carbs for arbs

Thanks @Gav73 - that's good a re-assuring to hear. And would you say the inside walls have the same level of rust? Can you remember if it rusted up soon after getting it? Cheers

@monkeybusiness - fair play, thanks for sharing your thoughts on it. Didn't realise that RE the baffle plates. Or rather, I knew they needed replacing sometimes but not that often. So presumably the inside walls of your Clearviews have similar amounts of rust? Cheers

Hi Many thanks for all the replies. Interestingly, the guys who sold it to us said it is unusual for it to rust as quickly as it has, and are currently looking into it. I could understand if we'd had it a while, but after a couple of months or so of use I must admit I'm surprised too. And more so, the first two pics were taken after just one fire. It's re-assuring to hear you guys say it's to be expected, but that leaves me a bit confused now. The baffle plate and the worse of the back of the stove seems a bit more than just surface rust and are pitted. See a close up below of the baffle. Does anyone here have a Clearview or Woodwarm, and if so how's yours on the inside for rust? The whole flue/chimney liner was a brand new install (with a cowl too) so we're pretty sure there's no water coming down. Will do a bit of reading on the subject but any views in the meantime would be great. Many thanks

Hi all Had a Woodwarm wood stove installed 1st March this year. A few days after install we noticed some rust on the inside of the firebox. We (regrettably) didn't think too much of it at the time. However, when we went to stop sing for summer, and cleaned it out etc, we saw that the rust had got worse. We're in communications with the company we bought it from, but interested to get people's opinions and thoughts about it in the meantime. We've been burning seasoned ash wood only (no coal etc). There's no rust on the outside of the stove. Here's some photos taken 3 days after install, with flash on so they are quite bright: And these were taken in June: Many thanks

Seeing as it's raining and the weekend, a cheeky bump in case anyone can offer some advice... Cheers

PS - the side of each shelter will have a post at front, middle and back. So I could use the pieces with rot as middle posts so that they are right in the shelter and totally protected from rain.

Hi all Many thanks for the helpful replies and sorry for the late response. I don’t use chainsaws, but managed to get through it with an “in need of attention” 2 and a half foot saw I have. Wasn’t too bad actually. I then used axe heads/wedges and a sledge hammer to split. Following which, I used a machete along the inside face to flatten it out so that the firewood will sit nicely against it. I should end up with 14 “posts” when done. The top section I’ve split into two rather than four – firstly because it was thinner (the original post tapers in), and secondly we wanted a couple of the posts to be more substantial. Visually, the creosote only seemed to have penetrated about a quarter of the way. Perhaps it has got in further to a lesser extent, but the darkness certainly fades around a quarter in. As for rot, there is some in the bottom section but the rest is looking pretty good. Lots of pictures below... - Do you think it is still ok to use the pieces with rot? - Should I look to use a preservative on the inside where there’s less (or no) creosote? Or should they be ok as is? The corrugated roof will overhang these posts by quite a way, so they’ll only ever get rain wet when it’s driving very hard. - I’ll only drive them 20-30cm into the ground. Should I use something special to protect the sections that will be in the ground (again though, they’ll be undercover mostly)? Thanks again

Thanks for the replies. It will be interesting to see how it had survived and what it's like on the inside. I'm going to give splitting a go and will report back once I have, although not too sure when that'll be. Cheers

Hi I need timber for posts for wood shelters. Nothing fancy; it's all quite rough and ready with reclaimed materials where possible. There's an old electricity pole lying in the garden which has probably been there around three years. I was thinking to cut it down into 4 pieces, and then split each of those length ways into four, giving me 16 posts. I think the post has remnants of creosote or some kind of tar stuff on it, but not much and I presume such treatment doesn't penetrate. So when (or if) I do manage to split it, what would be the best type of treatment to use on it? I'll probably drive a section into the ground for stability, and presume that will need a separate or additional treatment due to ground contact. Any recommendations? Obviously being a shelter, the posts will be under cover to a certain extent and should hopefully only get wet in very bad weather. But the longer they last the better. Any suggestions, thoughts or opinions most welcome. Photos below. Cheers

