Rob_the_Sparky

That may be a significant contributor. A front wheel drive car (most are) has a lot of the weight over the front wheels as relatively little over the back so if the fronts are not locked it will move relatively easily.

Looks like he is cutting at home (in reach of a mains cable) so a mains powered saw would be a good choice. Both for purchase price and maintenance (basically none beyond keeping the chain sharp and the oil full).

There is no magic bullet, if you need a regular supply then you need a financial arrangement with a local supplier. If you are accepting cast-offs from arb waste then you can not expect a regular reliable source. Having said that, it might be possible to get more than you need in arb-waste but you will need to build a relationship with one or more local companies and come to an agreeable arrangement for all of you. It took me a few years to get this arrangement with a local company but there are no guarantees, even if you are spending a cash to make it worth their while. It is harder if you want cast-offs. Clearly if there is more cash in it for them to keep the wood and sell dried logs then they will, that is business. If you are lucky then your place will be close to a work site so it is quicker (I.e. cheaper) for the logs to be dropped at yours than take them somewhere else (pretty much how my arrangement works).

That was tow truck driver fault to some extent at least, that wire rope would have been hard to see for anyone and a wheelie bin isn't great warning. Although, even with cones I bet the cyclists would have done the same! Better to park the truck in the middle of the road so obviously blocking it, even though that is a pain as truck would have to move to complete the pull. You can only do your best to avoid problems, you can't account for everyone in the general public. I feel sorry for those who have to work with them... Maybe I think if people see something they are not expecting e.g. a big branch maybe more will wake up. Never going to work for all but might help.

Ona fully plastic (double insulated) product there is commonly no earth connection at all. As above though if you have a basic idea of electronics you should be able to work it out. Probably a switch, a motor and a safety cut-out or two. If that is a broken wire then the length and the other end of the wire should be enough to figure it out... Having said all that I've had a few mains shocks (working a place making mains powered stuff) and I do not recommend it. If you are not confident then leave it alone.

I've seen a heavy recovery youtuber who says that leaving a couple of chains on the road close to the rig has an amazing effect on how close cars get when passing him. You can put out as many cones as you like and have as many lights as you like but leaving something solid in the work area seems to be what works.

Nothing wrong with Mr. Heath Robinson if there is no other easy options. Whatever works to keep the rain off is better than nothing as long as it does not block the airflow. Just don't expect perfection from a Heath Robinson attempt but if it is 90% effective then that is very good as long as you don't spend too much on this type of solution. I have used old tarps I had lying around on top of pallets to maintain the airflow. I know my Dad has done similar with old bits of corrugated iron. Just from the view point that is has to better than nothing and not expecting it to last long or to be perfect...

Just an FYI: good wood and hard wood are not the same thing. All dry wood burns and all has more of less the same energy per unit dry mass. They burn differently and take up different amounts of space but it is not quite as easy as better/worse. If you are paying per unit volume then yes you get more dry weight but you also pay more. You may want a mix though as lighter woods are easier to light than denser ones. It is all personnel but don't get too hung up on "must have hardwood".

and talk to your local traders. If you have good access some may welcome a local place to drop logs for a small donation (others may have a use for the logs but if you do not ask you will never know, just do not ask for free stuff, but I think you have that covered already). The tipsite is more for traders working out of their area so deliveries may not be regular. You can do a search on here as there are various threads about finding waste for firewood.

I don't know the local market as I split my own firewood but the one trader I am in contact with is still supplying logs to his regulars, just no longer advertising that fact, and we are certainly not in the sticks so you area is not unique.

Your first problem will be the Ready to Burn scheme. I do not know the details (I'm not a trader) but I do know that to be formally within the rules you have to give them money to sell logs (neatly stitched up) or you can only sell them 2 cube at a time and marked as not ready to burn (regardless whether they are or not). With regards what is good wood - that depends more on your market than what is good wood to burn in a wood burner. Different woods burn differently and the market may well want hardwood but softwoods dry faster and burn faster. Same energy weight for weight but less dense. The best is a good mix of denser and lighter wood but what the market wants?

Easy answer to that is no. The thermal mass of the insulated flue is minimal so it takes very little energy to warm it up but equally it gets cold more quickly as well. Not sure there is a simple better or worse here.

I was also thinking same amount of wood in one big piece versus two smaller ones but again didn't say that either! I.e. put just one big lump on rather than two smaller ones...

Because I'm crap sometimes

Note: one fan, 2 fans, large fans, small fans. Ultimately they are all powered from the same thing (never seen on with two of the power sources - peltiers?) so provide the same amount of power to the fans. I.e. 2 fans is not equal to twice as much air...