TGB

I also agree. I worked 13yrs. for a well known charity with large UK land holdings. It paid almost nothing, hardly a living wage for a frugal person. But I really liked both the job and being mainly outdoors. Ok so it had its downs but the ups more than made up for them. There's a great deal to say about enjoying what you do. You may not have a huge house house, you certainly have to think twice before buying something you want but may not really need. But how many people trudge through their working day, 50wks of the year, just so they can enjoy the other 2wks in the open air? Compare that to being able to enjoy, (all the time) what they aspire to, as they look at their screensaver of last year's holiday amongst the trees. If you have a reason to love your job and it may not be the money. Then enjoy it for what it is; for what it gives you that you'd not get elsewhere. If on the other hand, you dwell on the money others are making. I humbly suggest, you may be in the wrong job.

I don't see why not.

The sheep are realistic. Must take loads of time to mill fleece - from wooden to woollen.

Nice work. A good night's sleep is hard to beat and having a nice bed to slumber in, make even better. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

No comments on the garden furniture. However, if you come across canoeists, (and I don't mean kayakers) a favoured wood for thwarts, seats & wooden gunwales is ash. Its even grain and ability to slightly twist but spring back, is much sought after. A simply shaped & lightly sanded 80cm x 10cm x 2.5cm piece for a thwart, usually goes for £8 - £10 posted. If you bought on from a shop, it could cost up to £25. The paddler will then cut to final length, drill and treat before fitting. A 100cm x 12.5cm x 4cm for shaping into a carrying yoke, ranges from £15 for a planed blank, to between £20 and £70+ for shaped deep dish yoke. Gunwales run to £50+ for two times 4.8m x 2.5cm cm x 2cm planed. 5.2m in length would be a bit more. The paddler will then shape, drill, treat & cut to final length, as they fit to their particular canoe. Thwarts and yoke are normally posted but gunwales are normally collected. There's not that many people in GB doing wooden gunwales, so people are prepared to collect. Just one thing to remember. Paddlers will not buy or fit thwarts, yokes or gunwales that are twisted even slightly. It makes fitting a nightmare and leads to premature failure at points of contact. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

Very nice - and you say you're just starting. Good luck at the comp. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

I don't know how much of the total end-user cost are duties in Nordic countries. In GB, 78% of any gas or liquid fuel is duty. The nice people in government can then fiddle their accounts and claim for thing they don't own or need. If you want to enjoy life, work in the woods. If you want to enjoy the good life but be stuck in an office, work in government.

Agree brass would have looked better but with silver, you just need a light dusting now and then, with a periodic polish. With the brass, it would require more frequent polishing to prevent tarnishing. But it's still a thing of beauty. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

After checking local market - if you're going with 45gal. drums, one will give you an idea of quantity produced to amount of man-hours to produce. Sizeable but not too big holes in base or a number of slits cut with grinder should do. Open the top, also with grinder but don't remove top or rim. The top hole needs to be big enough to reach into, while still giving support for a cover, (a top-handled metal dustbin lid is good. Make the pieces approx. 12.5-20cm long and 50-75mm thick. Any bigger and you'll be getting some wood and some charcoal. Splitting the wood will give a great surface area to help remove all moisture. Place drum on three or four brick, on level area, allowing for even passage of air. Backfill earth around base of drum to maybe 15cm in height; allow around three points of initial air feed and close up to one small air inlet when kiln is going. If the area has been levelled out of a slope. Have the final air inlet on the downhill side, so if it rains and there water running down the slope, there won't be unduly moistened air entering the drum/kiln. Remember to seal top around cover with soil. You can compact this and as the soil dries, it will loosen, allowing passage for vapours. There's lots more to do but one of the main things after, (or maybe before) the burn starts, is making sure you have plenty of time to spare. In daylight, you prepare more wood for the next burn, read, etc. in bad light, it's down to singing songs,reciting poetry or listening to music and watching the wildlife. If you're using drums and are going to have a burn going in more than one at a time. Remember to give yourself working room between drum walls. So in one drum is finished before its neighbour, you're not burning your knuckle while emptying it. Get a comfy but weatherproof chair and or a tarp for shelter. If you've not got one already, get yourself a head torch. If you get cold, the drum/kiln walls are nice and hot but keeping your feet warm can be problematic. Be tidy, keep things in the same place and get yourself a large waterproof container for fire starting materials. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

