djbobbins

(IMHO) a bit brave to use the word "logs" in the listing. Describing it as a woodpile is fine, but if I'd written that listing I would be twitchy about a buyer turning up and expecting bits of wood the right size to feed a stove, rather than the size of a stove... I know the photo should prevent this but as someone clever once said - "The problem with trying to make things foolproof is that people usually greatly underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools". And as a complete pedant, are you comfortable with announcing that you are an uncut tree surgeon?! Or should it be "Tree Surgeon's uncut wood pile for sale"? Assuming that you're a bloke, I think our neighbours across the pond use the term "uncut" to mean a completely different thing... Sorry, am bored at work - normally I do try to be helpful, honest!

I'm completely with you - I wouldn't do it personally, but for someone with a strong aversion to 2-stroke engines is there a credible alternative when some sawing is needed away from a mains power supply?

Out of interest, what I had thought that would solve the recharging problems would be a 12v kit - to allow the saw to be run from a pair of crocodile clips on the battery of a running vehicle. Would solve my old man's problems of wanting to do bits and bobs of sawing away from a mains power supply, without using a petrol saw. See also a bit more info on cordless saws here: Cordless chainsaws tested and reviewed by Fred In The Shed

My father's got a B&D battery chainsaw; mainly 'cos he's got a phobia of anything with a two stroke engine. Something to do with the fact that he buys cheap things, leaves them with fuel in over a winter, then wonders why they won't start with the first two tugs... Anyway, the saw - battery too small and takes too long to charge, then will only cut for about 5-10 mins. Bar is mega short (about 4 inch). The one thing I could see them being useful for is climbing and lopping off branches, just because they are light and small.

I have an open fire and have similar problems in keeping it lit for extended periods. I would expect a stove to be more controllable (airflow into and flue out?) but if that's not the case and you do decide you need to keep it hot for longer periods, I can propose two potential options. One is cheaper and not guaranteed to work, the second more expensive but I'd hang my hat on it: 1) Buy some slack. I get mine for £2.50/25kg. The particle size is much smaller than housecoal, therefore a shovel full will form a more solid layer of fuel over the top of your fire, reducing airflow and slowing the burn down. I normally put a shovel of coal on top of a log and a bit of housecoal. 2) Buy some "Homefire". It's a hexagonal smokeless fuel and is the mutts bits as far as a slow hot burning product is concerned, IMO. I had a few odds and ends of it mixed in with some coke from a bunker a work colleague was clearing out. I had to separate the ashes out for cooling, because the bits of Homefire were still glowing red. This was about 6pm, when the fuel had been put onto an open grate about 9:30 the night before. It's not as cheap as a standard coal but might be worth a go. See fourth one in this list: Clews Recycling Ltd

That's why you don't plant a euc in your garden!

Have you thought about getting the Rangie lpg converted? Okay, so the mpg won't improve, but the cost of the fuel would go down by about 40%. Alternatively, what about something like this - better mpg, still 4x4, not too dinky: 2001 JEEP CHEROKEE 2.5 TD 60th Anniversary 5dr Sw Special Edition

FWIW there are people out there researching the production of synthetic coal from algae, as a power station feedstock. But I'm guessing that wasn't the basis of the question in this case?

Blame isn't under discussion at this stage. Severn Trent and my insurer resolved between them that my wife was not at fault. If it had been decided that my wife was to blame, my insurer would have footed the costs of the repair above and beyond the excess, and I would be liable for the first £350. Job done. Since the decision on ST's liability had already been reached, and ST had paid my insurer, the remaining step was for me to be re-imbursed my £350. The reason I started the thread was to ask what experience anyone had of going through this process, since I had a suspicion it might take a while. I was pleasantly surprised, therefore, to receive a cheque yesterday!

Interesting... as I said, I'm not scouting for the work - I am not a pro arborist, just an interested amateur with a bit of woodland to play in. The reason I asked the question was because I've seen a plod at the side of the road before now, trying to cut through about a 6" diameter bough with what looked like a 10" (or so) lopping saw / silky. Putting myself in his position, I'd have wanted to get on the phone to someone with a chainsaw to get the tree off the road.

I'd be very interested in finding out if that is set out in written guidance or regulations somewhere...

I've seen three trees down in the Warwick area since late last week - two which had blocked roads, and one in a piece of verge which had evidently been dead for a while and failed at ground level. Out of interest, do the police or highways people have a contract with an arb company in each area? I'm not trying to get in on the business, just curious.

I went to a village primary school in a farming area. Of the seven kids in my year, four had fathers that were farmers, one welder / fabricator, one car restorer and one postman / labourer. Looking back now, two of the four farmers have died, as has the welder. All three were just about 60. My own uncle, another farmer, died a few weeks after his 60th from lung cancer. At his funeral there were 200-odd people, predominantly farmers, and very few of those were "old" - like 75 years of age of more. I'm sure that in some cases there were other factors at play, but it strikes me that working in a dusty - in this case, farm - environment would seem not to be a good way to increase life expectancy.

But just to show that nature is a thing of many wonders, taxol (as extracted from yew trees) is used as a chemotherapy drug. Other common sources of carcinogen that might not immediately spring to mind are soot or used engine oil, and burned toast.

