Paul in the woods

Well it was a single part. It's 86mm tall and 95mm wide (about 70mm from the center to center of the two lumps that fit in the blade holes).

I thought it was just a single part, the instructions we have just show it as a single part. However, I've not actually checked but I will do over the weekend. It's probably part 3 on the PDF. I do have the mower type number (424 IZB) and serial number if that's any help. Would it be possible to get hold of a part then GardenKit? Subject to me confirming the exact details, of course?

I'm after a part for a less common lawnmower. It's a Harry 424 from 2002 and I need the blade bush that sits between the blade and motor. I've searched various online parts suppliers, eBay etc but no one stocks such an item. Can anyone here help? Either can you source such a part or recommend anywhere that does? It seems daft the mower might be scrapped because a small part cannot be replaced (the old one had a large lump missing!)

Don't forget you can get 25% of the pension pot as a tax free lump sum and you've got your annual personal allowance. So, at the moment, you can get £10,600 of pension payments tax free a year (including the government pension).

I have access to a wide range of species, from small logs of alder and cherry, to larger logs of Scots Pine and then to some very large diameter oak, ash and beech. The larger trees are on a steep sided valley with a wet floor, so extraction of the whole butt would be very difficult. If using a workshop bandsaw mill, would it be best to only saw seasoned wood or would it cope with fresh wood?

With many firearms you may need a licence but you don't need any training or prove you're competent by law. Local police forces often impose extra requirements on licence holder and they can differ from one authority to another. (Imagine being able to use a top hand saw in one county but not another?). I also gather with something like handgun crime this has increased when many handguns were banned. A different way at looking at the question but I wouldn't think plain licencing would help improve safety at all.

Well, milling wood for hobbies, domestic use etc. I'm exploring the milling of some of the trees I've got to produce timber for a workshop, animal housing etc. One option I'm considering is buying in a workshop style table bandsaw, which would enable me to process small logs or large slabs into smaller planks. I could then either get someone in with a chainsaw mill to slab up some large trees or even learn to do that myself in the future. Does anyone do this sort of thing? Would a trade rated workshop bandsaw cope with planking up something like a lump of beech, ash or oak? Are there any better ideas? (Much of the timber is going to be hard to get at so getting in someone with a mobile bandsaw mill might not be a viable option).

Thank you for the replies. I want to produce compost for a garden of about an acre. It's not been cultivated much and is very poor, free draining soil so needs a lot of organic matter. Cost is going to be an issue as for every extra pound I could buy in 20 liters of compost from my local DIY shed. I will need a small shredder for dealing with material from the garden and I've already decided to up-spec it to enable me to process material from the woodland I own. If any of that makes sense. As I will be able to select what I shred, so straight stems rather than twisted thorny lumps, and will only likely need to be going up to 30mm it does sound likely the Minor 4S would suffice. I will go for the GX engine.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I thought best to keep a single thread with various options. I've had success with these traps (wooden box and the BMI 116 trap): Fourteenacre | Fineren Bodygrip Box for Squirrels The trap is enclosed in a box with an offset entrance which prevents bycatch. Baited with hazelnuts and peanuts and with a few minutes practice very easy to set and not as expensive as a Kania. Also the dead squirrel is hidden from view (from people as well as other squirrels).

I'm looking for a shredder to produce composting material on very large domestic scale. We have access to several acres of wood and scub land, so no shortage of material. It doesn't need to cope with a huge diameter as that stuff will go in the firewood pile. The Eliet Minor 4S seems to fit the bill, although I'm not sure to go with the Honda GC190 or the slightly more powerful GX200. Is either better (more reliable, easier to work) on than the other? Are there any other makes that make something similar for around £2k? I've looked at the Major 4S but I'm not convinced I'd get much benefit by spending the extra £800. I've looked at the Echo Bear Cat Chipper/Shredders and like the longer guarantee but don't know much about them. Anyone have any experience of them? Finally, does anyone stock the Eliet Minor 4S in Devon at all?

I think it's more likely to be Rubus tricolor which is often planted as a ground cover plant in car parks, housing estates etc. If it is the fruits are edible but a bit bland.

Looks like Winter Heliotrope. Similar to coltsfoot but that has less even leaves.

