devon TWiG

" Brown Oak " as we know it , is caused by a discolouration by the fungi fistulina hepatica . However a brown ( often a bit ginger ) discolouration can also be caused by laetiporus sulphureus which is distinctly different and mostly of little use or desirability ! Either of them will lead to a dry cubical decay if left too long.

This is a very large and far reaching subject with so many variables . Far too complex to put in to print on here ! It takes a lot of experience ( and mistakes !) to be able to assess and judge the potential of a bit of wood especially from arb arisings !! If you use woods from a regular supplier / merchant sawn and kiln / air dried then things are more predictable , do not be afraid to experiment but accept disappointment as learning !!

Cordyline australis or more commonly known around here ( devon) as the Torbay palm , they can be killed of in a cold winter but will often sprout again from the trunk .

Topping strop with metal eye encapsulated in spliced eye , home made lasted for years !!

Climbing trees has never been easy!! ( depending on the tree ) you need to get fit and stay fit, then it seems easier , but in reality is still hard work . You can get gadgets and develop techniques to make it easier ( faster ) but it is still hard work !! especially when dragging a saw around ,whilst wearing waterproofs , on a wet windy day in an exposed tree , full of ivy !!!! all good character forming stuff and no need for the gym in the evening !! happy days ...

A lovely pair of tables there mate , Thanks for that comparison, I use Liberon finishing oil almost exclusively and will probably continue to do so . If any one wants a very shiny finish I sometimes use Microcrystaline wax after oils are dry ,and recommend it highly .

It is Grisellinia littoralis in case any one was interested , it was at least 40 foot tall 2 foot dia , dead and covered in ivy ,and smelt like disinfectant ! very close grained and dense but takes a good finish well >

A few pics of what can be made from Horse Chestnut Burr, I got the log last spring it was fairly dry/ dead so i soaked it then wrapped in pallet wrap , left it all summer and have turned these in the last month or so , hope you like them . Have you milled it yet ? These pics might be useful to show any potential buyer of your wood what it can look like !! Shame I am not closer ! I am always on the look out for very knotty , burred, forked, spalted twisted ugly wood !!!! just the sort of stuff most people kick to one side , in fact one guy I often get wood from often says what the *&^%"! do you want with that lump of +%&*£ and I usually get it for very little !! Quite a few end up on the fire though !!

If anyone can correctly identify this wood I will very, very impressed !!! ( I know what it is , It came from a NT garden on the coast near me and it is slightly spalted as well , I have quite a few more to finish ) It is about 10 " in diameter .

IF & WHEN the weather ever improves I would be interested in coming along , I do not work as a climber now but have had 20 + years experience , and still have gear ( do the odd job ) and would be interested to see the latest gear and have a climb , especially without a saw !!! .... I am Newton Abbot as well !...

I use Liberon oil on virtually all my turnings and woodcrafts and find it is great ,but will be interested to your opinion / conclusions .... ( no idea which is which though ) superb dovetails... not cut with a chainsaw I assume !!! .

A lot of these things are great on large open crown trees but for most stuff in gardens , leylandii , western red cedar , lawsons , birch, oak etc or line clearance work a prussik/ blake hitch is fine . However if working on a big dismantle with lots of lowering etc they can be great , especially getting back up after dinner or on the next day ( if a big job ! I often used an ascender , clipped in to a Krab at arms length above me , with the rope over a high anchor point coming back down through the ascender , so all that is required is to pull on the rope beneath the ascender ( a good ... heavy groundsman ) can be very helpful , and a relatively effortless return to your top anchor point !!! I used something similar to what is now called a cambium saver ( home made ) many years ago but for the purpose of keeping my rope free of resin ( monterey pine , douglas fir etc ) also helped reduce friction on some awkward anchor points as well , always good to try different things but do not fall in to the gadget man , gear freak trap , unless you are happy to do so ... some are ...

Not sure of species but would recommend giving it a good scrub as you seem to be doing, let it dry, sand off loose flaking bits , if it is not varnished already, then use an OIL to treat it with , teak,or danish will be fine applied with a brush, I assume it is going to be left outdoors , so this will be best repeated yearly .

The" power pack " ie an engine with a hydraulic pump to supply the oil flow will probably be just as, if not noisier ! Can you create a sound barrier ? straw bales , fencing of some sort ?

That looks far too good for outdoors !!

This sounds like a most unusually generous farmer !!! , however from memory ( been out of the industry for a while ) a felling license is required if more than 4 cubic metres is taken in any calendar quarter , also is this a sustainable yield ? other things to consider are wildlife , nesting birds, bats especially !! How many acres approx and size and species of trees ? ....

Yes, yew does often suffer badly from shake !!! and these will spread more whilst drying so you end up with lots of small sections of usable timber , however most owners think it is very valuable ( some can be ) and they often get left to rot as no one will pay what owner considers them to be worth , I know of far too many nice bits of timber left to ruin because of this situation ,shame really .

Unfortunately all those lovely colours in the tulip tree will not remain once it is dried and been turned in to bowls , furniture etc that is common with quite a few woods that can start looking lovely but just fade to a dull brown over time, some quicker than others , Have a look at any old yew furniture and compare to fresh cut stuff for example ! Shame really !!

Next load split them smaller and post them through the letter box !!! ha ha

You would not say that if I was an electrician !!!!!! ha ha ha (possibly Acer of some sort , as it looks very close grained )

I do not think that the two different coloured zones are "sapwood " and "heartwood " as in oak for example but are zones of wood , the inner being discoloured by decay with the decay not yet reaching the outer wood , protected by the 4 th wall theory ( the tree may become hollow at this point if left) . Without holding , feeling, smelling it I do not think it is worth a guess !!

I seem to remember seeing it cultivated somewhere for use in flower arranging many years ago , on nursery stock shrubs .

Before xmas I made a few of these from pieces of part seasoned firewood , quick and simple to make , I gave a few to friends and family ( with woodburners /fires ) . They were created with the intention of being ceremoniously cremated to mark the end of the festive period , however none of them will burn them !! its cruel they say !! its a shame !! but I took a photo sequence of mine burning to tease them with !!! ( evil laugh HA HA HA !)

I worked on lots of Lombardy Pops in Germany ( years ago ) I mostly free climbed a fair way up ( I know it's wrong !!! ) Biggest problem was that they wreck boots .. jammed in tight forks ... pulling soles and stitching apart ...

About 15 years ago I was in the same situation (supply of electric to garden shed/ workshop) I used a 4 plug extension lead buried underground in hosepipe ...... I am still using it !!!!