same as class 1. Sensible thoughts?