Mike invested in a manual log splitter yesterday to help us deal with our poplar logs. It's a great device, somewhat similar to those ski machines you get in gyms (says she, never having been to a gym). With it I can actually split the logs - well, those that I can lift on to the cradle, that is. There's a wedge-shaped piece at the back that the log is forced against with a hydraulic ram, operated by pulling the two levers backwards and forward, until eventually the log cracks with a most satisfying noise. It's still fairly hard work, but you get a real sense of achievement with each log split, which I'm sure would be much more difficult to attain with a ski machine.
We've still got a fair number to do, but I don't think it'll take too long. I managed to create the little heap of split logs below in half an hour this afternoon.
We spent another hour or two today turning the top hamper from the poplars into wood chips with yet another new gadget for the tractor which was delivered by Mark the tractor guy this afternoon. This is a scarily efficient machine - it can take branches of poplar that are up to about three or four inches in diameter and it gobbles them down in seconds.We've got a huge heap of branches to deal with (behind the tractor here), so this is another job that will take a little while to complete. The chippings are being used to form the paths between the vegetable plots (I'm hoping the quackgrass won't like it).
between the rains
5 weeks ago
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