Woodworks

The market seems variable based on location. I make a small amount each year in a home made retort but demand for native charcoal is very limited. Whereas I see others further east seem not to be able to keep up with demand. I put it down to the weather but only a guess. We charge trade £4 for 2kg and if was being all about the money I would not consider messing about with charcoal and stick to the logs. A cube of logs is a £100 and that same cube converted to charcoal makes just £140! If my retort could be run cooler the conversion rate would probably be a touch better but even so...... Retort wise I only know of 3 designs. The Pressvess ones which seem well thought through and solidly built with a good system for burning the gasses cleanly. The Exeter which seems popular but from what I have read has had problems with distortion. The fire box is unlined so if you run it hard and clean it seems bound to suffer. The Hookway which is by nature very clean using rocket stove technology but not productive enough for anyone looking to earn a crust. The one I made is halfway between the Hookway and the Exeter production wise but hopefully closer to Hookway money wise. Probably just going to selling plans and not finished retorts.

Well this little thing continues to work well. Just had a couple of woodland guys spend some of the day watching it in action and helping with improvements. One thing that would be great is an element of automation for temperature control. I have an idea using a bi metal springs but darned if I can see one in the UK. Can get a 1000 from Alibaba! Anyone know where I can some of these?

No it's all the hassle of getting it sorted and the time you are without the tractor. These compacts can be brilliant but like anything we tend to find their limits.

I was the same after the first time. Loader is supposed max of 500kg but it spent it's life with that or more on the front while being bumped about. Just splashed out on a dedicated loader to save these 1k incidents but suspect I would have been better off just fixing when it's broke

Easily done with these smaller tractors. Broken the sprockets on the front wheel once and recently broke the wheel nearly clean off on our compact. Both times cost the best part of a £1000 in parts.

One thing I most liked about the Gehl other than the substantial build quality is the fact it's now part of the Manitou group so backup should be a doddle.

That's what I want to hear. I dont mind 3 mins for the first run of the day but would like to start straight away once it's been run. It works fine from cold but dont want to balls it up through ignorance.

Just got a SH Gehl pivot steer. The manual states that it should be left running but not driven for 3 mins on start up. Not used to a hydraulic drive what harm comes from hopping on and driving straight away?

Might be of interest.

Just got a SH Gehl 340 pivot steer loader. It is rated for 840kg but I tested it with 1000kg on the front without any bother but the ground was level. Reach is 2.9m from memory. It has transformed our yard as we can now get into every nook and cranny. The manoeuvrability is amazing. It would be marginal on legality on a trailer but doable if have 3.5 tonne towing capability. Only had it a week so cant give any long term feedback but the first impressions are it's the best bit of kit our farm/logs has ever bought. Edit. I should add we got it from a farm were it had been bought as an expensive folly on whim but soon completely replaced the tractor for all loader duties. Only selling it as they wanted it's big brother

Dont get me wrong I think it's great we are discussing green initiatives on here but for me GSHP in a regular home seems like an unnecessary step. How much EWI could the cost of GSHP install cover? Then once insulated it would use far less energy be it gas or electric.

Oh get the GSHP bit as we have one but for a retrofit to house with gas it seems an expensive option. As you know a good GSHP needs UFH and retrofitting that to a home is going to cost many years of gas bills and maintenance. Then the cost's of GSHP and the borehole most would need is going to end up costing big money. We live in the sticks with land and had to nearly start from scratch but if I lived in town with a small garden and had mains gas I would not of considered a GSHP for a second. Maybe and air source heat pump but I doubt it.

I get most of it but replacing gas central heating with a GSHP seems excessive unless they are on bottled gas. On a cost to run basis excluding grants I didn't think there was much in it between GSHP and mains gas.

That's the thing though a tunnel by nature inhibits air flow. If you add lots of ventilation you will lower the temperature through excessive air changes. My gut feeling is you are best off drying outside to start with and finish with a poly tunnel but be great to see some studies on it. Sure a tunnel must get you to a lower moisture content given enough time.

Not meaning to be a killjoy but your 34c reading is a bit misleading. Looks like your thermometer was in direct sunlight which skews the figures dramatically. Metrological temps are taken in the shade ideally in a Stevenson's screen. You can get temps way above official readings in direct sun. I Remember working on a roof one summer and when it was sunny and hot but no ridiculously so. Took up an old fashioned dial thermometer and left it by the slates I was picking up. It hit 50c and pushed the workings of the thermometer around so it was hotter than 50c in the direct sun but probably only mid 20s in the shade.

Hi Tom. The only other one I have seen in action is the Trakmet. It's big solid machine but didn't look very ergonomic to use. Big J on here has one so maybe PM him or do a search on here as I think it's beed discussed before.

Working on it chaps. Lining someone up to do some field testing as no one but myself has had a play with it yet.

Hi Yes we had one of the Urban branch logger from Welmac. It was pretty good and never had any problems. The casing is a bit light duty but the heart of the thing was built like a tank. I bought it speculatively hoping to sell the product it made but it did not go down well with customers. Same problems that have already been covered on here. It's a messy product and did not sell well and was not as good a kindling as we would have hoped. Surprising heavy and awkward to handle in the nets when fresh due to weight. It did make great charcoal when using the cleaner material without much twiggy material. Still miss it when chopping up stock for our charcoal making and keep looking at the Remet ones with a conveyor so you could use IBCs or vented bags but cant justify it for our tiny charcoal production.

Better if it is but not esential. I experimented with some large logs I had only a week ago picked up out of the mud and chucked into a crate. Some were very wet and heavy. It took 4 hours to convert and used a bit more fuel to get it up to outgassing temps but it appears to have converted fine. Best ie fastest with smaller material that's dry

May well have some safety cut offs. Any sliding guards that might have a micro switch on them? Presume it's not something as simple as an off button that needs pulling out to reset?

Dont know nought about measuring trees and but googled Clinometer. There is a app called Bubble level pro (free at the moment) which gives you the angel of your phone. So sighting the top at at 45degrees and measuring in should work.

I think I have! It would cost around £500 -£800 to make. Makes 60+kg of saleable charcoal per day and you could easily run two at a time if you wanted to up production. The charcoal ends up in barrels which are easy to handle. It's ready to go again the next day while you sieve the previous days product. What other retorts can compete with that? Only unknown is longevity as I dont work it hard enough to ware it out. Just deciding how to go forward with it. Options are 1. Manufacturer them (very complex) 2. Sell plans (most likely) 3. Do nought and keep it for myself (not going happen) 4. Just share with all for nothing (possible)

Something tropical by the looks of it

You had a go yet Marko?

Hi Rowan. I use all our hedgerow species like sycamore, beech, ash, oak and they all work fine. I use the smaller material say 1"-3" diameter as the rest goes for logs. Nice thing with the small diameter is it tends to hold it's shape whereas the larger logs usually break up during the process.