fuzzyturns

A couple of things: 1) Islam as a religion is essentially just an extension of Christianism (and therefore also of Judaism). All muslim scholars will attest to the fact that Jesus is one of their holy people and the Bible one of their holy books. They simply insist that Mohammed was the last prophet and therefore their version of monotheism is the correct one. Does that make them more or less extreme than others? No, it doesn't. 2) The muslim world is roughly in the year 1335. Look what we (the christian world) did at the time. No surprises, really. 3) Border blockades have never stopped proper terrorists from going where they wanted to go. In consequence Mr. Trump's proposal is pure polemic. 4) It is a well known fact that the US population is far more religious than any country in Europe, and he's exploiting this in a bad manner. Donald Trump may very well represent the opinion of a large part of the US voters (and that's scary in itself). I have always been of the opinion that whilst a politician in a democracy has to represent the people who voted for him, he also has a duty to set an example of reasoned and civil behaviour (at least once he takes up office), and that is clearly where he is failing utterly.

I do have a heart, and I feel for the grieving family. At the same time, I am with Steve: Darwin rules. Stupid is as stupid does. Trying to kick a log into a chipper is about on the same level as trying to stop a rolling car with your bare hands or checking whether your chain is sharp with your bare fingers. Clearly, common sense was very much absent in this case. That doesn't absolve the company owner (for lack of supervision and/or training), but ultimately everybody has to accept responsibility for their own actions.

I think you should look at the jet. It's slow speed, water cooled, can do all sorts of tools and is a lot cheaper than the Tormek. Had good reviews on youtube, too.

You can use stains and dyes on yew, but you will need a perfect surface, otherwise any scratches across the grain will stand out quite badly, especially if the dye/stain is sanded back. If you want a durable finish that will not alter the colour after staining/dying, use PU varnish.