Home  5  Books  5  GBEzine  5  News  5  HelpDesk  5  Register  5  GreenBuilding.co.uk
Not signed in (Sign In)

Categories



Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
These two books are the perfect starting place to help you get to grips with one of the most vitally important aspects of our society - our homes and living environment.

PLEASE NOTE: A download link for Volume 1 will be sent to you by email and Volume 2 will be sent to you by post as a book.
Buy individually or both books together. Delivery is free!


powered by Surfing Waves




Vanilla 1.0.3 is a product of Lussumo. More Information: Documentation, Community Support.

Welcome to new Forum Visitors
 Join the forum now and benefit from discussions with thousands of other green building fans and discounts on Green Building Press publications: Apply now.




General: Garden Equipment

Bottom of Page

31 to 57 of 57

  1. <
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. >
  1.  
    Is that essentially true?

    End up eating more food to fuel the work... That food has an embodied energy also ?
    • CommentAuthorrevor
    • CommentTimeJun 4th 2024
     
    Where did the compostable bags come from? I haven't noticed any problems myself, but maybe I haven't been looking hard enough - I'll try to remember to look tomorrow.

    They were a mix of LA issued bags and magazine postal outers that claimed to be compostable. It is strange because we can have an LA bag in a caddy for food scraps and holes appear in it within a few days. The contents and its bag are collected weekly and go for anaerobic digestion at a plant about 25 miles away to make methane for generating electricity for which they are handsomely paid and the resulting digestate goes for fertilising farmers fields. As usual not a British owned company. When will we learn, exporting our natural wealth like this is shameful.
    •  
      CommentAuthorfostertom
    • CommentTimeJun 4th 2024 edited
     
    Posted By: revorexporting our natural wealth
    What? our compost? our methane? our lack of initiative?
    • CommentAuthorrevor
    • CommentTimeJun 5th 2024
     
    <blockquote><cite>Posted By: fostertom</cite>our lack of initiative?</blockquote>

    Mainly that. Not creating wealth from the natural resources we have. That is real wealth making things from what the sun and earth provides.
    We do not do enough of it which is why we cannot pay ourselves more. We have exported making things elsewhere and then spending what wealth we have buying it back again in the form of goods we could have made in the first place. Oh! and also ending up with a massive trade deficit and poor GDP.
    •  
      CommentAuthorfostertom
    • CommentTimeJun 5th 2024
     
    Posted By: revorWe do not do enough of it
    Do you think there's lots of small would-be entrepreneurs and/or makers out there who would be making stuff, if only they could get starting finance? Banks won't lend; what if govt printed money to give out free, no interest, to genuine applicants? Would the expanded supply (vs demand) then actually tend to deflation, rather than the inflation that's considered inevitable with printing money?
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeJun 5th 2024
     
    Posted By: fostertomDo you think there's lots of small would-be entrepreneurs and/or makers out there who would be making stuff, if only they could get starting finance?
    No. It's easy enough to find a "men's shed" or "maker centre" or even a neighbour with a workshop or suchlike and I'm sure it'd be easy enough to get started there, then use revenue to fund expansion.

    to genuine applicants
    Sounds easy, but how would the government identify genuine applicants? (and especially those who were at least moderately likely to succeed)?
    •  
      CommentAuthorfostertom
    • CommentTimeJun 5th 2024 edited
     
    I shouldn't have said 'genuine' - is only a small step from perennial mean conservative (small c) 'deserving'.

    If money's being printed, it's no longer a scarcity, to be jealously conserved. Relax about that. Rather, the policy criterion would be to put the 'free' printed money where it results in increased supply vs demand, thus deflationary; and to avoid it going into pockets where it just enables increased demand vs supply, which raises the classic inflationary fear that accompanies the horrible heresy of printing money.

    And also to avoid it going into corporate pockets, where it's sunk, lost forever as useful economic lubricant, in stock buybacks.
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeJun 5th 2024
     
    The exact adjective you used doesn't matter. My question is genuine. And has nothing to do with the source of the money. It's a question about the capabilities of a government.

    And for the avoidance of doubt, I'm not a believer in the magic money tree so I would find it hard to support any such policy for other reasons.
  9.  
    Kwasi and Truss tried splashing billions of unfunded handouts, to 'break Treasury orthodoxy' and 'unleash entrepreneurs to make Britain grow again''. The BoE printed ÂŁ65bn to fund this.

    They wishfully thought this would make 'growth' in supply and somehow avoid the currency devaluing, and so avoid inflating the price of UK's imported fuel and food, and our interest rates.

