Big J
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Everything posted by Big J
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Something similar happened back in February. Went to see an Elm that had been taken down earlier that day alongside a beech. The elm had been standing dead, but the beech was by all accounts reasonably healthy. I was only interested in the Elm for milling, but had a quick peek at the beech, only to find two barn owl chicks in a cavity that would have been about 20ft up the tree. There is no way you would have been able to see it, or expect it in February. Anyway, they went to the Scottish SPCA and were doing well when I last checked!
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I've been sitting on a pile of excellent yew for too long, and had an ebay customer mess me about today regarding the wood, so it has to go. I have around 25 cubic foot of really good quality yew, with some excellent, wide and clear boards. Lengths range from 6-8ft, widths from 12-23 inches and thicknesses of 1.5, 1.75, 2 and 3 inches. It's priced to sell at £30 a cubic foot, so snap it up! Delivery is by pallet at £63 a pallet (double pallet needed if you are wanting to maintain board length). Jonathan
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I was told at 6ft 8" I was above the maximum height to be insured! Seriously though, I used to be with the NFU, and they were love, but I had to clarify the working heights stipulation. It's not to do with the height of the tree but the actual height that you are physically at, as a worker. Nevertheless, they are the only insurer that I have had quote me who have had such restrictions. Jonathan
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Just deen down my yard and my tipper was on fire
Big J replied to mendiplogs's topic in General chat
That's really crap Jon - hope you are able to sort yourself out a new trailer sharpish! -
If I sell fairly non-exceptional turning wood in the round, I get about £15 a cubic foot for it. That applies to yew, cherry, laburnum, lime etc. Nice pieces of Yew there
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I use it as Cat litter.
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That's terrible news - very sorry to hear it.
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Looks like a bloody good bargain to me! If only I had the cash.....
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I have my Navara insured with Lycetts. I'm not sure if they do fleet, but they were about 20% cheaper than everyone else.
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On a similar vein, the same rule applies for Deep Heat. Back when I was cycling competitively, I applied some to my legs, then went for the nut scratch. 2 hours of agony ensued!
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I suppose the Stihl MS362 would be best for versatility, but I do like the MS261. Get one from Jonesie for the best price, or try to get your local dealer to price match. Jonathan
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John - a very valid quote indeed. The problem is that humans are fundamentally non-cooperative, and in most cases, we are complete idiots. For instance, any government, no matter how good they are in office, will find themselves unpopular eventually. Take Churchill as an example again, being ousted from office shortly after the end of the war. Additionally, the democratic process and the main parties are largely controlled by the media. Tabloids such as the Sun have widely claimed to won or lost elections for the Tories or Labour. Given that the level of writing is at a 9 years olds reading level, I'm not sure that our politics being influenced by such material is a good thing. Perhaps there should be a qualification to vote - if you are deemed to be a professional idiot then you should stay at home on Thursdays!
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The difficulty in the justifiability of universal taxation and universal spending is that you have no control over what it's spent on. If you don't agree with the subsidisation of the can't work, won't work social underclass and you decide to withhold the tax it takes to support them, you face jail. Additionally (and taking nothing away from the armed forces themselves, who follow the lead of the politicians), should you disagree with the wars in Iraq/Afghanistan, the same threat of jail falls on those who wish not to contribute. It's a very difficult situation really. The irony of universal social care and a complete democracy is that virtually no one actually feels socially supported or adequately politically represented.
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Not a problem Ricky! The idea of one piece table/work tops was very appealing originally, but the reality of the weight of boards of that size, plus the inherent instability of the wood around the pith has lead me down the smaller board route. I don't have a rail/trolley system for my kiln yet, so it's all loaded by hand, which is hard work. Add to the mix a 10ft x 2ft x 2 inch slab weighing over 100kg, and it becomes a lot less appealing! I just sell timber - I make very little with it. Jonathan
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No worries Rob - it's just sitting at the yard at the moment and not due to be sawn until the next kiln. You've got about 11 weeks! G - no, the ash is from the Hopetoun Estate, about 3/4 mile from the workshop.
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Hi Ricky, My kiln is an 18ft container too, albeit from the back of a refrigerated truck. It needs to be insulated, otherwise it won't heat up. Oak is a massive pain to dry. It checks, it splits and it takes for ever. That said, good Oak, cut to less than an inch an a half, will dry with minimal distortion or checking on an 8 week cycle. The problems only arise with poorer quality stuff. I have dried 2 inch before (a leanish 2 inch), but it took 12 weeks. My last kiln was on for 8 weeks, with sycamore at 1, 1.5 and 2, Oak at 1.5 and Elm at 1.5, 2 and 2.5. Moisture content was a fairly even 10-11% across the lot, bar the thickest elm that was around 14%. Jonathan
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Hi John - yep, most customers want waney edged. I had two different folk over this evening, both wanted waney edged stuff so various furniture, mantlepiece and window sill projects. Regarding transportation, I'm lucky that all the timber for this kiln came from within 1200 metres of the workshop. Brushcutter - the kiln wasn't expensive to construct - perhaps about £1500 all in, including dehumidifier, fan, extractor, heaters, container and stickers. Assuming you put a good quality board in, you'll get that back on the first run, and then some. Rob - it's actually Oak! It's very light for Oak, but I think it really brings out the spalting. I have one more decent sized log of it if it tickles your fancy, about 20 cubic foot, or thereabouts. I hadn't forgotten about the maul and straps - take your time Rob!
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Hi Logbaron, I used it on green sycamore for my last kiln and it all came out without mould or discolouration. I won't make anything myself - I just sell the timber, predominantly to furniture makers.
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Armchairarborist, the treatment used is Wykabor: Wykabor Powder / Wykabor Range / Timber Treatments / Services / Wykamol Group / Specialist products for the building and preservation industries. It's a very economical way to prevent almost all mould. Costs me about £25 per kiln load plus the labour for spraying. Iain - you of all people should know about delegation of work!
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Always very busy, but I don't do the domestic stuff at all. Huge amounts of forestry work to be had up here at the moment.
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Hehe! We hit one or two bits of metal work, but they were all either .22 rounds or shotgun pellets. Didn't lose any blades. The woodmizer milled all the logs you can see there, plus another 3, in a day and a half. Approximately 330 cubic foot, which included a bit of oak cladding and some posts.
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Hi Lee, I'm away from home until this afternoon, but will get the photos then. Jonathan
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Got my fourth kiln load done on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Hired in a very skilled (and very local) Woodmizer operator and a bunch of lackies for the loading! A nice mix of beech, ash, epic cherry and oak, including some quite odd, but very attractive flamed oak. Here are some pictures:
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Had A&A timbers in today milling for my kiln. Andrew is a perfectionist - very very impressed with the quality of work. No wavy boards and next to no surface scoring. Cheap as chips too. Jonathan
