Billhook

It is easy to blame farmers but we have come a long way from the bad old days of DDT in the 1950s. We hardly used any insecticides on the farm from the 1980s onwards. Even stopped using aphicides not really because I was trying to be an angel but simply because it was not cost effective. Perhaps looking closer to home, or more accurately peoples homes which are all double glazed, ant proof, fly proof, wasp proof. Rubbish is better recycled and buried, gardens are tended and sprayed, less vegetable patches, less scrubland, more housing, more industry, more air pollution. You only have to read the Rentokil blurb on the website to see that all insects are the enemy and need to be wiped out. https://www.rentokil.com/insects/flying-insects/

On a remote layby near here the council had nailed a sign on a tree saying “ No dumping of litter; maximum fine £20,000” i found a dozen porno magazines had been dumped right under the sign. Naturally it was my duty to inspect and to my surprise i discovered a name and address in the middle of the pile and the address was only a couple of miles away. I phoned the council and the local enforcement officer appeared and took away the evidence, i presume to do a secondary inspection in the privacy of his office. I never expected to hear any more but to my surprise in the local paper a couple of months later a local man was named and shamed for litter dumping and fined £200. He was not quite shamed enough as they did not mention the porn bit in the press article!

"Close to meeting the big man in the sky" Reminded me of the story of St Peter at the Pearly Gates addressing the prejudices of the crowd about to enter. "Before you go in, there are one or two things you ought to know about God. Firstly, She's Black! "

My wife loves her Aduro 9 Danish woodburner but it only likes 12 inch logs cut quite small. The Palax Combi only has a four way static knife so I decided to build a bracket to hold the Portek Quicksplit on the Matbro Teleporter bucket full of 12 inch logs. The bracket just slides on so it is easy to put on and remove. Loading into a crate or barrow means no bending or lifting off the floor. It has a very quick cycle time and is electric , easy to stop and start and is quiet. It cost about £430 over a year ago and has been reliable. I see Portek do a 7 ton model now. this one is 5 ton but deals with most things. The last piece I put in was very knotty. The Palax is perfect for feeding the main woodburner , the Aarrow Stratford which does all the hot water and heating and takes very large logs which last for ages. But it is in the yard on 3 phase and the Portek is handy to have at the home and my wife is safer operating it than wielding an axe!

My wife loves her Aduro 9 Danish woodburner but it only likes 12 inch logs cut quite small. The Palax Combi only has a four way static knife so I decided to build a bracket to hold the Portek Quicksplit on the Matbro Teleporter bucket full of 12 inch logs. The bracket just slides on so it is easy to put on and remove. Loading into a crate or barrow means no bending or lifting off the floor. It has a very quick cycle time and is electric , easy to stop and start and is quiet. It cost about £430 over a year ago and has been reliable. I see Portek do a 7 ton model now. this one is 5 ton but deals with most things. The last piece I put in was very knotty. The Palax is perfect for feeding the main woodburner , the Aarrow Stratford which does all the hot water and heating and takes very large logs which last for ages. But it is in the yard on 3 phase and the Portek is handy to have at the home and my wife is safer operating it than wielding an axe!

I filled 3 one ton potato boxes with laurel today processed through the Palax. The wood is heavy when freshly cut but the circular saw goes through it like butter and it splits well. Proof of the pudding will be sometime next year!

Better make sure it is not laurel for smoking meats, there may be some complaints from the customers! How Poisonous, How Harmful? Prunus laurocerasus, cherry laurel The leaves and fruit pips contain cyanolipids that are capable of releasing cyanide and benzaldehyde. The latter has the characteristic almond smell associated with cyanide. 1.5% cyanogenic glycosides are present in the leaves. During maceration, i.e. chewing, this becomes glucose, hydrogen cyanide (prussic acid), and benzaldehyde. Cyanide starves the central nervous system of oxygen and, thus, causes death. The Prunus laurocerasus has enough of the poison in the leaves to be used by entymologists as a way of killing insect specimens without physical damage. They seal the live insects in a vessel containing the crushed leaves. Confusing the two laurels and using the leaves of this plant as bay in cooking has resulted in poisoning. If this occurs prompt treatment is essentia

