Tim Stobart Tree Surgery

I got asked yesterday to move a 'bumble bee nest' from a chicken coup he's just got, I've fancied having a hive for a while and have plenty of space for it, so, what do i need to do? I guess it's a case of building/buying some form of hive, any advice? Then physically moving the nest into that hive and transporting it to the new site? As for protection, I'm guessing a dry suit and gloves would be effective with a decent hat/mozzie net combo up top. I'm looking at it tonight, I'll see haw it looks and post on this thread!

The same story up here, late and without vigor. I went away a few weeks ago (from Gatwick) and on the drive back up (8th of May) to Scotland I hate to say but it was a consistent story all across the journey. The worst part of it, as of yet, we've no cases on the island (Bute), but they're not looking great here. I shall keep my eye's peeled for symptons. This is a very useful document: Chalara symptoms photoguide.pdf

I would suggest advertising yourself and picking up any weekend work you can get. I assume that you could get some of the guys you work with to join you for the odd job, as long as the price is right. Scope out some holiday homes, drop flyers/cards through the doors, for tree work, hedges or even just grass cutting. You'll start to build up customers through that and word of mouth will get work coming your way. As the previous reply said, you've got the freedom being single to work lots of hours and to live in cheap digs. Having said that, it's bloody hard to make ends meet, I know I've had a few slow months due to an injury which has left me struggling to pay myself the last couple of months (oh, and a new boiler). The key thing is to remember that if you're enjoying life, then you're doing much better than most. I was up the top of a huge Beech tree on Friday, struggling out to a right awkward point having been off the ground for about 5 hours and was able to just look around me at the view of a ship sailing the Firth of Clyde and think just how lucky I am. In Keswick you must be likewise. If you're not enjoying it, then find something you do enjoy!

I wouldn't be surprised if you see some bonfire smoke coming your way in the not too distant!

I just ordered on from ebay, new, for £48, including shipping and import fee!

I employ my groundie on a zero hour contract. I pay him the same as I did when he was 'self employed', but he gets less now and the rest goes straight to the treasury. The only increase in cost is £7.50 a week to the accountants for doing the payroll, and £50 for the year end stuff. I already have the employers insurance, as if you're running the site, you are considered to be employing even if it's a sub contractor. I got fed up with him blatantly not paying his tax.

Looks good, loving the running line rigging.

That reminds me of a nightmare job I took on over Christmas a few years back. Two Ashes growing out of a cliff both engulfed by about a foot of ivy. It was ridiculous, i ended up anchoring in the ivy at some points just to progress up the tree (which was growing at a 45 degree angle). By the end of the job I'd lost money after I'd paid my groundie and overheads, and buried myself for about 6 days over the Cristmas holidays trying to get it finished! After that job I've introduced Ivy tax, which is similar to Slope Fees, only at a higher rate!

I can't believe this thread has got this far without someone making a pun about Bi-sexual gnomes living in Beech trees!

So, are these useful arborists equipment or some form of medieval torture device?

Hi, I've got a pair of gaffs/irons/spikes or whatever you want to call them that I hate using, and generally avoid putting on, but the majority of work I am doing these days is dismantling, so I seem to be wearing them a fair amount. The pair I have were given to me years back by a guy I used to ground for when I was starting out. They're steel (i think) and have round points on them. These are now pretty blunt, but as they have no clear edge so to speak I've not sharpened them. Would grinding them down to an angled point make them more comfy to use, or are these just an archaic bit of kit that I would be better of replacing? I'll try to remember to take a photo and add it tomorrow.

I had a similar choice to make a year or so back. In the end I said what the hell and bought a MS460 (a bit bigger than you suggest). I'd been borrowing a Husky 560, and didn't get on with it. The 460 is a dream. The extra weight is worth it as it cuts so quickly. Great with a 25" bar, a complete beast with an 18" on it.

I'm looking to join the club, I'm having a CS100 demo'd a week on monday, should have a good range of bits coming down on the site the tail end of next week (broadleaf, conifer, and there's some Oak and Yew I put down on the site a month or so back). I'm pretty excited, but having read through this and Shreks thread, I do find myself in two minds with the Greenmech vs the Jo Beau. Of all the things to sway me (and I'll continue to lie to myself that it's because I have a really good local Greenmech dealer), is it wrong that it's because I've already thought of a really cool name for a CS 100 being the key factor in choice! Tim, Soon to be apply for membership, I hope!

Hi guys, I'm thinking about picking up an Alaskan Mill, more as a toy than anything else. I have images of big slabs as picnic tables. The cost of a mill seems reasonable, and I've got a couple of big beech stems coming down in the foreseeable future, but, at the moment the largest saw that I own is a Stihl MS460, with a 25" bar. I know that would give me about 20" cutting, although I see husky put a 30" bar on a similarly powered saw. What are your thoughts on this saw as a milling saw, what size bar/mill would you run on it? Am I going to get frustrated by it and go out shopping for a bigger saw? To be honest, It's a great saw and I cannae see me ever needing a bigger saw for the tree work, so i would struggle to justify it! Many Thanks Tim.

Done, Thanks.

Hi, Is this stuff any use as firewood? I've got a few multi-stems to take back to single stems, so I'll have a couple of loads of logs to come out of them, but I've not come across them before. How do they burn? Ash? Sycamore? Lime? Pine? Poplar?

Aye, it's on Bute. They're going to loose money on it, it's just a case of getting what they can. I'll have a look at those auctions and see what that sort of thing goes for. Thanks.

Hi, I've been asked by my local community forest project to get what I can for a chipper they've ended up with. It's a Vermeer 620I, which has a running engine (on just one cylinder), but the bearings on the fly wheel has gone. Is there anyone out there who would be interested/able to take on getting this machine back up and running? If so, roughly what would it be worth to them?

Cheers!

Hi all, I know there's a huge amount of variables (species, water content, time of year etc) but roughly how much does a cubic meter of chip weigh? Tim

Check out the wee chipper club conversation, I'm in the same situation, but I'm coming down to the CS100, waiting on a demo.

Cheers guys, it sounds perfect. Gus, If I'm up that way I'll give you a shout, I'm over on Bute, so not quite as remote as some of the islands, and fairly well wooded! ILH- Darren, That sounds good, do you have any idea what you'll be wanting for it?

Aye, the one that snapped was worn down beyond it's wear mark on the chain links, I'd not noticed last time I'd stripped it down. I think it's the drive sprockets, they're due to be changed.

Hi, I've recently had 4 saws snap, mangle or just wear out chains, which has led to me having the pleasure of new chains on most of my saws. It has made me wonder if whether the grinder type sharpeners you can get give as good a sharpen as a new chain? Or am I right to carry on huddled over my saws with a packet of files! If they are worth using for general chainsaws, are there any machines to avoid (I've seen an old faithful one for about £70 which seems like a bargain), or is it worth getting a decent (Stihl) one? Cheers

Hi, I've been looking at the small greenmech 4" chippers for a while now, as I can't justify the cost of a bigger unit (I'm scrapping a business along on a Scottish island, mixing tree work with gardening and anything else that comes my way). Does anyone have any experience of these machines, if so, are they ok for what they are? On Youtube, the best video I've found looks fiddly but ok, but then it's chipping lime, which is about as soft as you get! It's worth bearing in mind that I'm really after the chip for use on gardens, and hopefully a better option for getting rid of brash than loading a farmers trailer and brashing it down with a saw for him to do whatever he does with it.