sandspider
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Everything posted by sandspider
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The line feed on my strimmer is rubbish, so blade is much quicker for me! Not the neatest finish though, you're right. I do intend to try a scythe at some point.
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I use a blade for all my strimming... (But don't do too much delicate work to be fair).
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Great film and even better book!
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Too far from me. Good luck...
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Whereabouts in South Wales? And can you deliver?
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What a difference an insulated flue makes
sandspider replied to Woodworks's topic in Log burning stoves and fireplaces
Interesting re glass not sooting up. I burn my own seasoned wood, a year or so in my polytunnel, with the odd less dry bit and my glass soots up and gets fly ash. Little bit of soot in the chimney, but not much. My stove is a Burley, I wonder if they're particularly sensitive, or if I made sure all my wood was seasoned for at least two years maybe that would solve the problem? I can never build up big enough stocks to dry for long enough! Burley paperwork suggests less than 18% moisture, but that's hard to get reliably in my own logs, never mind stuff I buy in! -
Dacia Duster? Not sure if one would be in budget though.
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what logs have you been chopping today!
sandspider replied to william petts's topic in Firewood forum
Thanks chaps. -
Sounds like a good job in a nice location!
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what logs have you been chopping today!
sandspider replied to william petts's topic in Firewood forum
What splitter is it, please? Presumably the logs are seasoned as billets, then chopped into logs when seasoned? (Maybe a bit more seasoning once finally logged). -
I thought 100mm logs were optimum sized for clean burn? I don't often split mine this small, but when I do, they do seem to burn better, with the odd bigger log from time to time.
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Black thorn in flower earlier this week, and a slight frost round our way this morning.
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What he said. I season logs for my own use in a polytunnel (no fans at all), they dry far quicker than logs stacked outside, even under cover. They do seem to reabsorb moisture over winter once the sun no longer hits the polytunnel, but that's life. Wonder if a fan might help air movement in winter...
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I thought that most wood inside a heated house would be too dry for woodworm to be happy? More risk in slightly damper outside timber?
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I take logs from my polytunnel and bring them inside for a day or two before burning. This does seem to make a good difference to the dryness, maybe 3 or 4% on my basic moisture meter. (You can also see the cracks in the ends opening up) Having said that, this is by the side of the stove - if I run short, I put them in front of the stove (where they can char from the direct heat! Do this at your own risk, don't leave logs there unattended etc.), and there they seem to dry in an hour or so...
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Looking for fresh cut coppice willow near Chepstow?
sandspider replied to sandspider's topic in General chat
Cheers Joe, will get in touch. -
Hi all. Does anyone have a source of coppice wood near Chepstow? I'm looking for about 20 fresh cut willow stakes (50 - 75mm maybe) and possibly willow binders / brash bundles too for river bank stabilisation. Not had much luck locally (waiting to hear back from local coppice group), so thought I'd try asking here? Could possibly consider alder too, or in fact anything that will root and grow easily in a shady ish area! Thanks.
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I have a 1.1m rotary topper on the back of a small (18hp ish) compact tractor. It does a pretty neat job (a really neat job when I ran it at too high a PTO speed by mistake!) and is easy on the tractor. I have a steep paddock to cut, and though I'm tempted by offset, I think a rear mount is more stable and easier for limited access. Didn't try a flail as they were a fair bit more expensive and I don't need a really clean cut (though I do use the topper on parts of the lawn from time to time!).
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Good word, like it!
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Euc grows pretty fast! Be interested to see how big it is after 12 years as I'm growing some for a firewood coppice...
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Fruit tree pruning required - Congleton
sandspider replied to BJMac's question in Homeowners Tree Advice Forum
Figs take two years to ripen on the tree, if I remember right. I'm trying to grow a fig tree in Wales, but it's not doing to well. Froze and died back the first year, and something (probably a fox after field mice) dug up the roots this year. Hopefully it will sprout again, but I'm not holding my breath. -
I was under the impression that you shouldn't put too much (or any) good stuff in the planting hole of a new tree, as the roots will stay in the lovely rich environment in the hole and not spread out of the hole into the surrounding soil and anchor your tree properly? Mulch after the first year or two, sure, but not when planting...
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I've not looked at the whole thread, so may have missed something... But - as a firewood user with space to dry wood, trying to buy unseasoned or / and unprocessed logs early last year I had great difficulty getting a) any response at all or b) a reasonable discount for the amount of work required to process the stuff. I have a bit of kit, not much, but enjoy processing and splitting my own logs - I know it's a lot of work. Eventually I managed to get a processed, unseasoned load from a local chap in April or May, at the same cost as seasoned logs the year before! They didn't season too well as it happens (north facing log store and not much wind), but should be fine for next Winter. I'm willing, but most suppliers round me seem to prefer to stick to selling their seasoned stuff, or don't offer enough discount to make it worth my time.
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My Burley specifically says not to try and burn overnight. I don't anyway as I don't like it to smoulder.
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I get ash on the glass of my Burley too. Even with a good hot burn. The occasional wipe and it's fine, but it would be nice if it stayed clear. My other stove (Heta Inspire) has a much better airwash system, or at least, the glass stays totally clean.
