Rob_the_Sparky

It is all in theory as well, not sure anyone has ever tried this.

Heating the intake air from the flue is going to improve efficiency (which is why balanced flue gas boilers do this) However, it also cools the exhaust gasses that contain a large amount of water along with a cocktail of other compounds. Balanced flue gas boilers have to drain the water that condenses but burning gas does not result in the same flue chemicals. With a complete burn that may not be a problem but condensing water running back down into the fire would be bad. All this has nothing to do with external air as such, it is about running the external air down the flue pipe...

I use something with a similar height for the chain saw and about 12" for chopping. I achieved it just by stacking two rounds. Going to be much easier to find something like that. Tree surgeons are treating most of the wood as waste so it is cut into lengths than can be sensibly handled. Hence, smaller diameter stuff will be longer and the bigger stuff shorter. This is likely why you are struggling as 24"x12" is a big big log to handle by hand. TBH it would be a bit of a pain to move around at home as well. Try a rethink in what you are needing as I think to get a log of the size you are after will take planning. I.e. specially left that long for you and that will not be easy to get.

"The court heard the capital asset value of the tree was put at more than £114,000."

Liverpool: West Derby man fined for cutting down tree worth £114,000 WWW.BBC.CO.UK Carl Bellis carried out unauthorised work on a protected beech tree outside his Liverpool home. Just a nice a random big number to get headlines? I don't get how you can put a cash value on a tree (that number makes no sense if we are talking the price of the lumber).

25cm bar is short but I guess it depends on what you are doing. My mains saw has a 14" bar (~35cm) and that is mostly enough. I have played with a 12" (~30cm) petrol saw and really noticed the shorter bar. For me though the main thing is that a mains saw never has a flat battery and costs a similar amount (for a quality one as a bare battery saw). They also can have more power but the major drawback is that you can not use it away from home. There is no best, best depends on your circumstances.

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.