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    Andy Reynolds bio

    Andy Reynolds is a carpenter / joiner and woodsman who has tutored courses and authored books with Lowimpact for many years. He has lived on a smallholding in Lincolnshire since the early 80s, renovated a house, built a holiday cottage and got off-grid. He records his adventures with educational videos on his YouTube channel.

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    Andy Reynolds

    How to buy second-hand solar panels

    Andy Reynolds 14-Dec-2021

    In early October 2021 I was teaching a series of workshops for The Brighton Permaculture Trust. One of these was a solar battery half-day workshop which I believe went very well, giving people an introduction to further solar courses. The other workshop was about woodland management; there will be more in 2022. Those people who… Continue reading How to buy second-hand solar panels Read more

    Repairing an off-grid wind and solar electrical system

    Andy Reynolds 01-Sep-2021

    We recently blogged about a project: ‘rebuilding a home, and changing the surrounding fields from dead agricultural land into an oasis of natural life’ – as well as building an off-grid electrical and heating system. Here’s the next in the series – about repairing an off-grid wind and solar electrical system. Read more

    Building your own sustainable future

    Andy Reynolds 14-Jul-2021

    Hi. I’m Andy Reynolds – author, instructor, forester, promoter of self-reliance, and for the last few years I have been reflecting on our project’s progression, as it seems to have reached the stage of early maturity. The project – rebuilding a home, and changing the surrounding fields from dead agricultural land into an oasis of… Continue reading Building your own sustainable future Read more

    Becoming a woodland owner: an alternative view

    Andy Reynolds 15-Apr-2020

    There are many and various drivers behind the desire to become a woodland owner, varying from wishing to impose one’s self on the landscape and latterly build a house on a green field site; to the other end of the spectrum to benignly caring for an increasingly rare habitat. Read more

    How to source timber: a joiner’s point of view

    Andy Reynolds 11-Dec-2018

    From growing the trees to selecting the right timber for the job, Andy Reynolds brings a lifetime of experience in forestry, carpentry and innovative thinking to timber for building. Here he explains how to source timber as responsibly as you can. Read more

    How to use solar power in woodlands and on woodland smallholdings

    Andy Reynolds 22-Mar-2018

    I have been running our home for the last decade or so using wind and solar electricity. The experiences of building this system have been distilled into a book, of which we are now in the third edition. Read more

    That knotty problem: how to prune trees to produce quality timber

    Andy Reynolds 22-Apr-2017

    After reading the excellent article in Smallwoods magazine (issue 61) on formative pruning by Steve Woollard, I thought to build on that article with a perspective from a timber user. Read more

    Why self-reliance is so important as part of a secure, low-impact life

    Andy Reynolds 04-Mar-2017

    I am Andy Reynolds, a long-term practitioner of low-impact living, smallholder, author, forester, teacher, carpenter, builder. I’ve been working with Lowimpact.org since the early noughties, and I’d like to share my philosophy on self-reliance with you. Read more

    Timber users and growers: what is ‘timber shake’ and why does it occur?

    Andy Reynolds 10-Jan-2017

    This article holds some clues to the faults in timber most commonly found in Oak and Sweet Chestnut, but I have also encountered it in Southern Yellow Pine. For the novice, timber shake may sound a bit nautical or piratical, but it is a fault in growing trees Read more

    What tree species to choose for woodlands in the 21st century

    Andy Reynolds 16-Oct-2016

    The various pressures and threats to UK woodland are ever-increasing. These can include development, climate change or globalisation contributing to the spread of disease, insect and mammalian pests. Read more

    How I came to write the third edition of ‘Wind & Solar Electricity’

    Andy Reynolds 20-Aug-2016

    So after much effort edition three is now published. Renewable energy technology is changing quickly and so a couple of years ago I contacted Dave Darby with a view to updating edition two. Read more

    My experience with a traditional watermill driving a generator to produce electricity

    Andy Reynolds 12-Aug-2016

    This was an interesting diversion. I was asked a couple of years ago if I would take a look at a watermill in Bourne (Lincolnshire) and see what the problem was with the generator. Interesting – how often do you get asked to play with a watermill? Read more

    Why self-reliance means being able to fix bits of old kit – like this circular saw

    Andy Reynolds 16-Jun-2016

    Working outside and sometimes in remote situations requires a certain mindset to not only enjoy the experience, but also have an overall philosophy of self-reliance. Read more

    Water and space heating from photovoltaics (or wind) using a grid diverter

    Andy Reynolds 16-May-2016

    This is an idea that allows you to heat water via solar electric panels instead of exporting surplus electricity to the National Grid. This makes sense because it then means that you can do the work yourself instead of hiring an (expensive) accredited installer – plus you can use second-hand gear. Read more

    It’s time to repair greenhouses and cold frames: glass cutting advice

    Andy Reynolds 28-Feb-2016

    It’s that time of year when thoughts have already turned to the vegetable patch and raising seedlings. This is where the glasshouse and cold frame make a huge difference to getting those plants going. Read more

    Off-grid living: how big does your renewable energy generation system need to be?

    Andy Reynolds 26-Jan-2016

    Our friend Andy is determined to be self-sufficient in energy should there be a collapse of the National Grid (and / or societal collapse), and has maintained a wind and solar electrical system with a bank of second-hand forklift batteries for 25 years. Read more

    Our experience of generating our own electricity for 25 years

    Andy Reynolds 30-Dec-2015

    We bought a house with a demolition order on it, not something that many people will do, then we rebuilt it, not something many people will do, and we always repair stuff, not something that many people will do – you get the idea. Read more

    Local firewood auction & fair in your county?

    Andy Reynolds 23-Jul-2012

    The Lincolnshire Firewood Fair receives The Lincolnshire Environmental Award 2012. 4 years ago a disparate group of foresters, woodmen, agents, and firewood merchants got together with direction from the local Forestry Commission officer. Read more

    There’s a crash coming – a slap from Mother Nature. This isn’t pessimistic; it’s realistic.

    The human impact on nature and on each other is accelerating and needs systemic change to reverse.

    We’re not advocating poverty, or a hair-shirt existence. We advocate changes that will mean better lives for almost everyone.

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