Rob_the_Sparky

It will depend on the grain I think is going to be the right answer. A nice straight grain will split fairly easily. A chunk from the butt or full of branches will be MUCH harder. I've never had to split something this large but I don't see why a wedge or two plus an axe will not work but as above it really isn't worth the effort to spilt stubborn pieces if it is too hard then get the saw out (and I'm a stubborn git who likes to avoid the saw if at all possible). The saw will work if you get stuck.

Agreed. I think you would be better off putting it on a pallet outside with something to keep the worst of the rain off. If it is fresh felled then it will be very wet already so not going to get worse outside and cold temps + air flow should prevent that mould. Just stack it with air gaps as you need the air flow to dry it.

I'm not sure they care if you want them or not if they are taking without asking. At a previous company we had some heavy steel H beams go walkies, they were only left out for a day as they were rather heavy as we were going to use them next morning. I think it is case of cruise round and just take stuff they can make money off. You should always ask...

I suspect the people advertising pallets are trying it on. Plenty of local businesses round here want shot of them. We picked up 6 the other day from a local business and could have had a LOT more. They had 3 stacks shoulder high! I guess the double length pallets are some sort of standard but you will find non-standard ones out there. We get some at work but not very many.

As above I now use an x27 having started with the Screwfix maul and now never use the maul. However, using the maul meant that all my crappy learning hits that missed did not damage a decent axe so by the time I got the x27 I knew how to hit a piece of wood(!) and it is working very nicely. I prefer an x27 but others prefer an x25 (same head just a shorter handle). For nasty bits of wood I use a Fiskars twisting wedge and a sledge hammer (which I already had). However, there was a cheaper wedge that looks identical out there. This is the cheaper one that looks the same: Roughneck ROU65510 Wood Twister Splitting Wedge 5lbs/2.3kg : Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors There are times I just decide to split everything, because I'm stubborn, but it isn't generally worth the effort. Having done it for more time I have learnt ways to split around most of the awkward bits and rarely use the wedge and hammer now but there are a few pieces I use it for. Nice to have it available as back-up should that be needed. Saw wise I am very happy with my mains electric saw. It has more power than any battery saw, is much cheaper and has no batteries to run out. The downside is being tied to the house via a mains lead but that is not a problem I need to solve as arisings arrive at the house so no need to take the saw anywhere. I have fitted an outside socket near where I chop the wood. Rob P.S. I did wonder when I bought the x27 whether I'd end up buying a maul as well but I never did as I have just not needed it. P.P.S. splitting is easier if you use a butt end chunk as an anvil rather than splitting on the floor. The extra height makes it better. The butt end chunks do not split easily so make good anvils. P.P.P.S(!) "Norwegian Wood... by Lars Mytting" is a very good book to read.

Some older car are fie to run as daily drivers but I guess it depends on how far you drive and where you drive. However, fuel consumption can be a higher cost than the tax rates so not necessarily a good idea. I'm not seeing anything in there on pre-2001 vehicles but I doubt those will be let off. The exchequer needs to keep the money coming in and has promised to tax electric car less and is also losing out on fuel tax incomes from electric vehicles so has to claw it back somewhere. Prepare to repeated rises in the next few years as they justify balancing the books anyway they can.

It will take you a bit of time to get up to speed but once you get sorted out where you are going to store it try to get more than you need so you can put the newly delivered stuff in a stack for a while before splitting it as and when it is convenient. Hint and tip: splitting in summer is hot work so both for drying time but also for comfort splitting early in the year is a good idea. Wood dries quicker when in short lengths but also better when split. The bark reduces water loss. If you split that now it will easily be ready for the end of the year assuming you stack it sensibly (don't leave it like that in a pile on the ground!). The simplest way to keep the wood off the ground is a few pallets. Many small businesses have to pay for pallets to be removed so are more than happy to let you collect them (just ask). Also most pallets can be burnt if you have too many (check the stamp on the pallet for details: Ultimate Guide To Pallet Markings - Universal Pallets). They are a bit of a pain due to all the nails but can make decent tinder if you have the time. My first log stores were just the wooden containers used to deliver slabs, turned on their sides with a few pallet wood planks to keep the rain off. Not very space efficient but VERY quick starting point. I have since then moved to making them from second hand fence posts (just cut off the rotten section at the bottom) with pallet wood planks to make the slats. Another simple way is to use pallets for the base, a pallet on end with a plank nailed on the diagonal to hold it in place and them whatever you can get hold of to keep the rain off. Just know that you can build very good log stores for almost zero cost (basically the price of some nails/screws) so don't go buying them (Unless you aren't that handy but assuming you are). Also Screwfix splitter/hatchet/"wood grenade": Splitter is OK for learning with, hatchet is blunt but OK, the wood grenade is more like a giant nail than anything useful to split wood. Yes this is what I started with. Hope all that helps Rob

P.S. the runners are quite close to the surface so digging them out is not too hard once you find them. If you let them run for many years though I bet it is a nightmare.

I have both bamboo (2 types as far as I can tell) and cherry Laurel. I have had to remove a couple of clumps of the bamboo due to it running but most of it is still OK. This was all established when I moved in ~9 years ago. I like the look of the bamboo but would recommend you keep an look out for runners if you plant it. The runners we found were VERY long (20 feet+ in one case) and you have to get them all out to stop it re-sprouting.

