Chris Gagen

what is the advantage of doing a 45 degree back cut in this or any situation?

i'm cheating as not a tree surgeon at all:001_tongue:, in fact, i'm the dodgy sort who has no formal training and most of my kit would make the HSE guys cry... (although i do own and use chainsaw trousers:sneaky2:) am growing a firewood and kindling enterprise, along side running a small mixed farm.

evening glyn , good to see another new face:001_smile:

yep, so there's a lot of work to do before a lorry loader gets any where near it...

ah, a bit of a trek to see theses parts then... fair play. i look forward to seeing pics of tables and gates etc. best of luck with it:thumbup1:

no worries simon, kettle doesn't take a moment to fill:001_tongue:

i'll second that, but its quite a multi-task machine really, firewood, kindling and woodchip in one load!

brookmeadow, whereabouts are you? i have a plantation of a similar (perhaps a couple of years younger) age, we are learning as we go with it and have started thinning conservatively, only taking out trees if the are overshadowing a promising neighbour, otherwise letting them grow on for firewood!

A Kiwi man in New Zealand buys several sheep, hoping to breed them for wool. After several weeks, he notices that none of the sheep are getting pregnant, and phones a vet for help. The vet tells him that he should try artificial insemination. The farmer doesn't have the slightest idea what this means but, not wanting to display his ignorance, only asks the vet how he will know when the sheep are pregnant.. The vet tells him that they will stop standing around and instead will lie down and wallow in grass when they are pregnant. The man hangs up and gives it some thought. He comes to the conclusion that artificial insemination means he has to impregnate the sheep himself. So, he loads the sheep into his Land Rover, drives them out into the woods, has sex with them all, brings them back, and goes to bed. Next morning, he wakes and looks out at the sheep. Seeing that they are all still standing around, he deduces that the first try didn't take, and loads them in the Land Rover again. He drives them out to the woods, bangs each sheep twice for good measure, Brings them back, and goes to bed exhausted. Next morning, he wakes to find the sheep still just standing round. Try again, he tells himself, and proceeds to load them up, and drive them out to the woods. He spends all day shagging the sheep and upon returning home, falls listlessly into bed. The next morning, he cannot even raise himself from the bed to look out of the window. He asks his wife to look, and tell him if the sheep are lying in the grass. No, she says, they're all in the Land Rover, and one of them is beeping the horn.

hmmm, and i thought i had a good deal with a newbie climber for £80/day... (no offence neil, you're worth every penny:thumbup1:)

Thanks, so simple that it didn't occur to me, doh! Have abandoned listing it until I've tarted her up a bit:thumbup1:

Just a bump to say that this will be on Ebay this evening.

considering i'm selling cbm willow at £70/bag and having repeat custom, i'd say chestnut would be worth even more, just state that it's for closed fires only. have also sold willow in small "garage forecourt" nets very successfully. i believe chestnut is sometimes known as "poor man's oak". says it all really.

I'm game, wife and very small lad to boot:thumbup1:

he's just on his 12th day, i'm taking the laid back approach to parenting...

politics, break it down, "poly" = many "tics" = bloodsuckers just about sums it up really.

hahaha i wasn't going to mention the persuasion provided with Matbro power...

looks good to me:thumbup1: now then, as i provided the tree i think it's only fair that i get a share of the praise. well done. you as well frosty:001_tt2:

wow oh wow, am I ever glad I don't have to work much with the general public, had 3 fires on the go today, but thankfully no where near any roaming people. (derail finished:blushing:)

ranger matt, what purpose do the short stakes around the fire serve? I'm intrigued...

well done chap:thumbup:, am expecting mine anytime, only a week from due date now:biggrin:

wow, would love to see your pole lathe managing 4ft dia by 20ft long:001_tt2: that would be some chair leg/candle stick holder... seriously though, good luck in your search mate:001_smile:

some good replies here folks, not sure about leaving the area open though kernowstu, is surrounded by mature woodland and is a very undisturbed area. The dead-hedging and brash over stools i'm not so sure about, i can see it being very labour intensive. i have heard that human hair strewn around is an effective deterrent, but not sure how true it is! at the moment i'm thinking that the orange plastic netting would be cheapest and , perhaps 2 rolls high, would work a treat if the base has a dose of round-up every so often:thumbup1: Deer man, thanks for the offer but my business partner is very anti-kill... don't ask lol:001_rolleyes:

Hi all, looking to coppice about 3 acres of chestnut soonish, and looking at options for aftercare, my question is: is there a more cost effective way to protect newly coppiced chestnut stools from deer and rabbits than the obvious deer fencing...? thoughts please people:001_smile:

hahaha touché re. the rule book i couldn't agree more, trouble is that a failure of a shackle or a hydraulic fitting etc can't often be detected with any amount of common sense. it is very difficult to balance safety with "just getting on with it" sometimes. enjoy your new BIG toy!