I've had tennis elbow in both arms. Once at the same time. It flares now and then but at least I now what's going to happen next, so can deal with it promptly. After some rest and by that I mean not using that limb for heavy lifting, pushing and trying not to grip things tightly. You can aid both your immediate recovery and future flares, by shortening the problem forearm muscle. Now put that knife, needle & thread away. Instead but and arm strap from a sports shop. Something akin to http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/279-2668595-1834126?url=search-alias%3Dsports&field-keywords=Bracoo+adjustable+tennis+elbow+strap&rh=n%3A318949011%2Ck%3ABracoo+adjustable+tennis+elbow+strap Now there are more expensive ones and ones that shroud the entire elbow but all you really need, is something that clamps around the arm just below the elbow. This will in effect, shorten the working muscle and relieve the problem part of the muscle from undue strain. When you're well, just keep it in the 1st Aid kit for any future weakness in the same area. If you know what it is and catch it early, you can get it strapped and carry on your day. Just make sure the strap is adjustable, so you can wear it over or under different layers of clothing. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

As someone has already said, "Pay him and move on." Ok, so it might no be a pleasant experience dealing with him but don't stoop to his level. It's easy to make an enemy, harder to then get them off your back. Plus if you tell him where to go now; who knows what he might say down the line to potential customers of yours. You both move in the same circles, if not at the same grade. Keep quiet now and live with it. There are always going to be people in life, that are just grumpy as hell, to whom anything that makes them use connected brain cells, is beyond their reasoning. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

Where there's a way, there's a will. Don't fall in the fish pond. You could kill something or damage the pond. Don't run up and down the stairs. You'll wear the carpet out. He - She - They is/are a clown. Working together to fit new window casements. A friend of mine asked his father why he, (the father) had just partially crushed the son's hand and broken a finger with a lump hammer. And got the calm reply, "Why did you put you finger there." Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

That vid never gets old, even if the tree did. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

You were evidently worried about the reading. I suggest that you ask your doc/nurse about the reading at the time. If next time it's low or high, you ought to know what that mean for you personally and being in the surgery, is an ideal place. Plus, if you ask right there and then, you don't need to wait for another appointment and can avoid any prolonged worrying. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

I humbly stand corrected. Thank you Woodkraut for your knowledge in this matter. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

Talking guarantee - Collect & Return is always handy. In the event of a breakdown, you just ring up the vendor, who arranges a pick up date by courier. Box up the hardware and then wait for the repaired/replaced hardware to arrive back at your door when all is done. Much easier than having to first find time to go to the PO and a great deal cheaper too. For small business needs, graphics and viewing photos can easily be handled with intergrated graphics as part of the CPU. The speed of loading photos/viewing 'YouTube' vids may be a little slower, (but not that much slower) as RAM used for graphics, will be shared with your main RAM. You'll only really need a graphics card with its own RAM, if you're playing games / editing video / viewing film in HD / regularly crunching big numbers.

Fair dos and thanks for the info. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

Gnarlyoak you've done a cracking job there. Functional and tidy with interesting bits. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

Someone is bound to point out my lack of forum research before posting but I have some niggles with the way the site's software handles recognition. Having bought Arbtalk's mobile app, (I'm using an iPod Touch) I wrongly assumed that the annoying "Do you know Arbtalk has an app..." message which shows every time a new page, post and thread is selected for viewing would cease to be displayed. If the select cancel, I'm then allowed to view said page or post. If I select to buy the app, even though I've already bought & installed it; it then shows that it's already installed. But still refuses to recognise its presence on my device. So the very next page, post or thread I try to view, I'm faced with the ever familiar "Do you know Arbtalk has an app..." message. And I have to select the cancel option again before I'm able to continue. The above happens if I get to Arbtalk through my bookmarks or if I've got here via a linked page from elsewhere on the internet, (even if I'm logged-in on the forum). The message isn't displayed and I don't have to choose 'Cancel' at every turn, if I get here and log-in via Arbtalk's mobile app icon. But even thus way is not without quirks. For instance, I can reply to a post but I cannot edit any of my replies or posts. Even if it's straight after posting to correct a typo or add a little bit more info. I presume the lack of avatars & Smilies, is to save memory and or space on-screen when viewing the forum on a mobile device. Also, when posting after entry via the mobile app's icon, I cannot quote and existing post, nor format the construction of my replies/posts. Are these things happening to others or are they a conflict between Arbtalk and Apple software? In which case, I'm stuck with either the incessant "Do you know Arbtalk has an app..." message and or the lack of control when posting.So Something I've just noticed too, is that when tapping out an reply/post, the text doesn't auto scroll. So the cursor can be hidden off screen while typing/tapping.

