Beardie

Looks like walnut, same as one of the other posts by the same person.

Just one thing Dicer, it's "ID" not "I'd". I don't mean to get totally OCD over this, but it's beginning to grate.

You either need to accept that they will most likely crack as they dry, or use them green and accept that they will be single-use. On the other hand, I have heard that horse chestnut resists cracking, though I can't confirm this first-hand. It has a very soft texture apparently.

1 hour ago, nepia said:

...in which case you can try the Cornus leaf test.  Pull a leaf gently in half across the centre vein; if there's a thin string of latex-like sap joining the halves you have Cornus.

I thought that was the Gutta-percha Tree, Eucommia ulmoides.

The structure of the flower is certainly Cornus-like; the 'petals' are actually bracts surrounding a bunch of individual flowers in the middle.

Exactly what it is I can't say, there are a lot of hybrids around.

7 hours ago, gobbypunk said:

I was just wondering if I am accident prone my girlfriend is saying I have more mishaps than anybody she has ever known

Maybe she doesn't know anyone else in such a dangerous profession.

Mind you, it's not my place to moralize, what with the number of times I have left off some protective clothing, just for a quick job. There but for the grace of God, etc.

On 15/02/2019 at 10:44, sandspider said:

I thought that most wood inside a heated house would be too dry for woodworm to be happy? More risk in slightly damper outside timber?

If it's already in there, it's not going anywhere until the grubs are grown and ready to emerge. Come to think of it, I understand that woodworm and deathwatch beetle cope very well with dry wood. They get all the water they need by metabolising it out of the wood as they digest it.

If they don't, then they have failed as willows. Other willows will mock their inability to cope with the wet conditions that willows are famed for liking, then disown them and say good riddance.

So yes, I think they should be okay.

Did you visit their website? That would have shown you what they can offer. The fact that the Forestry Commisson pointed you to them is a strong recommendation. Smallwoods do a number of courses at their base near Telford, including one on management plans, but may be able to suggest something nearer you. They also have a consultancy service.

I was wondering about the black bits, thought maybe he'd singed it by having the dull bar in one place for too long. If it's staining from metal fixings though, they were really deeply embedded.

This is the wrong section anyway. Employment is further on down.

Looks like something covered in ivy. Are you sure the leaves belong to the tree?

20 hours ago, Will Heal said:

Pretty sure there is termites in north Devon

OK, you got me there. Just as long as Mr. Dunley doesn't live in the Braunton Burrows area of Devon, he should be alright.

20 hours ago, Yournamehere said:

What about Wildebeast? I bet they'd do it.

Oh yes, of course! Wildebeest are well-known for hollowing out tree branches from the inside, causing unexpected failure. Silly me, how could I forget?

On 13/09/2018 at 08:36, heppa said:

There could also be termites living in the tree that caused the branch to fall off.

Er, no. Just no. There are no species of termite in the UK.

The local Bodgers group might just be interested. They turn green wood on foot-driven pole lathes.

On 13/10/2018 at 08:19, woodlovergonetofbasthatshowitsdonenowadays:( said:

 In my fire wood log piles I have only ever had this one piece in 5 years or so of wood gathering.

I think you've hit the nail on the head there. I had this idea of mounting clocks in natural holes and faced a similar raw-material supply problem. That's despite volunteering with the local wildlife trust and being able to access wood from a National Trust place nearby, so I'd expect to come across gnarly stuff which I could cut as I wanted.

Is the bowl turning something you intend doing yourself, or are you passing the wood on to someone else?

The shape reminds of one of those Dragon Trees on the island of Socotra. The leaves remind me of Hebe.

Take a leaf out of the pole-lathe turners book and hack the corners off with an axe. If you can start off with a rough octagon rather than a square, it is bound to go more easily.

44 minutes ago, Mick Dempsey said:

https://www.nowtolove.com.au/news/real-life/what-really-goes-on-during-a-gay-conversion-therapy-session-10468

 

 

OK, I got it. Didn't want it, but I got it. Room 101, here we come!

I'd love to help, but this is a British-based tree forum and we're not likely to know much about tropical species. Whatever you have there would need a heated greenhouse to be grown here. Seek advice closer to home.

If it's public space in front of your apartment, the trees don't belong to you and are not your responsibility. They either belong to the body owning the apartment building, or the local council. It is very public-spirited of you to go to the trouble, but if a tree were to fall and cause damage or injury, you could find yourself in hot water if you were found to have worked on the trees without consent or public liability insurance. Best course of action is to tell the owners of the building about the trees, and let them take it from there.

Is the bend an abrupt corner or a gradual bend? It's easier to deal with if the latter. Left to it's own devices, the tree will make corrective vertical growth only on new growth; the existing trunk will remain much the same. So your idea for a progressive pull, 5 degrees at a time, is a good one. Bonsai growers routinely bend their trees into all sorts of shapes. Bear in mind that maples are rather brittle, so if you hear a faint 'crack' leave everything as it is and wait another 6 weeks before continuing. Time it so that the straightening is complete by autumn, when it stops growing. Leave the supports in place over winter, then get ready to adjust them in early spring, so they don't cut into the trunk as it starts growing again. Then continue to support the trunk for a couple more growing seasons, until the tree has laid down a couple of fresh growth rings in the new shape.

I was staying with some friends over the winter and had a stove in the room. Found some dry elder under a sheet of corrugated iron round the back. It burned perfectly well, with none of the clouds of toxic smoke you're supposed to get.

Watching the video, it seems that the teeth on the Florabest were adequately sharp, but the saw jammed in the kerf more easily. Surely the real test is is how long those teeth stay sharp in regular use.  BTW, interesting to see that the cheapo saw was made in Germany, not China or Vietnam or wherever.