devon TWiG

Yes it is hard to get the shape "just so " and as you say an excellent exercise in appreciation and achievement of form , which is essential to produce quality work ....however if you select a few real eggs most of them are not perfect !!! nice one though Mick , when you have made good one try then to make an identical matching one !!!!

Thanks for the replies folks ! ... It does seem that no one considers it wrong in any way to cut and stack firewood in a woodland and I really do not understand where he is coming from , I shall just wait and see what the response is .....

FC said that what happens to trees after felling is not their dept , no felling licence reqd ( less than 5m3 per calendar 1/4 ), yes it would seem many people say they would like to see more small woods "managed " however there are too many barriers to this .....my research has lead me to discover such activities as hurdle making , greenwood furniture, spoon carving , charcoal making etc are not considered "forestry " and are not permitted except ad minimus - less than 28 days per year ....ironically DNP gave a grant to an organisation to encourage bringing coppicng back in to rotation and funded courses etc for training but you are not allowed to process arisings in the woodland !!! ( same rules whether in a NP or not apparently )

I own approx 4 acres of woodland in Dartmoor National Park , 60% Douglas fir the rest broadleaf , it is my intention over time to remove quite a bit of the douglas fir and nurture the natural regen and some planting / seeding to convert it to mostly broadleaf or with a lower canopy of broadleaf , initial operations ( dealing with dead roadside , and other fallen trees etc) has provided me with firewood for my own personal use (approx 6m3 ) which I have cut , split and stacked ,with a tarpaulin covering to keep dry ...... recently a planning officer whilst dealing with the siting of a caravan on adjacent land contacted me with regards to the log piles and stated that I am not allowed to do this as it is considered processing and storage and requires a change of use as it is not considered "forestry " I have done some research and some rulings if interpreted in a particular way may lead to this conclusion but to be honest I am utterly bewildered at such rulings ...... I am not bringing wood in from other locations or selling to others , but if a qualified / competent person working in a forest ,with wood from said forest using forest equipment /tools is not regarded as forestry then I am at a loss as to what it is ......anyone ever come across this before ?????

There is also a climbing contest at this venue on the Sat and Sun , I may well go along to watch ...as I have yet to see SRT in action !!!!....anyone on here taking part ?

Just posting to see if i can still post ( or not ) as I seem to have needed to log in again .... I am a techno -numpty ...

I was thinking exactly the same about a month ago ....ms661 or 395 xp ..... I went for Stihl in the end , ( radmore and tuckers £990 ) used a mates a few times and liked it ..... first job with the new saw was climbing with it !!!! not milled with it yet .... winter job me thinks ...

I own 4 acres of woodland in Dartmoor National Park , and I have an old Toyota Rav 4 that I leave in the woodland and use it as a sort of tractor / dumper etc for access around the woodland and for shifting stuff around ( it has been there about a year now ... today I received a letter from DNP stating that this .... falls outside of the provisions of the T&C planning act and a change of use is required .... I am NOT trying to start a scrap yard, or use it for off-roading etc etc , or any other such thing just to be clear , it is purely a workhorse and I do not particularly desire or need a tractor , assuming that it would be OK to leave one there as it is an agricultural vehicle ....Does any one know of a legal rule about parking a vehicle on your own land ?

£250 an hour last year .... and no it is not "acceptable " it is f'in blackmail !!!!!

You may feel £350 is fair for about half a days work , but will the client ?? assuming they know how long it took and what was involved .....

The allowances for vehicle usage is quite clear to me and should be understood by anyone self employed , my understanding is this .......A dedicated works vehicle eg sign written transit tipper all running costs are tax deductible . Although some vehicles your accountant may expect you use your works vehicle for private use and may deduct a percentage ..... If you use your own private car for business use occasionally ( quoting , surveys , attending seminars / courses etc ) then you can claim 45p for miles covered against taxable income / profit .....In the case of the OP if you are self employed and are receiving , lets say , £100 per week extra ( which should be subject to taxation as part of your income ) yet you cover 100 miles you are then entitled to claim £45 per week expenses against this "extra " income therefore will only pay tax on the remaining £55.. I believe the 45p per mile was a result of consultation between HMRC and motoring organisations as typical costs for running an average car ...

