Squaredy

If you are in Pembrokeshire this might work. I don't know where Angle is though.... or was this an auto-correct type error?

Well if everything were simple and black and white this would be true. In reality the courts make arguably more law then parliament. And I don't just mean foreign courts, but the UK ones also. The law says that you may use reasonable force to defend yourself. The courts interpret this, and once interpreted that becomes case law. So parliament doesn't say whether you can shoot a robber in the back - the courts do.

I have used them many years ago, but I only buy fairly locally now. Also unless they have changed a lot they mainly deal in oak.

Just had a little look at Woodlots. No adverts placed so far this year and I can only find one from last year. I wonder if @Steve Bullman has considered adding a new trading website to his collection to give a decent platform for buyers and sellers?

Yes many times in the past. In recent times it looks as if it is not really being used much any more. I have made contact with a few people who advertise on Woodlots, but never actually got anywhere. Thank you for the suggestion though - I will have a look, and of course I will be phoning round my usual forestry dealers.

I am currently in need of lime, alder and beech sawlogs. I need ideally to purchase by the lorry load, but species can be mixed. So I will happily buy a whole 26 ton load of these species, but if they were mixed in with other species this might also work. These are for milling so I am not after firewood grade. Having said that I don't need very large diameter - as long as each log is no less than 8 inches (200mm) top diameter that is fine. Also not too bendy or knotty please. I am based in South East Wales. Any offers? By the way I usually pay around £65 to £100 per ton, plus delivery, depending on quality etc.

It doesn't sound as if you read the very first post on this thread. The reset goes way way further than you appear to be aware. Are you comfortable that our elected parliament (useless as it is) is in effect always subject to judges based in other countries? Judges that it is worth pointing out are elected by no-one. Suppose the UK passes a new law to try and improve the terrible state of our rivers by limiting the chicken farm runoff that destroys them (you may be aware that salmon have almost totally disappeared from the famous Usk and Wye salmon fisheries). Would you be comfortable that the EU could effectively block such a move even though the UK held a referendum which then took us out of the EU?

Sorry to hear you are giving up on milling Mark. I hope you enjoy your new life.

Agreed. In fact it is even worse than you state. Much of the salmon we produce is flown to the USA. And most of the salmon we eat is from Norway. With cod it is even more bizarre. The best cuts go abroad, the cheaper cuts stay in the UK.

Mmmm now that sounds very familiar......!

I don’t think many people think trade with the EU is a bad idea. It is handing over our sovereignty that people don’t like. When I was young we were members of the EEC otherwise known as the common market. Then without ever consulting the public John Major Took us into the EU. That is the European Union. Quite different from a free trade area.

Personally for me it is not about benefits. Our governments of all colours over the last twenty five years or so have mis-managed most things. But I find this easier to stomach than foreign unelected Eurocrats and foreign courts mismanaging us. But to answer your question, one benefit is we have saved about 20 billion in net contributions since leaving. So maybe our ‘Black Hole’ is a little smaller than it would otherwise have been.

Well I guess the remainers must be celebrating. We are now in effect back in the EU. Here is a quote from Martin Howe KC one of the leading experts in EU law, writing today about Starmer’s reset: Brexit was all about getting back control of our laws, our borders and our money. A Brexit in which we formally leave the European Union but still follow its laws is senseless. We lose our freedom to choose our laws, and we don’t even have a vote on the shape of the laws which continue to govern us. Such has been the political rush to get the Starmer reset deal announced that no actual legal text has been agreed. Instead, there are a series of vague aspirational documents containing agreements of principle. But they are concrete enough to reveal an astonishing series of concessions and surrenders by the Starmer government to the EU in return, as far as one can see, for nothing at all. This pulls the UK back into the EU single market across the whole field of food and agriculture. It is a flagrant breach of Labour’s 2024 election manifesto promise that there will be no return to the single market. The UK will be obliged to ‘dynamically’ apply EU rules. This means that whenever the EU changes its rules in this field, the UK must follow. In addition, those rules will be interpreted under a dispute resolution mechanism which ensures that the ECJ is ‘the ultimate authority’ on the interpretation of those rules. Thus, not only will we be accepting a huge body of foreign law to apply across the country, but we will also be accepting that that law is to be interpreted by a foreign court. And not just any court, but a court with a track record of ignoring legal texts in order to further the European project. Enjoy the EU Arbtalkers!

I am a bit late with this, but I happened to be reading about this poor man today. Retired special constable from Gillingham arrested for posting tweet warning against anti-Semitism WWW.KENTONLINE.CO.UK A former special constable had his home searched and devices seized before being cuffed for replying to a pro-Palestine tweet. To save you having to search in the article for what he actually posted online this is it: "One step away from storming Heathrow looking for Jewish arrivals…". That doesn't make much sense, but it was in a response to another post complaining about the then home secretary. The post was only seen by 27 people. and no-one complained about it. Incredibly it was Kent police themselves who spotted it and decided the poor man must be arrested and his house searched.

I sort of don't get how any small firm can offer proper apprenticeships these days. The thought of paying someone £12,000 for you to train them for a year, and then £16,000 to train them again in year two, never mind the relentless paperwork and red tape. I am probably being a bit negative, and I do get that someone who is really keen could actually be useful in year one and two; but many youngsters straight out of school or college won't even know how to tie their shoelaces, and trying to keep someone like that not only occupied but constantly supervised sounds like something you would pay to avoid. Never mind that if after three years of hard work moulding them to be a safe efficient productive worker they leave. In larger companies where there are structures, and well established processes and procedures it might work out.

Yeah thanks Les; I have wondered about pad sanders over the years. But I was thinking more for multiple narrow boards like internal cladding for instance.

Has anyone got experience of using a brush sander on rough sawn timber? I am wondering if this might be a useful service to offer instead of planing when a customer wants a sanded finish but does not need actual planed timber. Most of the information on t’internet is about fine sanding of complex pieces and profiles, whereas I am thinking just a way of finishing simple boards in a rustic way. Thoughts?

I think the problem with the rape gangs is the cover up. Just like Jimmy Saville and others at the BBC it is the fact that the establishment knew what was going on and chose/choose to keep quiet about it. Unlike Saville’s actions however the rape gangs are still active. And as for nationality, the police forces have confirmed that Pakistani men are far more likely to take part than others.

Why don’t you post some photos so we can see what is on offer? Also it might make a difference if you are able to arrange haulage.

Hedgerows are full of elm in much of England and Wales, and sadly they don’t grow very big, but probably plenty big enough for a few bow staves. But I have no idea which elm they are - probably mainly English elm.

Interesting. Certainly the weight is very noticeable - as if the timber is freshly milled.

And is it really resinous and sticky? That is the only real drawback I have found with the pine I have handled recently. It planes fine, but sanding is almost impossible.

It may not be the best firewood, but it will dry super fast, so worth having.

Yes of course there is some value there, and you can cut the stems into helpful lengths so the owner can sell them. If after a few weeks they realise it is rather a lot of effort and not bringing in any cash then they could ask you to quote for their removal. As has already been said, don’t get involved. Transport costs for the logs will make it a fool’s game.

Finally I remembered to take some pictures of the installed worktop.