aurelius wood

Weeds will always crop up but in my experience, the advantage of this type of product is the weeds can be pulled out with ease because the roots cannot get to any depth so instead of snapping like they do in soil, they come out complete.

Well today was the christening of the MS 211 and I was very impressed After using a bow saw for a few years I couldn't believe how quickly the logs accumulated! I have a small box trailer and in 15mins cutting, I had 3 trailer loads!. I'll be back tomorrow morning after the school run to have another session. The beech limb has fallen over a river which is running low at present but once the rains kick in, it will be inaccessible

Gotcha Thanks for the advice By the way, the neighbour has a log burner too so when I catch him looking, I tell him each log is numbered, just in case he gets any ideas.

Hi TGB I do like a neat stack! my neighbour often asks me to not burn them as he likes the look of them Yep trousers are definitely on the list as well as fuel can/mixer Do you recommend a 14" bar because the revs will stay high whereas the motor will struggle to maintain revs with a 16" on thicker logs?

I've read enough chainsaw threads to not expect a unanimous response to this but here goes! I'm fortunate enough to live in a village surrounded by woods and have access to any windfall. For the past 3 winters I have managed to accrue enough fuel with a 30" bow saw. Cutting to 30" - 40" lengths depending on weight then cutting to 10" lengths back at home with an electric Makita chainsaw mounted on a metal saw horse, then splitting with a maul and yes, it keeps me fit! I've been reluctant to buy a chainsaw until now as I had to justify it would pay for itself but the next offering is a huge big beech limb so after a bit of research, I've plummed on a Stihl MS211 with a 16" bar for £279 which had a promotion which threw in a Stihl hatchet and Stihl timber log horse worth a combined £77 (allegedly). Helmet with defenders/visor and gloves also bought for additional £24. So an expensive day for me but the beech tree alone should cover half of the costs straightaway. Can't wait to stock the log racks up for next winter now! Hoping I've made a good choice.

Charlie Try here https://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/contactus/avoidingnetworkdamage/avoidingnwdamage.do

Hi Essex, I have heard of this method in the past, but it didn't occur to me it may help with this problem. I'm going to stick with the tea light method for at least a few goes to eliminate the random factor but if it doesn't work out, I'll try the upside-down method. Thanks for the feedback

By God spudulike, I can see where your neighbour's coming from! My flue is powder coated black so if I do the same, maybe it'll be less dalek and more vadar. Given recent events, I'm not sure how much faith we should have in German emission claims either! Those advising newspaper are missing the point a bit, making smoke beneath a flue that won't draw it away is the issue, and would leave my living room looking like the Iranian embassy following a cold call from the SAS. I've tried the tea light method tonight, (for 15 mins, not the suggested hour) and all went very well but as mentioned, it was fairly random so I'll continue with that method and report back.

All Thanks for the feedback I swept the flue last month and it was installed way above the ridge so I think I can rule this out. The cap is worth considering, mine is fairly standard affair similar to the pic I tend to agree with Ballibeg as it does seem to occur on still, chilly nights and the downward motion of the cold air is pushing the smoke back out. I think my next attack will be trying to get the air heading the right way by lighting 1 or 2 non-natural firelighters (because they do burn more aggressively than the natural ones) before the newspaper/kindling goes in. I'll try a few methods and keep you posted with the results.