Hi all I'm removing this old stove from the house and would like to know a bit more about it. Has anyone seen one before? Anyone got any idea what model it is, or any other info about? I presume it's just a burner, but it does have a bit of what looks like gadgetry in the bottom section. So not sure if there's more to it... Photos below and more available. Many thanks

Hi Has anyone in these parts got a Tyzack bowsaw? By all accounts they are supposed to be pretty good... I've got a chance to buy one and wondered if I could ask a coupe of questions.... 1. Is there a way to check what condition it is in; anything I need to look out for? 2. Can you tension the blade, or is it one setting only? 3. Is it on par with the modern Bahco Ergo saws, or better, or worsterer? Many thanks

I agree, looks fantastic

PM'd As for this thread, thanks for all the great replies. I've been away a few days, and up to my neck in stuff since back. But I will return to respond properly as soon as I can. Cheers

Just a quick one to say thanks for all the helpful replies and information. I've got lots of saw related questions buzzing in my head but have been away at work for the week and go away again tomorrow morning for the weekend. I just didn't want to leave it any longer before saying thanks to y'all, and will return with a fuller response when time allows next week. Cheers

Hi all Recently had a stove installed. We asked for 904/904 flue liner to be used but I'm not sure it has been and am thinking 904/316 might have been used instead. The data plate just says 904 on it, and the installer doesn't seem to distinguish between the two. I've attached some photos of an offcut that was left... Is it possible to tell from these what type it is? Happy to take more if that would help. Or is there any other way to tell what it is? In the third photo you'll see that there are thinner strips of metal that I've peeled back to illustrate the point. I don't know if that counts as the inner or whether it is an additional layer? But that is definitely thinner than the outer... Cheers

Thanks for all the great and helpful replies. So by the sounds of it it will all end up in the wood stoves then. I do have a few outdoor projects in mind. Not least of all wood shelters to house the firewood! So I wanted to check whether ash was suitable before sawing up the straight useable pieces. As it's not, so be it... I can get other wood for that. In fact, I have a larch to come down and by all accounts larch and cedar (which I'd have to buy) are good choices. I've also been told that sweet chestnut is good too. Perhaps I'll try and plant some for the future - for the wood and the nuts... For long term storage of firewood (ash), is it better to keep the ash in the round and in long lengths? I was planning to process 2-3 years worth, and keep the rest in a forestry commission type set up. Well, not quite on that scale But in pieces of around 4 foot length and stacked and covered. I thought this might slow the seasoning down for when the time came 5-10 years down the line. I'll also be storing it 200 odd metres from the house, so keeping it in larger pieces will make transporting it up to the house easier when the time comes. Any downsides to keep it in 4 foot rounds for several years? And if under cover and ventilated - should that stop it deteriorating too badly? Cheers

That'll learn me; posting late on a Friday night!

Hi I've pretty much decided to do all my firewood processing with hand tools. I'm just processing wood for burning in the house, not for selling. I'm reading a lot about Silkys and will no doubt be back with questions about those But I'm also keen to try and get an old fashioned cross cut saw or two. I've no idea what to look out for though, and whether most available locally will be nothing more that "above-the-fire-place" ornaments. Here's some links to some I have my eye on: Saw 1 – Google Drive DRIVE.GOOGLE.COM Saw 2 – Google Drive DRIVE.GOOGLE.COM Saw 3 – Google Drive DRIVE.GOOGLE.COM Is it impossible to tell from photos/videos what they are like? Any pointers for what I should be looking out for as a novice? I also want to learn how to sharpen my own saws - including my Silkys when I have a lot more experience - so would saws like these be a good place to start practising? Many thanks PS - at this stage I don't want convincing that I should get a chainsaw

That's great @Mark J - thanks for sharing your thoughts. The timber is very sound, and to my very untrained eye seems absolutely fine. In fact, in spite of what people say about burning ash green, I think a few months seasoning will do it good. But then I'm pretty green too!

