 |
Early 2018In a New Year attempt to improve his ...
... frankly poor relationship with his wife a friend decided to address something she had been moaning about. When she was due home he stripped naked and liberally coated himself in baby oil.
When she walked through the door she looked at him open mouthed and said " What the ferk are you doing?"
" You are always complaining that I don't glisten ...
... my darling, light of my life and mother of some of my children." He told her.
I said LISTEN she retorted.
Not covered in baby oil ...
... me and my much valued band of helpers no longer all but mostly called Dave bravely battled the cold to prepare sumptous timber to sell you when you can drag your arses away from the fire and down to see us.
There are a number of things looking good - Burr Elm and Plane and highly figured Ash to name but three. What is always popular is 20 plus inch wide slabs. I picked up three from a contact in Hastings this time last year and I am about to sand or plane them which will make them more desirable though also much more expensive. More is always welcome ...
... and I was delighted to buy a decent Sycamore much closer to home - a couple of miles up the hill from The Kiln. It was a perfect opportunity for a trip out for New Forest Rob which hasn't happened for a couple of years and ideal for him to road test his sleek Panther Alaskan Mill that he has just started selling.
Being late Winter the weather ...
... was like many women wet and cold but we gamely ploughed on for 5 hours without stopping and the reward was some 2 and 3" slabs 7 foot long and between 24 and 30" wide.
A good little Brucie bonus came the week after when I put the slabwood offcuts on the Timberking at the woods and peeled off a few promising looking 1.5" boards which should appeal to several of my regulars.
You can look at this on You Tube under: PM-42 Panther 42" Milling some hard sycamore in the rain |
Rob driving the mill with Tuesday Dave as his glamourous assistant ! |
We've been planking quite a bit of Yew ...
... book matching some and putting a bit in thicker slabs for the wood turners who love it but not the price !
Often with a bendy log the best thing is to cut it shorter and lose the curve so that it fits on the saw. The log pictured below cried out to preserve the natural edge and curve and although it was a bugger securing it on the saw and needed all Thursday Dave's sawyer skills we think the end result is worth it.
I can see these making a great mini bar top or classy shelf ... best come and buy them quick! |
New fencing on the woods border ...
... was on Graham the farmer's winter schedule. He had been hampered by our trees overhanging and elderflower growing on his headland so we sorted out a deal to cut it back which entailed a fair bit of chainsaw work which was done by a chap called John who I quickly identified as good!
Dragging out old barbed wire and preparing for the new fence was rapidly no fun but we stuck at it and eventually the new posts went it with John's handy machine.
Graham like most farmers ...
... is very practical and is a good man to consult to do a job the easiest and best way. Because he is a man of few words he won't make suggestions so you have to hit him with the right question.
I wanted to improve the area outside the outer gate and he came up with a much better idea than mine which hopefully will benefit visitors parking.
The post basher squares up and effortlessly pops a 6" x 6" Oak post 4 ' into the ground. |
I haven't bought any London Plane ...
... for a couple of years as nothing had caught my eye but I couldn't resist the beast pictured below. Fingers crossed there is no metal in it - some of the city stuff has from WW II.
My dry Plane/Lacewood has been flying out the door as it as lovely as a lovely thing so if you fancy some best get over and buy it. |
Had a welcome visit from Oli my Jersey based ...
... long standing customer. He first came as a teenager when living in London and now in his thirties after a spell in the Merchant Navy has his own busness in Jersey. The last time he came with a trailer and systematically sniffed out all my best bits.
This time having flown over he did an even more through job of filling a pallet with 17 boards of my best book matched Walnut, Yew and Plane with a 3 " large slab of burr Oak I had been hiding... he'll have to sell a lot of hay and stables to the rich islanders to pay for that lot.
Lots of other Customers ...
... whilst welcome as usual depleted my stock quicker than I could find and dry new stuff. I acquired some Kiln dried Oak boards which are mostly only 6 and 7" wide but have the benefit of being ready to go.
A year or two from being ready for sale but well worth a preview is the sumptious Olive Ash below. It usually dries really well and departs adding a big smile to customer's faces - not to mention a quid or two for me. I just need mooore!!
Log is mostly 30mm boards with a few 54 mm and is sticked and stacked and will one day be something special - you'll have to prise it from my fingers with bitcoin. |
Even further from sale is this big ol Cherry ...
... as though it's back at the woods we haven't got round to sawing it yet. Another Erwin gem, it came from a lovely house a mile from the Kiln.
The price was right and though I was dying from man flu I was interested! I got there as pictured below and wondered how the hell I was going to get it on the trailer on my own when the cavalry in the form of Erwin and his mate Simon rolled up and before you could say hernia it was loaded.
The trick is the army parlocking technique where ratchet straps are anchored on the trailer and if two pull on those and one pushes you get the towing power of a couple of extra people.
With Summer comes Smoking Wood sales ...
... this year by popular demand and although it is something of a ball ache I have added to the range of imported chunks with Pecan and Mesquite to go with Hickory. I have plenty of all the native woods, the most popular being Oak Apple and Cherry.
I have held the price of the best selling mixed box @ £30 for a second year.
Come and see us - Bring sunshine and spondulix !
Regards,
|