Nope, they've had it along with the management plan for about 6 months. Luckily the plan has been approved and I've been paid but I've no idea why the FLA hasn't been processed other than they're too busy doing other stuff. I've chased but unless I create a fuss I doubt it'll get setup. As I will have to deal with the same woodland officer over the years I'll wait a bit longer before complaining.

I've lived places where it's been free to tip stuff and there's plenty of fly tipping. I currently live in an area that has a free 'green' waste bin and still people love to tip mowings over a neighbouring hedge and dump rose prunings in the local forestry car park. Will charges greatly increase fly tipping?

They're fairly clear but seem to be open to interpretation. But then volume estimates can vary wildly depending on how you measure so many people can get round the rules. What annoys me is I've been 'on the safe side' and submitted a felling licence application with a management plan. It's been approved verbally after a site visit but after months of chasing I still haven't been given the licence. In future I'll try and avoid applying for one if I can. If the FC want people to put in applications then they should be a bit better at processing them.

OK, I'll change my mind to cherry (I've not had problems with cherry roots myself). I does seem a shame to just burn it even though it will burn well and is a nice scented wood.

Looks and sounds like Sumac.

If it was a sinensis you could make a nice drink from the clippings.

Interesting point, introduce Lynx to control deer numbers and then reduce stalking to increase deer numbers for the Lynx... I would be curious to hear from someone who stalks Thetford forest, would they view the roe numbers as out of control or too few? I often hear conflicting reports about the deer numbers where I live. I'm a little sceptical of 'facts' posted from the charity that wants to introduce them, slightly one sided. Assuming they are correct it does not tell me what deer Lynx will attack, i.e. young, old, or a range. That would be useful to know. I look forward to the time wolverines are introduced to control the lynx.

I would suggest a bit of research on gun use and ownership in the UK if she wishes to write a balanced article. Many farmers don't own guns for example, many people who shoot will not shoot animals and indeed some are vegetarian. My main gripe is the use of a photo with a shotgun when they would hardly ever be used on deer. Try talking to BASC. I would also expect Lynx to be protected so not shot, if anything vehicles would be more of a threat. Back to Thetford forest, I thought Lynx mainly targeted smaller animals; rabbits, hare and birds? I could seem them hunting Muntjac but how would the Lynx fair as Munties have evolved to fight off predators.

Depends on how many logs. I followed the instructions here: How to: - Using Dowel Spawn to grow mushrooms - Ann Millers Specialty Mushrooms I left mine under a tarp, somewhere shaded and damp but not buried. Next time I'll wrap in plastic bags I think to try and get a quicker crop. If you've got loads of logs then just somewhere damp and shady would be easiest.

Do you use any particular trap?

Shii is the name of the tree the take (mushroom) grows on. It's related to our oak I beleive. Anyway, yes I've grown Shiitake on oak and they've been successful. They did take a couple of years to fruit but that's probably down to the fact it was my first attempt. First crop:

I'm lucky in that I bought the wood to produce materials for myself so I can be more relaxed about time and money. I've got a few acres of hazel that was planted 20 years ago that needs it's first coppice so plenty of material to play with. Hopefully I'll have some idea what I'm doing when the better quality regrowth it ready in several years time!

Good question. Currently I have a a couple of acres of scrubby area that has quite a few large, old, hazel stools. Over the last 40 years or so it's been neglected and goat/grey will has moved in, sprawling all over the place. In the area I'm working in there's also blackthorn which has been flattened when a nearby track was cleared, that clearance also dumped other branches and trunks. I want to rejuvenate the hazel and increase it by layering. I don't want the remove all the other trees but reduce some like the willow, especially the stems that are laying across the ground. There's a large amount of dead branches and trunks, not huge diameter but a much larger quantity that you'd normally find. I also have to sort through it to remove stuff that's been dumped such as barbed wire. If I leave it covering the floor it would cover a large percentage, 40%+ possibly. I would like to see what wild herbs flourish when the work is done and have space to layer the hazel so I'll pile up some of the dead wood. It's never going to be tidy. Brash is a separate issue, I plan to deadhedge the area as we have rabbits and deer. The plan for that is to use willow stakes, a layer of gorse on the bottom, other brash and a layer of blackthorn on top. I expect some willow will grow but that will be coppiced off when the deadhedge is removed and will provide sacrificial shoots for the critters. I'm a bit concerned that too much dead wood in once place will suppress other plants from growing up. There's plenty of dead wood and brash all over the woodland and I'm leaving dead standing material where safe.