Hi all Recently had around 20 roadside ash trees taken down due to dieback. I've been reading about uses for the wood, and with a wood stove in the house (with possibly another one or two to come), firewood is an obvious choice. But we will also be doing a lot of work in the garden - fencing, shelters, benches, etc. So I'm wondering....: 1. Can it be used for firewood and will it burn as well as undiseased ash? 2. Is ash generally any good for fencing, shelters, benches, etc.? Or are there better woods for that kind of thing? Again, will it be worse because of the disease? 3. Does the “rot” continue to have an affect after felling? IE – will the wood continue to deteriorate on account of the dieback even once cut down? 4. If it was still reasonably healthy when felled – rather than badly affected - will that help? I can take some photos when I'm back home showing the tops of the stumps; some of which look like they may not have been affected at all Any advice most welcomed Many thanks

Hmm, maybe I'm putting words in his mouth when I say "happy". I meant more that he did it, and was understanding about the situation. Not sure how happily though. I felt bad, but the wood was no use to me unseasoned...

I promised an update, so here it is.... Having been more careful with the MM I stopped getting the super high readings but did continuously get readings around the 40% mark. As mentioned previously, freshly felled ash was reading around 50%, and continued to, so I think it had a high bias. But even being generous that would have made the bought wood 30%+ which isn't ideal. The seller was good about it and happy to collect/refund, so all well in the end. Thanks again for the replies

Hey all Many thanks for all the replies. Very helpful stuff. I'll try to address any points raised and answer any questions. Firstly I should say that perhaps I need to be more consistent with my meter in terms of how I insert the pins. I need to especially check that they are both in a reasonable amount, rather than one in deep and the other only just in. Having checked the meter just now around the house on internal timber (which is flat and therefore easier to measure consistently), it seems to be working well. So tomorrow I'll re-measure the firewood. I'm pretty certain it will still be high - certainly higher than 25% - but maybe the 80% readings were false. We'll see. Also, we've plenty of freshly felled ash and that's showing as 45-50%, so if the meter has a bias it would seem to be toward the wetter side. Could though just be the inaccuracy increasing as it gets to the higher levels. The meter is new so no plans to get another. In fact, once we're a season or two in and have a good system in place I won't be need one at all. Just for these early days and for times like this. That being said, it might be useful when it comes to comparing different drying methods, shelters etc. I could just season the wood I bought for next year, but that's not what I bought it for. I have tonnes of my own wood which will be ready to burn next year and for many years thereafter. What I wanted/needed was some very well seasoned logs to be using right now, which is why I bought it (for testing the new wood stove). If it ain't that, it ain't no use to me. But I didn't want to complain if it is within what's acceptable. I have brought a few logs into the house to test them in a couple of days, and to see how much of it is just surface dampness. Between that and using the meter more attentively, I'll hopefully have a better idea of how the logs are. I'll come back with my findings and have a word with the supplier if it's not looking good. As someone else mentioned, I split it just so that I could take a reading from a "fresh" face rather than one that has been exposed. On the contrary, the supplier was more expensive than others, and has a good reputation. We were happy to pay more as it was important that we got what we needed. @Steven P - I'm starting to wonder the same and that we're getting the not so well seasoned/dry dregs from a supplier who is usually good but has limited stock due to covid/time of year. Also, thanks for the bubbles idea; I watched a video showing that last night and will give it a go this evening. Not what I imagined I'd be doing of an evening when I was younger! Cheers

Hi all I hadn't planned on buying any wood, as we've got plenty. But having only just had a wood stove installed, and spending evenings assessing its performance, I wanted to be 100% sure I was burning decent seasoned wood. So I bought a load and it was delivered today. Some of the logs are a bit wet and they don't look particularly grey and cracked on the whole. I'm inexperienced, and haven't bought before, so it's hard to say whether these are not seasoned well, or seasoned but wet from being left out. Either way, is it normal to receive wood that's damp / wet? I've got a cheap moisture meter but not sure how helpful it's being. One log can sometimes vary wildly when stabbed in a couple of different spots. But for the record, some of the wood is reading early 20s, whilst others were as high as 80. And that was after splitting! I know there's not much to go on but any thoughts? Cheers

Well, I'm definitely not coeliac (not that you can hold it against people who are - it's not like they choose to be!) I've smoked on and off all my life. I'm in the lucky position of not getting particularly addicted, so I can smoke when in the mood or the occasion is right, then go months without. So one out of three ain't so bad.