Yes that would have made it up to the traditional three for this year. I lost the Fastrac Cummins in the Spring. 800 hours only and a friction welded ball at the bottom of the pushrod came off and broke up the cam follower which bent two pushrods and meant an expensive rebuild. Our Volvo XC70 has done 200,000 faithful miles and I was driving down to collect an newer second hand one that had done 44,000 The oil warning light came on with the "Stop ASAP" but I was on a dual carriageway with no hard shoulder in heavy traffic so I plodded on for another three miles fearing the worst. Pulled into a layby and opened the bonnet to find nothing wrong at all. Water, oil all normal. Rang a trusted mechanic who agreed that it must have been a wiring fault, proceed with caution. Gained confidence and 50 miles later was doing 70 mph no worries. Slowed down at a roundabout and there was a thunk from the rear (viscous coupling reacting) and the engine stalled, seized and would not even turn over. Conclusion was that sludge had blocked the oil pick up and when I stopped the first time it fell out and picked up again as I slowed for the roundabout. Engine now has nil compression! I had been bragging last year that I had been driving cars and tractors for fifty years and never lost an engine......Karma!

Yes, I think it is cherry laurel with the black berries. It cuts easily when green both with the chainsaw and the Palax circular saw, and it seems to be quite heavy and looks hard. Maybe a lot different when dry It will be mixed in with other wood on a woodburning stove so not too worried about the toxic bit apart from perhaps a mask while creating sawdust. Can't be much worse than dealing with yew. Just had a look at the RHS list of toxic uk plants, makes me think I will never go out in the garden or woods again! Plants potentially harmful to people This list of plants mirrors the HTA (Horticultural Trades Association) guidelines and includes garden plants and houseplants that have been known to cause injury, either by contact or after being eaten. All these plants are safe to grow provided they are treated with respect. Remember, they are ornamental plants, often very beautiful - they are not meant to be eaten. Avoid contamination by wearing gloves and covering your skin. Acalypha (chenille plant, copperleaf) - skin & eye irritant; poisonousAcokanthera (bushman’s poison) - poisonousAconitum (monkshood) - poisonous; irritant to and via the skinActaea section Actaea (baneberry) - poisonous; irritant to and via the skinAesculus (horse chestnut) - somewhat poisonousAglaonema (Chinese evergreen) - poisonous; skin irritant Agrostemma githago (corncockle) - somewhat poisonous alder buckthorn - see RhamnusAllamanda - poisonous; skin & eye irritantAlocasia (taro) - poisonous; skin & eye irritantAloe - poisonousAlstroemeria (Peruvian lily) - skin irritantAmaryllis - see HippeastrumAmaryllis belladona (belladonna lily) - poisonousAngel’s trumpet - see Brugmansia Angel’s wings - see CaladiumAnthurium (flamingo flower) - poisonous; skin & eye irritantApocynum (dogbane) - poisonousArisaema (cobra-lily) - poisonous; skin & eye irritant Arrowhead vine - see SyngoniumArum (cuckoo-pint, lords-and-ladies) - poisonous; skin & eye irritantAsparagus (asparagus fern) - may cause skin allergy, fruits poisonous Asparagus fern See AsparagusAtropa (deadly nightshade) - poisonous; skin irritant Autumn crocus See ColchicumBaneberry - see Actaea section Actaea Belladonna lily - see Amaryllis belladonaBluebell - see Hyacinthoides Bottle gourd - see LagenariaBrugmansia (angel’s trumpet) - poisonousBrunfelsia (yesterday, today and tomorrow) - poisonous Buckthorn - see Rhamnus Bunny ears cactus - see Opuntia microdasys Burning bush - see Dictamnus Bushman’s poison - see AcokantheraCaladium (angel’s wings) - poisonous Calico bush - see KalmiaCalla lily - see ZantedeschiaCalla