devon TWiG

Kirshen ... available from Axminster power tools . Or Lie Nielson if you are rich or very serious craftsman and want / need the best !

Some years ago when I looked around for jobs many things came in to the decision making , not just pay ! Location Rural - urban ? ( nice area for hobbies etc ) Type of work ( line clearance ? street trees or parks and gardens ?) general culture of company and staff ( are they all Sun reading , chain smoking football bores who go to Mc Ds for lunch every day ) etc Would I fit in ?

As a general rule trees grown on deep fertile soils tend to be shake free , but on coastal and upland areas with stony ,free draining soils are not so good , often a local timber merchant will express an interest ( or not ) after telling them where the wood is !

As above ! Market forces will decide , there are far to many variables but, guide prices can be obtained by looking at what is for sale .

Try Mark Isted near Ogwell , Newton Abbot 01626 332 376 He does virtually all Forestry and arb training ... I used to work with him at Merrist Wood years ago , good chap !

That Walnut looks nice Steve , always good to keep some sapwood in the piece for contrast as you have done .... do you fill the hole left by the pith on walnut ... best thing I find is to trim a little peg/ dowel of the same wood dip in glue and tap in to the hole then trim off before sanding . Did the roughed out piece of the crotch warp much whilst drying , I know the Ash will for sure !

Even the "working girls " now only take hard currency ! ( so I have heard !)

Many good points there Big J , and thanks for sharing ... I do not mill wood as such but obtain many lumps to use in turning mostly green and as you say it is definately best to cut wood and set aside to start the seasoning process at this time of year so the wood dries slowly , reducing losses due to cracking , I always keep a close eye on my stocks towards spring as the first warm dry spell that is typical in april / may can cause a sudden increase in drying rate , so I often cover my pile with a loose tarp of some kind to abate this . Some woods are much worse than others though .

"Roughed out " a few Ash crotch bowls today from fresh ( 2 weeks ago ) felled timber These are 18-20 " dia and were deliberately cut to show the confluence of grain in the fork of the tree , these will be set aside to season for now and I should be able to finish them late summer next year .... it just goes to show what is available from common native woods without using straight , clean grained timber , in fact this would have been firewood , and a hard bit to split as well had I not acquired it !!

Just a few small lidded boxes made to show the beauty of the bark on some species ....Betula papyrifera and Prunus serrula .

Are they "employed " by the owner or just contractors ?

Most colleges are offering training in Arboriculture , which covers a far wider range of subjects than what is required to be a Tree surgeon , the main and practical side of the industry . Merrist Wood used to run a 10 week Tree surgery course which actually provided a more practical based training . The amount of knowledge expected to be able to work in the industry nowadays is higher than it has ever been and growing all the time ... The amount of certificates of competence is quite staggering for some one just starting out ! However in my experience recently qualified students have taken up to date knowledge and ideas out in to the industry , bringing latest gear etc to the attention of colleagues ( less so nowadays perhaps as people gain knowledge through internet etc ) when I did my first training in the mid 80's the prussik loop had just replaced the old 3 knot system , just look at what is available now !! the main thing that always seemed to be lacking in so many students ( and industry workers ) is physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle !

A few more bowls in various woods .... Griselinia , Spalted Beech , Yew , and Judas tree all about 9" dia ...

Some one I know had to do a speed awareness course for speeding on a motorbike ... at the end of the course he was asked if he felt he had learnt anything from it , to which he replied .. not really, it was exactly the same as he had done for speeding in a car last year !!

I have no idea what it is about either ... maybe it is ART ? ... I banged a few coins in anyway !! Why not start one near where you live , and see what happens !! I might do that myself come to think of it !! ( coppers only of course being a poor woodcutter ! )

Definately not worth milling though .... An old Oak trunk on the river bank near Tarr Steps on Exmoor

Not only do I cook it but catch it as well !!

I know of a few people who go to Greenwich market at the weekend and often do well ! Craft fairs vary enormously in standard ( and price )

. Do you show your turning work in the guild? Yes , it has been my main outlet for about 15 years now .... I intend to have some items of furniture etc in there in the near future . I particularly like Nick Agars work ( look up " turning in to art " ) but he rarely has stuff in there now though , I used to give him all sorts of wood years ago .

Having up to date certification may be an issue , but as for techniques the old ways and equipment are still good enough to get the vast majority of jobs done safely and efficiently . A good level of fitness is always important . You can find out about most new ideas on here but I think plenty have used traditional ways for years now , some even still on prussik loops I think !! ( they work though and are safe , and comply with H&S ) good luck !

I am pretty sure he has not ( I am a member and visit quite regularly ) but he has had a fantastic cherry dining chair there for a while ( NFS ) to hopefully entice commissions .. John Makepeace had a good display there some time back , but again , incredible prices ! I delivered a saw bench to David Savages a while ago as well .

I saw this one a while ago but never got round to putting it up ....as Woodworks says he makes some incredible stuff , but I do not think this is his finest !! It seems to be all about being a "name " ( although this has to be earned some how I guess ) and having the right connections ...... Now every one will be thinking how many ££ millions of pounds worth they have put through the chipper !!!

You could put it up for sale at that price .. but would it sell ? I suspect a lot of this stuff does not sell !

Strewth !! ChrissyB that is quite expensive to say the least ! But in my experience wealthy people are pretty good at judging quality and value !

Mr Slackbladder ,I know what you mean when something that you have lovingly created does not seem to sell , and it becomes ( at times ) dis heartening to see stuff of equal or less merit for sale at what appears to be a premium price !I have just sold this Oak vessel which has been up for sale for about 6 months so happy today ! Most of my work sells in a local Gallery . Has anyone on here using Not on the high street , Etsy or similar ?