Big J
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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
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I'm just terrible at remembering to post on the site Rob! Plus, these days the timber I have tends to move quite quickly, so no adverts are that current. Posted an advert for a pile of sycamore I have. Jonathan
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I'm definitely one for good spelling and grammar. I'm always reminded that these are international forums, and it's only fair that we make an effort for it to be accessible for everyone. Text talk and lazy typing are quite alienating at times.
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Oh wow! I hadn't actually seen that - you could spend hours in there!
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It's in the fungi guide (thread started by Steve Bullman) on page 2, posted originally by Kat1e. Either way, I'm glad to be able to identify it, and I'll watch it over the next couple of weeks!
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Hi David, I just went blind into the directory. My fungi identification is still in the embryonic stages, though I'd like to improve this. With the estate being rather vast, and many trees just being left to their own devices, you see quite a lot of very old trees in advanced stages of decay that wouldn't otherwise be standing in a more urban setting. I think the pictures that I used for reference in the fungi directory were on page 2. Jonathan
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According the the fungi guide, I think this is P. squamosus. Huge amounts of it, and still growing, though we've removed some of it's shade, so it might not be quite so happy now. We're working on this site for a couple of weeks, so I'll keep an eye on it.
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Passed mine yesterday. Pretty easy though I made two silly minor errors (out of a total of three minors - nerves I guess). Had four hours of tuition before, though that was perhaps more than was required, as I'd been doing quite a lot of towing for the last month. Either way, it's bloody good that I can now tow a reasonable trailer. I've got an excellent 5.5 x 12 Indespension plant trailer lined up, so I'm chuffed.
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If you go back 50 or 60 years, employment was much higher and we were still a manufacturing nation. I don't think that a return to that state is impossible. That said, I think the work ethic that once existed in the UK has more or less gone from the young generation. There is a culture or expectancy, that simply by having the good fortune of being born in this country, we are entitled to an easy life. If all else fails, see my earlier abortion/adoption remark, with an addendum for enforced sterilisation of serial reproducers !
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I understand your sentiment, but if you are a heavy smoker, drinker, eater or drug user, the only consequence to the considered, systematic and long abuse of your body is that you are going to require medical attention. I don't think that you can compare that to people who have constructive hobbies and suffer accidents, or expect for those people who develop illnesses without fault to have to wait due to the number of 'addicts' on the waiting lists. It is a difficult subject, and a debate that in essence either justifies or undermines the NHS. As a non-smoker, moderate drinker, non-drug using person of average weight and good health, I'd rather pay for medical insurance than have my tax money fund a liver transplant for an alcoholic. Jonathan