palustris (water arum) - poisonous; skin & eye irritantCapsicum annum (ornamental pepper cultivars)- skin & eye irritant; poisonous Castor oil plant - see Ricinus communis Celandine, greater - see Chelidonium majus Chalice vine - see Solandra Chaste tree - see VitexChelidonium majus (greater celandine) - poisonous; skin & eye irritant Chenille plant - see Acalypha Cherry laurel - see Prunus laurocerasus Chincherinchee - see Ornithogalum Chinese evergreen - see Aglaonema Christmas cherry - see Solanum pseudocapsicumChrysanthemum - skin irritant Cobra-lily - see ArisaemaColchicum (autumn crocus) - poisonousColocasia esculenta (dasheen, eddo, taro) - poisonous; skin & eye irritant Comfrey, Russian comfrey - see SymphytumConvallaria majalis (lily-of-the-valley) - poisonous Copperleaf - see AcalyphaCoriaria - poisonous Corncockle - see Agrostemma githago Crepe jasmine - see Tabernaemontana Cuckoo-pint - see Arumx Cuprocyparis leylandii (Leyland cypress) - skin irritantDaffodil - see NarcissusDaphne (mezereon, spurge laurel) - poisonous; skin irritant Dasheen - see Colocasia esculentaDatura (thornapple) - poisonous; skin irritant Deadly nightshade - see AtropaDelphinium including Consolida (larkspur) - poisonousDendranthema - see Chrysanthemum Devil’s ivy - see EpipremnumDictamnus (burning bush) - skin irritantDieffenbachia (dumb cane, leopard lily) - poisonous; skin & eye irritantDigitalis (foxglove) - poisonous Dogbane - see ApocynumDracunculus (dragon arum) - poisonous; skin & eye irritant Dragon arum - see Dracunculus Dumb cane - see DieffenbachiaEchium - skin irritant Eddo - see Colocasia esculenta Elder - see SambucusEpipremnum (devil’s ivy) - poisonous; skin & eye irritantEuonymus (spindle tree) - somewhat poisonousEuphorbia (spurge, poinsettia) - poisonous; skin & eye irritant NB: poinsettia, E. pulcherrima, is not harmful False hellebore - see Veratrum False jasmine - see GelsemiumFicus benjamina (weeping fig) - may cause skin allergyFicus carica (fig) - skin & eye irritantFig - see Ficus Flamingo flower - see Anthurium Four o’clock plant - see Mirabilis Foxglove - see DigitalisFrangula - see RhamnusFremontodendron - skin & eye irritantGaultheria section Pernettya - somewhat poisonousGelsemium (false jasmine) - poisonous German primula - see Primula obconicaGloriosa superba (glory lily) - poisonous Glory lily - see Gloriosa superba Goosefoot vine - see SyngoniumHedera (ivy) - somewhat poisonous; skin irritant Hellebore, false - see VeratrumHelleborus (Christmas rose, Lenten rose) - somewhat poisonous; skin irritant Hemlock water-dropwort - see Oenanthe Henbane - see HyoscyamusHeracleum mantegazzianum (giant hogweed) - severe skin irritant in bright sunlightHeracleum sphondylium (hogweed, common hogweed) and other Heracleum spp - severe skin irritant in bright sunlightHippeastrum (amaryllis) - poisonous Hogweed - see HeracleumHomeria - poisonous Horse chestnut - see AesculusHyacinthoides (bluebell) - poisonousHyacinth - see HyacinthusHyacinthus (hyacinth) - skin irritantHyoscyamus (henbane) - poisonousHypericum perforatum (perforate St John’s wort) - poisonousIpomoea (morning glory) - poisonousIris - somewhat poisonous; skin irritant Ivy - see Hedera Japanese lacquer tree - see Rhus Jasmine, false - see GelsemiumKalmia (calico bush) - somewhat poisonous+ Laburnocytisus ‘Adamii’ - poisonousLaburnum - poisonousLagenaria (bottle gourd) - poisonousLantana - poisonous; skin irritant Larkspur - see Delphinium Laurel - see Prunus laurocerasusLenten rose - see Helleborus Leopard lily - see Dieffenbachia Leyland cypress - see x Cupressocyparis leylandiiLigustrum (privet) - somewhat poisonous Lily-of-the-valley - see Convallaria majalisLobelia (except bedding lobelia, L. erinus) - somewhat poisonous; skin & eye irritant Locust tree - see Robinia pseudoacacia Lords-and-ladies - see Arum Lupin - see LupinusLupinus (lupin) - somewhat