Hi all, Every now and then, I suffer a smokeout when trying to light the log burner (Clearview 400p) and I'm trying different methods to avoid ending up with the Windows open and being even colder! I have good pine kindling, newspaper and natural freighters, plus the odd pine cone. My theory was the flue is cold and consequently, there is no draw, so my latest theory was lighting a single firelighter to promote warm air rising before adding paper/kindling etc, but still getting mixed results. I've watched every you tube video and read the odd book so I know I'm not do I'm not doing anything daft, and before anyone asks, yes my logs are seasoned ( 11% average) It's quite random, the same technique will work on Monday, but Tuesday gets a smokeout. I'd be interested to know if anyone has perfected a technique to avoid said problem

And when do I stop being a junior member

Hello all, Am I correct in thinking this is Sycamore?, and if so, what's the consensus of it's rating as a firewood. I've just visited a website claiming ash was better than beech which in my experience is nonsense if both are well seasoned

My living room is 24' x 11' so very similar and I have a Clearview Pioneer 400P which easily heats the room...and the hallway.....and the landing! I've used it solid over the past two winters and it still looks new, I swept the flue yesterday in readiness for this winter and got 3 inches of soot in the bottom of my bucket in total. No complaints whatsoever. It may not be the most efficient stats wise but if it were any hotter, we'd need to leave the windows open

Good shout, Google agrees Thank you

Hello all Last time I posted a similar request, the replies came back pronto and unanimous so here goes. I initially though this was ash but the bark is a bit smoother and the serration on the leaf edge seems too deep, please enlighten me

I´m glad someone else mentioned this. Last year I used 90% beech (which I rate very highly when seasoned) and topped up with cherry, oak and a bit of holly. Last month however, I cut up an ash tree which should see me in firewood for winter 2015. After reading so may articles regarding its naturally low moisture content, was very surprised to find it between 35 - 40%. It's no issue given the time it will have to season but certainly proved my research to be iffy.

I have a Clearview Pioneer 400P and its superb. I have a house built in 2003 so fairly well insulated. My living room is nigh on 23' long yet this 4 kw stove can heat it up with the room door left open and heat the halls, landing and keep the chill off the bedrooms as well.Great build quality, dead easy to use/clean and spares availability is no problem from the UK manufacturer (should you need them)

Could I suggest the owner of that car lights the wood in situ

Came home from work this afternoon and my village is without power after the high winds, not unusual here and one of the reasons I fitted a log Clearview log burner 12months ago. Fixed up dinner on a camping stove, got the burner roaring away and read a book courtesy of an LED headlight. All the hours cutting, splitting, building log stores made complete sense as I got a Bob Monkhouse tan from the flames whilst listening to the winds outside. Happy days!

I also have a Stihl meter, firstly I would agree with earlier comments regarding batteries, when mine are low the meter reads 7% in fresh air! Secondly, taking readings from end grain can mislead. If the end grains are getting plenty of airflow and Sun, the readings can drop pretty quickly but checking the mid section of a split log will give a truer picture. I use mine as a guide but also do the following: feel the weight, clacking 2 against each other to see if you get a crisp crack and not a dull thud Seeing the checks open out on the end grain and the bark lifting are all good pointers to seasoned logs As far as how much pressure to use, I just get the probes in a mil or so, any more on wood like beech risks breaking the meter

Thanks all for the positive comments, Sandspider, I had no option on the particular stores, but as the deck and the rear is still able to let the airflow circulate, it doesn't' have a massive impact on seasoning times, I have another rack just across from my garden and hidden from view (see pic) where I first store logs in length so they are pretty dry before I split them and cut to stove size anyway. It's sure quicker than letting them get wet and drying them again I thought of even knocking up a sort of roller blind with a tarp and a brush stale but settled on a simple hook on affair. My moisture meter across mid section and end grain is averaging 11~12%

The roof is a single sheet of particle board obtained free from a neighbour. I gave it a coat of bituminous paint before laying felt shingles which have a 30 year lifespan apparently.

Thought I'd post a few pics of last summer's project. These are the 2 smaller stores that are in the garden. I had to keep the roofline short so that the children didn't bang their head's and I didn't want them to protrude above the fence line. They are just over 6' long and hold 2 10" logs deep with a 2" gap between. Due to the roofline restrictions, I made custom fit rain covers. Be gentle with the comments, I was quite pleased with them!

Keep it coming chaps, this is an education!

Thanks for the prompt reply chaps!