cessna

Due to winding down my small firewood supply business ,I wish to remove my website from Google and ideally completely from the web. Have any of you successfully removed your website from Google etc, I appreciate it must be very difficult /almost  impossible to get ones website completely  removed  from the worldwide web,  and the the Woodsure  organisation.  In "theory"  due to the freedom of information act if one asks an organisation to remove ones details they should but in reality  how does one ever get to know if they actually have?   In reality I don't think  one will ever know.😠

Many thanks for your replies ,all much appreciated.

As above.I use old bulk lorry sheets for covering the top of the stack ,but am considering  polythene  sheet to cover the sides to try and keep the 2.5mtr long cordwood drier. I am aware  that one has to be careful as not to eliminate all air flow, otherwise one may end up with mould on the cordwood.

Thanks  

Many thanks for all your replies , much appreciated. I will leave it at.

A difficult question to answer ,but if my pickup truck holds approximately  1.6cu mtr of loose logs , how much air is in a load of  8",9",10" or 12" long logs?  Another words ,how many  "cu mtrs" would there be  when stacked . Any approximate  amounts appreciated.      

Has the price  of Ash at roadside / trackside  moved up or down  recently ,as I believe  a lot being felled at the present time?     

Today I think I may have overloaded the clutch mechanism on my Farmi 501 winch .  Is it quite a difficult job to dismantle the clutch assembly on the Farmi 501?

Many thanks 

9 hours ago, SbTVF said:

It's like any decay, the lighter and less dense it makes the wood the less energy it gives out when burnt. The vast majority if caught early enough still burns absolutely fine as long as it's dry.

Essentially as others have said its purely down to how badly effected by ADB the tree is. We're felling lots of Ash with it and the extent to which each tree is infected is massively different. They've pretty much all shown signs of it but some it's just the tips going brittle and the main stem shows no signs, but others where it's badly infected are like balsa wood in the centre.
Customers do nothing but whinge all the time so what's new there?

How right you are in what you  say in you're last sentence.👍

Many thanks for all your replies , I only asked as a general question.  Come what may , I am sure that most Ash firewood / logs  are now going to be from Ash suffering from  ADB ,  so  how ever it burns that's what customers are going to be receiving / burning .

Please can someone direct me to threads that have discussed  the effects of "Ash Die Back" on  burning quality of "Ash Die Back" effect wood if any ? Many Thanks

Info attached which  I had back from  Valiant.

Many thanks for all your recent replies as they are all useful information as to how much wood is costing at roadside.

1 hour ago, openspaceman said:

I won't rush in on the basis of a couple of measurements, that robinia was either an anomaly or I didn't push the pins in far enough, it has oven dried to give an initial 31% wet basis.

 

The other piece of beech, also from this year's felling and reading 24% on the fresh face,  I microwave oven dried and it was 19.83% wwb.

 

So I am still a bit undecided on  what basis the valiant indicates moisture content.

I suggest you contact Bob Sizeland of Valiant for a definitive answer , his Email address is "[email protected], as I did . Cheers 

Any updates on the above thread  as regards prices ? 

As above .

I ask as I need to get some cordwood in for splitting , to dry out (to 20% !!!!!!!) by next October , I will dream  on !!!!!!

9 hours ago, cessna said:

I will phone Valiant  tomorrow to get a definitive answer as to whether it measures moisture using Dry or Wet basis. All I want is moisture meter that measures moisture content to Woodsure  standards at the press of a button.  

All the articles Arbtalk members  about moisture content are interesting but all I want is  a moisture meter that I can carry in my truck and say to a customer ,when I measure a log in front of them ,that the moisture content is  "x" etc and this moisture meter is approved by Hetas/Woodsure  , irrespective of what the customers moisture meter may say , whether that be higher or lower than mine. 

I have just phoned Valiant ( 6/5/21. 8.50am) ,and the customer services lady told me the Valiant FIR421 Colour Change Moisture meter, definitely  measures moisture using the "WET BASIS". I hope that helps and if you wish to phone them to confirm what I have said Valiants Phone Number is:- 01763 284184.   

43 minutes ago, Woodworks said:

That would indeed be logical but reading its blurb it sounds like it may be aimed at construction first so could be measuring on a dry basis. "The Moisture Meter can be used for measuring the moisture content of any structural wood and timber, including, but not restricted to: Oak, Yew, Cedar, Maple, Birch, Ash, Beech, Hornbeam, Holly, Cherry and Apple etc. By changing the Mode setting it can also be used to check for rising damp in plaster, in stone and brickwork buildings."

