Billhook

Living not far from a key UK air base and hearing and seeing an increase in activity with Euro fighters does concentrate the mind somewhat.

This is the sound as the Lucas sailed through the Whichy Elm, which is definitely female as it was quite resistant to being told what to do!

Must be Elm methinks

Old age hitting my brain cells perhaps. I had it in my head that it was a Sycamore as I remember taking the two halves of the tree from a neighbour. It had blown down in a storm and hit his roof damaging some tiles and his car.. But this was some years ago and we also did take down a huge diseased Elm but I am 100% sure that was planked. The Sycamore was full of burrs which may be the cause of the grain and colour. I will check with him again as he wanted a dining table out of it. Is there any other method of checking what tree it was? Now I look at it again the bark is not Sycamore and it may have been from one of the large upper limbs of the big Elm. Also the Lucas did not like it very much on the 8 inch vertical cut and for the first time ever in 25 years jammed on the sawdust as I approached the end of the cut!

Some good looking beams for the fireplaces too

Just took the top off this Sycamore with the swing blade to have a look, think I will have a go with the slabber!

I also have had little problem with the bits and pieces that are inevitable with any splitter. We might have a carrier bag full after filling a 2cubic metre box which is great kindling.

Thank you for all the likes. It was really all a result of the Lockdowns and my wife being fed up with me mooching around the house, so I was told to go out and find something useful to do. I was sure that I could make a splitter around the Matbro 270 with all that lifting and hydraulic power. But everywhere was shut and all I had was the scrap in the yard, so if i was starting the project now I would perhaps incorporate a saw and make it more of a processor than just a splitter. One of the problems with the Ash and Sycamore that we have here is that many are bent sometimes at 90 degrees. The Palax Combi will handle these up to 10 inch diameter, but the big stuff still has to be cut in my case to 16 inch blocks with the chainsaw and then rolled onto the log lift. Using the tip and crowd to pick up the logs would work well with straight lengths of pine, but not with the stuff we have here Now I find it very steady and therapeutic with the engine ticking over at the back of the machine and the remote control operating the hydraulics, so no lifting just easy rolling, which is also easy on my old limbs as Stubby will I am sure sympathize! In am sure that i could make the ram quicker by altering the pipework but it is surprisingly productive and safer at its current speed Keep a look out for modification number 1035!

find someone with a Lucas Mill planer sander

Help! I have developed CRSD! Compulsive Repetitive Splitting Disorder! I cannot stop, I just love it!

After decades of playing league hockey, tennis, squash, workshop hammering, axe work, hoeing sugar beet, shovelling corn, potatoes, my wrists said enough! I built the splitter out of scrap during lockdown. My X27, which I rate highly, has been put on one side and instead I operate a remote control which is bliss. My wrists have gradually been improving with the rest.

We had a foggy start followed by a shower then it cleared and the sun came out

m Hope you have all had a wonderful day. What a wonderful sunset to cap it all

Now this is what I call a split tree! Any advice welcome

I find his arguments persuasive, what do you all think?

I think that the level of personal debt is unsustainable together with one quadrillion dollars out there in the ether of derivatives that nobody understands means there is going to be one gigantic life changing crash soon.

I thought I posted some time ago that putting birth control in sugar would be a good idea. It would free up the NHS from a lot of problems with morbid obesity, diabetes, hip and knee operations and heart disease. It would increase the active workforce, it would cut out those who have little self discipline not just with food but also money and having multiple children that they cannot cope with. When you are retired and the old fella will not perform any more you can gorge on as much sugar as you like, die early of a heart attack and free up another room in an old folks home.

My uncle came across a van blocking a narrow lane near his farm in Norfolk. So he parked his car in front of it and sat there reading the paper. The van driver then opened the door of the van and took out his little dog and went for a walk up the lane. A battle of two strong wills! Uncle said I knew I would win as I had a whole book to read and I had all day!

Less likely I would have thought if you were holding an idling chainsaw in one hand!

Just had a closer look on the original iPhone footage expanded and it seems that the vast majority are Redwings but also a lot of Fieldfares. Not sure now about the Mistle Thrushes as it is hard to keep track There were also a lot on the hedges feasting off the red Hawthorn berries

Sort of “spot the birdie” Christmas Quiz! Fieldfares, Redwings, Mistle Thrushes to name a few

We had such an abundance of fruit this year that we just let the apples fall, having given so many away that nobody wanted any more. However it was very important for these birds in this recent cold spell.

And a Happy Christmas to you all! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck-FMAMmCrE

Billhook has the biggest sweetbreads on Arbtalk!