Chris Sheppard

I used to build horse jumps for a few years - started off as a wet day thing and then ended up being full time for a few months of the year and a weekend/evening thing the rest of the year. Painting is by far the worst bit and there is no real easy way to do it. I stopped in the end as I got fed up of the type of people I was usually having to deal with and Painting properly sickened me off it - the smell of gloss paint brings back nightmares! To make it pay, you need to have templates/jigs made up fr everything and make in big batches. The best profit is in working hunter fences or mobile cross country as the difference in cost between them and painted isn't much but they are a lot quicker to treat. EDIT: Forgot to say - Treated planer regd carcassing in 50x75 and 100x50 is what you'll use most of, with 150 x 50 for the feet. Most of construction is coach bolts and nails. There's a lot more thought goes into the design than you'd first think though, gaps need to be bigger than X or smaller than Y so as not to trap feet/hooves/heads etc and also bits need to break or fall off if hit hard enough so as not to trap also. BSJA used to sell sets of plans for the BSJA competetion spec stuff but most people don't need that good - I just used same plans but more conventional sized timber so as to bring prices down for end user.

Ours is supposedly a Siberian Husky but I think she's too big a build to be. I really don't know much when it comes to all the different types though Don't see why you couldn't put the Dalmation cross in a harness - seem to remember seeing people use pointer type dogs for racing. We bought one of these x back Racing Sled dog harness Husky/Malamute | eBay , seems nicely made and was good to deal with.

Cheers Some friends of Mother in Law had a pair of them and another dog too but found themselves with less and less time to take them all out as they couldn't take all three together so one had to go. We'd wanted one for a few years and it was agreed we'd take her and see how she settled in - that was in August and it's gone a whole lot smoother than it could have. Didn't seemed phased by a total change and has fitted in really well. Little terrier wasn't too happy at first but they're tolerating each other fairly well now. Hopefully get her onto a harness this year for some light running but it's not the end of the world if she won't.

Few months in and all good so far - she's even lost a few kilos too. Down from 38 when we got here to a more healthier 30ish. She's really surprised me how calm she is around the Ferrets.

We feed pretty much all year with any stale bread/cake etc and seem to get a good variety of birds. Husky worked out yesterday that it could reach the bird table so need to do something bit different. Slightly off topic, but been doing bit of topping the back end of the week on a site where there were a pair of Kestrels that were clever enough to follow the tractor and grab anyything that run out of the grss in front of the tractor. Was quite cool to watch.

Or whip the clutch drum off, shove the cover on, flick off the brake and then refit the drum.

Agreed. Whilst I don't climb and don't aspire to either, surely it makes sense to be able to climb on as basic set up as possible before going mad for shiny bits? What would happen if your mechanical device unexpectdly broke/stopped working/got damaged etc during the course of the day and you were useless on prussics etc? Some of the best climbing I've seen first hand has been on both ends of the rope and using prussics - perhaps a little slower round the tree but usually making much less cuts than someone using jangly shiny gear so faster anyway. I realise that's a sweeping generalisation but that' what I've seen so far.

Reckon this could become quite an amusing thread

Been lightly falling most of the afternoon between Leeds and Selby. Nowt at home, if anything it's been melting.

I don't mind Scot; burns fairly slowly for softwood - lasts as long as some hardwoods do. Can be a bit of a pig to split by hand if it's a big one as it's often stringy.

Have you taken the spark arrestor out of the exhaust yet? That seems to help it pick up from the bottom better. You should find it just gets better and better over the next few days. Once you get your head around not trying to start it like an older one you should get along fine

I usuallly run my 550 on 13" and yes it's quick, but I had the 15" on it for some sycamore thinning and it was fine. Whilst it'd probably pull an 18" at a push I reckon it would throw the balance out of what is a really nicely balanced saw.

I would tend to agree

A Landrover one, a few overlanding ones, couple of motorbike ones. Too many anyway Not on FB or Twitter or owt like that though.

I honestly don't know. Chances are someone will have one though you might be able to go see working.

I quite like the Farmi WP, but don't have any expereince of the newer hakki pilke. Used to own their old style towable (the Hawk), which was OK but not very fast. I've towed the WP's all over the UK when I used to work for the importer and they tow well and are easier to set up from towing to operating than the old Hawk was. Whilst the WP is fairly light build, they are very fast for for the spec/price IMO.

Didn't think you'd be far away

Reckon one of those 70hp tracked carltons would make short work of them. Surely digging would mean some of the tarmac/concrete needing removed anyway so maybe a bit of work round the edes with a breaker or digger mounted pecker and then let rip with the grinder might not be too bad to do? Save the headache of disposal and probably end up with less of a hole in the tarmac too.

Had Mod 2 Booked in for today but that got cancelled a few min ago. Bit gutted but bit releived in a way too as it'd be pretty grim out on bike. Really feel for a lot of the younger guys who were trying to get A2 passed before it all changes on 19th Jan and their A2 mod 1 passes mean they'd end up only being able to do A1 Mod 2 after the 19th and ride a low powered 125 and nothing else. Glad I went DAS in the end - just means I get to do test on a SV 650 instead of the GS 500 I've been riding so far.

No more snow here over night but proper cold. Cold enough they've cancelled all Module 2 bike tests in Scarborough for today - which included mine

Yesterday we got about 3-4 inches of snow during the day where we were working but only a couple at home. Been snowing on and off all day today but never came to much. Cold though now.

Mines definitely quicker again now

Lets be honest here, how many dealers actually really know what they're talking about when it comes to using the saws they sell? Absolutely.

It must be awesome if at 45cc it can cut 20" Oak convincingy - I'd be reaching for something more like 70cc ideally.....

It is indeed - imagine a 346 that feels lighter, slimmer and goes better and you're about there:thumbup1: Doing my accounts the other day and I realised I've had mine for just over 11 months now. It's not been out much since the Autumn but over the spring and summer was out a fair bit and it's been fine. As someone else said, the 560 isn't much more expensive really (or much heavier than a 346) and is fairly bonkers in how much torque it's got. I can't really justify a 560 at the mo as have three 60cc saws already but it's on the shopping list once we get back felling properly again.