woodyguy

Looks good. Let us know if you find a link to the finished documentary

Tony, I've got that fid set which is excellent. But like the questionner I'd like to find a decent wire fid for burying the end of splices. Anybody know a reasonable prices source?

Good reply Tony. Not sure you'll have changed their minds though!

Not sure if I've missed it but is anybody using the ZigZag and RW going to feedback (even a video) about how they work together? Sorry if it is covered elsewhere.

Good point. But we have to make judgements from scientifically evaluated evidence. So steroid injections were standard treatment 3 years ago and now aren't, because they generally lead to a worse outcome and can weaken the tendon permanently which as a heavy manual worker is very bad news. The evidence therefore says - Best avoided.

I think the "they are harmful in the long term" is perhaps the relevant bit. Quote below - In most situations, steroid injections should not be used as, although they lead to very good results in the short term (six weeks), they are harmful in the longer term (more than three months). In one study, short-term success rates were greater than for physiotherapy or a wait-and-see policy, but in the long term (one year), success rates were greater for both physiotherapy and a wait-and-see policy than for injections.

This info leaflet explains why steroid injections are not currently advised Epicondylitis - Lateral and Medial | Doctor | Patient.co.uk

Hydrocortisone used to be used widely for injection for tennis elbow. As someone else posted though it has been found to delay healing so isn't generally used now. 95% of tennis elbows heal in about 18 months whatever you do. Ice, nsaid gels, massage, stretching, supports and physio all help. So I'd ice it, go for physio and probably avoid the injection. Changing working practices can help but is often difficult.

Jonny, if we're being pedantic, "however the meaning "gram-negative" refers to the polarity of a bacteria" isn't right. Gram stains identify fundamental differences in the cell wall of bacteria and have nothing to do with "polarity" which bacteria don't have. Tony rightly states that they are gram negative bacteria not fungi- so no confusion there.

Delivering on a scooter. Now that I would like to see.

Thanks for video. Shocking to watch what people will do but great to see safe alternatives offered.

You don't need a license for coppice.

Yes I suppose it is moisture going into the room. But with dry central heating and problems from that, a few grams of water a day is quite a good idea. I dry 9 logs at a time and have done it all winter with no problems. Drying a small number quickly doesn't seem to be a problem.

Thanks for sharing. Interesting article. Feel free to post more!

Now I'm really jealous. Would love to have Otters locally but none so far. Beautiful creatures.

I'm surprised at that result. My Esse stove gets wood to about 100c sitting on top, unlike clearview and others that are too hot and char it. I can dry 10inch hardwood logs from 51% to 20% in four days on the top (measured properly by weight not a moisture meter). To be fair I've not tried oak.

Oak is naturally rot resistant if you only use the heart wood. The sapwood rots quickly. I'm not sure that 2 inch thick is any good at all. May well crack and split as they dry at this thickness. I'd make them at least 6 inches personally. Soaking them in wood preservative will help but better would be just to use the heart wood. They will get very slippery though whatever you do.

Most people who have a knee replacement are happy with their mobility and improved pain. The main thing you don't say is how old you are? Hips will often last 20 years if you have one at 65years. Knee replacements however wear out much more quickly and if you have one at 50 (and are more active) will wear out even quicker. So generally people are encouraged to delay having it done so that it won't wear out before they become immobile through old age. A worn out knee replacement when you are 60 is bad news. Climbing trees and heavy work aren't within the normal expectations of a knee replacement. Difficult decision but maybe discuss it with your GP and if still keen an Orthopaedic surgeon?

Sorry if not clear. We have the right of way on our deed from 160 yrs ago and this right has been exercised daily over that period. That makes us feel safe that we won't lose those rights. The trees overhang the railway line so the rail company will maintain them. I agree that if it wasn't a railway ie just gardens or fields then nobody would maintain them. Just making the point that not all unregistered land is an issue. May just be the way that works best for people locally.

I tested mine by cutting down a rowan tree which I have to assume had constant moisture throughout the small length of trunk used for the tests. I then measured the moisture with a moisture meter. I cut a log and split it into four. From this log I cut a small kindling size piece, weighed it accurately and then dried it on the stove top at 100c for a couple of days until it got no lighter. This gave me an accurate reading for the wood's moisture when cut which was 51%. The meter was reading 37% at this time for the same wood. I then weighed the three logs and calculated the dry weight from the 51% reading. I dried these for several weeks and then split them to test with the meter. I seem to remember (no figures to hand) that when the meter was saying 20% internal fresh split surface, the actual weight showed a moisture of 36%. I was shocked as I expected it to be a small difference say 2-3% but this meant that I could be selling logs with 36% moisture as fully seasoned. I now when I split logs mark the Target weight on a couple of them and put a big cross on the end. I stack them with the others and after a few months, weigh these and when they achieve target weight then I know they are seasoned to 20%. There is a massive difference in the stove between a true 20% log and one that the moisture meter says is 20% but is actually 36%. I'd be fascinated for you to repeat the test as your meter and method might be slightly different.

Varieties of hazel are only really used for garden production of hazel nuts. If you have grey squirrels then they will eat all the nuts anyway unless you net them. You can also buy hazel bare root or container for 35p but you will spent several pounds on a named Cob variety. So just buy hazel and forget the nuts.

The only reliable moisture meter is your kitchen scales!

Woodworks, as a scientist myself I would agree with your wife, let it run. There is no fault with the design which is perfect. The only way to improve it would have been to do several editions of each number ie 5 logs at number 1,2 and 3 etc. This would have made it more accurate but wasn't necessary. If you really want to put the cat amongst the pigeons, look at how accurate your moisture meter is. You have correctly used weight for this series of experiments. I tried similar with weight vs moisture meter readings and found it was pretty much a joke with readings bearing little relation to actual moisture (even if freshly split). They did go in the right direction, ie drier wood by weight read less on the meter, but when my meter said 20% it was actually 34%.

just for Justme's benefit. this would be of real value if it was the same size and same species - true. That's why it is two experiments. The first 3 rounded pieces are the same species and the same size ie properly controlled experiment. The second experiment (4+5) is the same species to the same size just one cut across the grain and one ripsawed with the grain. So it fulfills everything you quite rightly wanted it to be.

Excellent result. Really glad you posted this. So if it was 50% moisture when cut and needed to get down to 20% to be burnt, then 30% loss, so 70% is the line we need. The end grain cut got there in 4 days and the side grain in 8 days, so twice as fast losing from end grain than side of grain. Moral - cut your logs short rather than thin. The bark is shocking and shows why splitting logs however small makes sense. Interesting that none of the those three are down to the 70% line yet. Nice to see a fully valid test which fully addresses the issues that we were discussing - respect!