devon TWiG

The Small Woodlands Owners Group (SWOG) as I own a small woodland approx 4 acres .. ( not that I am small and own a woodland !!!) ....

I could not believe how much high viz and hard hats is required to cut veg , in the middle of a field !!! all of it was obviously brand new ..... so clean and bright ...

If any one is reading this thread and thinks that no body annoys them ...........then perhaps YOU are the annoying B%^&*£" rd on site but too dumb to realise it !!!!! ( said in jest ) although i find it annoying when some one fires up the chipper when the first twig hits the ground and is wearing radio ear muffs .... they just can not hear me swearing at them !!!

I have a trend airshield as well , do not like it, but it does the job ....

If you feel there are many companies in your local area then there must be plenty of work around , it is easier said than done to win your market share but it must be possible ....alternatively what about being a trainer / assessor and / or LOLER inspector splicing etc or have a truck and chipper as many others must at times have more work than kit / staff or machinery out of action etc ...good luck with whatever you try...

A pic from the late 80's .... a large Monterey pine fallen and hung up in another on the edge of a cliff above the sea near Dartmouth ...... to some it would appear this would be impossible without a very brightly coloured rope with a dramatic sounding name ... and equally gaudy coloured boots ,some fancy mechanical friction device , in fact my harness did not even have leg loops ..NO helmet ( seems nowadays even the helmet has to be special climbers helmet .. no peak !!! ) Just steel toe cap boots and combat trousers AND I did not have a collection of certificates ( bit like a boy scout and his badges !! ) to allow me to do the job ... Risk assessment ? Method statement ? bat spotters badge etc were non existent .... However it would appear to many that doing such work is just impossible without all of the above !!!!!! ( this is all meant in a slightly tongue in cheek manner ! ) Also I am still doing such work and have very few ( small ) scars !! ( ps ; the ladder in the bottom of pic is the traffic control !! )

I keep the next days kindling near the stove and it makes a great deal of difference , also a few smaller split logs ,it all makes the lighting process quicker and easier ....

Saw logs in Homebase a few years ago at £7.99 a bag ....at that price you would not want them to burn too quick !!!

Rather a lot of machinery and processing required me thinks !! logs...saw and axe !! probably find it is heavily grant funded /subsidised ...

CHESTNUT ( company name ) food safe finish ... google it ....

Thanks for the answers guys .... guess it will just have to be decided by the weather / wind direction really as to what blows down or stays up ... I can not really see what could be done in practical terms to avoid windblow really ,other than crown thinning / reduction of most exposed trees ....

If a woodland owner fells trees on his land which then leaves trees on land next to his exposed to winds to which they have not been accustomed to , and they blow over ( possibly causing damage ) is there any legal stance / comeback on the one who felled the trees ( owner not contractor ) ????

I do not have anything lolered either , I do not inspect it weekly ... I inspect it continuously whilst in use , and would notice anything different or wrong , my rope runs through my hands every time I coil it up , and when in use , also I like good kit so am not the type to be using anything that is knackered , I have just retired a willans harness that is 20 plus years old and I would still be happy from a safety perspective to use it . I hear so many far fetched "what ifs" to do with H&S I have neck ache from shaking my head with dis-belief !!

Where is it ????

I have travelled a fair bit and worked in Germany a couple of times , although I enjoyed it all as an adventure I do not wish to live anywhere else than where I am now ( Devon ) unless of course I was very rich !! I love the area I live in and was born here , have family / friends etc .... but most of all i love the culture of my land , the history , grand old houses ,castles etc , the great variety of landscapes so close together , music , art ,sport etc the lack of extremes in weather , the enormous range of opportunities available but especially the sense of humour which is so special and unequaled any where else .( just search some old threads on here for example !!)

If this is Exmoor Woodfuels at Combe Sydenham ( near Taunton ) then I occasionally ,when lorry driving ( a part time thing ) pick up a load from there and they supply MVF with their nets of logs and sticks ... nice place and people but I have no idea of their prices though !!!

Most Harbour authorities require you to register your boat to use in the harbour area ( typically between slipway and open sea ) to obtain registration you need proof of insurance ....third party ... in case you hit another boat or injure some one ... this insurance is pretty cheap ... £50 per annum and registration £10 ... although strictly speaking this is only for what ever Harbour you visit ( mine was for Teignmouth , and if I wanted to launch at Salcombe I would need to register there .. and it is much more expensive ) If you are doing any kind of commercial operation eg fishing / diving or carrying passengers for reward then a whole load of regulations apply. One cost to be aware of as well as launch fees is the cost of parking a vehicle and trailer this can easily be £20 ...

Try the DRST ... Devon rural skills trust ....if you are OK to cross the Tamar !!!!

Also the glorious colours when fresh do not last.... just goes brown before long ... Pissard plum especially..

I had an Alaskan mill about 30 years ago and found it was more effort than I could be bothered with at the time ....I prefer to spend the effort to some how or other get the wood shifted to some one with a band mill , or just buy the wood ready milled .....

I would have liked to done it all with Oak , shingles as well , but it is very time consuming , but I will be making another structure so may go to greater lengths on that one !!

Well spotted ..... NO .... will be interesting to see how many try it though !!!

I purchased a small woodland earlier this year , and I have always liked old "bone " oak from either dead / fallen / stag headed trees ..... there is a fair bit of it in my woods so I built a small shelter from it and a couple of seats .... very organic ... and should last a long time .... will be making some rustic furniture from some other bits I have ...

I use PVA sometimes , but I rarely cut wood this time of year ( for turning ) as I know the dry / warm conditions will cause cracking , if I obtain wood this time of year I wrap it in plastic / pallet wrap etc until in to the autumn / winter .... also depends on species ..also I do not store blanks ... I just cut a lump and then rough it out , and then apply PVA .. if I feel it is required ...

Using srt does seem a tempting proposition , especially as some on here swear by it ... however it all depends so much on being good with a throw bag !!! So many times I have just got it stuck and had to rescue the bloody thing , after all the faffing around I could of just done the job , even though it is harder work , but it does come in to its own for access in to some trees (not all ) At the moment I have an on going project of deadwooding a lot of 70-80 foot Douglas firs , and find if I take the bag and line up one tree I can get it through an adjacent tree quite easily , but from the ground no chance !!