Hello from a nenwbie

[dervishcarving]

Hi all. New carver here. Been using a chainsaw for about 20+ years but never had the courage to try carving with it. Had a visit to Simon O'rourke last year to commission a piece and afterwards i figured i would try. Started with mushrooms of course then progressed (a bit maybe).

Mainly i worked with an electric saw (quieter so dosn't disturb the neighbours so much) at home but recently bought a cheep-o petrol saw from B&Q. It was ok for a few hours but just didnt cut it (no pun intended) so got a refund on that and hove just bought myself a Husqvana 440e. I figured it was better to spend money on decent tools that will hopefully last a while. I couldn't quite stretch to the 450e but hopefully it will do me well enough for now.

 

I have a question for you more experienced carvers tho. As i said i have used chainsaws since my late teens (I am 43 now) and never got any kind of certificate. Most of my work i do at home or in a barn where i know the owners but i also do a lot of tree-work for my parents (they own a bit of woodland) and other friends. Other people are now asking me if i could 'carve something out of the stump in my garden' and so i think i wil have to get some kind of certificate to stay on the right side of the law. Any suggestions as to where to start? does this course seem like a good statr?

Lantra (ITA) Certificate in Chainsaw Maintenance & Crosscutting

(Chainsaw Maintenance & Crosscutting for Occasional Users - SAC (Scottish Agricultural College))

 

i will try to post some pics later but for now i do have a facebook page (dervishcarving)

Thanks in advance for any advice

[jrose]

Welcome to the site!

 

With regards to tickets, there's no "law" saying you need tickets to carve stumps in peoples gardens, and you're not doing any wrong by carrying on as you are. However, I'd advise getting public liability insurance for carving, just in case something goes wrong! And you'll struggle to get public liability without tickets I would have thought.

 

I don't know much about LANTRA, but I don't think everywhere accepts them - I know the Forestry Commission don't, not sure about anywhere else. I'd look at doing NPTC CS30 if I were you, and CS31 if you plan on doing any felling.

 

cheers,

Joe

[dervishcarving]

thanks Joe. It comes down to price in the end. The NPTC CS30 is about 900 and the lantra one is about 300. Neither are likely to run until the end of this year and so i have time to think about it. I have only been carving for about 6 weeks now but have sold a few pieces so maybe I will be able to justify the high price by the end of the year Its a hobby for me, not likely to become a full-time job but it would be nice to have the option of attending local shows etc and for that i suspect i will need insurance. Nice to know you more experienced boys are so helpful

[jrose]

900?!?! That's ridiculously high, around here it tends to be about 100 more than the LANTRA, which is purely because of the NPTC assessment fee I think. The course is the same though as far as I'm aware. MAybe look round at other places and see if you can find a better price?

[dervishcarving]

Its a case of 'the only local option' i suppose. 800 not 900 but still crazy money. thats a 5 day course plus 2 days assessment i guess but makes it too much for a hobbyist like me

[Albe013]

hello guys

about public liability insurance you can get no problem i have it through my gardening business and thats for 2.5 million you dont actually need tickets for it because you are not climbing trees or working in them not for carving the need for pli is to cover any damage or injury to members of the public that you might come in to contact with

hope that helps albert

if at first you dont succeed sod it and put the kettle on

[Mutley]

Hi guys, You can get insurance through norwich union/aviva, occupation: chainsaw carver, coverage up to £5 mil public liability for about £100 per year. I don't have it, I'm just a hobby carver.

M