nepia

Fantastic. My dad used to keep a pair as bought aviary birds. I've always dreamed of seeing one wild.

Don't even contemplate a fixed chute if a rotating one's an option; you'll regret not going for a very useful attribute.

Extremely reliable: I've had mine over 5 years and it's never let me down. Remember the engine's a Honda GX so... Pulling brash in well is done by sharp blades so I guess all the mini chippers will do this if the blades are thus. Worth the extra money? I have no idea as I've had no other mini chipper but would I expect a £2k machine to have performed as reliably and effectively as mine has done? Probs not. I'm glad you've picked up on the weight issue: that 50kg difference between the JB and the CS100 kills the idea of the 100 for me. I'm not knocking it but I couldn't haul it up 8' folding ramps onto my pickup as I do the JB. Which nicely addresses the loading issue too; ramps into a van will present no problem. Have you put your mind to lashing the machine once in the van? OK if there are good lashing points but they need to be strong; any machine with pneumatic tyres needs to be lashed tight to stop it bouncing about unless you can chock it. Feel free to come back with any more q's. Oh - if you need ramps go to www.theramppeople.co.uk

Cheaper than a whole new chipper could be a tracked barrow base + fabricated steel something to secure your CS100 to it. If you make the chipper easily (de)mountable you then have the barrow for carting gear or logs as well. See Dean's (Global Newark) post on the previous page re that idea for the Jo Beau M300 which I've gone for. Last week the bare barrow base carried probably half a ton of logs up a sloping garden and straight up the concrete steps to awaiting pickup for me; a revelation after years of handballing!

Yeah, I agree. I put an HB20 on my Navara but take the tailgate off to do it. That tailgate's capable of taking much more than 100kg (I run the 145kg Jo Beau onto it) but I don't fancy sitting over 300kg on a pair of thin straps and two small lugs.

To be pedantic softwoods are defined as gymnosperms, not conifers, but nearly all gymnosperms are conifers. Yew may not be a conifer but it carries its seeds without a carpel, i.e. naked, and is thus a gymnosperm, i.e. a softwood by definition if not by property. Simples. Maybe.

That's... unfortunate! I wonder what he recommends as a source of 'good' firewood seeing as there's none apparently available locally! Latvia?!

No! Yesterday I added to a pile of chip made in October; it's a heap of mushy brown wet compost. As long as you don't inhale large amounts of concentrated fumes from fresh foliage you're fine with laurel. There are far nastier plants about in abundance.

Agree with all the above: people worry too much about the lovely smell of fresh chipped laurel brush. Mm-mmm! The wood is great; for such a dense timber (when larger) it dries fast. Good firewood.

Good luck with everything. If you're interested I have a spare Zubat 300mm scabbard you could have - not sure why you'd want it even if it's the right length (not 330mm) - but the offer's there. Failing the above if anyone else fancies it PM me.

Yew... far too good to go in the softwood pile; it goes in with the hardwoods. It's 'better' (whatever that means) than some perfectly legitimate hardwood logs such as Sorbus. Willow and pop - if I really have to get rid of any - go in the softwood heap.

That would be a cinch in that customer's case: 'if the wood was so good from your previous seller best you go back there'! ...Sir/Madam. No need to be rude about it

Sounds like the stove's more intelligent than the punter if it can discern hardwood from soft! I ran out of dry hardwood some weeks ago (doh) and have sold a couple of half loads of soft just to keep the fires lit so to speak: no complaints yet. I suspect there may be some surprise at just how well and warm the soft burns.

As an occasional grockle I'll fit in nicely then.

Is the food still good? Been there a few times when visiting the rellies at Cadeleigh; almost walking distance the back way through Silvertown.

Same-ish here though I'm a tiny, tiny supplier. Funny how softwood keeps Northern Europe, Scandinavia, the far north of America and Siberia warm yet there's no convincing the south of England that it's any good. At home I burn 100% softwood.

Glad I'm not the only oddball who thought that then!

...as it glides effortlessly through the back of your left thumb

If you're going to be splitting pre-sawn wide logs with it AND making kindling I'd go for the Fiskars X17: 100mm shorter than the 21 so can be used with one hand.

Now that sounds like a recipe for a contented life though I do enjoy scrambling around apple trees armed with a loaded Silky.

You two have got it sorted. Mick, your beautiful house will become even more so with a well tended Wisteria gracing it; well done.

Pruning of Wisteria is done twice a year; in late summer for flower formation the next year and structural (formative) pruning in winter. It sounds like what you're proposing should be done about now. This may help https://www.rhs.org.uk/videos/advice/pruning-wisteria

...blue Isuzu...!

If you are going to pursue this (and why wouldn't you?) keep that piece of paper. Not a bad idea either to have your wife sign, date and time it ('now', not the date/time of the incident). Keep the phone pic of it too. A signed and dated detailed record of the incident by those present (no conferring) could only help. Stick to what you can personally attest to, not what someone else has told you.

Quite likely unrealistic but in theory you have the civil route to take against the uninsured driver: as everyone knows he/she is such I take it you do indeed have the index of their vehicle. That the Police aren't apparently interested in uninsured drivers is... not good. Having no insurance is one of the basics that is never ignored in my experience. Have you made unpleasant noises to them about it? It can work! The courts take it seriously and they are often the driver for Police levels of commitment.