chilli

Nothing wrong with hs technique (!!!??), must just be that his 'professional' saw is blunt.

My main trade is landscape/maintenance gardening using a 56 plate Ranger, single cab 4x4. Fully comp through CVD (Commercial Vehicles Direct) £397. Only 3 years NCD. Direct Line who now do commercial cover, quoted less but I didn't think much of their level of cover.

'bad back' can cover a multitude of injuries/damage. Depends whether it's bone (slipped disk), nerve trapped(sciatica) or muscle spasm. If it's the latter, then usually it's the sacro iliac (sp?) muscle gone into spasm. If it's that then your lucky as the best relief comes from walking to the pub, resting against the bar & drinking loads of muscle relaxant of your favourite flavour.

The terms 'hardwood' & 'softwood' are purely botanical/scientific and do not describe the properties of wood or it's suitability in a fire. Botanically, the division spermatophytes includes all seed bearing plants. There are two sub divisions; the gymnosperms known as softwoods and angiosperms known as hardwoods. Hardwoods have distinct leaves, seeds contained in a cover, either a fleshy fruit or a tough shell as a nut or acorn. Mostly deciduous but with exceptions. Softwoods have needle shaped leaves, cones containing naked seeds, often an excurrant form (single main stem with lateral branches). Mostly evergreen but with exceptions. In discussions with my customers I offer only the choice between my dry mix of whatever woods I've got or the fresh split, still full of sap ash that all the other guys offer. I have plenty of happy customers.

Interesting Tommer, I thought Cambridgeshire was always regarded as the least wooded county & that you had plenty of trees down there.

I was away up in Cheshire on a course at the time, the missus was at home with our two young kiddies. She rang me to say we'd lost part of the roof. The guys who fixed it did so off ladders ( no scaffolding) & one of them fell from the roof, landing on the lawn, walking away with no injuries! Got a book somewhere with hundreds of 'great storm' pictures. I remember an image of great swathes of trees lying flat with just the odd sentinel standing here & there.

All my walnut & ash trees were similarly affected after the hard frost in the early hours of Tuesday, 10th May. They all lost this seasons growth. The ash are just starting to shoot again but there is no movement at all yet in the walnuts. Hibiscus was also hit but all the other stuff; sycamore, birch, thorn etc was fine.

Always known them (the adults) as 'may bugs'. Stupid critters, always ending up on their backs waving their legs about. Right them & they promptly fall over again.

I've seen it quite regularly on forsythias.

Trees at weddings are so yesterday now, since Kate had them in the Abbey. Time for something new...how about helium balloons tied with curly ribbons & a bag of sweets as a weight?

I 'guess' any 'guestimate' would be no better than that. I think they missed a trick in the recent census by not detailing the question about home heating. The choices were only gas, electric or solid fuel I think. No choice between mains gas or delived propane. No choice on wood or coal & no choice for anyone who is into heat extraction or solar. As for log production, how on earth would you go about guessing the total output. I see myself as a 'small' guy, shifted about 150m3 last season. within 15 minutes travelling I know of another 5 guys doing logs. One, just down the road shifts more in a weekend than I do in a month & more in a week than I do all season. But, the total output from the hundreds/thousands of 'small' guys across the country must be significant yet unregulated or measured.

Thanks Andy. Looking like David will be asked to do the job. Hope to meet you at Weird & Wonderful next year. Chris

Took a 'summer' order last night from a new customer. Most of my summer orders go to 'incomers' from Europe, seems they are used to being much more organised with their log stocks over there. Not like the Brits; think about the first order with the frosts & a repeat order when the last piece has been burned!

Thanks, that's a good find.

I have a customer wanting to replace hurdles around his garden boundary. I'm pretty sure they're hazel. I need 20 at 6' long x 3' to 3'6" high. Now, if I'd been able to go to Weird & Wonderful Wood down in the Kingdom of Suffolk last weekend, I'm sure I would have met a local hurdle maker. I'm not far from the A14 & in easy reach of the Andy Collins/ Steve Bullman stomping grounds. Can any of you kind guys put me in touch with a local hazel hurdle maker? Thanks.

Does the same apply therefore to fresh woodchip? My son has just started working in the grounds of a National Trust property. The head gardener told him that where they put fresh woodchip under shrubs as a mulch, the shrubs do not do so well that season but are improved in following years.

I'm looking out at a mature english oak, almost in full leaf. Strangely, last winter, it hung onto it's leaves for much longer than usual. The ash & sycamores are only just breaking their leaves.

I cut & split 15 tonne of fresh felled beech last July/August & it was perfectly ready to sell in the winter.

Pity Anne, the elephant, couldn't do that to the scumbag who beat her with a pitchfork.

Peter's spot on. All dry wood burns. I burn crack willow on my open fire & properly seasoned it spits very little. I've got customers that prefer poplar to beech. I've got others that love horse chestnut. I've picked up several new customers this winter simply because I only sell dry wood & they prefer it to the wet ash that others locally supply.

I agree with Canal Navvy. Stihl say 5.2mm(13/64") for 3/8" chain whereas Husqvarna/Oregon say 5.5mm(7/32").

......deleted.....

Tony, talking on your subject to an interested group who have invited you along is much less difficult than best man duties. For me, I had to sort out the practical bits first. Some speakers like to wander about, others to stand still. Me, I prefer to perch on the edge of a stool. Some like their hands free to wave about & be expressive with their arms. I need to have hold of something, maybe only a pen. Take along something to show. For example, a bonsai tree. A full tree in miniature from which you can point out examples of what you are talking about. Maybe a three or so year old sapling in a pot. Gives you something to refer to &/or pass around your audience. One of my mates talks to groups about antiques allied to the catering business (he's a chef). He always takes along a little something which is old & unusual & kicks off his talk asking if anyone can guess what it is & then leaves it on the side & says "I'll tell you later". I'm sure you could find something interesting/different/odd in one of your kit boxes. If you can engage & interact with the audience right at the start then you will immediately be more comfortable & your love of the subject will carry you through.

Changed my mind. The redness showing in the cross cut of the bark in picture 4 led me to think pine but, having looked at some pop today, that's the same colour. So, pop it is.

I don't think it's poplar but, I do think it looks very much like pine, very similar to the couple of tonnes down my yard.