Bryan Isaac

Thanks all for great ideas - bucking them up in place to let them dry is good - definitely be lighter and the idea of a cable and come along is something very do able for me alone. Rolling them downhill has been tried but they keep running into other trees or going off sideways etc but I may try all of these ideas.

Joseph - somebody mentioned a zip line and I know in logging they use something called a high line, but I don't know how they work and I would have to set it up which seems like it might be a challenge.
Dillon - We live on the site (straw bale off grid) - and I would prefer to selectively log rather than clear cut an area of all decent trees. The terrain is well treed and quite steep but not too steep to hike around in except by the very top of the property. Like I said - I am walking around on the property every morning so not so steep to keep me off.

I'm in south central BC and we have 20 acres that goes up the side of a mountain. We have a lot of fir (Douglas, Grand, Balsam) and cedar with a sprinkling of birch. I'm wondering if someone has any ideas of harvesting trees on the side of a mountain. It was logged 40 years ago and there are a few overgrown skidder trails still visible but mostly game trails. I'm in my mid 60's but I walk on the mountain everyday, but I struggle with ideas of how to get firewood I cut down the mountain except piece by piece. I don't have a quad or any gas driven machine. Any creative ideas most welcome !!!

Hi Matt - I'm just wondering if you could tell us where in Europe Nicholas O’Nea is from I'm interested in the average temperature outside where he lives. He is heating a large space (150 sq meters) and I'm interested in how cold it is there. I'm the guy in the 1450 sq ft straw bale house who is very interested in your stove for sole heat source.

I'd love to hear from someone who has a Ernie and Erica design RMH currently in their house and let me know how big their house is, how happy they are with the design and how many times a day they fire it etc
Thanks again for all replies

Thanks Satamax - the info you provided was great - same size space as we are planning to heat, but your design appears to require a lot of welding (I don't have a welder). Also as it will be going in the living room we hope to have something a little more aestheti ;)
Does anyone know if Ernie and Erica's designs for RMH can heat about 1400 sq feet (130 sq meters) ? Their designs seem to be simpler to build (no welding or casting a firebox) and repair/replace parts.
Thanks for any and all replies  

I understand the concept - I've built 4 rocket stoves for cooking on outside, but I feel to commit to this as the sole source of heating the house is a big step. I've looked at Peter van den Berg's website and it is very comprehensive about the batch style - though a little more complicated than Ernie and Erica's way of building (with building molds and casting the core with vibrating etc for Peter's style) .I'm nervous with building a 10" model in "hopes" it would heat the house. I like the idea of building test ones outside but we would never know if it will heat the house until one is built" inside the house".  I was hoping to hear from someone who actually is heating a house of a specific size and what the design of the RMH is. I'm getting a little too old to try one and if it doesn't work rip it down and try idea #2 ;)

We have built a well insulated hybrid straw bale house (straw bale main floor double 2x4 walls upstairs)  of about 1400 square feet in south central BC Canada. It is an open concept with as few walls as possible, good heat flow/rise to the upstairs. We are currently heating the space with a 1937 Findlay Condor wood cook stove. We have stacked functions in the cook stove but when it's -10 to -15 celsius  (14 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit) the cook stove can't get the heat much above +14 c (57 F and that takes all day (morning temp inside is about 4 C)  It needs to be fed about every half hour or the fire will go out after about 45 min to an hour..
I heard from someone else who's building that a RMH cannot heat much more than a single room but I thought they could handle much more. I have contacted Matt Walker about his rocket cook stove and heater and he said that it depends on many factors but that  1400 square feet is a lot to ask of any mass heater.
So my question is - are there any estimates of the square footage a RMH can heat i.e. houses with multiple rooms and floors ? Or is there any owner built masonry heaters that can heat entire houses ? We don't have money to hire a stone mason or get one of the pre fab masonry stoves so any direction to plans etc would be most appreciated.

Hey Matt - this heater looks awesome, I really like that you are combining RMH with masonry stoves technology with an amazing result. I am wondering if it can be sized up to heat about 1400 sq ft atrawbale house ? you mentioned heating about 200 square feet so I wondering how it would be modified to heat a larger area. Also, how long of a burn do you do and how long does the mass stay warm ? My understanding is masonry heaters are fired maybe once a day and radiate heat up to 18 to 24 hours - is your's similar ?

I've purchased a very well used scythe last year and have been  using it around our homestead for various cutting of grasses weeds and very small brush. I read in the forum that there is a brush blade available and I'm wondering if all scythes can have interchangeable blades or just some. Also, I've been using the blade that was on the scythe when I bought it for small brush and it seems to do ok with it - but am I going to wreck the blade by using it on brush ? I have no idea how old the scythe is but my best guess is 20 or 30 years old. Any thoughts most appreciated.