Graham

I think there is a moral issue involved here apart from the suggested loophole. Does this loophole actually exist? All regulations/recommendations/rules etc specify no cutting after March 1st except under safety/emergency situations. So what happens? I cut a metre, have a handwritten form countersigned and then go back to cut the rest into April. So I'm cutting and fifty metres down the hedge a blacky or a thrush starts building. Do I cut up this point and then leave the hedge until the backend or work around the nest and then finish later? Stop cutting beginning of March and leave the birds to it.

We once carried out some work for a guy who didn't like pigeon crap on his canal boat. He moored it on a canal at the bottom of his garden. There were two weeping willows o/h his boat and the pigeons favoured certain branches to roost. We fixed plastic anti-vandal spike strips along the branches and the pigeons moved on.

It's only got 4 wheels

There was a time I could ident:001_smile: You're right about triacanthos. I was getting carried away!

Seen a few peacock butterflies out of hibernation. The first brimstones should be about soon. Unfortunately we've not had nightingales up here for a long time.

Sorbus spp

Lime.

Third Gleditsia triacanthos

First one A. platanoides and second A. griseum?

Think I may have started that one too:001_smile:

Could it be something interfering with the govenor?

One through our area yesterday. Earliest ever record. Chiffchaffs and willow warblers starting to arrive in numbers too.

When we used hemp rope we sat in the Landrover one bait time and cut a piece off the end. Tried smoking it but it was obviously the wrong type of hemp:001_smile:

We were doing some motorway work a few years back and we found a little plantation of the stuff on the embankment. We had a gang of Latvians pulling ragwort at the time and they filled the crewcab up with it:001_smile: They took it home and replanted it.

I'm envious of all the sheds on here:001_smile:

The way I've always done it is this: (not saying it's the correct or best way) I've only ever used ash and keep any pieces that have the right curves in them as you need the grain to follow the shape of your new helve. If you have to cut the desired shape then you'll end up with grain that runs out and be weak. With ash I was always told to use a piece with around eight rings per inch (sports grade) but anything with even growth would do I reckon. Split the piece down through the middle at 90 degrees to the shape you want to retain and then keep dividing it to get your desired piece. Roughly even up the width and mark out the shape of the piece you want. Cut it out and place by the fire to dry for a couple of days. To fit the head place it on the end of your timber and mark the eye shape on the end grain with a pencil. The eye will probably be tapered so make sure you mark the smallest side on the end. Then it's just a matter of whittling down to the eye shape. Keep checking against the head and as the head starts to push on any high spots will show on the wood. Don't go too loose as the timber may have a little more shrinking to do. You could leave it a couple of days at this stage to allow it to shrink. So you've ended up with a nice tight fit. Take the head off and saw your wedge groove about half the depth of the eye. I like a piece of hard bone oak for the wedge but whatever you use make sure it's dry. Knock it all together (I put a little pva in the groove as it's easier to knock the wedge in and it also secures it) and flush off the end. You can now finish the shaft.

I thought that too.

With a short hatchet you can use almost anything you fancy as they don't require the same strength as an axe helve. Just choose something with a longish grain. Elm looks nice, cherry, oak or the traditional ash.

Daren't look at the video because I'm going through knee probs at the moment:001_smile: Nothing like yours though. Hope it all mends ok for you.

Notch the post so it sits well on rails etc.

Maple.

And it's probably good stuff too.

A cubic metre.

English elm not Wych elm. You don't often see a wheel hub fall to bits.