Quickthorn
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Everything posted by Quickthorn
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Just out of interest, is duty payable on aspen, like it is for pump petrol?
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Matty, you normally get them going again. Tip: if there was any diesel left in it, I bet it's full of water now. I'd check that, and replace all the filters before anything else.
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Arb and forestry used to have their own tickets..CS10,11 etc for forestry, and CS 20, 21 and 22 covered all arb. Another thing that's overlooked in arb..sharpening saws.. -
Steve, do you have to pay rent for the land and building there?
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Snap! My experience exactly, and it is a valid point. I went through Merrist Wood's 10 week course in the last batch of students to be assessed for CS 20 21 and 22. That course was very broad, we covered a lot of stuff and saw and used a lot of gear. Some of us asked what the new cs units would mean, and they replied that they would have to cut significant portions out of the course to get everyone through the new units. The point is, the training process is suffering from severe inflation, as more and more time is needed to train and assess fewer and fewer skills. Perhaps, as part of the consultation process, they can consider the effects on the industry of continually moving the goal posts. We set standards so that we can measure against them, and in that way we can work out how we are performing over time. But how can we do that if the standards we're measuring against are in constant motion?
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PLEASE don't make CS units expire every 3/5/whatever years PLEASE. If I have to fork out for a full suite of training and assessments again and again, it may be the final nail. We are obliged to have refresher training already..proof of that should be enough..
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That book's got a great section on fungi - good pictures and ID info, plus significance. Also in the same series, Strouts & Winter "Diagnosis of Ill Health in Trees"
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Yes, feeding big thorny stuff through my TW150 can be hard work..but isn't that more to do with the fact that it's only a 6" er? I've always found the rollers pretty good on the TW..it will bite onto stuff and pull it through, providing you don't choke it. I think it does a good job, within the limits of a 6" chipper. TW lent me a 190 when they were fixing mine, and that pulled thorny stuff in a lot easier..that bigger inlet seemed to make the difference.
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What level would you place that certificate, just out of interest..RFS cert/ISA? AA Tech? or above. That arbor centre site leans more towards tree officers and consultants, who are normally quite well in with the AA and ISA. Sorry, but I found those two organisations too much of a mutual back slapping club.
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Husky, except for the 020T. It used to be Stihl, and I only swapped because the local (Notts) Stihl dealers didn't have a clue. I'm glad I did, because the Husky is far less trouble (touchwood)
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It's a case of clean the socket out as much as possible before trying to undo them, replace if damaged, and coat the threads with copper grease before refitting. The sockets get damaged if the tool slips out when you're putting torque on, and it's downhill from there. I bought an air impact wrench, and find there's a lot less chance of slipping.
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Only farmers got compensated for loss of stock. Those people whose non farming businesses ground to a halt got nothing. If Matt's stuff was trapped in the protection zone, he wouldn't get a penny for any lost work. Last time, it was organised chaos, thanks to MAFF and the farming lobby. They could have vaccinated against a lot of it, but the farming lobby didn't want that, because the UK would lose "free from F&M without vaccination" status, which would mean a fall in stock prices. The alternative, culling and incineration in the way they chose, turned out to be a great way of spreading the disease, as the fires were never hot enough to kill the organisms, which drifted west on the prevailing winds..just like in the 60's, during the first outbreak. Hopefully it won't come to that this time. If they don't contain it, they'll probably break out the vaccines, because EU trading rules have been changed so that vaccinated meat doesn't suffer the same financial penalty it did 6 years ago.
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It's something to do with that bright orange thing in the sky, you know, the thing that hasn't been seen for the last 2 months. I'd expect everyone's out in that.
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It used to be lack of good staff. I could always find the other kind. Now, it's lack of summer work. I don't mind not working during summer, and can just about manage it financially, but it's not sustainable..my problem is that they put the rent up every year here, and it's always well above inflation. If I didn't have to support a landlord, I'd be laughing.
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The ISA only lasts 3 years, unless you get enough CPD points in that time. You won't get enough unless you go to a few seminars (run by ISA, not surprisingly), and they cost £££. The RFS cert is equivalent to ISA, and lasts for life.
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For indoor use, it's pretty good. I know someone who used to make custom staircases, as well as other joinery, and most of the time he used poplar.
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Well, I do most of my splitting with a maul, and the key to that is to get the work at the right height. My chopping block is 2' diameter by 2'8" high oak-which looks too high, until you start to use it. That suits me, and I'm 6' tall. Also, I've put a net up to keep stuff on the block, rather than having to bend down all the time. Sounds simple, but for those who can't justify a splitter, it really makes a difference to your back .
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I think you need some sort of ticket to put signs out in certain circumstances..eg. traffic control etc. I doubt if you have the right to close the road without going through the proper channels..it would be Lincolnshire County Council Highways dept.
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If I ever employed anyone again, I'd want them trained. In my experience, the untrained ones either: a) can hardly earn their wage; b) slow someone else down as they teach them; c) think they should be earning a lot more than they're worth (eg £100/day for cs 31 max and 2-3 months experience!); d) clear off as soon as they think they know it all to set up on their own, or e) all of the above. It's a nice idea to train someone up from scratch - if you can afford it - but when there's a risk of d) happening as soon as they become productive, then..no thanks!