I have occasionally given thought to this subject .... especially dust when working with some species , especially dead monterey cypress used to make itself felt when working it , cutting and chipping , I also know that Western red cedar is particularly toxic if you are working in a sawmill , never had problems with Yew , Laburnum etc that some consider to be very toxic , exhaust fumes can be horrible at times on hot windless days in sheltered corners of gardens , but most of the time whilst climbing no probs whatsoever , just think what work makes your air filters clog up fastest ,and if your nose needs picking !! Saws and a lot of gear used to run 25-1 on leaded fuel !!! but nowadays I think the worst thing for dust is the Blower ......I do a lot of turning and woodwork in my shed and always wear a TREND air filtered helmet system especially when sanding , but could not wear it doing tree work .... Also my main hobby is Freediving / Spearfishing so I do like to look after my lungs !!!

Much nicer shape / form on the second one ..... but why are you using off cuts and not nice select pieces from trees ? ( I am assuming you are in the tree work industry )....

was this just a plain Aesculus hippocastanum ? it looks a bit like a graft union at the base that has perhaps failed .

I like this video more !!!! [ame] [/ame] go to 8 minutes for the felling or just enjoy the rest as well !!! I expect a few of you will notice the incorrect sharpening technique tut tut ...

I would be surprised if bone oak could be bent after steaming it is usually a bit big in diameter , I am curious as to why you want to bend it , what are you planning to do ?? a section of steel , or cast pipe blanked off at one end would make a decent boiling / steaming pot just put in a fire at an angle .... would like to see your results if you try ...

I am considering scorching it all over and then oiling .....

Recently finished this fairly large and heavy ( 50 kilos ) throne , made entirely from Oak , just a few short slabs and the rest is just sections of "bone " oak ( or stagheaded ) as you can see I used a forked piece for the rear legs and upright in one piece , the seat has been jointed in to the legs and secured with large screws countersunk , and then plugged with an oak peg ( just because it looks better , I think !!) also the areas such as the arm tops where I come into contact with the wood whilst sitting in it have been spokeshaved and sanded to resemble centuries of wear from use ..... sadly it has been pouring with rain recently so i have been unable to enjoy it ...

A few bowls recently finished made from Rippled ash , not from a decent log but a small section from a manky lump in a mates firewood heap , really stunning grain , and a little bit of spalting as well and just another example of how much lovely wood is out there if you know what you are looking for and get lucky ...( bowl with scorched centre is about 6"dia , the other about 10" dia and 4-5 inches deep )

Perhaps all her PPE is in the wash so it is nice and clean when she goes for re-assessment on monday !!!!

I have a makita top handled cordless saw , less than £200 without batteries and charger which I already have and use with many other power tools , so far i have found it a very useful bit of kit ........

Is it worth it ? the cost of the transport and the time and effort milling, even if the log was free must come to a fair bit .... does Sycamore have sufficient value to justify it , or is it rippled ? just politely curious and hope it is, as it often seems a shame to just log it up for firewood or leave it to rot !

Cut the wood from fresh / green and keep in the dry never allowing it to get wet again until seasoned enough for use , this will give you the best chance depending on species ...

I bought one a while back and rather like it now !! I too already had 2 batteries and charger for other tools so less than £200 seemed a pretty good deal , useful to keep near the chipper to cut the odd bit that does not fit etc , I have also deadwooded quite a few big Douglas firs and it will do 5-6 before battery dies , I also use it for "rough " carpentry work , all in all i have found it a very useful tool , quiet and no starting effort , but chain speed seems a bit slow compared to a petrol saw ....

If your home has wheels then it would appear to be !!!