Pete Bannister

Mark, I think thats how Dr Peter S Donzelli was killed (climbing above a damaged section on a stem which then failed). If anyone was 'well informed' then it was him. That said, I would have loved climbing that lime...but then I dont know any better!

Patin is a truely great little divice. For those thinking of jumars, please be aware of recent warnings (Feb 2011) about Petzl counterfeit PPE such as Croll & Ascension jumars.

Correct Alec. Bin over 25 yrs at it and its obviously showing! I’ve been with H+R E. I. for over 10 yrs doing building pathology. My interests in arboriculture is amateur and for someone who gravitates to timber (dead or alive) and its parasites there are some interesting observations on mycology to be had on this forum cheers

some excellent additional advice from Morten. cheers

Alec, I don’t want to derail Rowan's thread too much here, especially because its an interesting and worthy subject matter. However, your point regarding the withdrawal of (eg copper naphthanate) pesticides because of the cost UK registration is apt. Came across this recently when I was looking into the use of Armillatox. Its been withdrawn for the same reasons but is marketed instead as a cleaning agent, apparently thereby circumventing the legislation. I take it you're in timber production? cheers Pete

Alec I think we agree on the matter. The object of my postings was to flag up the need for real awareness when embarking on the pesticide road. Just because you can buy it off-the-shelf somewhere can engender a sense that pesticides/biocides are 'safe' or are a universal panacea. I was very interested to see Osmose make forays in the industrial heat treatment of softwoods some years. However, they took it down the oil impregnation path and came up with ‘Royale’. As you will know, Acetylation is now commercially viable (Accoya) and I hope this heralds a major positive step forward. I’ve yet to have a play with any acetylated timber though! Until Ive done that, I'll be a tad cagy about specifying it I guess cheers Pete

Rowan, Chemical surface treatment is widely used on green timber. Boron in the form Sodium Octaborate Tetrahydrate is commonly used at 5% - 10% and is effective. However, consider this: you are introducing a pesticide into the production of a natural material. Boron wood preservatives have just had to be re-classified in the EU as 'Toxic' because of evidence related to mammalian toxicity ability to cross the placenta and an association with male infertility). Formerly they were classified in the UK as 'Hazardous' and I can remember when they were introduced for preservative wood treatment in the UK in the 1980's they were widely billed as 'green' or 'environmentally friendly' etc. Whilst this may be the logical option for you, you should in my view consider that boron is not chemically fixed to the timber following application. So wetting may leach it out. Where does it go? Also, when the wood is further milled, what happens to the waste? It now contains a pesticide. I'm not advising that you don’t use boron (I very occasionally I specify it myself) and its true that some timbers are at least as ‘toxic’ in the context. However, it’s important to only employ it where there is no other practical option; and if you do use it you should look at the wider ‘life cycle’ of the product (i.e. where does it go to eventually) There has been a suggestion that a broad-spectrum pesticide is used. E.g. one that kills both insects and fungi. There’s a simple rule when using pesticides (and it is part of your statuary obligations) and that is to target the pest. If the problem is fungal then that’s the target. Woodworm (insects) are not the target. Broad-spectrum wood treatments will usually contain more than one pesticide. For Woodworm Permethrin or Cypermethrin are often found in formulations. Both are extremely toxic in aquatic environments and so you must consider what happens to run-off and to waste. cheers Pete

Hi Rowan, you're talking about conifers and so the blue stain (if its blue stain fungi and not iron stain) would be associated with the sapwood. In conifers, Ceratocystis spp. are the usual culprits. The stain is not actually a 'stain' as such but is caused by the presence of dark (usually brown!) hyphae within the wood cells. These fungi are using the starch rich contents of the wood cells, rather than the cell walls themselves. Infection may occur prior to conversion, in which case there's not much you can do about it other than perhaps restrict it spreading. If it’s occurring at the point of conversion then as previous posts advise, you should look at the milling and storage environment. The fungi grow best in warm temperatures (20 deg C +). At 10 deg C or below growth is very slow. Timber moisture contents in excess of fibre saturation (say 28% w/w) are required; so rapid drying of fresh cut surfaces will go a long way to controlling blue stain. Rapid can achieve this. Kiln drying is the surest way to prevent fungal activity of any sort. However, it can be managed simply by the management of storage age and hygiene The financial loss due to blue stain fungi and significant the world over. There is no shortage of academic study and industrial collaborations to address the matter. Alec has already given you some sound practical advice I’ll make another post with some opinion on the use of Boron/ Borax etc. I hope not to sound like an activist (because I’m not one honest!); I’m no expert; however, I’ve been commercially / professional involved in the subject for over 25 yrs and thats slowly formed my views on the matter cheers Pete

Ekki thump! I think that's 'satisfactory' then! Regards

Reg, many thanks for the response. I’m not unhappy about the rust. It occurred at the most highly loaded connection in the fabrication, so I made some initial calcs about the potential strength of what I consider the critical part of the device ie the connection between the securing ring pin and the tube. There were many factors unknown to me so I assumed lowly values for materials. Still, I ended up with permissible values well within the recommended load limit. The thickness of the tube being a key strength factor. Correct me if I'm wrong, but am I right in assuming that the crane test involved the lifting capacity of the crane? cheers.