poisonousLysichiton (skunk cabbage) - poisonous; skin & eye irritantMandragora (mandrake) - poisonous Mandrake - see Mandragora Marvel of Peru - see Mirabilis May apple - see Podophyllum Mezereon - see DaphneMirabilis (marvel of Peru, four o’clock plant) - poisonous; skin irritant Monkshood - see AconitumMonstera deliciosa (Swiss cheese plant) - poisonous; skin & eye irritant Morning glory - see IpomoeaNarcissus (daffodil) - somewhat poisonous; skin irritant Nerium oleander (oleander) - poisonousNicotiana (tobacco) - poisonousOenanthe crocata, O. aquatica, O. phellandrium (hemlock water-dropwort, water dropwort) - poisonousOleander - see Nerium oleander Oleander, yellow - see Thevetia Opium poppy - see Papaver somniferumOpuntia microdasys (bunny ears cactus) - skin irritantOrnithogalum (chincherinchee, star-of-Bethlehem) - somewhat poisonous; skin irritant Pagoda tree - see SophoraPapaver somniferum (opium poppy) - poisonous Parsnip - see Pastinaca sativaPassiflora caerulea (hardy passion flower) - somewhat poisonousPassion flower - see Passiflora caeruleaPastinaca sativa (parsnip) - severe skin irritant in bright sunlight Peace lily - see SpathiphyllumPedilanthus - skin & eye irritant; poisonous Pepper, ornamental - see Capsicum annumPernettya - see Gaultheria Peruvian lily - see AlstroemeriaPhilodendron - poisonous; skin & eye irritantPhytolacca (pokeweed) - poisonous; skin irritantPodophyllum (May apple) - poisonousPoinsettia - see Euphorbia Poison ivy - see Rhus Pokeweed - see PhytolaccaPolygonatum (Solomon’s seal) - somewhat poisonousPolyscias - poisonous; skin irritant Portugal laurel - see Prunus lusitanicaPrimula obconica (German primula) - skin irritant Privet - see LigustrumPrunus laurocerasus (cherry laurel, laurel) - poisonousPrunus lusitanica (Portugal laurel) - seed kernels are poisonousRhamnus including Frangula (alder buckthorn, buckthorn) – poisonous; skin irritantRhaphidophora - poisonous; skin & eye irritantRhus verniciflua, R. radicans, R. succedanea, R. diversiloba, R. rydbergii,R. striata, R. toxicarium, R. vernix(Japanese lacquer tree, Poison ivy, Sumach) - poisonous; severe skin irritantRicinus communis (castor oil plant) - poisonousRobinia pseudoacacia (locust tree) - poisonousRuta (rue) - severe skin irritant in bright sunlight St John’s wort - see Hypericum perforatumSambucus except S. nigra (elder) - poisonousSchefflera (Umbrella tree) - skin irritantScilla - somewhat poisonousScopolia - poisonous Skunk cabbage - see Lysichiton Snowberry - see SymphoricarposSolandra (chalice vine) - poisonousSolanum - poisonousSolanum pseudocapsicum (Christmas cherry, winter cherry) - poisonous Solomon’s seal - See PolygonatumSophora (pagoda tree) - poisonous Spanish broom - see Spartium junceumSpartium junceum (Spanish broom) - poisonousSpathiphyllum (peace lily) - poisonous; skin & eye irritant Spindle tree - see Euonymus Spurge - see Euphorbia Spurge laurel - see Daphne Star-of-Bethlehem - see Ornithogalum Sumach - see Rhus Swiss cheese plant - See Monstera deliciosaSymphoricarpos (snowberry) - poisonousSymphytum (comfrey, Russian comfrey) - poisonousSyngonium (arrowhead vine, goosefoot vine) - poisonous; skin & eye irritant Tobacco - see NicotianaTabernaemontana (crepe jasmine) - poisonous Taro – see Alocasia, ColocasiaTaxus (yew) - poisonousThevetia (yellow oleander) - poisonous; skin irritantThornapple - see Datura Tulip - see TulipaTulipa (tulip) - skin irritant Umbrella tree - see ScheffleraVeratrum (false hellebore) - poisonousVitex (chaste tree) - skin irritant Water arum - see Calla palustris Water-dropwort - see Oenanthe Winter cherry - see Solanum pseudocapsicumWisteria - somewhat poisonous Woody nightshade - see SolanumXanthosoma - poisonous; skin & eye irritant Yesterday, today and tomorrow - see BrunfelsiaYew - See TaxusZantedeschia (calla lily) - poisonous; skin & eye irritant See also...