I will phone Valiant  tomorrow to get a definitive answer as to whether it measures moisture using Dry or Wet basis. All I want is moisture meter that measures moisture content to Woodsure  standards at the press of a button.  

All the articles Arbtalk members  about moisture content are interesting but all I want is  a moisture meter that I can carry in my truck and say to a customer ,when I measure a log in front of them ,that the moisture content is  "x" etc and this moisture meter is approved by Hetas/Woodsure  , irrespective of what the customers moisture meter may say , whether that be higher or lower than mine. 

I purchased a Valiant moisture meter from HETAS . I certainly hope that when it says 20% ,it is what HETAS would  would except  as 20% !!!!

I strongly recommend  downloading the  above from the internet, and read slowly through  it . After reading it ,it has put my mind at rest over a few things at least till May 2022. I might then be forced to  call it a day if I haven't,  mastered a technique of getting logs down to 20%  just by air seasoning!!!!!!  

Of course , if I have misinterpreted  what I read I may be in for a fine😒 

I will keep a copy of the regulations with me in my truck,to explain to customers and show to  a "little HITLER/ESS    local authority officer " who will be on an ego trip to exercise their  Authority .

I have some old age pensioner customers who only have enough  storage for .8 cu mtr  of logs,which is half of my usual 1.6 cu mtr full.   At the moment I cant meet the new regulations criteria which says a load of 1.6cu mtr or less has to be under 20%  mc.  Seems  ridiculous that small loads cant be over 20% as long as one gives the customer  a note ,the same as one has to do with a load of 2cu mtr.  OK I know what I am saying defeats the theoretical idea of the new regulations,but it doesnt seem very  fair for old age pensioners who trust someone they have been dealing with for 10yrs or so.!!!!!

youtube.com/watch?v=zFllcvlV24c

Be warned its in German and a bit long winded 😉!!!!!!

41 minutes ago, Khriss said:

Yea, you did - wot were you thinking!  K

 

( Reading Norwegian Wood, Lars Mitting, they seem to be getting very particular now on wood n stoves) 

I downloaded the "Firewood Production Manual" (published 2008)   a time ago ,  off the internet .  Some interesting graphs in their about  seasoning times  for wood . Ok may be a bit theoretical but the principles give food for thought.  The manual is in English although it was obviously  published in one of the Scandinavian countries.   

I am interested to know if European ,Scandinavian  suppliers of  firewood to the general public, are governed by government/EU regulations , that stipulate "the moisture content of the wood you supply must not be more than 20%" , or whatever moisture content is stated in your particular country.  I ask as from May1st 2021,in the UK new regulations came in stating  " the moisture content of  loads of logs/firewood of 1.6 cu mtr  or under must be 20% or under,and loads over 2cu mtr can be over 20% as long as one gives the customer instructions on how to season it.

Although the UK is no longer part of the EU, I am just interested in   regulations that may effect you in your particular country.  Many thanks

19 minutes ago, Retired Climber said:

The surplus funds need to be used for the 'cause'; there will be no shareholders to whom dividends could be distributed. A normal business is designed to make money for the shareholders, a not for profit is supposed to use all funds gained to help the 'cause'. 

Presumably the 'cause' would be their own cause!!!!!.😕😉

19 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

As you used the singular I think you only refer to HETAS-Woodsure but I think it applies to many cic / community organisation / quangos and the rub is in the wages they grant themselves with little scrutiny from toothless trustees and charity commissioners.

With over 160,000  charities registered to the Charities  Commission ,I cant help but think  that  some "so say charities" are skating  on thin ice ,as they say. In my opinion, some of those so say charities  are only a charity to themselves, if that makes sense, the words "Creative accounting" come to mind.

As  said by others ,the salaries some Charity executives/staff are paid are mind boggling to  humble  people like us on Arbtalk.     

Sad to say but I am not a very charitable person as I dont want my donations to go to fat cats salaries.

I show my charity to old people not as fortunate as me by doing a good turn for them and not charging for it,

for example stacking a load of wood and not charging for doing so,even if they offer to pay.

But each to their own in this ruthless world.