It has been a great experience working here and I have enjoyed my time very much.

All the best to everyone.

Lee Phillips

So, you have your log burner installed and your ready to go, most woodburners can have the option to burn solid fuel such as coal, worth considering as a backup. Now you need a place for you wood, you need a prep area and a space to stack your logs, the storage area should ideally be open sided but have a roof over the top, the roof will stop the logs from being saturated in water, the open sides will allow air to pass through drying the logs, remember that you generally use logs that were prepared the year before, trying to burn “green” (fresh cut) wood just wont work.

Getting wood can be hard, when buying it in make sure it has been sourced properly and that it is seasoned, some suppliers will drop off green logs, these will not burn properly and wont provide the right heat output, once you have found a good supplier, stick with them as they will get to know you as a regular and look after you. If you are in villages and rural areas you are in an ideal position to gather some of your own to save money, however remember that others will be doing the same thing, and always seek the permission of any owners who’s land you are on.

When looking for wood, be respectful and use fallen trees, or rotten dead wood, if your not sure, the owner will be able to help you, by clearing woodlands of fallen or dead trees, you are clearing the ground for new growth. Always remember your safety when out, if your working with a chainsaw, when walking around turn it off and wear all suitable protective clothing, where possible go in pairs.

Try to get in with local businesses who have deliveries on pallets, some will have to be returned to the suppliers or sold on for use again, but broken/damaged pallets can be used for fire wood, it’s a little fussy and an old circular saw or recip saw would be ideal for taking them apart, recip saws have blades that will cut through wood and nails so good for pallets, door and window frames etc, remember, with a little extra work you can soon support a lot of your wood stock.

Log Store with Work Area

The above is large but gives you an idea, this would give you a stock supply and working supply, so one bay would be last years, then just rotate each year, my uncle uses an old garden shed for seasoned wood, this is fine, though in the summer it can get really hot and dry the wood out, this makes it burn a little quicker, whatever you have space for and best suits you will work fine.

One good tip, when you have your burner on the go, you will have a good heart in the fire, when you shut down for the night, try keeping your hard wood logs separate, then at night shut the air vents in the front of the burner, put on a hardwood log, when you come down in the morning often the log will still be smouldering, and with a fresh couple of normal logs and opening up the vents your fire will be up and roaring in no time.

I hope this has helped you all a little, remember safety equipment for your chainsaw! And always ask permission wherever you go.

Hand files are all ok, they are fine for a quick touch-up on site to get the job done, the problem is that they are not accurate, if the chain cutters are sharpened off angle, the saw will fight with you as the chain will be pulling it off angle, using a bench machine, the chain is sharpened in 5 minutes and accurately, all in your own workshop.

We charge anything from £7.50 up for chain sharpening in our workshop, plus you have to post it or bring it in, a lot of people buy new chains when a simple sharpen would have done just to keep them going, make all that a thing of the past, we have the Faithfull chain sharpener available for only £39.95 (normal retail is £59.99), you’ll wish you had one years ago!!

Ever since the first 4 stroke engine was fitted to compact garden machinery, the question was and has remained, what is best? Our advice is fairly simple, if you own and run other garden tools and currently use 2 stroke then your probably better to stick with it, if your buying to replace or simply purchasing a new machine and don’t run any other 2 stroke then you could, depending on your application go with 4 stroke, here are some stats that give you a rough average of difference between the two engine types:

Fuel Consumption:

• 25cc 2 stroke brushcutter 0.75L/h
• 25cc 4 stroke brushcutter 0.45L/h

That’s a 40% saving on fuel consumption alone, these figures will vary between manufacturers and models so you should expect variations, however the 4 stroke will ultimately offer better economy over it’s 2 stroke equivalent. Taking 2 stroke oil into account and adding it to the costs, you can save up to 60% by running a 4 stroke unit.

But….

Some very important points need to be considered before you make your final choice. Most modern 4 stroke engines protect themselves against engine rotation, the pressure created in the crankcase by the piston is what moves the engine oil around and through one-way valves lubricating the engine on it’s way round, this one-way system does allow for engine roll, but not normally past 30°, so never upside down. A 4 stroke engine on a brushcutter is perfect, the engine will allow you to trim down banks and ditches, on a blower it’s perfect with greater torque it will provide all the air speed you need, but on a hedge trimmer unfortunately with most the answer is no.

Some manufacturers have split shaft units and offer 4 stroke engines in that range, now with care you can operate hedge trimmer and tree pruner attachments, but you need to keep a constant eye on the engine so you maintain it’s angle within the acceptable range, this in turn can slow you down, our advise for hedge trimmers and pruners – stick with 2 stroke or go for the hybrid 4-mix engines, these lubricate via 2 stroke fuel but run more like a 4 stroke, they are better on fuel and offer good torque, but often come with a much higher initial cost.

One last thing worth a mention is the noise level, almost everyone says a 4 stroke is quieter, in fact if you are measuring dB then they are almost the same, for example the Makita 4 stroke blower is 104dB, a Stihl blower with a 2 stroke engine is 106dB, the thing that separates them is how harsh a 2 stroke sounds when compared to 4 stroke, so the 4 stroke is less raspy, in turn more acceptable over a period of time, but please keep the ear defenders on whatever the machine.

We don’t know how other companies deal with warranty, some suppliers are easier when it comes to problems than others, for example any Ryobi, Milwaukee or AEG product has a direct warranty system as does Bosch, simply contact the manufacturer and they handle the issue for you, for us and every other retailer online or brick and mortar this is a great way to reassure customers of the cover they have in the event of a fault.

Most manufacturers however still operate the warranty through the dealer, so for example Makita, Echo Stihl and DeWalt all need to go back and be processed by the main agent, this system can leave you in the dark with the internet, how do you get it back when the dealer is 300 miles away? who pays for the return?, buying from us the answer is simple…we do.

So, your purchase has been a gem, you use it all the time and it’s never let you down, until one day and it’s having none of it, if you bought it from us, just give a call through to customer service (0845 00 99 870) and a booking will be made for the collection, repair and return to you at no cost, this is available to you throughout your warranty and to all items and faults that are covered by the manufacturers warranty.

This promise is our way of thanking you for shopping with us online, and for your own peace of mind, we guarantee you wont be stuck in the dark if something goes wrong.