Firewood

[John H]

Hi Woodlander

I managed to get a nice piece of belt from a private seller on ebay. Those Mconnell benches are great, especially the ones with triple V belt drive. Is your Zetor 4wd?

We like photos!

John

[woodlander]

You did well getting a belt John I'll keep a look at on Ebay, tempted to convert mine to V belt. My zetor is a 7045 4 wd dont recognise yours with the twin wheels all round. That palax you have has it got the screw type splitter? I had a screw splitter it was a bit keen and getting stuck in the wood especially on big rings .I'm after a tractor winch let me know if you hear of any. Woodlander

[fast firewood]

sum good information on firewood here http://woodprocessor.blogspot.com/

[Bulworthy Project]

We use a scandinavian method of stacking firewood, where the wood is stacked in a circle with the top logs used like tiles to make the water run off the stack. Traditionally you are supposed to use sticks as the base, but we use pallets. It works quite well and looks better than the temporary woodsheds we used before. There is a picture on the "About" page of our website www.bulworthyproject.org.uk .

[docsquid]

We are just getting our act together on this. We dry for 2 years, so have only just started using our first coppice cut. We have stacked in the open, with a tarp on after the first year, with a small proportion of wood in an old goat shed that is falling down. We use a hydraulic log splitter on our Massey Ferguson tractor, and it is absolutely brilliant for personal use. We have planning permission to replace the existing goat shed with a larger log drying shed but so far too busy to put one up. However this will use a pallet base, have walls that don't extend all the way to the floor, leaving a gap for air circulation, an open front (with spiky gates to stop the scrotes nicking the wood) and should be able to take all our coppice wood, rather than some as at present. That said, our 2 year old cut is showing well under 20% moisture despite sub-optimal drying.

We have a tractor because our wood is part of a wildlife site, and hence we need the tractor for other duties including meadow mowing, but it is also great for lugging logs around using lifting slings.

[birchbark]

Dear all- I am aware that this thread is old but a looks like a good place to start !! I've just joined after moving into a house with 1/2 acre of birch coppice with standards and although enthusiastic about managing the area I'm pretty clueless as where to find the basics- I was wondering if any of you could recommend some beginners resources ?? I'd be very grateful. many thanks.

[Dexter's Shed]

Dear all- I am aware that this thread is old but a looks like a good place to start !! I've just joined after moving into a house with 1/2 acre of birch coppice with standards and although enthusiastic about managing the area I'm pretty clueless as where to find the basics- I was wondering if any of you could recommend some beginners resources ?? I'd be very grateful. many thanks.

so are you looking at trying to use it as firewood? or managing it as a small wood

[oldclaypaws]

Rather than tagging on to the back end of an ancient thread, why not kick off again in the introductions section telling a bit more about the nature of the woodlet, yourself and what you want from the area, in order for us to be able to point you in a useful direction. Its a modest area, so management of it should be enjoyable rather than a herculean task. I'd guess as its next to the house keeping it attractive and an enjoyable space to wander round as a 'forest garden' might be on your list, in addition perhaps to a modest amount of firewood production (?).

Birch will coppice, eg regrow vigorously from a stump after cutting, so it can provide a sustainable source of firewood, but it needs to be cut on a short 4 year cycle and when young. Older bigger birches will probably just die if cut. They are very attractive trees, one of my firm favourites, such delicate leaves and striking bark.

[birchbark]

In short it makes for a beautiful area with standard birch as well as some beautifully coppiced trees. I would like a bit of firewood yes, but I guess I'm keen on maintaining the area and perhaps planting some more etc. I will take the advice and introduce myself on the other thread- with photos. There's also a big eucalyptus and a couple of lovely sycamores and some larch ( I think) Thanks. I look forward to more feedback soon.