Conor Wright

Not the video I went looking for but a low input way of charring a few boards, worth looking up yakisugi too.

https://youtu.be/shNGae9fL9A

https://youtu.be/rzVoBog8A_4

Just now, Tom D said:

Where did you learn about this? got a link, or a book to recommend?

At the risk of sounding like a tinfoil hatter, I did my own research! You tube mostly, will have a look, I might have the video saved...

15 minutes ago, Tom D said:

I think you brush all the excess carbon off so probably not.. Although you can leave it really black for the crocodile skin effect.. maybe then it would..

 

If your going for a heavy char the best option is to immediately run cold water over the flaming board whilst brushing it with a stiff brush. This stops the charring evenly, removes the excess carbon and helps create a sealed finish.

It's a technique I plan to use when we get to that stage with our house.

6 hours ago, IronMike said:

Oh, and make sure your PPE is on the right way round too 🤣

All these years I thought that zipper was to air out my crack.

I realise now it's possible I may have upset some people.

6 minutes ago, nepia said:

Confucius he say 'man who has sexual problem wakes up in morning with solution in hand'

He also say man with hole in pocket feel a little cocky all day long!

If it's worth the work to you, you could cut out the good timber from the first board and make bundles of 1 or 2 mtr long boards and try selling it that way.

It may be the case you're not taking enough off with the scab. I did this a lot when I first got the woodmizer. Trying to create timber where there was none! Now I either deliberately take the log down in 2 inch or less increments and use the waste to make kindling (have a dodgy homemade flywheel cutter that takes 2.5 inches) or just go big and get to the good wood in the first cut, turning the waste into firewood after. 

It's a balancing act between excessive waste and how you value your time really.

Just now, Connagh said:

Do you have the same size as normal footwear as I find they are always either too small or to big depending on the brand 

Size 11 in pretty much everything, think I've a pair of runners in a 10.5

I wouldn't consider the steins to be sized large but I can only speak for the few pairs I've bought. I do have a bit of space in them but they're not sliding off me.

4 minutes ago, difflock said:

Well, go on then, buy yersel a farm.

Since it is such a fooking unbelieveable easy way to make a small fortune.

p.s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

you gotta start with a large one, fortune that is.

Asking the question one night down the pub, "what would you do if you won the lottery?"

An old man pipes up, "I'd keep farmin' til it was all gone!"

28 minutes ago, Rennie29 said:

70k! Haha ... i was thinking of something closer to 30k 🤔

The market is tight now but there will be something out there in that range.

If you like the master the renault mascott may be a runner. Think they are 5.5 ton, no bigger than the master but they have a higher payload. Also the comfort of a van rather than downsized truck, which in my experience (npr, canter) are backbreaking on any length of journey, moreso when empty.

11 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

They bloody want to be for £70k!

True that, I think if I had 70k there to spend I'd just call that a success in itself and quit this game!

I'm on my third pair of stein kreigers. Can't fault them. Very breathable in warm weather and good grip, if a little on the heavy side.(they all are really) They last well too. 

What weight range are you thinking of 3.5 ton, 7.5 ton?

I don't have one but the 4wd iveco 7 tonners look a decent bit of kit. 

Might be worth trying a pair of nitrile gloves with a pair of standard heavier gloves over them, the outers can get quite wet before you will feel the cooling effect through the nitriles. 

When I was harvesting brassicas in winter I found it the best compromise between gloves that you can retain some dexterity with and something close to waterproof. I used to swap them at lunchtime if the outer pair was totally saturated.

Worked for that situation at least.

2 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

 and the owners are often big blokes with chainsaws to hand.

And fast asleep at 3am because they spent the day doing an honest job.

€500,000 of stolen plant recovered by Granard gardai - Agriland.ie

WWW.AGRILAND.IE

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A large amount of suspected stolen industrial plant, tools, trailers...

Going back a few years now, doubt much has changed. 

If you're already busy with the garden maintenance side it may be worth reconsidering getting involved in tree work.

The only way to make really good money is to be exceptionally efficient as a climber with top notch rigging skills or to invest in machinery to speed up the job and get more work in.

It's heavy going until you're fully tooled up, ie decent chipper,your ideal climbing kit, rigging kit, maybe a mewp, chip truck, stump grinder, back up chipper, log splitter, saws, insurance, mini loader or small digger with grab etc etc.

Until you have kit it's seriously wearing on the body. 

