Considering wood-fuelled cooking

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 10 Oct 2007, 11:40

Yeah I can see what you mean. In my case planting more trees helps get over it.

The oil/gas was a living thing too, once. Just longer ago...

SunnyJim · Post by **SunnyJim** » 10 Oct 2007, 11:46

Hehehe. Yeah. No use crying over spilt dead things eh?

I do intend to plant trees this winter. Maybe that will help. Wood just seems too nice to burn though.... Could make a door or a guitar for instance...

tattercoats · Post by **tattercoats** » 10 Oct 2007, 12:46

Heh - I know what you mean. Especially since my DH got his lathe and starting laying with wood-turning...

Many's the time I've been about to fling a log on the fire and DH snatches it from me saying 'Ooh, don't burn that, that's a nice piece, I could turn it into something!'.

I guess we should treat wood as we do meat; respectfully, because something died.

I find it harder to weep for the ghosts of the ancient fossilised squiggly things that became oil and gas, though, sorry!

Downshiftgal · Post by **Downshiftgal** » 12 Oct 2007, 10:41

Tattercoats! All that time on the phone and you didn't tell me!

That's it, I'm definitely visiting now

jonny2mad · Post by **jonny2mad** » 12 Oct 2007, 11:45

One thing about wood at the moment things like two handed saws are not that hard to find I have about three or four .
If oils going to sky rocket in price will you be able to run a chain saw? you wont have that problem with a axe or wedges or a crosscut saw .
you have to learn how to sharpen your saw which isnt that hard when you get used to it .

The same would apply to people used to using bow saws with disposable blades in a future thats less throw away and things cost more you would be better off with a saw you can sharpen, a lot of modern saws are designed so you cant sharpen them .

if you know what your looking for you can find great old saws for next to nothing ,get rid of rust sharpen them up and they can easy last a lifetime .

keep them clean after use, and make a case for them to protect the teeth , be careful of using a good saw to saw things that may have metal in it .
you see crosscut two handed saws on ebay and in car boots and farm auctions all the time

Post by **adam2** » 13 Oct 2007, 17:42

jonny2mad wrote:One thing about wood at the moment things like two handed saws are not that hard to find I have about three or four .
If oils going to sky rocket in price will you be able to run a chain saw? you wont have that problem with a axe or wedges or a crosscut saw .
you have to learn how to sharpen your saw which isnt that hard when you get used to it .

The same would apply to people used to using bow saws with disposable blades in a future thats less throw away and things cost more you would be better off with a saw you can sharpen, a lot of modern saws are designed so you cant sharpen them .

if you know what your looking for you can find great old saws for next to nothing ,get rid of rust sharpen them up and they can easy last a lifetime .

keep them clean after use, and make a case for them to protect the teeth , be careful of using a good saw to saw things that may have metal in it .
you see crosscut two handed saws on ebay and in car boots and farm auctions all the time

I agree that it would be prudent to have low technology ways of cutting wood, in case petrol for chain saws is not available.
Would also be sensible of course to keep a reserve of petrol, just 10 liters can cut up a lot wood.

Post by **mikepepler** » 13 Oct 2007, 22:06

adam2 wrote:I agree that it would be prudent to have low technology ways of cutting wood, in case petrol for chain saws is not available.
Would also be sensible of course to keep a reserve of petrol, just 10 liters can cut up a lot wood.

We've done everything by hand so far, but will be getting a chainsaw in a couple of weeks, as soon as I've done my training course. For the near future it'll be very useful, allowing us to get the coppice into the rotation we want while having time to do our other jobs to pay the bills. By the time we can't buy petrol for it, I hope to have the work down to something we can manage by hand...

tattercoats · Post by **tattercoats** » 15 Oct 2007, 10:12

Hey Downshiftgal, you've been busy here! Lovely to see you on PS.

Looking forward to the pressuer cooker info - thank you *loads* for that. As soon as our postie catches up with himself...

I'm almost sad that it's currently so warm we haven't lit the stove at all this last week or so. Right now jumpers, cups of tea and getting up to do errands are keeping me warm enough.

Out of interest, at what temp. do those of you with central heating get it to kick in?

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 15 Oct 2007, 12:38

OK fess-up time we have central heating AND we, erm, use it.

Last year we flicked the switch on-or-about 10th November, but that was in our old house. This season we haven't used it yet though we have had the stove on a bit.

There isn't really a temperature for switch-on as such, 'cause damp weather and dull light will also make us feel the cold, as well as meaning our clothes have to dry on the pulley (indoors) rather than the line (outdoors).

tattercoats · Post by **tattercoats** » 15 Oct 2007, 14:08

R-Candy, I'm with you - we have it, we use it... but I'm trying to see how far we can go before we do use it, this year. It's not been on yet this season, anyhow.

I'm letting us off last year as we had my very ill mum-in-law with us and she was feling the cold terribly. Sadly she's not with us any more, but I wasn't having her chilly in her last months.

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 15 Oct 2007, 16:01

We've got CH and have used it for one evening and have had the stove in the living room on three times. Usually damp days are worst but the temperature in still about 18 so I'm not looking at continued use of the CH until it dips below that.

We have got the winter weight quilt on the bed though.

MisterE · Post by **MisterE** » 15 Oct 2007, 16:09

kenneal wrote:We've got CH and have used it for one evening and have had the stove in the living room on three times. Usually damp days are worst but the temperature in still about 18 so I'm not looking at continued use of the CH until it dips below that.

We have got the winter weight quilt on the bed though.

Well due to ripping out my gas boiler I got a stove only with a dragon 3 oil rad elec for last resort. Not used it so far, also same as you lit the stove once or twice in the evening, more for hot water than anything else. Yep I've still not installed my solar yet, time is a killer. We are at 21-20 almost everyday in my house now - I'm very pleased. I dont mind burning up gas and if I had central heating (gas) I'd fire it up. Bottom line with me is I dont care about burning energy to stay comfy - I dont see the point of rationing to be uncomfortable, PO will see to that. I'm just trying to gauge how warm it will be with nothing, only a stove lit now and then. Got to say I'm very happy. Solar hot water now, into a 200 litre tank, with electric back up, stove and solar doing 99% of the work, I think in all honesty I'll be very comfy in times of strive - wish I had my home in the valleys when I was growning up to this standard, life would have been much easier. Reading your post Kenneal, seemed so similar to my environment at home. Temps seem to be a lot less for people up north.

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 16 Oct 2007, 11:55

Temps seem to be a lot less for people up north.

Even so it's pretty tropical for October at the mo. In fact it's kind of frustrating in a way, 'cause there are a few energy-saving things we've done to the house since last year, whose effects I'd like to see. And I'd like to test our wood-burning stove and see how hot we can get cooking on it, though there's not much room there!

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Considering wood-fuelled cooking

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