Billhook

You are now banned!

Predictions, predictions. I suggest a total ban on all predictions from now on!

So depressing to see World War One conditions, trench warfare, tanks, rats, disease, food shortages, lack of sanitation and care of wounded all so graphically described in many brilliant films such as “All Quiet on the Western Front “ a hundred years later after the war to end all wars, the senseless slaughter of so many young men and innocent civilians all pushed by very few power obsessed individuals with the backing of the arms industry. The human race never seems to learn

Should we worry about government debt? | Institute for Fiscal Studies IFS.ORG.UK David Miles joins us to discuss high government debt and its impact on the economy.

Following the example of all our governments in recent history, I am going out to buy three of the best Stihl chainsaws, a Tesla Cybertruck, a MEWP, a sawmill, a tractor with winch and log carrier trailer, a 360 with harvester and build a workshop and buildings to house all of this and I shall borrow the money, and the money I earn from the wood will pay the interest. I wonder what my bank manager would say! At the moment the Uk owes 2.6 trillion, so I cannot see what impact the trifling 20 billion black hole is going to make even if it is paid off. Just keep borrowing, put it into derivatives (something nobody really understands) and let our grandchildren's grandchildren pay for it, we will all be dead so it will not bother us!

Just found this on our road. Must have only just happened. Phoned the local owl man, unfortunately no rings but he told me to wrap it in a bag and put it in the freezer and I suppose they will examine stomach contents and any wounds or disease. Those of you in the know may be able to tell me more about its age looking at the wings

A friend asked me to cut some dunnage blocks into sleepers for a small gauge railway he is building. Not sure what the wood was, it was treated and quite heavy, being dunnage it could have come from anywhere in the World Everything going fine until I lost a couple of teeth out of the five on the Lucas blade. I have only lost a couple of teeth before in the thirty years of owning the Mill and that was due to a hidden nail. We looked around to try and see the cause but could find nothing so put a new blade on. This lost all five teeth in the first millisecond of the vertical run We assume that one or two of the teeth from the previous blade had been left in the cut. Moral of the tale is not to attempt another cut into the groove until you have either cut out the piece or abandoned it for another piece. IMG_7638.mov

I heard that it was the case with the sinking of the Bismarck in WW2, the Swordfish torpedo bombers were so slow, WW1 speed that the German guns could not find the range

I have just managed to remove all five tips on the Lucas |Mill blade, a first since I bought it in 1996! I think that it lost a tip with the previous blade that remained lodged in the groove so when the new blade went it it took all of one millisecond to ruin it! Hence I need to visit Skellingthorpe Saw Point and I will be passing Lincoln and will call in. They had a big display board describing the table which I did not read on the evening I was there so I may find out more. They may even be selling smaller pieces

Don't worry, they have to invite the riff raff like us to balance against the high and mighty!

I expect this may have been seen before on this site. I was invited with my wife to a grand dinner at Lincoln Cathedral, Lincolnshire UK to celebrate the new High Sheriff. Found ourselves sitting in the main aisle in front of this lovely table. So hard that place mats were not required as no water, heat or wine stains would show , here is its story https://www.thefenlandblackoakproject.co.uk/

I think the one thing we did demonstrate was that Poplar is an easy wood to work with using the full scribe method and when kept off the ground it doesn’t rot. It rots very quickly on the ground and I found half a dozen large Sandstones to sit the main bearers on and twenty four years later it still looks good A pleasant surprise were visits by Kingfishers, an Osprey came regularly for seven years and a pair of Otters bred two years running two pups each time Here is one of the pups playing with a tennis ball that I hung from a branch over the concrete overflow

Just look at Dan’s other work on his website, mine is quite ordinary in comparison. If someone is hugely wealthy they would be better to contact him and have one built to their own specifications

Found a whole load of old photos to bore you all with, but the cabin is such a rewarding part of our lives as well as the lake. The field corner was always a pain to farm as well as flooding occasionally. My father had a serious heart operation in 1998 and was having difficulty in finding enough incentive to go out and exercise to aid his recovery. So the lake was a big incentive and he spent a lot of time down there with help from various people directing what and where to plant various shrubs and trees. The cabin was up and running as a shelter later. So this was the part of the field drilled with wheat and a puddle after some not very heavy rain We first dug a trial pond around the Ash tree in the middle Then created a small pond to see if it held water Then started work on the lake with Dozers Cabin to be built at extreme far left. I diverted the ditch feeding the lake at right angles to slow the water down and act as a silt trap which I could clear with the digger. Middle photo shows overflow back into main beck and black pipe sticking up behind is the drain to keep the level of the lake which can be adjusted slightly Log cabin course in Devon with Dan Franklin, here with some pine JCB here very handy for putting it together. My wife adjusted the strap to find the centre of gravity for each log. The logs were all marked and fitted perfectly Relief! Rafters covered firstly with 3/4” ply sheets then corrugated tin I was thinking of having a grass roof but it did not happen Aerial view pre cabin which is now in the top right corner by the road Our neighbours daughter and new husband spent their first night there after the Wedding with the cabin suitably decorated Hope all this may help

And third photo with swans