Dilz, For what its worth, I’ve had a Stein RC 2000 for 12 months. It’s only been used a handful of time though. That said, I really rate it, my mate likes it and my wife loves it..so it must be good! On receipt from the retailer I noted some rust inside the barrel where the corrosion protection was missing. I photo’d it and the merchant advised the manufacture: who said it was normal (or words to that effect) i.e. not detrimental. I wasn’t too fussed as I thought I’d give a lick of zinc paint next time I was using some. 12 months on, and the rust has progressed a tad (as you might expect) but of more concern was the alloying and apparent voids / slag entrapment in a couple of structural welds. Fortunately the welds concerned are not at critical joints and I'm relaxed about it as the unit would, I think, still 'fail safe' in the event of a yield at one of the welds. However, it made me wonder what if any NDT are carried out as part of the production QA.

Haha ..and some folk dont know their 'isles' from their 'aisles' glasshouses and stones eh!

thats what I've heared too; well in Huddersfield at any rate. But then of course.. they're in the Pennine rain shaddow there so they might get thirsty.. init ?

no Dean ..thats a sheep dipping culture mate.... but then maybe in Huddersfield things is different?

Lime is 'perishable' as timber: i.e. the timber is has very little natural resistance to decay organisms. woodworm loves it and it'll rot before you can shake a candle. As has been said already, it is great for fine carving (check out England's greatest carver, Grinling Gibbons almost unbelievable feats of carving, most of which used Lime.). It's used for turning and for wood block prints etc. because of its very fine, even grain that's soft to cut in any direction good luck.

Really nice pics of 'shell buckling' Rob.. What do you mean by 'possible bark sinkage at basal area' ? many thanks

Hmm well ...I had some quite good half-price wine from Morrison's only last month...(well; to my uneducated pallet that is). I wouldn't like to think that I don't know my 'place' though.

too true dude:thumbup1:The important point is not that Latin is used, but that binomial system of classifying living things (as devised by Carl Linnaeus) is used. Its worked for over 200 yrs !

Well it could be! :biggrin:But it is Stevie Haston he must be one of Team Grivel. Same generation as me.. just a shed load more talent! Check out his climbing c.v. its shows what dedication and some drug abuse can achieve (according to his own words) Have owned bits of Grivel snow and ice gear over the years and have always liked it lots.

Isn't that Stevie Haston doing the commentary?

too close for comfort!

Hi Steve, that's a great tree and an interesting quandary! For what its worth, I survey buildings for a living ( my arb/fungi interest is a side-line). From your photos the 'extension' looks more like an adaptation of a garage built with the house. As a guess, I’d say circa 1970-1974 for the house and its annex. How old do you think the tree is? Sadly the tree is too close to the house (or visa versa depending on your perspective!). At half its current size the tree would make a great asset . However, as it stands, it’s only ever going to be a distraction to the financial value and eventual safety of the building. An understanding of the building's foundation depths and type, sub-soil properties, age and growth habits of the tree will all help with a prognosis. But it will only buy time before the inevitable has to happen. That town just aint big enough for the both of 'em regards Pete B

Michael, sorry for the delayed reply (I've been away from the office). The Testo 606 1 has the appropriate parameters. The species specific functions can be useful in some industries, but you are right, its not of much value for firewood appraisal. There's been a later comment in this thread re build quality. That’s interesting, I’ve always had good experiences with Testo but I not had a hand held from their recent range so I can’t comment on that. However, /durability is really very important for any field instrument so you might want to have a feel of one before you purchase cheers

Michael, I guess it depends on your specific needs and the value of information you expect to obtain from the meter. However, looking at price brackets, for firewood ( logs) I cant imaging that you would need to spend over £100. I would be looking at a Testo for £75- £100 ish. No doubt there're load of meters out there for under £40. You could take a chance with a cheapo meter..you might get good value; but you are just as likely to buy a lemon. If you need to certify that a meter is correctly calibrated. you've got to spend at least £75- £100. Incorrect data could be worse than no data at all. I'll bet that experienced firewood suppliers can guesstimate W/W% moisture contents within an accuracy of about +/- 10%. Now there's a challenge

Great instructional information there D. Valid points have followed in the thread so far. To see the methods used in other countries is extremely valuable and we should also understand that natural, man-made and economic environments differ from region to region and country to country. Thanks for the movie: yet again!