If it just paperwork handling and you're not going to be playing games or rendering graphic/constructing video, then a basic PC, laptop or notebook will suit your needs. If you know in advance what software you'll be running, this will simplify the choice of hardware. Most computers now come with more than enough storage memory and computational memory for accounting and small business use. Just make sure you keep a backup of your important stuff. Either on another mass storage device or cloud based through something like 'Google Docs' or 'Dropbox'. Each method has its advantages & disadvantages. Most wrong with Dell. Plenty of bang for bucks, good website and run pretty quiet. Whatever you choose, make sure it has enough ports of the type you personally need. If you can afford it, get a Mac, as this may see you past multiple software update with some ease. However, if you go the PC way, upgrading the internals when needed, will be a lot easier and cheaper. Given the age of your present machine, it is unlikely that a newer motherboard will fit in your case. But it might be worth asking, because maybe you only really need an updated CPU and some more RAM to keep in there with your business needs. Getting an all singing, all dancing shiny computer would be nice. But don't go for something like a 660, when you're just planning on doing a spot of coppicing. If you'll only ever need it in one place, a PC will do fine. If you've ever found a need in the last 12yrs. when mobility would've come in handy, then get a notebook or similar. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

MS simply stands for 'Motor Schlagen' which is basically German for chainsaw. I guess in an international market, a single identifier is easier to associate with a brand. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

Couple of things I forgot to mention about rescue and lines: -If during the rescue the line were to become tangled around the swimmer's neck, release the line immediately. If the person drowns, resus may be possible. If the person dies from strangulation, resus is going to be problematic. -Never wrap line around limb or body. You have to ask yourself the question, "Do I want to continue using that part of my body?" If the answer is 'yes', don't body-wrap line. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

If you have a throw bag at the ready, better make sure all know the basics of using one and have had some practice in the use thereof. If you do go for wearing BAs, be aware: -If they're foam filled, they need to have not only a zip but a lower chest/waist strap with quick release buckle. And this needs to fit below ribs level. -If it's the self-inflating type - it should be noted that the auto activation of the air capsule, is designed to work when immersed in salt water. Fresh water will not trigger the capsule. So the toggled cord has would have to be pulled. If the swimmer is unconscious in the water, this is not going to happen. -Sailing type BAs are designed to float a person face-up. Paddling/adventure type BAs are not designed to float a person face-up. They're designed to bring you to the surface and keep you there. -If a person is wearing a paddling/adventure type BA, is in the water and is face-down but on the surface. There's the very real chance that they may be unconscious or concussed. In which case, they're not going to be grabbing for any thrown line. -The only time a person on the dry-side should be anchored to an immovable object, is if they're wearing a full rescue vest BA and they know how the chain of rescue works. They would also require a second standing close by. -Anchoring someone wearing an ordinary BA, will only endanger their life if things go wrong. And thus have a knock-on effect for the person in the water. Some things to remember when using a throw bag: -Do not tie a loop at the end. A small loop could ensnare a hand. A big loop could ensnare a head. -Never throw the bag over-arm, as this could snag the line in overhanging branches. -Never throw the bag in a discus manner - it's not a completion for range. -Always throw the bag under-arm and aim to get the line in front of the person or where it will flow into their reach. -Do not aim to hit the swimmer's head, even if they are wearing a helmet. -If the first throw lands the line off target and a second throw is needed. There will not be the time to repackage the bag with line. Instead, loosely loop the retrieved line in the non throwing hand, immerse the bag in the water to fill said bag; now throw the water filled bag toward the target area. Yes, water will escape from bag mid flight but it will drag the line out of the thrower's other hand. -Obvious but worth remembering. While throwing the bag with one hand, it is vital to also be holding the other end of the line in the non throwing hand. Forgetting in practice may be deemed to be funny amongst friends. Forgetting in time of rescue, is in no way funny! -If but a new throw bag for the job or for any potential water rescue for that matter. Always give it a dummy throw on dry land. After removing sales labels, a throw bag should be ready for use but make sure it is, before you really need it. -When repacking the line, never coil it and then put it back into the bag. Best method for repacking, is to Z-fold it into the palm of one hand in small bunches. Then push each handful into the base of the bag. Continue Z-folding small bunches and pushing into bag until only the last 30cm. remain. Then secure the closure with the Velcro strap. -If you have the bag, make sure it's easily to hand. Having to get it from a locked vehicle instead of readily having it to hand, is the difference between life and death. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

The word NO! springs to mind. Only in eight foot (2.44m) high flaming letters and a really big exclamation mark. Call me a party-pooper but after reading through its history and watching a few vids, I reckon having my jaws removed via my ears might be more fun. And before someone offers - no that wasn't an invite. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App

(Tried to edit previous post but with no luck. hence 2nd. post.) However, not being a pro and considering Stihl and in some cases Husky's online sales policy. For the main hardware, it's either local at rrp or somewhere like 'Forest & Arb' - where even considering the journey's fuel cost, I could still have change in my poccket. And could visit relatives/friends along the way. Sent by Arbtalk Mobile App