    Turned out the economic 'orthodoxy' was correct after all, and we are still paying for Truss/Kwasi's money printing through inflation on our shopping, energy, housing costs. The billions of extra interest charges ('moron premium') on our national debt, came from cuts to public services and investment.

    No sane politician has since been tempted to follow their example, and the chatter about money printing has pretty much dried up, except from populist extremes. Reeves and Starmer have said they won't touch it.

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/20/the-mini-budget-that-broke-britain-and-liz-truss



    On DJH's point - ÂŁ40bn of Bounceback Loans were lent by the taxpayer to 'genuine' micro- businesses during lockdown. Roughly half of that is now thought to be lost, much of it to not-quite-so-genuine applicants, who took the money and disappeared. Whouda thortit?

    https://www.nao.org.uk/press-releases/bounce-back-loan-scheme/
    •  
      CommentAuthorfostertom
    • CommentTimeJun 6th 2024
     
    I wouldn't take Kwasi and Truss as valid test cases - they were (are) ideologues, not careful targeted-policy designers having the experience to avoid, as best can, unintended consequences. Quite the reverse - they were there to blow everything up.

    Apart from 1st sentence "... the Bounce Back Loan Scheme succeeded in quickly supporting small businesses, but ..." the article is entirely about the loss and fraud, nothing about any success. As above, 'careful targeted-policy design', just like (hopefully) any public fiscal policy, whether 'orthodoxy' or MMT-inspired. MMT is indeed not a magic mechanism, any more than 'the hidden hand' of pure competitive (if only) capitalism.

    Posted By: WillInAberdeenThey wishfully thought [to] avoid the currency devaluing
    The devaluing wasn't inherent in the 'policy' - it was deliberately executed by the so-called 'market' - which consists of ideological traders collaborating to defeat this heresy - the right action for all the wrong reasons.
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeJun 6th 2024
     
    Can we get back to garden equipment?
    •  
      CommentAuthorfostertom
    • CommentTimeJun 6th 2024
     
    I'll dig to that.
  13.  
    I have been very pleased with Bahco secateurs (pruners). Bought some for my other half as we got fed up with cheap ones breaking or falling apart. These are all metal with a wire clip at the end to keep them closed.
    I can’t remember why I bought this brand at the time, could have been a search for “best secateurs” or something. I tend to keep them in the leg side pocket of my overalls when doing stuff around the farm, so that they are easy to grab for brambles etc.
    In fact I have just ordered a 230mm pair off eBay while I was looking.
    No affiliation!
  14.  
    What about a pole hedge trimmer? Corded or Makita 18v battery system....
    • CommentAuthorowlman
    • CommentTimeJun 8th 2024
     
    After much consideration I decided to go down the EGO cordless route. I bought a powered walk behind mower and then a couple of the multitools; the pole saw and the hedge trimmer. After a couple of months use they have proved excellent. I used the pole saw on some 4" Sycamore branches with no trouble. I particularly like the fact that all their batteries fit all their equipment whatever the AHC.
    A friend has just bought their ride on Zero turn mower; he says it makes mowing a pleasure.
    •  
      CommentAuthorfostertom
    • CommentTimeJun 9th 2024
     
    A tool I had welded up, which I've never seen for sale: like a big fence-post basher, but small, for 3" round posts or 2"x2" square pegs - a 8" length of 80 or 90 diam pipe with a 8thk cap welded over one end. Slip it over the top of the post/peg and bash it as hard as you like with a sledge hammer - it won't split, or much less likely than hitting it unprotected.
    • CommentAuthorowlman
    • CommentTimeJun 9th 2024
     
    Sometime over the Summer I have to fence about 150 M alongside a tree shelter belt. I have a standard post thumper but I'll most likely do serious damage to my back in the process. I'm looking at a petrol driven post driver together with metal posts to which I can attach stock fencing. I'd figured that metal posts will drive in easier near to a tree line. Does anyone have experience of the powered post drivers?
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeJun 9th 2024
     
    Posted By: fostertomA tool I had welded up, which I've never seen for sale: like a big fence-post basher, but small, for 3" round posts or 2"x2" square pegs - a 8" length of 80 or 90 diam pipe with a 8thk cap welded over one end. Slip it over the top of the post/peg and bash it as hard as you like with a sledge hammer - it won't split, or much less likely than hitting it unprotected.
    I use old tins for the purpose. Seem to work well.
  19.  
    Posted By: fostertomA tool I had welded up, which I've never seen for sale: like a big fence-post basher, but small, for 3" round posts or 2"x2" square pegs - a 8" length of 80 or 90 diam pipe with a 8thk cap welded over one end. Slip it over the top of the post/peg and bash it as hard as you like with a sledge hammer - it won't split, or much less likely than hitting it unprotected.

    for putting in posts by hand I have a tube (6 mm wall thickness) with top welded on about 80 cm long with 2 handles on the sides (commercially available in the UK) much easier than a post top and a hammer. Otherwise its the tractor mounted post driver.

