Show us: your log burners and open fires

[MrGrumpy]

Bought myself a meter as well ! The eucalyptus logs are sitting about 20% now. The oak that I’ve just cut up is sitting similar. Will leave those bits for over winter to dry out further. The dead very dried out sycamore my neighbour and I helped ourselves too is about 15-17% .

 

[Tail End Charlie]

For those of you who have just bought a moisture meter, once you'd tested the wood you have, did you look around for other bits of wood to test (door frames etc), and then how long was it before you stuck it in yourself? (About 10 minutes in my case and it read 38% if you're interested)

 

[Reynard]

Ah... Scientific curiosity.

You're a bit dehydrated then, methinks. It should read around 75%

 

[Notafettler]

I did the walls in a bedroom which has loads of mold low down on one wall only. Moisture was 14.1 for all the walls in the bedroom, which is low. So the mold is being caused by my extra large freezer. No damp.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Ah... Scientific curiosity.

You're a bit dehydrated then, methinks. It should read around 75%

Yebbut, that'd mean I'd have to double my present weight, and I'm slow enough up hills as it is. Mind you, I'd be faster down them, hmmm.

 

[davidphilips]

Ah... Scientific curiosity.

You're a bit dehydrated then, methinks. It should read around 75%

Me thinks some drink drink needed?
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL69U60mwrk

 

[Reynard]

A few and a few should do it...

 

[Ridgeway]

I’m in a fortunate position regarding firewood. In the last few weeks I've had eight ash trees, all suffering from dieback, and a willow taken down. I've had to build another log store (my third!), but I realise it’s nowhere big enough. I’ll split some now, the rest store on pallets under a tarpaulin until needed. I’ve got quite a few years worth, I reckon.
This is just one of the trees and the part completed store. View attachment 555694
View attachment 555695

Some nice lumps of fuel there !

Here we always split everything down before storage but there's no way i'd be doing that lot by hand most of the time we just use a log splitter on the tractors PTO, occasionally a leccy driven splitter and a gennie.

Nice log store

 

[randynewmanscat]

Having run out of +300 year old beams and several sycamore trees I had to put my hand in my pocket again. Two brothers 81 and 83 years old delivered this today. It needs to last until the second week of December, 5M3 stacked (badly by them) cost €250 which is a good rate here. Oak, ash, acacia, beech and chestnut.

This is how we chop to length in hillbilly country.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Just got my half tipper load today . Both wood stores filled and a big pile in my garage. That will keep me going well into 2021 ! By then my other huge pile should be good to go into the wood store .

 

[randynewmanscat]

They are made
Combine with molasses and candle wax in your bread pan. ...
Heat the mixture for 30 minutes at 260F.
Not for me
The new way of making paper logs looks interesting. 50% saw dust and a bit flour.
The original ones were dire. Huge amount of Ash and bugger all heat.
I collect coffee grounds. My own are used sparingly in the compost bin. The ones I collect from the coffee shop i will save till next year and put them under the borlotti beans. Hopefully it will stop the slugs eating the tops of the plants. I don't put them out till there a foot high but thats what they go for. Basta***

Slugs aren't frightened by coffee grounds, I tried that. If your bean patch is small enough use Dr Volts, the slugs really do not like current flowing through them.
Make a frame from rough sawn 1x1 or whatever you might have handy, it will surround the patch. Buy a small roll of NONE enameled wire of whatever diameter is cheap, 0.5mm is usually cheap. Buy a PP3 battery connector, 50p aliexpress and scrounge some hammer in staples or a stapler gun, oh and a PP3 battery.
Make two wire tracks and staple down about 15mm apart along the perimeter of your wooden frame, you have to angle the staples if you use a staple gun so they don't track across to the other track.
Fit the connector with crimps, solder, even just twisted and taped to the ends of the two tracks, inline red or blue crimp connectors are good if you don't have soldering gear.
Fit battery and sit back knowing that all season there will be no slug or snail invaders, this method is tried and tested. The battery will barely use any energy, mine are fine for a second season if they aren't subject to many cold nights. They don't look too pretty but your bean plants get to live.

 

[randynewmanscat]

An evenings worth of wood for downstairs at my gaff, there is more on the doorstep as its popcorn night all night on TV with the US election and I will be up until morning. Dinners on the stove top.

 

[oldworld]

50 Euros a Metre cube is very cheap if it was hardwood. We bought some last year at 70 Euros and I thought that was reasonable .
I never refuse when I'm offered free wood.

 

[randynewmanscat]

50 Euros a Metre cube is very cheap if it was hardwood. We bought some last year at 70 Euros and I thought that was reasonable .
I never refuse when I'm offered free wood.

Aye its all two and three year old deciduous hardwoods from nearby. I live in the green bit at the centre of the photo, to the north and south is 40km2 of forest, most of whats sold around here is from there so it does not travel far. €70 is top end but if its good I would not argue with the seller.

 

[randynewmanscat]

Its funny to see so many beasts guarding your fires, mine are banned barring sick cat from sitting near because of pecking order style fights.

Some lovely cozy homes on this thread CC members have nice taste.

Some nice critters too.