Good of you to think of me, but I do not see Briggs and Stratton mentioned there. I hope that I will not be needing any engine or parts if my cure has worked.

Just cut down a load of laurel, some 16" in diameter but mainly 6". Does it burn well?

Better news! I drained the oil which indeed turned out to be 90% petrol. I had a litre of Lucas oil (no relation but a sort of STP type product from America) and I poured a bit down each plug hole and gently turned over the engine. I then flushed the sump with fresh oil before filling it with new oil plus new filter, plus 50% Lucas oil. Did not need a compression test as I could tell that there was a lot of compression by the pull start. Engine started well and ran well but smoked for a bit while it cleared the remaining petrol/oil in the exhaust. Put it to work and it ran like a new'un. I now know what the petrol on/off valve is for! Apparently a sump full of petrol is a common fault I may have just been lucky but time will tell.

Thanks for those replies and yes it looks like a new electric start 20 hp will be approaching 2K. A mechanic suggested that it may just be something else which caused the problem. The engine had not been used for three months and I had not turned off the petrol. Looking at both plugs they seemed to be wet with petrol and the oil in the sump contaminated with petrol. One cylinder was 40 psi and the other 100 psi compression. He said that sometimes the carb float sticking might cause the contents of the fuel tank to leak into the cylinders and destroy the oily seal around the rings causing not only lack of compression but also the mixture of oil and petrol in the sump to be drawn out causing the white smoke. It only ran in this condition at idle for a few seconds so I shall drain the sump, change the filter , put a little oil down the plug holes before gently turning over the engine on the pull start. Fill the sump with new oil and see what happens when I try it again and report back!

Bought new in 1996 the Lucas has been a superb investment and very reliable as well as being easy to service. just started the 18hp V Twin Briggs today and let it idle for a bit to warm up before going to work. I turned my back to pick some wood up and there was a "Phut" from the engine followed by a cloud of white smoke before the engine gently stalled. It started again after a few pulls but sounded as though it was running on one cylinder, so I stopped it to investigate further. The oil level was ok, and I suspect that a piston has been holed. I cannot see why this should happen at idle. Has anyone any other ideas? 21 year old engine and I suspect that the cost of investigation and labour and parts might come to much the same as a new engine and have long been thinking of an electric start as I am becoming too old to balance on top of a log trying to pull start the thing! If a new engine is the thing , where is the best place to find one?

Feet, Look after them! After many decades of laziness, especially wearing easy to kick on and off rigger boots, my feet were giving me trouble with collapsing arches and metatarsal pain. The physio showed me how your feet affect the rest of your body in that a collapsed arch may make one knee move over slightly. This will affect your hip (more pain) which tries to compensate This then affects your back (more pain) which does the same which in turn ends up with that pain you have in your neck! Lecture from the physio means I wear properly fitting lace up boots and things are more normal now. Second tip I learned from my mother which she learned in the WRNS in the War. When you tie up the boots with the conventional double loop, when you pull the loop through before tightening take the loop over the knot one more time and pass it through the hole a second time before tightening. This knot is much less likely to become untied and yet is just as easy to release in the conventional way.

