Squaredy

No-one fully understands it, not even accountants and lawyers and HMRC can agree on what the rules mean. It is a minefield. Anyone new would be well advised to read up on it - there are threads on Arbtalk that go into it a lot - and it is almost enough to put you off using sub contractors! And we can't even blame the EU for this complex legislation....all our own home grown pile of nonsense!

£10 from Home Bargains for a 7ft Nordman. I actually think that is a Bargain.

If I remember rightly Douglas sent many seeds back to the UK, and saplings. So I think that many of the Sequoias all over the UK are all about the same vintage. The landed gentry and aristocracy of the day all tried to outdo each other with the most exotic trees etc so they all jumped on the bandwagon....luckily for us.

One thing we can be certain of is that it was not 200 years old. First Sequoia was introduced to the UK in 1853. Another thing we can be certain of is this is less of a crime than the really old trees that were felled for no good reason in California in the 1800s. Some of them were 2000 years old. That was ignorance. I guess this was incompetence.....or maybe cynical commercialism; though I doubt they will gain much, as it will need to be replaced, so it won't give them room for an extra house or three.

I just had a quick look, but it isn't listed anymore, I would guess it was too long ago - the oldest item showing is September. I spoke to the guy I know who knows the seller and he said it may be sold now - not finalised but nearly. I will let you know if it falls through! Keep looking on ebay, a few do come up, but it might be better to bite the bullet and go for a new one. I think you can get a half decent one these days for about £3000 or £4000. If you search Arbtalk there are threads where recommendations are made by members.

Just to add another opinion, yes Sequoia has a value but not high. Maybe £50 or so per cubic metre delivered to a mill. So realistically the value of the timber will likely be less than transport cost, especially as the trunk is such large diameter, as a timber lorry crane would struggle with the first couple of lengths. It is the same conundrum for almost all logs - unless it is a lorry load with direct road access cost of moving is very often too high to be viable.

I think the mould is attracted to the nutrients in the sapwood. The readings the OP quoted suggest it has been killed.

I use Stephen Cull, and I am sure they are a bit less than you are being quoted. Are you sure they are made in the UK?

I believe there is a Norwood Lumbermate 2000 for sale near me - South East Wales. He wanted £3500 I think. If this is any good I can find out if he still has it. By the way - little tip - search completed listings on ebay - you may find ones that failed to sell, like the one I am talking about.

How does any dealer get used stuff cheap enough to sell at a profit? Business closures, local authority sell offs auctions, MOD, etc. And yes the original owner would have got a much better price selling privately but may not have had time or inclination. I am am not saying you are definitely wrong, but you would be amazed at the kit that does become available legally. He may even be importing.

Very similar to the Arbortech carving blade. Can you believe they fit chains like that to bars attached to petrol engines and four foot guide bars????!!!!!!!!!

Such a shame that a beautiful tree like that is to be perhaps ruined. But it is so so common isn't it? When they built those houses they had enough foresight to save what was no doubt a nice tree, and it has been appreciated no doubt by the owners for the last 70 or so years, but you can't blame the current owners for being concerned. Having said that, if I were the owner I would leave it well alone except for getting risk assessments carried out once in a blue moon by an arborist whom I trusted. I went to look at an ancient Yew a few years ago (in Cwmbran) with a view to buying the stem as it was being felled, and I was horrified to find it was the largest most magnificent Yew I have ever seen (though not the oldest - I would say 400 years or so). It was in magnificent condition and the stem was 5 feet diameter or so at breast height and then as the multiple stems had conjoined over the years the apparent main trunk actually got wider up to about 20 feet height and was about ten feet diameter before the crown. It was a tree worthy of any magnificent tree book, but totally in the wrong place being in the back lawn of a small house. No doubt when the terraced houses were built in the early 1800s it was just an average large Yew and not a problem, but 200 years later it had become way too big for the setting. In a park or a large private garden it would have been a much cherished specimen, lavished with care and protection. I declined to buy the timber, but as far as I know it was felled.

A log round is almost guaranteed to split eventually unless maybe if it is just a few inches diameter, but even then it may still split. Some species may not like perhaps Sequoia, but Beech is very prone to splitting. I would suggest doing the splitting yourself, so the log does not need to split. Either cut it into two half rounds or four - then it probably won't split. And keep it in a well ventilated place outdoors out of the sun, and it will dry slowly. If you were hoping to keep the whole round and turn it using the full size your only chance is to turn it green, and then finish turning when it has dried.

Thanks!

Hi Blaisey, thanks for that, I will ring you and chat sometime. I enjoyed watching your videos, and as someone else said that is a neat little fork truck, what is it called? I tried following the link but it is dead now. I guess they don't come up too often second hand....I have certainly never seen one and I look a lot for that sort of machine!

In all seriousness in a building with poor ventilation mould can grow on almost any wood. When you get a few days of cold damp weather it can be a killer. Look at the underside of the roof sheets in the morning after a cold night - I bet they will be dripping.

One one possible explanation.... the original poster must live in the west of Scotland.

I am well aware there are many children in need of help both in the UK and elsewhere. What really annoys me is the talk of mass poverty in the UK. Much of the developing world would find this very odd. There are 1.4 million children living in the UK in poverty they say. They don’t usually point out that the definition of poverty that is being used has nothing to do with real poverty. My own kids are officially living in poverty. What nonsense.

Well when it is chopped split dried and delivered to loads of customers I guess that is about right.

I used to agree with this until I looked into it a bit more. Particles below a certain size are just emitted into the atmosphere. Up to a point we will get away with doing this but as more incinerators are built and with all the other emissions I think maybe this is a step in the wrong direction. The UK is not too bad, but even here there is increasing awareness of the harm being caused. Even burning pure wood is now being questioned in the press.

Ah shame, I have quite a few lumps mainly with spalting as well. Don't get offered much sadly. A very local solicitor offered me a large tree a couple of years ago which would have yielded three or four tons of timber and trunk diameter was about two feet. When I pointed out it would cause some damage to his lawn to extract he said he would have it cut up for firewood instead. If you are over the bridge in Wales give me a shout if you want to see my Holm Oak.

I just had a look through some of the great pics on this thread, fair play I love your work Steve. Turning can be rather boring as sometimes people just turn out endless bowls they have no use for, but I love the skittles. I like the way you also nest bowls - good way of avoiding waste. Wood turning is always going to be wasteful but at least with nesting, the block gives you three bowls for the price of one! Have you ever tried Holm Oak for balls? I am assuming the balls have to be pretty heavy. I love the grain of Holm Oak and guess it would make amazing balls?

Also think about what Ash and Spruce are good for. Neither good for cladding. Both could be used as construction timber but not where they will get wet. Really you need something better for cladding. You can treat Spruce of course but it will look for every opportunity to rot. Ash will be a bit better. Ash is great for interior fit out and furniture but will need drying.

Oh my goodness....did that fish used to be your missus???

Cash waiting for dry boards.... even Alder, Birch but also Beech Sycamore and Oak. Fancy turning that stock into cash?