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Spruce Pirate

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Everything posted by Spruce Pirate

  1. Spruce Pirate
    I was reading another thread a few minutes ago about wood species which reminded me of this. I was asked by a local pub, a few years ago now, to supply either beech or elm for their Italian style wood burning pizza oven. They were very specific about it being elm or beech, I asked at the time why it had to be one of these species, but never got an answer over, "because it does". I had a bit of low quality elm at the time so it wasn't a problem to do it, but I always wondered why the species was so specific. Does anyone know the answer?
  2. Spruce Pirate
    In addition to payment terms etc, make sure you put on how long the quote is valid for. 90 days is standard I think. You don't want someone coming back to you three years later when all your costs have trebled and saying they'd like to accept your quote.
  3. Spruce Pirate
    Is this really a problem on here? For everything that is posted up showing something not being carried out to industry best practice there always seems to be somebody posting up a reply saying, "that looks a bit dodgy, why don't you do it this way?". I'm paraphrasing, obviously.
  4. Spruce Pirate
    Other than almost any semi-mature onward tree may have some bat potential I don't see anything specific in the photos. Is there something I've missed or are you generalising here?
  5. Spruce Pirate
    Don't like thunder and lightning. If it starts its home time for me. I know a couple of people who've been struck, both on the ground, doesn't sound pleasant.
  6. Spruce Pirate
    Purely out of curiosity, why did you join an arb forum if you've nothing to do with the industry? I'm not saying you shouldn't join, the forum wouldn't be as interesting if it was only tree types on it, just wondering.
  7. Spruce Pirate
    I think they're separate tickets. PA1 is the foundation ticket, you need it to do any subsequent tickets, but all the others are stand alone units.
  8. Spruce Pirate
    The problem with this is that it is supposed to be about improving health and safety. Unfortunately we don't yet have the full details of exactly which hoops we will need to jump through. My worry is that it's going to be time consuming; expensive; contractors will not be able to fully recoup the costs and in reality it will do very little to actually improve health and safety. I hope I'm proved wrong on all these points. I do not think that refresher training is a totally bad thing, I'm on record on here several times saying so. However it should be meaningful, and be based more on an individuals skills and abilities rather than a box ticking exercise. Of course log books can be fabricated, but I'd like to think if it were a viable alternative to endless re-testing that most folk would take a couple of minutes each day to complete it? Maybe I have too much faith in human nature...
  9. Spruce Pirate
    You are, of course, quite right on this. I did think of that after I wrote that post. Yes, I agree, perhaps best not to tempt fate. My point being I think I am in more danger driving to work than I am while at work, and yet it is the less risky part of the operation that I am required to refresh/recertify in. Logging hours, apart from the long paper trail involved, does seem a good idea to me. Unfortunately this whole process smacks of lip service to Health & Safety to me. I don't see how being refreshed is going to make a dangerous operator safer. If anything we need good, and I mean really good, assessors to come on site and assess our abilities on the job and then make any recommendations to us how to do anything better, if required. In my opinion FISA should be paying for this. Getting guys who have been cutting for 20+ years, even 10 or 5 years, to refresh their 30/31 is pointless.
  10. Spruce Pirate
    Yes, but most wood cutters aren't professional drivers.
  11. Spruce Pirate
    Very valid point. I still say that driving to work is the riskiest part of my, or anyone's, day. No mention of compulsory refresher for driving though, is there?
  12. Spruce Pirate
    I'm sure I remember someone telling me there is a way of keeping a tree on the stump. Back cut below the hinge??? I'm not sure of this, it might need a winch to compensate for the back cut being low? Like I say, not sure of it.
  13. Spruce Pirate
    Don't think this is right. FC policy is that full time users must REFRESH every 5 years, not re-sit. BUT, doing a ticket refreshes you. So, it may be cheaper to do the assessment than to do the refresher. That is do the assessment only, not the training. See other threads on this, but it appears the powers that be have decided that we are too dangerous and that refresher training will make us safer.
  14. Spruce Pirate
    The last ticket I did the instructor toted up all my units and reckoned I could get some sort of diploma thing by doing only another unit, re-pollarding was what he suggested I think. It was the first I'd heard of it, and I'm still not sure exactly what the "qualification" you get is. But, to answer your question, yes, I've heard of it. I'd be interested to hear any further information anyone's got.
  15. Spruce Pirate
    For what it's worth, I think series 3 doors will fit a defender. You could fit series 3 doors to a 90/110, and you can fit defender doors to a 90/110, therefore the series 3 doors should fit a defender. I might be wrong on this, but I think they're interchangeable.
  16. Spruce Pirate
    Did you get 2p cash-back on the chip?
  17. Spruce Pirate
    Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Just because you can't prove there is a benefit does not mean that the benefit isn't there.
  18. Spruce Pirate
    I would agree. Don't give the guy a tenner if you want to make any money. I think the best result for both of you would be you filling your time and getting a foot in the door of a business which you may be able to grow into something worthwhile and he gets rid of the wood for nothing.
  19. Spruce Pirate
    I normally use either the local nursery, Trees Company just outside Stirling; Christies Elite at Forres or Christies of Fochabers but there are many more nurseries available. Can't think of any local to Glenrothes off the top of my head, but try google. I doubt it would be worth the hassle of applying for a grant for 50 trees.
  20. Spruce Pirate
    Not heard of anyone using old sump oil for years, but I believe it used to be quite common practice. Its dirty, bad for you, bad for environment, maybe old saws were more tolerant of it. Other than being free, it has very little going for it.
  21. Spruce Pirate
    Good info. Just as well I didn't buy one of the kits then! To be honest, I don't really miss the bonnet mounted spare. It made it hard to lift the bonnet and restricted vision of the front when manouvering or even just driving. My wife refused to drive it with the wheel on the bonnet as she couldn't see properly.
  22. Spruce Pirate
    What do they do if they get a flat? And what all are they carrying in there? I run a 3500kg chassis (ex power board as it happens), and even with racking in the back, roof rack, winch, hand winches in the back, saws, fuel, etc, etc..... I was still below 3000kg the last time it was on a scale.
  23. Spruce Pirate
    You mean they put so much kit in them that they would be overweight with a spare wheel? I thought I carried a lot of stuff with me, but I've never got close to that!
  24. Spruce Pirate
    Why is it illegal on Td5's? I thought you could get a kit for them for a bonnet mounted spare. Swing away carrier for the rear will free up a lot of space in the back. Should be able to get one to fit with the tailgate.
  25. Spruce Pirate
    Having been woken by the tractor in the field behind the house at just after 7 this morning I have to agree. Sometimes (as with the tractor this morning) things have to be done when you can, but does tree cutting really need to be done at 6 in the morning?

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