Doobin, thanks for that constructive response. For someone to come wading in with an off the handle reply when you know nothing about the circumstances in question was just what I was looking for! yourself...! FWIW I'm not "suing" anyone. I am trying to recover the excess that I had to pay out when the car was repaired. My insurance company has done whatever they do with Severn Trent and they've agreed that my wife wasn't at fault. Therefore, my insurers get their side of the repair costs back but as it stands, the same doesn't automatically happen to the money I paid out towards the repair bill. My wife would have been within her "rights" as the law stands to pursue damages for whiplash etc, as I would have been when someone ran into the back of me whilst I was stationary at a T-junction about 10 years ago. However, I don't agree with the concept of ambulance-chasing no-win-no-fee litigation and have never sought to gain from it. Seeing as the issue of "blame" isn't under discussion, I take it from the tone of your post you'd be happy that if someone ran into you, at no fault of your own, that you should have to pay the excess on any repairs? Or you perhaps also think that if a member of the public was driving irresponsibly and went through a fence e.g. into a Severn Trent pumping station, then ST wouldn't try to recover their costs from the car driver's insurance??

I was just wondering if anyone has got experience of recovering uninsured losses? My wife was involved in a no-fault accident last year - slid on black ice which was present on the road as a result of a burst water main. After a lot of chasing I managed to get a job code from Severn Trent for the burst, which seems to have helped in proving blame. My insurance company has got their money back from Severn Trent, and is now pursuing them for my £350 excess. I suspect it will turn up at some point but just wondered how painful I should expect this to be and how much chasing will be needed? Anyone got any experience of getting this sort of money out of utility companies?

Having in Macclesfield and commuted that route into Manchester daily for a period of time, I'd agree with you Lancstree - off the M60 and down the A34. The junction you need is the one that takes you off past the Sainsbury's (at the top of the long slight incline after you've got off the motorway and gone through the lights). At 8am you will be meeting peak time traffic, but hopefully most of it should be going into Manchester rather than out so you might be alright. That piece of road is a real PITA of a morning going towards "town".

What is it that you see when a badger walks away from you? Let me think, a badger's behind... I'm assuming you are leaving it in some kind of patrolled secure car park and not just parking in a residential area in Wythenshawe, 'cos if you're doing the latter you're a braver man than me.

20" open grate. Lit daytimes and evenings, eats logs and coal and is in real need of replacing but can't afford to have the whole fireplace and hearth changed at the moment... Have used about four cubes of seasoned euc, alder, ash and offcuts since mid October, plus about 8cwt of washed doubles, plus about 750 litres of heating oil in the boiler. Makes it sound a bit painful when listed like that but in reality got to do something about it when the 18 month old toddler's bedroom gets down to 12 degrees or so at night. Anyone recommend a builder in the Warwick area to sort my fireplace out and fit a stove??!!

BBC News - Man sentenced for sex act on horse at Devon stables Just how much booze do you have to drink - on more than one occasion by the way the story reads - to start to think "Mmmm, that Desert Orchid is a bit of a looker!"?

I've done about 20 alder recently with SBK (mix as recommended for stumps, with liquid paraffin). Anyone got any experience on whether it's likely to be effective or not? Before that though, I'd used a couple of the pieces I'd felled as props for an impromptu log store and - despite no roots, and damp but not wet soil - the "props" only went and started growing. I've experienced the same problems with re-growth on untreated alder, especially younger stuff (6 inch diameter or so at base). The good news is that if you fell them now it will be seasoned and make good firewood for next winter!

I thought I'd heard / read somewhere it was going to be sold in 5 acre blocks? I guess there will be a desire from the government to make this "attractive" to the small investor, so like the 80's privatisations there will be some kind of limit on amount any one individual or organisation can buy. Of course, unlike the 80's privatisations, what is being sold is heterogenous. a 5 acre block with road access and a waterway or lake is not the same as a chunk completely isolated and with no distinguishing features. It will be interesting to see how this is dealt with. Do some people just get lucky with what land their name is pulled out of the "interested bidders" hat for? I also think / hope that there some pretty robust covenants on future use - maintaining rights of way, restriction on building, felling limits etc.

Stobart are getting their fingers into all manner of lines of business now - even rail maintenance and the suchlike. Just hope they are doing it properly and not like Jarvis, where the experience appears to be - make a mess of rail work and it will pretty much finish the company off. FWIW according to their website, Stobart Biomass (itself a joint venture between Stobart and AW Jenkinsons) have bought AHS. They are also into port facilities, airports and container handling, amongst other things: Our History | Stobart Group

Pretty sure the National Trust do some logging work on their lands using horses (where vehicle access would be either too difficult or damage the ground).

Interesting; the reason that I asked the question is that I've done it (collecting deadwood from a roadside) twice in the past when desperate for firewood and I noticed something fallen and dead. On both occasions the police stopped and asked what I was up to. First copper was completely relaxed about it once I told him what I was up to - i.e. only taking already fallen stuff, happy to stop if if was a problem. Second copper was a lot more officious and told me I shouldn't really be doing what I was doing, so since then I have been a lot more wary. Fortunately I have secured a ready source of timber for the moment so not such a problem, but who knows in the future. Something did make me titter about the irony of the coppers not being very receptive about clearing fallen timber off the road. A few weeks after "second copper" incident above I saw a noddy car parked up and a plod with a silky trying to cut through something about 6" diameter...