I have a small 5kw clearview and my father has two 8kw ones. No problems to report in many years (mine is now at ~7 years and dads is at a LOT more than that). Mine has a smoke control kit on it and I too have to control heat output primarily by number and type of logs but it is not uncontrollable. Shut down the air and it does slow it down. Just once I think I have had it get WAY too hot and I simply opened the door. Sounds odd but seems that combination of a LOT of air and a lot more radiated heat brings down the flue temps. Only problem is a slight warping of the baffle plate but it causes no issues at the moment and is easily replaced if it gets worse. Rob P.S. The air inlet for the smoke control is easily located and could be blocked very easily on my stove if I desired but I have not felt the need to do that. P.P.S. I get through about 3 Cube a year as it is not my only heat source.

More to the point it sounds like traders are using the tip sites listings more when they are out of their area than in their local area. If you are looking for "regular" (well repeated anyway) supply then it seems to make more sense to make contact with firms locally.

LOL. Well actually I tried e-mails to several companies as I figure that these can be read whenever is convenient rather than ringing people who might be in the middle of a job. Only spoke to them after initial e-mail contact! N.B. thinking about it - I have also obtained wood from walking over and talking to people taking down a couple of trees in our road...

Just in case it helps. I contacted my local tree surgeons directly and now have enough supply from one of them to supply my needs for logs. Not all of them have material available but some do and as I live near him it works for us both. He is only quite a small business but had logs left over from what he needed so was happy to drop them at mine on the way home rather than have them build up in a big pile. This was sorted out before I found out about the tip site so I never needed to add myself. Rob P.S. I also put him in contact with my son's school and he drops off chip there.

Way way way back in the day I lived in a house with a blown hot air system (from an over night electrically heated heat store) and the problem was the cold air coming back to the blown air system meant there was a constant cold air draft around your ankles. Hence the idea to blow (and duct) the cold air to the burner rather than the hot air from the burner sounds like it might work better, avoiding that sort of draft occurring.

Another easily available free building material is broken 3" square fence posts. Most are over 6' long and in good condition where they were above ground. As they are treated they last longer than pallets. I have used these are the structure for my small log racks (0.7-1m^3) (painted pallet planks for the sides). The only pain is that the fence posts tend to be twisted so you have to figure out how to use them without this being an issue. I see no reason to sink anything into the ground as these are pretty heavy on their own and very heavy with logs in them. I have stood mine on slabs (just laid straight on the ground) to minimise rot. Built the first one about 4 years ago now and no sign of any rot yet.

I have no idea if this has ever been done but lower power motors can be used with an accumulator. They store fluid under pressure to be released when required. This does not increase the number of strokes that can be done per minute but does increase the speed of the stroke if there is a delay between strokes. I.e. the accumulator is charged while you go get another log and fluid is released when you use the splitter. They are used on BIG projects to move things like bridges without a stupidly large motor. No idea if they are even available at this scale but just a thought...

I suspect you will find that an open fire will give more direct heat but less total energy so they might be nice to sit in front of but relatively ineffective at heating the room. However, I'm more than happy with the radiated heat from a stove and would never go back to an open fire. If a stove is over sized though you may have to run it cool to prevent it over heating the house. In that case you will get relatively little direct (radiated) heat and just have a nice warm room. Not sure there is a right sized stove but our stove is undersized so we run it more or less flat out all the time and rely on the central heating when it gets properly cold outside. I'm sure though the right answer is not an open fire.

If Andy's thought about heating what is already there is valid then could the heat from the liner not be heating what is already in the chimney. I.e. what was there before the liner was installed If that happened you might get some smell even if there was no leak from either liner but when your stove was on anything produced would go up but when your is cold and next doors is heating maybe you can smell it?

I have a multi-fuel (Clearview) and TBH a bed of ash builds up really quite quickly on the grate if you don't disturb it. I'm surprised that this is a problem but have no experience with other grate designs. When the ash is getting a bit full I will poke it to reduce the amount but never to zero.

I'd guess it went in about 15 years ago, when our company was still on campus. Oh and yes it is a fair sized building and I guess you know the lake I mean. It was also a pretty sizeable pipe that was installed to circulate the water.

I don't know any details but for sure a pond can be used but it might have to be quite large. One of the University of Surrey's buildings is heated using this technique but the pond is actually quite a sizable lake. Interesting about the amount of heat from the core. wrt solar hot water: How do you avoid boiling the tank if not using water fast enough? If you size the panels to be useful in winter then in summer the power is just going to be far too much. (also going on holiday might be an issue) As most systems appear to be pumped, how do you prevent it boiling if the pump stops? Both of these have been things stopping me moving beyond thinking about it.

Don't know but there is clearly no doubt in his mind that kiln drying is the only option available to suppliers.

I would have thought that it would be terribly slow, having used a few car jacks for cars. Are you not better off with an axe or as above build an electric one? I use an axe for most of mine plus a wedge and sledge or just the saw for the horid bits.

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We (groups of parents) shovel it by hand every month or so at school and sometimes it is dry and mouldy. Never had a problem so I guess it depends if you are already susceptible and how much you breath in. I always stand back from the dust when this happens but you can't avoid breathing some of it.