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sandspider

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Everything posted by sandspider

  1. sandspider
    Thanks all. I've tried most variations mentioned above without finding a way that works all the time. I agree that paper smokes more, but kindling seems to create too little heat on its own to overcome the down draught. And if I leave the stove door open a crack after lighting up I find the downdraught just continues to blow smoke out of the door. I have to close the door to reduce the downdraught, then open it again to get air to the fire. If I time it right, it works! I'll keep experimenting.
  2. sandspider
    Cheers all. Opening a window doesn't help, can make it worse in fact. House is not close to air tight! One stove has a direct air feed from outside anyway. Could try even more paper. Trouble is, that's even more smoke if it doesn't light. Tried your suggestion will, but even with the vents open the paper won't burn hot enough to overcome the draught. Stove just fills with smoke, which leaks out, then gushes out when I eventually have to open the door! I can juggle the door opening and vents to get the draught going the right way as the paper burns but it doesn't always go smoothly, and my wife can't light it with our baby... Hairdryer is the next attempt.
  3. sandspider
    Got CO detectors thanks, and once burning it's fine. Hmm, leaf blower might work. Or hairdryer!
  4. sandspider
    I've tried all the above already, with varied success. No swirly cowl, there's not enough wind in my valley to spin it. I normally light as mrnick does, but without paper first to overcome the downdraft it will smoke back into the room. I thought a blowtorch might be a less smoky way to warm things up and get it drawing...
  5. sandspider
    Hi all As above. I live in a cold, still valley and have trouble with downdraft on both my woodburners. When cold, a breeze blows out of them which makes them hard to light without getting smoke everywhere. Both installs are fairly.new and correct height chimneys etc so I don't think there's a problem there. Both burn fine once warm. I light them by building my fire as normal, then burning a couple of sheets of loosely scrumpled newspaper to overcome the downdraft. I light the paper, then my main fire, which works OK, though still smoky. I was thinking of (gently) heating the register plate with a blowtorch or something before lighting instead. Or any other suggestions? Don't really want to faff about with fans in chimneys etc. Oh, and I've been lighting fires and woodburners for years without problems, so don't think it's me! Cheers.
  6. sandspider
    We fitted one in our kitchen, which is basically a conservatory. Though the regulations are different and more stringent I believe if installing a stove in a conservatory... We had to replace a glass ceiling panel with a plastic coated wood panel to allow expansion joint fitting where the flue penetrates the ceiling. We went for a burley stove, and it's great. Bit smokey on lighting due to a serious down draught, but that's not the stove's fault.
  7. sandspider
    I experimented with axes, billhooks etc. for brashing and found that a chainsaw was quickest! This was on small and medium hazel. Having said that, my billhook doesn't seem to be sharp, so that didn't help.
  8. sandspider
    Several pairs of buzzards live in the woods near me. Assorted small falcons of some sort pass through from time to time, and the odd kite - I think. My ID skills aren't the best. Wife saw a kestrel (possibly, small BOP) hunting a mouse in the garden the other day.
  9. sandspider
    I think it's too thin! How can I thicken it?!
  10. sandspider
    Cheers all. I might just stick with mineral oil, not like I use much anyway. Anyone want a litre of bio oil?!
  11. sandspider
    Pallet or something at the bottom to keep the logs off the ground? Look good though.
  12. sandspider
    Hi all Got a bottle of the above today, but looking at it, it looks very thin and runny. Is this normal? I've only used mineral oil before. Also, as I only use saws occasionally (~10 times a year) does bio chain oil still go gummy if left in the tank? Should I have stuck with mineral oil?! Cheers.
  13. sandspider
    That is beautiful. The wheels alone are a work of art. Reminds me of an old episode of Jack Hargreaves where he was with an old wheel maker. Lovely work.
  14. sandspider
    I've never tried, but I'd have thought as long as it's kept off the ground and there's some air movement, it should be OK for two or three years? It'll probably dry out quite nicely!
  15. sandspider
    Ahh, didn't see the YouTube link last time I loaded the page. Cheers.
  16. sandspider
    Interesting, thanks. Any photos / videos of the eventual machine in action?
  17. sandspider
    Neat. Is that trunk just resting on the pallet forks as you cut it? Looking for ways to reduce manual handling in my wood chopping... (Personal use only, not large volumes, so not much budget!)
  18. sandspider
    Where abouts?
  19. sandspider
    Well done. 2k saved!
  20. sandspider
    Oh, and my topper and link box came from farmtechsupplies - service was good, delivery prompt and they're helpful with after sales service too.
  21. sandspider
    I've got an old Yanmar YM1600, 16 - 18hp, which runs a 1.1m topper happily. (I can occasionally get it stuck on wet slopes to the extent that even diff lock won't get it out unless I lift the topper!) Tractor is narrow, and mine (1980 or so) was well under your budget. It's 2wd, not 4wd, but if it's so wet that I need 4wd I'd not take it out anyway. It lifts a surprising amount for its size, but I don't know how much hydraulic flow rate it has. And it's quite hard to find parts and even information on it as it's an aged grey import. Great for my needs though (mowing, carrying, might get a log splitter one day but I'd go PTO powered) and it sips diesel. A slight annoyance is that it doesn't have a separate clutch for the PTO and the drive - so fiddly to switch to reverse to mow tight corners. But I think most compact tractors don't have separate PTO clutches. Not within my budget anyway.
  22. sandspider
    I like to have a few smaller logs in the load when I buy them. Useful for getting the fire going, and feeding the smaller stove...
  23. sandspider
    What kit do you use? I've made cider before, but never wine or beer...
  24. sandspider
    I cut my bracken (head high in parts!) with a topper and strimmer in August this year, and have had only a few small fronds growing back. i'll cut again next year, maybe even another cut later this year (if it ever stops raining) but I was surprised how little came back after a single cut.
  25. sandspider
    Interesting, thanks.

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