sandspider

Very nice. However, shouldn't there be some sort of longitudinal brace down the centre, between the tops of the legs and across the lateral bracing struts? To kind of hold it all together? Without the top on, it looks a bit naked in the middle, and like all the weight is resting on the two end sections of the frame. I should say that I've never built a table so am probably wrong - but would be interested to hear your thoughts? Thanks.

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Cheers chaps. Think I've sorted it as it happens - no screws, just 4 lugs that slot into the body. One of them had broken off, but I've cleaned it all up and fixed it back in with lots of high temperature gasket sealant. Fingers crossed this works anyway... The baffle is deinitely cast / welded into place - no movement in it at all, and the seams are all smooth and even. And there's only a bit of surface rust on the outside of the back of the stove, still plenty of metal thickness left. (Chimney pot is cowled). I clean the chimney through an access plate in the flue, and can also get a brush round the baffle and up the chimney that way. Thanks for the pointers Alcidyon - hopefully won't need any new parts yet. The stove (not including the cowl, legs, hinges etc.) is: 66cm wide; 37cm deep and 46cm high. It's also got some boiler pipework coming out of the back. I'll put a picture in below - does it look like a Villager, and can you hazard a guess as to the model if so? Many thanks.

Hi all Bit of a long shot perhaps but I know there's some stove installers on here. I've got what I think is an old villager wood burner - it came with my house. The flue comes out of the top, and there was a metal blanking plate covering the rear flue exit. The other day the blanking plate dropped out, so I've got a hole in the back of my stove. The baffle plate inside the stove seems to be welded in, so I can't easily get to the hole at the back to patch it from inside. Is there a trick to replace this without having to take the stove out of its alcove, disconnect the chimney etc to get to the back of it? I don't want to do that unless I really have to! Also, I imagine to replace the blanking plate I just stick it in with fire cement? Cheers.

Interesting! Is that people being pushed down a hill while riding what is basically a sofa?!

Hope so! Lots of botanical gardens. Any special trees etc. to visit? Thanks.

I don't live or work there. But I've been to the Algarve before and am off to Madeira this weekend!

I like to see the grain and figure of the wood, before it's painted.

Yes, I was talking about yours - not the museum piece you based it on.

Impressive. I kind of prefer it when it wasn't painted or finished, and you can see all the wood in it. Nice work.

Very nice - lovely shape. Similar to an old fashioned wooden lifeboat. Did you steam bend all the planks? What woods did you use?

Sounds good Stereo. Which Clarke splitter is that? Oh, and I use a Fiskars - I'll get a log splitter one day...

Counts for me! Get some pics up. I love a good wooden boat...

Hi Lucan. Would you mind PM-ing me the pdf download link too? Many thanks.

Never won a single penny. Spent £60 or so perhaps. I only buy lucky dips - perhaps someone above was right when he said they're fixed to be unlikely numbers! Then again, the way I think of it, I'd never choose the numbers 1,2,3,4,5,6 - cos clearly that's never going to come up. But the chances of those 6 sequential numbers coming up are the same as any other 6 numbers coming up! I.e. there's so little chance of winning!

I find the opposite! Got an old house with thick walls, and an old Villager stove in the living room. Living room is like an oven, but the rest of the house stays fairly cold. I think there's a draft blowing into the living room (front door near by) so air moves into the living room rather than out of it. Did try a fan, but it still didn't spread much heat out of the living room.

What sort of prices, and where are you?

Hmm. Mine was dead after 6 months or so! Maybe they can get enough nutrients from brick? You could try cutting a couple of stems then putting the cut stems into a pot of glyphosphate or similar - then it should take the weedkiller up into the whole plant and have more effect...

Specific episode here: George Clarke's Amazing Spaces - Channel 4

Thanks Mark, that's useful. I was wondering about the coats of hiring in a mill for the day vs buying one. Depends how much wood you have I suppose!

If you've cut all the ground stems to the ivy it will eventually die back. Can take a while, but it should get there in the end. (The little rootlets higher up can keep it going for a while, but won't provide enough nutrients in the end - on trees anyway. I'd guess it would be the same on brick?).

Yep - once or twice a year on my Villager, generally when the ash starts to spill out when I open the doors!

Ahh, useful - thanks.

These were on offer for £250 each until recently! Ash Hardwood Coffee Table Log Pedestal Sofa Table Stunning Feature Decorative | eBay

My understanding was that only coal / coke fires need draft from the bottom? Wood needs a draft from the top. It might take a burn or two after emptying the ash to build up a bit of ash on the grate again, but it will still burn well and hot. Mine is multi fuel, but I only burn wood - and I only empty the ash out once or twice a year.