Rich Rule

Poor bloke.

The law may have changed in recent years. I can’t comment on the farmer incident. BUT a very good friend of mine and someone I worked for a couple of years had an accident. He fell about 35 feet onto a car park. Lots of injuries, plenty of operations and time off work. He was working for his own company and the kit using had issues. Not LOLER’d etc. AFAIK he wasn’t prosecuted by HSE as he was a director of his own company. It would have been a very different story if the accident had been an employee and he had been sent up to do the work with the same kit. The HSE did get involved. I was contacted and had to make the site and tree safe, whilst being watched by both police and muppets from the HSE. The latter were accident investigators assigned to the Arb sector and they didn’t have a single clue how to do the task. I spent longer explaining to them and writing a risk assessment as to how I was going to complete the task. I even bagged up the lowering pulley and rigging line for the investigators to take with them. It wasn't a particularly pleasant position to be in knowing my friend had been airlifted to A&E with suspected broken back and neck, but also dealing with the personnel from the Health and Safety Executive. This was a few years ago and as I mentioned the laws may have changed. But that particular occasion was enough for me to realise some of the people making rules and legislation shouldn’t be allowed away from their desks.

Never. Unless I need it. But that isn’t very often.

That an indoor axe, so it’s ok. 😂 I do split the wood out side though with an old elwell which was my grandads.

I use the Norwegian method in my Jotul Stove. The describe it as the Swiss top down method. 2 logs at bottom. Bit of newspaper a scrumpled up and then 1 inch or so square kinlin in a grid fashion for about 3 or 4 layers. 2 fire lighters on top, shut door and open vent. Heat rises and the more wood lights and drops embers, it lights up the bottom logs and the more heat the more draw, after 5 mins I close the vent half way and you get a proper good bed of embers in The middle and the two logs alight. The load up the bigger logs on the lit ones. Space is key, I always try and prop one up on another. Burns clean and hot, even with spruce and pine. Might darken the glass as it lights if it is a bit sappy, but once lit the glass burns clear.

Hopefully Big J will be happy now.

I just shorten the chain with a half hitch, pretty easy to do. You can shorten them at the other end but I find that a PITA.

40 song titles apparently.

Where in the world are you? Plenty of good suppliers. Honey brothers Fr Jones Skyland or if you are in old school Trumpton, then you have ... Treestuff Sherril

Did you see the story in Bradford. Helpful youths in Bradford were standing outside Morrison’s handing out antibacterial liquid. Except it was superglue. The guy in the news paper report had one hand stuck in his trouser pocket and the other to the shopping basket handle.

Nice work Jay. Is Andrew still working there?

Tommy, the digital version is 20 quid. I have seen them on eBay for hundreds of dollars. I was lucky, I got my copy from Amazon as a used copy. 13 quid plus delivery. What turned up was an immaculate hardbacked copy.

Nice one, well done. Still can’t officially call yourself a ‘Wood Astronaut’ yet’. Maybe one day.

Horses have there place. I agree, it is great to see them working. One of the guys I work with in the Oslo area, he often uses them when he can't get his timber lorry in. Yes he did straight fell the trees with all the cars there... straight down the middle.

Yes, the stiffness I would guess is partially due to the chainsaw protection. Plus, I haven't come across another industry that is so hard on boots. Take a standard pair of hikers and they will be pretty scuffed up before long. I tend to wear my Andrews when felling and dismantling. I wear AKU Approach boots (Via Ferata) when pruning. They are lighter, a bit grippier and more flexible. Not chainsaw protection though or steel capped. The boots that last the longest IME are ones with a full rand as the day to day figures of tree climbing would destroy them pretty quickly. In summary, the chainsaw boots will be much clunkier than you average walking boot. However, there is only so much give in the length of the boot, so if they are too small, then they might just be that, too small.

I know mate. I am on the second pair now. Great boots and they are very comfy. When you said you were born there... did you mean Norway?

I am 46 mate. I’ve been dressing myself for quite a few years now... plus I live and work in Norway so I pretty much have the hang of choosing and putting the correct socks on. It still doesn’t change the fact I hate boots that are too big.

Also, as Steve said, if you have been walking outside in them you won’t be able to send them back.

IME I buy a size that fits snug. They will pack out and stretch over time with use. So I wear thin socks then they’ll get a bit looser then up the thickness of the socks. Rinse and repeat. If I bought a size up, after a few weeks they would be boats on me.

So why send them back if they are so good?

The boots are meant to be a bit stiff. Provides support when wearing spikes and adds to the longevity when you are kicking twigs around behind a chipper. I am in my second pair of Andrew’s after 4 pairs of the air streams. Both good boots but the last couple of pairs of Airstreams didn’t last any where near as long as the first two pairs. They will be fine and comfy.

Meet him. If he wants you to do the job then charge him the quoted cost of 8k. If he wants YOU to do the job but in the terms of the other bloke. Ie. for free. Then tell him that certainly, no problem, you do it for the quoted cost and agreed price. Dont play their game. You have a business to run and if you could have done the job free and sold the wood for the profit, surely you would have suggested that in the proposal.

Mr 5 Shires, did you read the Original Post? The initial question was if they could work for their current Employer as a Freelancer on the weekends? I would expect the employer, if giving them work on the weekend would be aware that they were doing the extra work as they were the ones giving it to them.

No, don’t use the term ‘Subby’. There was another thread started after this due to the debate. The OP in the other thread actually contacted his insurance company and they confirmed that’s a freelance worker is classed as a Labour only Sub contractor an therefore is covered by the employer for the days insurance policy. I am in Norway, did I say something to offend? I hope not. I don't know what All - pervading means.