Willy's new Workshop

[Willy Nelson]

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen

I am an avid wood turner and freeform burl carver, but also dabble in other areas of wood working, plus I have a number of other interests.

My current workshop dimensions are approximately 2.5 meters x 4-5 meters. Within this meagre space, I currently operate
1. A large Durden Top turn 400, the work horse
2. A Jet VSD mini lathe for pens
3. A 18 inch Jet bandsaw
4. 2 Bench grinders
5 6 Angle grinders, 3 sanding drills and other power tools
5. A couple of reasonably large wood racks and an assortment of bits and bobs.
As you can imagine, there is no SPARE room. I need to expand.

I found a house in Secret Harbour, WA with a land mass of 2300 sq meters. The block is divided into two distinct areas, the house block with an 11 meter pool and double garage, approx 800 sq meters.

Accessed via a battleaxe like arrangement is the large block at the back. The is a 2.5 meter drop down to the 1500 sq meter bare block. Other than a couple of trees, it is vacant, oh, plus years of vegetation, branches and detritus.

Long story short, I am renting the house out at the moment, but I now have Council approval to begin Willy's Workshop. Yaaaaaaaaaayy

The vacant block is designed as a noise abatement area, with a certain % which is allowed to be developed. I am maximising the area I can use. The work shop will be on a 100 mm concrete slab with reo mesh and will be 20 x 8 meters along the back fence. It will be a brick structure with a tin roof.

First step, it all needs to be slashed and cleaned up. The photos are taken from above, on the house block. What can be seen is two large Tuart trees, some smaller casuarinas and heap of long grass which is concealing 6 very large logs, full of termites. I have a plan for this.

Thanks
Willy

[Willy Nelson]

Well
First off, I bought a very cheap whipper snipper as this block was quite overgrown and large. I intend slashing it just to keep the grass down under a 1 meter height.
The whipper snipper with a slasher blade was awesome, absolutely powerful. I felt if I revved it whilst holding it over my head, I could use it as a helicopter.

Well after 4 hours of use, the defects mounted up, the harness stitching failed, bolts unscrewed and were lost, the fuel line came undone, the power head rotated on the shaft, the handles broke....... I got my money back and bought a Stihl, lesson learnt.

The Stihl is awesome, down about 10 hours slashing now, fantastic.

The Tuart Limb
First step, a large limb is directly over the proposed workshop. I gained approval to drop a limb, as Tuart is a protected tree here in WA. I paid a treelopper mate to drop it and then I would chop the rest and use it for a new wood heater, yet to be installed in the house and also one for the workshop.

A mate and my son helped to chop it up. I have a Stihl 660, a 009 and mate with his 044 (I think). Three hours work just to cut them up. Tuart is extremely dense. Although not prized by WA wood workers, I did cut some for bowl blanks for later.

As stated previously, there is also a heap of termite infested logs and piles of vegetation to get rid of. I plan to put all the freshly cut branches onto the piles and seek permission to burn them off and remove a number of issues in one fiery solution.

Cheers
Willy

Jarrahland

[Christos]

Taking a seat to watch this one.

[artme]

Good stuphph Willy!!

Think I'll pull up a stump and join the Willy Watchers association!

[Willy Nelson]

As stated previously, there is also a heap of termite infested logs and piles of vegetation to get rid of. I plan to put all the freshly cut branches onto the piles and seek permission to burn them off and remove a number of issues in one fiery solution.

Well, that was the plan! Fail
I placed a request for a burn permit with my Council, it got knocked back. In my submission I stated:
Qualified bush fire fighter.
Ready source of water
Cleared area out 8 meters
Would pick a suitable day re wind and temp etc
3 Responsible people
Would be extinguished at the end.
Nope, Council rule is No burn. They did state however, that they sympathise with my plight, looked at the site on Google and said if I was 50 meters East, I could do it.

Bugger
Well now I would have to put the big saw through the termite infested logs. This is really hard on chains, but I couldn't see any other choice. I would generally get 1 1/2 cuts before the blades were blunt. I have now sharpened 15 blades to get the jog done. I also think my bar is now stuffed. Luckily, I had some old chains I was hanging onto for just this sort of work.

This took two days effort, to find the logs, dig out a channel underneath them, get one cut or so, change blades and keep going. I have stacked all the timber off to the side. Not sure what to do with it, may have a slow burn next winter in a 44 gallon incinerator. Yielded about 3 ton of rotten, termite infested logs. Interestingly, I had heard that black ants LOVE White ants (termites) I found millions of termites in the logs, but also a lot of black ants, living happily in co-existence, until I disturbed them. Then the Black ants slaughtered the white ants

Now the block is clear, next step is to find a suitable concretor. So far, I have had quotes from $5,000 to $9,700 for the 160 sq meter slab, with 100 mm reinforced concrete.

Currently playing this weekend in the Australian Indoor Beach Volleyball National Titles in Fremantle, Over 45's mens, anyone else?

Willy
Jarrahland

[Pat]

Willie, go larger! 20x8 will be cramped in a few years.

Now where is the Green eyed monster smilie

[Christos]

...... Yielded about 3 ton of rotten, termite infested logs. Interestingly, I had heard that black ants LOVE White ants (termites) I found millions of termites in the logs, but also a lot of black ants, living happily in co-existence, until I disturbed them. Then the Black ants slaughtered the white ants.....

That's one way to get rid of terminates.

[Cliff Rogers]

Easier to beg forgiveness that to ask permission sometimes.

Maybe you could just stroll down there one night & chuck a match in the wood pile & disappear for a while.

[dai sensei]

Looking like a lot of hard work there Willy but the effort will be worth it. As for burn, like Cliff says, it is often easier to ask for forgiveness (gee my chainsaw got really hot and started a fire ).

Think about a slab larger than your shed, or at least allow for extension, you will need a lean-to for stacking wood

[Willy Nelson]

Easier to beg forgiveness that to ask permission sometimes.

Maybe you could just stroll down there one night & chuck a match in the wood pile & disappear for a while.

Sorry Gents
As a pillar of society, I prefer to operate legally. Besides, it is near a major road and I am sure if there was too much smoke, someone would complain and I would have fire trucks arrive. I would LOVE to just burn it, I still have many cubic meters of branches and leaves to get rid of, plus a heap of the rotten termite infested logs.

Willy
Jarrahland

[fubar]

Keep up the good work willy

[Chesand]

Perhaps you could move the logs 50 metres east.

[KBs PensNmore]

Sorry Gents
As a pillar of society, I prefer to operate legally. Besides, it is near a major road and I am sure if there was too much smoke, someone would complain and I would have fire trucks arrive. I would LOVE to just burn it, I still have many cubic meters of branches and leaves to get rid of, plus a heap of the rotten termite infested logs.

Willy
Jarrahland

Willy, do you have a tree lopper mate with a chipper/mulcher, that you can feed the branches and leaves through, making mulch and compost for the garden!!!!
Kryn

[Sawdust Maker]

Good stuphph Willy!!

Think I'll pull up a stump and join the Willy Watchers association!

careful - I think that stump is termite infested

[Willy Nelson]

Willy, do you have a tree lopper mate with a chipper/mulcher, that you can feed the branches and leaves through, making mulch and compost for the garden!!!!
Kryn

Hello Mate
Yes I do have a tree lopping mulching mate, But I am unsure as to whether a truck can make it down to the back of the block. There is a sharp (ish) turn and reasonably steep drop.

I think I shall let them rot down or maybe have a burn in the 44 gal, whoops, I mean have a BBQ in the 44 gal.

Willy
jarrahland