As a consequence of my growing obessession with fire-wood I found myself buying a wood moisture meter that allows me to measure the moisture content of cut logs. You ideally need a moisture content of below 20%, although the intermittent 25%er won’t do too much harm. This handy gadget also allows me to measure the moisture content of formerly lost at sea oak flooring which has now acclimatised and measures in below the requisite 8%.

My kitchen sink splash back travertine tiling is progressing - I’ve decided that speed when tiling leads me to decreasing quality and an increased likelihood of entering regrouting hell, so I’ve decided to take my time and slow-down (As TRF is currently so keen on telling me from his elevated car seat from which he directs my driving).

All the trees I ordered are now planted so there are no excuses when it comes to getting on with work in the barn (except perhaps the occasional trip to cut some logs on a nearby farm). I’ve also decided not to plant my proposed willow trees this year - that one will go on the list for next year.

In my January update I worried about…

the distraction of the Six Nations rugby [being] too great…

…that was a mistake, as in fact this year, the Six Nations rugby itself isn’t too great (at least for the home nations)… let’s say no more on the matter.

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The tiled floor that runs through the whole of the downstairs of the barn took a considerable investment in terms of both time and money in planning, sourcing and then fitting. It’s been completed for a while now (since August 2009), but I thought that a post summing things up would still be worthwhile and an opportunity to show off!

In terms of cost, the rather crazy numbers split pretty crudely three ways …just over third of the cost was to buy and get the tiles delivered, another similar amount to get them fitted and the rest went on the expensive adhesive, grout and chemicals needed for preparing the original concrete floor and cleaning, sealing and finishing the travertine tiles. I never thought when I bought the travertine for a pretty reasonable price that the total cost of the floor would come anywhere near the final figure. Certainly a budgetary lesson has been learnt.

As you may have guessed I paid my builder to fit the floor for me. I did consider doing itself my self, but based on past productivity I’m pretty sure I’d still be working on in now…

We’re very pleased with the finished floor. I’d worried about getting the colours right - not so dark as to spoil the lightness and airiness of the barn and no so light as to dazzle. The colour of the tiles also need to be in-tune with and complement the white walls, oak stairs and furniture and rough lime pointing of the internal wall, all of which I think we achieved with the choice of travertine.

Now I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking…

From Downstairs Floor

From Downstairs Floor

From Downstairs Floor

From Downstairs Floor

From Downstairs Floor

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The process of coppicing is pretty straight-forward:

Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management in which young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to near ground level. In subsequent growth years, many new shoots will emerge, and, after a number of years the coppiced tree, or stool, is ready to be harvested, and the cycle begins again. (Note that the noun coppice means a growth of small trees or a forest coming from shoots or suckers.)

Wikipedia (the font of all knowledge).

I think this diagram from Wikimedia Commons sums it up pretty well.

I’ve applied this technique to a few ash trees. In most cases a pretty messy exercise for me as the ground underfoot was pretty boggy and my big forestry boots sink nicely. But I got the trees down, cutting with my chainsaw or band saw depending on the width of the trunk and usually with some wrestling of the tree to get it finally down and / or out of the ground. I now have the inch plus thick stuff nicely stacked away in my shed ready for burning and the rest will be chipped for mulching.

From Woodland

Follow the Woodland link above for some other pictures of my recent tree related exploits…

Now I promise to get back inside and get some ‘real’ work done.

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I bought 60 hazel and 60 silver birch trees just after the new year started. Planting has been pretty slow going as I’ve been reusing old tree guards and stakes from some replanting of mainly ash trees that took place (I guess) 8 or so years ago.
I chose hazel and ash to provide some variety [...]

(Very) belated Happy New Year, so what has 2010 brought so far…
My formerly lost at sea oak flooring is spending January acclimatising and I plan to fit it, at least along the landing floor in February.
I’ve taken delivery and started fitting some mixed ‘brick’ shaped and mosaic travertine tiles that will be used as [...]