Confucious also say "Man who has woman on ground, has peace on Earth"

I think that you have to be reasonable here with the Portek. It is a very quick and easy and quiet way of splitting sensible logs in a domestic situation. I found it to be as good as the hydraulic splitter on my Palax Combi and it split some stuff that I was not expecting it to. You need to be firm with the handle otherwise it will sometimes kick back and if you are not holding it firmly it can hurt. It is obviously not an industrial machine for a firewood business, but it has a place in my domestic woodshed.

I think we all have suffered from the wood becoming jammed at one time or another, usually due to it being fed too fast, blade not as sharp as it should be or certain types of timber. I used to try and knock it out with a large hammer which was awkward on the Palax but now I find it is very much easier to use a log peavey and turn it gently upwards. The log has always come out so far with little resistance. I only need to use the small Stihl peavey on the lever tool.

"But the fighter still remains!" Let Steve keep playing the"Bridge over Troubled Water!"

This is a handy one for the house. 5 ton Quick and quiet. Around £450 I see there is now a 7 tons version here at £499 http://www.briantsltd.co.uk/product/portek-quiksplit-7-7t-log-splitter

My father planted three large plantations of poplar in the early 1960s with grants and with a view to selling to Bryant and May. In those days the graph of potential earnings was steep with so many people smoking and using matches. " In the year 2000 you will be making a fortune from these trees boy and you will never need to work again" The year 2000 came and most had stopped smoking and those that did used butane lighters........... A chance remark from someone who had been in Oregon led me to the log cabin trail. He said that a Church had been built of poplar over 100 years ago and was still in good order. From there I discovered Dan Franklin in Devon and went on one of his full scribe log building courses .http://www.woodenways.com/log-cabins He came up to Lincolnshire in 2001 and with the additional help of a grant from some rural development initiative a team of us built the cabin seen in the first and third photos on his website (with the swans on the lake) The cabin was made from about forty large logs which are clear of the ground, suspended on half a dozen large sandstones so that there is no possibility of the poplar coming into contact with damp soil which would cause rot in no time. I realise that forty logs is thirty eight too many in your case but maybe you can find some more looking for a home. The full scribe method is so good that you cannot slip a piece of paper between the logs and there are no nails. It was all constructed with draw knives, axes, and a special gouging tool made from spring steel The cabin is still doing well 16 years later. I am no better off financially as father promised but perhaps a little better off spiritually!

Great minds think alike!

An possible alternative is to buy a cheap Stiga Park ride on off ebay and fit a ball hitch on the back and fabricate a removable bracket to the arbtrolley. The advantage of this set up is that the track of the Stiga is the same a the arbtrolley and the pivot steer makes it very manoeuvrable. I think I picked the Stiga up for under £50 with no cutting deck and no 5th gear. It is 12hp and has not ever been short of power even with a full load. The Stiga makes less marks on the lawn than the arbtrolley or indeed a human footprint. Sometimes it is necessary to manoeuvre the trolley by hand and it is easy to uncouple for the times you need to do that and for tipping which is easy depending on the load. Sometimes you can tip it straight up but more often I end up taking two of the rods out on one side and tipping it sideways. Fabrication is hard enough when you have a lot of welding and experience with metal work but expensive if you have someone else do it for you. I hope I have shown an easier option for you. There are a couple on ebay at the moment which could be useful with a bit of TLC! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/stiga-park-pro-20-ride-on-mower-/222633189381?hash=item33d5f8e005:g:r60AAOSwY7pZrBjH

Little Panda Sisley at home in the woods, successfully tackling a dodgy bridge built for a Honda Quad. 1990 build, 27 years old, 27 years of hard work so must be a classic!