openboater

Thanks David, all the lettering was done with the saw in the picture:sneaky2: It's a Husky 141 with a 12" Cannon carving bar & 1/4 pitch chain. The outer radius on the smaller letters is just a bit greater than the radius of the outer edge of the teeth on the chain. Holding the saw at 45 degrees to the wood and rolling the tip using your wrists gives a controllable curving cut . With such a small bar tip there is very little chance of kick-back, I wouldn't try the same thing with a standard bar.

Not sure whether to fill the lettering in with wax or paint, or just leave it as it is:001_smile:

Duct tape & eyewash. Havn't used them on the same bodge....yet.

I work for the Environment Agency and was advised by a colleage to use glyphosate at between 3:1 and 5:1. Because we mostly work on river banks we have to use products licensed for use in or near water so it's usually Roundup Pro-Biactive. He also recommended that the herbicide should be applied within 10 minutes of cutting the stump, left for longer the tree may already have started to try to heal itself and effectiveness of the glyphoste will be reduced. This system has so far worked without fail on willow, alder, poplar, ash, hawthorn and silver birch.

To hold down my ladder for the first cut I use lengths of seat belt. Cut to about 18" lengths, doubled over and screwed into the wood with 2 screws each side of the rung (4 per strap). I use 6mm hex head coach screws, either 25mm or 50mm long depending on bark thickness or the unevenness of the timber.

When preparing a large Tarka dahl is it best to use real otter ? Please advise .......... or does that just make the curry 'otter

If she appears in rural Somerset I'll let Mick know. I remember watching the carver working on this piece at APF 2008, there were a couple of very memorable features about it.

Fantastic piece of work there, love it

Thanks Charlieh, I'll go to bed early and save my pennies.

Thanks for that advice. My reason for asking was cos a bar that long will bolt into my LSG950 mill and enable me to use a tool that weighs much less for jobs around 15"-20" wide. My 064 has a 3/8 sprocket and the ebay bar has none so I could mill with 3/8 chain and save a bit of wood......if the bar fits a 064. Would this work

Mmmm, I saw that too but was hoping no body else would notice it !! Oh well, I'll watch it anyway, maybe someone will pick up a bargain. Presumably the chain would be .404 . Will the bar fit an 064AV ?

We did this at work a few years ago cos it is bound to put some of the crooks off. Try and do it in a place that's hard to get a cordless grinder though, those things are a dream-come-true for the bad guys. BUT ....after we did ours the winch supplier then pointed out that welding a high tensile bolt reduces the strength of it and he would not guarantee the instalations to the vehicles unless all the welded bolts were cut off and new ones fitted, so that was what happened, and before long one was nicked. C'est la vie !!

I used to have a Warn M8000 on my competition vehicle and it was excellent, and it would cope well with a more powerfull motor too. It has the brake-inside-the-drum design that can get really hot after a lot of paying out under load, so beware if you have synthetic rope on one. Mine never broke, it still worked under water and it wasn't too bulky or heavy but it did take time and care to keep the cable neat on the drum as there was very little spare capacity there. If pulling off-centre it was often necessary to stop and relay the cable. If you go for a Husky you can either fit more cable on or use a shorter one and have space to let it build up at one end sometimes - or a bit of both. The drum is bigger than most other models. Another bonus of the larger drum is that you can afford to keep the vehicle further from the risky areas of the job, even if you need a double pull with a snatch block for a heavy load.

I assume you are asking about the Husky , made by Superwinch , which has the motor at rightangles to the drum. When I first started competing in winch challenge events in a 4x4 about 15 years ago a few people used these and I never saw one broken. A big advantage is that due to the worm drive gearbox the winch does not need a friction brake so will hold any load in any situation with minimal wear and tear. This design also means that there is no chance of damaging a synthetic rope when paying out long distances under load. Many of the cheaper (and some of the dearer) designs can lead to heat building up inside the drum due to friction in the braking mechanism when , for instance , a heavy load is lowered a long distance . This can lead to some types of sythetic rope melting and failing. The Husky winches I use at work with the Environment Agency are extremely reliable. If line speed is not an issue I would avoid the more commonly available options that run faster, the only other penalty you will pay with a Husky is weight, but synthetic rope will largely offset this. All those recovery lorries using Huskys should give a clue to their durability. If you get one in good order you'll never want to get rid of it.

Here's a better pic of our Easter Island Man Jen, he's getting past his best now and the wasps dug a few holes in him last year. Two years ago a round white fungus grew just under his nose, it looked as if he'd sneezed but couldn't wipe it Your seahorse looks great too, what do you plan to do with them ?

Great photos. Was the b&w of all the coins in the fallen log taken on the path to Aira Force near Ullswater ? If it is my kids each put a coin there 2 years ago when we were on holiday. Thanks for stirring the memories.

You could just pick a couple of short straight twigs off the floor, they only need to be the size of a pipe cleaner. I've realised some youngsters may not know what a pipe cleaner is.....don't confuse them with drain rods !!

Chris, Which link leads to the clip you are refering to ? I'm not able to find a TV outtake. Appologies if I'm being a bit slow today, Angus .

I did a similar piece about 5 years ago, we call him 'Easter Island Man' , this is the only photo I can find of him (in the background). He was a piece of driftwood so I've never known what the timber is. The Scout Fleur-de-Lys was a Christmas present for my Father in law (ex Venture Scout Leader). The treble clef was for my Mother in law, she sings a bit. These are both Leylandii.

I got a pair of Protector Xtremes from Radmore & Tucker in Exeter about 18 months ago and the sole is starting to peel away at the front of the right boot. The sole material is good on mine , but not the construction. When I start tripping over the flappy bit I'll take them to my local cobbler, he's got some ace glue for jobs like that.

What's a Hoppus foot ? Is it like an elephant's foot but a bit smaller and usually wet ? But seriously, why two different measures for softwood & hardwood ?

Mmm, I hadn't worked that bit out had I ? I was thinking it would just spin on its needle rollers regardless of chain speed generated by the driving saw........or would it ?? Wouldn't the only moving parts on the second saw be the clutch drum/sprocket assembly ? Angus .

All noted Rob, thanks for the warning. If I need someone on both ends of the mill I'll fit the second powerhead. Is there any reason that I couldn't just ask a second person to steady the far end of the mill by holding the other saw but not start it up ? Has anyone tried this already ?

Rob, I've decided that I want to try a helpers handle on one end of my mill so that I can use it on my own for narrower jobs. I don't suppose I can get one from you at the trade show next weekend can I ? I need the type with the idler pulley that you described to me on the phone some time ago.

I tried the link again and today it worked ! No idea why, but thanks for the advice. Angus.