Big J
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Everything posted by Big J
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I don't know very much about them, but a vacuum kiln might be the best way forward. They apparently cause very little defect in the drying process, even on quite thick, difficult boards. A wood carver customer of mine has one - I'll pick his brain about it next time that I see him.
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No tolls in Scotland - I'm apolitical, but the SNP policy of removing all tolls was a good one, especially as the Forth Road Bridge is something I cross most weeks.
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Just stunning - cracking find there! We, as a nation, can be quite disparaging of the Americans at times, but to their credit, they do still have proper, heavy industry.
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I've got the Samsung Solid Extreme too, as well as at least 50% of all people I know who work in outdoor work requiring a tough phone. It's really really good, with excellent signal and the torch is superb. I even accidently mashed it in the car door, and the only thing it did was break the waterproof seal. Highly recommended!
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Done
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Sounds like you got an excellent deal with that DB! After yesterday's kiln fill I'm swinging towards investing most in a telehandler (Manitou Buggiscopic ideally - they are tiny but still lift up to 2.5 tonnes), and having a small, cheap bandsaw mill for day to day small milling jobs. For day to day larger stuff, I'll use the chainsaw mill and when filling the kiln, I'll hire in a bigger band mill like a Serra or Autotrek.
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thinning of mature trees?? distance apart???
Big J replied to brookmeadow's topic in Forestry and Woodland management
Like Slasherscot says, look for the weakest, most suppressed trees first, and continue taking out 1 in 5-8 every few years. Your final crop spacing (achieved on the final thin) is one tree every 7 metres. However, with ash, assuming a 100 year growth cycle, it won't be yourself doing that work! -
It was an LT40 as well, so not a baby by any standard. I've got a lot of very good boards, but only really the ones that I squared up first on the chainsaw mill. I also have a number of quite swoopy boards too I think from a financial point of view it makes sense to always have a forklift/telehandler. I also think that unless you are shifting huge volumes, the best idea is to hire in the best saw available. That said, I can still see myself with a bloody bandsawmill in the near future!
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Git! Never had a ripping chain go until today!
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Ok in the end - got the kiln 80% full. One good day with the chainsaw mill will see it stacked to the rafters. Pretty disappointed with the Woodmizer though. Surprisingly limited on almost any log of any size. I won't be using one again. Plan is to hire in an Autotrek in next time - Simon at Scottish Native Woods said that there is one reasonably close by. LOGLOGIC // Product Range // Autotrek Mobile Sawmill System It's the 28 inch throat that limits it - spent half the day shaving down logs that really weren't that big. Hey ho - it's all a learning curve!
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Excellent work there Robert. One question though - it's only February; what the hell are you doing at work?!
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Hi Big Fell, It's a little bit of a trek, but my workshop is based near Uphall (10 miles west of Edinburgh) and I have several hundred hours chainsaw milling experience should you ever want to come up for the day. I've actually got quite a lot of timber kicking about at the moment, so the next few months work well for me. Jonathan
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Not as long, but longer than spruce - not especially helpful, eh? You can get a lot of variation within a species to, depending on growing conditions. I have an Ash on my woodstack that was only about 14 inches DBH and close to 100 years old. The densest ash you've ever seen. The reason for it was that it was completely crowned out by a larger Oak, resulting in very slow growth. I suspect that come 2012, when it eventually reaches my fire, it may well be the greatest firewood ever known!
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The only problem I've found with the Jonesie Laundry service is that if you wanting your Stihl or Husqvarna clothing laundered, you have to hand them over face to face initially, in accordance with their online sales policy. That might be embarassing for some, after reading that thread about how often some people wash their chainsaw trousers!
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Fascinating stuff! Always interesting to see your work David.
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Excellent! Starting out on any instrument has a period of excruciating pain for all who live the would-be musician. Your wee lad seems to be well past that!
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Lots of interesting input! Regarding hydraulics, it's simply something that I cannot afford at present. It's the difference between a £8000 mill and a £22000 mill. For the lowish volume of timber that I am going to be milling (5000 to 8000 cubic foot a year), a non-hydraulic mill will have to suffice. I am aware of the presence of the Lucas mill, but my key product is wide boards. I don't do any fencing or posts, and the furniture makers that I supply are keen to have as wide a board as possible (within reason). I've got a Woodmizer in on Sunday to fill the kiln, so it will be interesting to see it at work for the day. Complete with loadall, we should be able to get the required 300 cubic foot out of it! Jonathan
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The 1997 P reg 110 TDI Audi A4 I had didn't have the computer displaying fuel consumption, so calculations were based just on refills at the pumps. One of the most notable journeys was from Edinburgh to Somerset and back again, fairly heavily loaded, definitely not doing 95mph but returning 48mpg. Jonathan
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Had a '96 850 tdi last last year too. Lovely car, but started to show it's age at 215k. Again, unfeasibly economical for a car of it's size. We averaged 44mpg including a fair bit of town driving, and got 53mpg coming back up from Derby to Edinburgh on the M1/A1, heavily loaded. Pretty respectable for a 2.5 litre 5 cyclinder engine (an Audi lump actually). Speaking of, the Audi 100/A6 2.5tdi is also another to look out for. We have the 100 2.8E Quattro, so economy isn't fantastic, but the diesels are great. Quite sought after these days though, as the subsequent A6's that replaced them were thirstier and slower.
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Stunning piece of kit! Imagine that your cordwood is perfectly seasoned - you can have the bobcat hanging the splitter straight above your tipper for delivery. You never have to handle the timber!
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Audi A4 1.9TDI 110 Estate. Beautiful ride and quality, very, very very economical (will return 60mpg at 80mph on the motorway, and over 50mpg combined) and you can get a good example for about £1500. Avoid the 90bhp version though as it's too slow and actually thirstier (had both, so talking from experience). Jonathan
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All good - I was getting a bit panicky though after 12 hours of no Arbtalk! There seem to be a few threads that have gone walkies - I can't find the thread about the violinist Joshua Bell playing incognito in Washington for love nor money.
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I just got an excellent quote from Lycetts for my Public liability and stock/tool cover. Much cheaper than the NFU, though I have yet to try Trust. Jonathan