    Posted By: owlmanDoes anyone have experience of the powered post drivers?

    I've never used one but the utube videos show they work well (the modern tractor driven post drivers use much the same vibration method to put in posts whereas mine is a big lump raised and dropped)

    Hire one for the job e.g.
    https://hsstoolshop.co.uk/petrol-post-drivers-for-hire-11591-p.asp
    probably available from someone in your area
    • CommentAuthorMike1
    • CommentTimeJun 9th 2024
     
    Posted By: owlmanDoes anyone have experience of the powered post drivers?
    No, but I have hired post hole borers, which work very well provided the soil isn't full of big stones or rubble.
    • CommentAuthorrevor
    • CommentTimeJun 10th 2024
     
    The technique of starting off the post is use a long steel bar ( forget what they are called has point at one end and chisel point at other) and ram the pointed end into the ground and wiggle it from side to side and round and round so you form a shaped hole similar to the point of the stake and do as far as you can. This helps the location and holds post in place whilst you hammer it in. I have a post hammer with side handles got so heavy for me now it needs 2 persons to use. When have lot of fencing to do get a local farmer in with a post knocker on a tractor to do the job.
    •  
      CommentAuthorfostertom
    • CommentTimeJun 10th 2024 edited
     
    Posted By: Peter_in_Hungaryfor putting in posts by hand I have a tube (6 mm wall thickness) with top welded on about 80 cm long with 2 handles on the sides (commercially available in the UK) much easier than a post top and a hammer
    They're great for big posts but no good for the small/short ones.

    Posted By: djhI use old tins for the purpose. Seem to work well.
    Surprising - I'd a thought the tin would conform all too well to the hammer face thus make no difference.

    Posted By: revorI have a post hammer with side handles got so heavy for me now
    Quite!

    Posted By: Peter_in_Hungarymodern tractor driven post drivers use much the same vibration method to put in posts
    I've often thought they'd make good v low cost piled founds for buildings, with right choice of timber species for real rot resistance. What's the catch?
    • CommentAuthorowlman
    • CommentTimeJun 10th 2024
     
    The hand held post drivers that PiH describes are just too heavy for me now and I only use them for the odd 3" tree stakes. When using 6' fencing posts, lifting the thing is too much esp. when I've got 150M of fencing to do.
    The tractor mounted vibrator rigs work fine but in my case near a tree line is not possible as they require about 3M of headroom for the hydraulic rig. All I'm left with are the small petrol driven vibrating type together with metal posts, which I figured would be easier to drive near trees. I've searched, but they're a tool that few hire companies seem to stock so currently no luck there. Buying one at the moment, seems the only option. Prices vary from about ÂŁ350 to over ÂŁ2000 so the search for a hire tool goes on.:sad:
  24.  
    Can you push them in with a digger bucket? It’s what my neighbour does (farmer)
    Personally I use the technique and tools as described above by Revor.
  25.  
    Posted By: owlmanso the search for a hire tool goes on.

    https://www.nationaltoolhireshops.co.uk/product/petrol-post-driver-hire/
    Might be a place to start, they seem to have national coverage.

    With 150M probably max 50 posts and if they are galvanised steel post I would expect done in less than 1 day
    • CommentAuthorrevor
    • CommentTimeJun 10th 2024
     
    <blockquote><cite>Posted By: Dominic Cooney</cite>Can you push them in with a digger bucket? It’s what my neighbour does (farmer)</blockquote>

    You need a decent weight digger ca 8t.or a backhoe JCB. I have a mini 1.8 t JCB and all that does is lift the front end up.!!
    • CommentAuthorowlman
    • CommentTimeJun 11th 2024
     
    Thanks for the link Peter; I found a local branch of a National hire company who recon they have one in their inventory, which they can get shipped for a fee, and given a few days notice. It may be the better Honda powered one too, going by the pics.. I believe this type come with a long "sharpened"? tube which can be driven in first and then twisted and pulled out with a tommy bar. That may be handy if/when, I hit a tree root which could knock the posts out of plumb.

31 to 57 of 57

  1. <
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. >
Add your comments

    Username Password
  • Format comments as
 
Back to Discussions Top of Page
   
The Ecobuilding Buzz
Site Map    |   Home    |   View Cart    |   Pressroom   |   Business   |   Links   
Logout    

© Green Building Press