Andy Collins

Thats just a bit GAY

Harvester arrived on site 1st thing this morning, so the job is now in full swing. Most of the big timber is on the deck so he can get on. I had some nasty large wind-blowns to sort today, on the edge of the deep pit.

Yes, the trees in the wood we're working have a lot of dirt around the base, so a small axe is ideal to slice the bark off before felling. I also carry a small shot hammer in it when wedging smaller trees.

Ah yes, 2 rings dont move on the head of wedge, which helps prevent mushrooming when driving it in. The rings seem to lock off against one another. Another tip I leaned when wedging is to use a hammer weighted with shot, which doesnt bounce on the wedge so takes less effort to drive it. Cheers Mike Hill for that

Dont worry, I had a Husky one and it fell apart in no time, I have now had the Stihl ones for quite a while, and there are no probs with either using them for tongs or wedges. The rivets dont seem to get in the way either

Wot he said, oh and thanks for the parts delivery btw Justin, Justin time for tomorrows job:thumbup:

Do you think this will affect you directly, either through your work, or recreationally?

My 372 was the biggest pile of poo to ever exit the Husky factory, it took hours of sorting to get it right, oh and a new top end (under warranty) Its now a superb saw, just as good as its should be. My mates 576 is now running poorly for some reason, spluttering along, I do wonder if they are tuned too highly, rather than tuned for grunt (I know what I mean )

For those that dont know Lee, he was one of the founding members of Arbtalk, and a Moderator here for quite some time. He has always been vocal in his support for the travelling fraternity here, sometimes its refreshing to hear another side, another viewpoint to help us understand one another.

Ok brilliant, thats a great incentive to get it done. I get on well with the current TO, and we have a good working relationship in particular with this site as it is quite sensitive. hence I felt the 5 year plan would show on going commitment and in the event of a change of TO help to smooth the way for the future.

I think we have to remember some people have a natural aptitude to using a saw, others will always struggle. No amount of training will make the latter really good with a saw.

Good stuff Giles. One thing I didnt really consider was the lifespan of this plan. I wanted to cover 5 years, but due to conservation area regs, notification of intent can only cover 2. I'd sort of hoped with a 5 year plan it would help to save on this. Of course i can "step" the program to cover all, with a further notification at a later date. However I know of a neighbouring council that has allowed a 5 year plan written for the exact purposes that I intended, with no restriction of re-notifying after 2years. Now with Con area rules being statutory, how can there be this difference?

Times are going full circle, back to the old boys cycling to the woods with cross-cut and axe tied to the crossbar

Haha, try snedding with an 090 with a 4foot bar:001_rolleyes:

During a lapse in the work today, we were discussing whether or not big saws (88's etc) are safer than small saws. The theory being that a heavy saw doesnt get flicked about so easily such as when snedding out. The weight of the saw means you concentrate with it more. We were bored...ok?

My son is a Landscape Architect, by the qualifications he has, but he is not a Chartered landscape architect, nor is he MLI. Not that he boasts about it anyway, its only a job title after all. Personally I dont even know the difference between designer level and architect.

I've just lost the will to live

From HMRC: If you have two jobs or pensions, it is likely that all of your second income will be taxed at the basic or higher rate - depending on how much you earn. This is because all of your allowances will have been used against the income from your main job or pension. If you are due to pay tax at the additional rate of 50 per cent, read the section 'Effect on your tax and tax code - if your income is above £150,000'. A bit more: Avoid paying too much tax if you don't pay tax on your main job If you don't pay tax on your earnings from your main job and you're not using all of your Personal Allowance you can tell HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to use what's left in your second job. If you don't do this you could end up paying too much tax. You can share your Personal Allowance across several jobs or pensions until it's all used up. Example: your Personal Allowance is £6,475 (tax year 2010-11) and you have PAYE income from two jobs - income of £3,500 from your main job and income of £1,500 from your second job. You can tell HMRC to use £2,975 of your unused Personal Allowance (£6,475 less £3,500) from your main job against your income from your second job so that you don't have to pay tax on either income.

Not sure if this statement is 100% correct Your 1st or main job is usually taxed as normal, 2nd jobs are taxed at full rate, 40%ish think. BUt I've been out of employment for 15years so I wouldnt really know.

Woodpeckerz, could they not just email you to let you know they wish to attend?

I live in a rural farming area, many people have chainsaws for sorting trees, cutting their firewood etc. How many of them wear ppe..... none. Is this stupid? Not if they dont know better. I try and educate my clients a little about safe saw use, many of them will bring a dull saw out of the shed for me to sharpen, and I will point out the reason why I wear ppe in the course of my job. Should all saw operators require training before using/buying a saw, well I did about 4 or 5 years in my teens before I did a ticket, I knew how to operate it without difficulty. I think as a trade, we tend to look down our noses at "amateurs", we base our arguments on press cuttings and youtube videos, yet I can think of several experienced members from here who have had horrific injuries with all the ppe, training etc, they were'nt stupid people, they were educated in the safe use of saws. I do think the retail outlets selling cheap chainsaws should have some responsibility, selling budget ppe such as trousers, boots etc and maybe a 10minute briefing on safe use, with an advisory that training is recommended, but tbh I cant see this happening.

Clutch springs will break through normal wear and tear. Replacement springs are readily available through Husqvarna dealers, use the correct ones for your model saw.

best thing I've come hoome to so far tonight Top stuff mate, enjoy

Yes, but then I wanted the best man for the job, small though it is, and I got him. Now I'm off to the pub otherwise I shant sleep at night, what with all the guilt of manipulating my lad

Look on the Forestry Contractors Association website, there several listed there, dont know abut your area