Not trying to put you off, just saying it ain't the goldmine it can look to be from the outside. 

Virtually all that shiny kit you see is on finance. Finance means you have to meet targets. This means long hours in all weather.

The older ones take constant time and money to maintain/repair. This means long hours in all weather too.

As regards pricing, I'm 10 years at trees, having mostly worked in landscaping and organic farming previously and I made a monumental cock up pricing a job I started this week, it happens. Just don't let it happen too often.

(We never speak of the jobs where you allow for three days in the price and your heading home paid up at lunchtime on Tuesday)

If you just want to cut down trees, look at getting into forestry, there's always vacancies for cutters. You'll need more tickets and time to get good at it. it's tough work but it comes with lower overheads and less time spent pricing. You will end up working long hours in all weather though!

1 hour ago, David farmer said:

This would interest Mr a good bit I'm running it on 120hp tractor and I have 540 540eco 1000 but what engine r gearbox is best to run

I have the same chipper. I always run it on 1000 pto around 1500-1800 engine rpm 

Running on 540 when you have more than sufficient hp is just wasting fuel imo. Although below 100 hp this may be necessary.

Sharpening the teeth on the top roller can help reduce the amount of brash wrapping around it. As will sharpening the blades. They're well knackered.

As a rule those chippers don't like twiggy, twisty green stuff, so be prepared for regular reversing of the feed rollers and occasional opening of the machine to unblock the gap between the feed rollers and flywheel, especially on busy conifers! Not as big a job as it sounds. And less likely to happen when everything is sharp.

I've been using rotatech blades, I have 3 sets and there's usually one sent off for grinding, one in use and one on the shelf ready to go. No complaints in 5 years use. You may need to invest in an anvil if it's badly worn.

I ran a 660 with a 42 inch mill on a sugi hara bar. Full skip 3/8.

When I first got it I used the auxiliary oiler religiously but left it at home one day and discovered it wasn't totally necessary.

I wouldn't  go any longer though, not for oiling reasons, but for the sake of the saw. It was at its capacity with that bar although its a stock saw, one that's been tweeked a bit might manage a few more inches. Your sharpening will have to be top notch too!

I have a 60 inch now, not on the 660. I've run that for a couple of full days without an auxiliary oiler but the 880 puts out a lot more oil, so relatively it's much the same.

Having used both I prefer the chainsaw, although the circular saw was bought as a rough secondhand starter machine and the chainsaw one is mine from new. (Both palax)

I found the circular saw more inclined to jam and kick the logs about especially with crooked wood, although it did handle dirty timber a bit better, but who wants dirty firewood?

Chainsaw seems to be easier driven (both machines pto) and its safer as it only runs when you pull the handle, also the capacity is bigger, 350mm as opposed to 270mm. 

Of course, the easiest option of all is to avoid firewood production at all!

Last pic makes me think maple, the grain has that "fleck" to it. 

Grain is a bit tight for spruce imo. 

1 hour ago, trigger_andy said:

 

 

If I can’t mill on-site I just can’t see how I’d get it home. I’d need the Avant on a trailer and another vehicle with a trailer to take home. Hardly seems practical.

 

 

Would they exchange some dry, already split logs(if you have some of your own to spare) for allowing you to mill onsite and remove it yourself? 

You get the slabs and they have ready to burn wood.

Maybe it's too much pricking around for you but no harm asking.

48 minutes ago, Moose McAlpine said:

Van Monster are part of Northgate and sell all their ex-fleet.

 

If your NCB was built up with cars, your insurance may not transfer it to a van as they class it a commercial vehicle.

 

Some insurers will allow a switch one way, but not the other. I forget which way it is.

 

I have seperate NCB for my car and  van because of this.

You should be able to use a small van under private insurance with legitimate reason, eg you own a large dog and need the load space, you are a keen amateur fisher/archer etc and want to carry your own (non commercial) goods on a regular basis. Axa definitely did it on a case by case basis.

You ain't gonna get cover for a jumbo tranny or sprinter. Berlingo, connect, dispatch size should be OK.

Morsø S120-21

MORSOE.COM

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Modern fireplace for more rooms!

Had to have a look to satisfy my curiosity.

It was this one or very similar... not cheap!

We have a set of miyabi knives. Similar to commando's suggestion in type. Very sharp and easy to keep so, but a touch brittle. I cracked one chopping up a chicken, more poor technique than the fault of the knife if I'm honest. Hard to go wrong with victorinox too.