Chris Head
-
Posts
6,599 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Never
Posts posted by Chris Head
-
-
Oh that's got to be Twinkle Russethouse. Actually Opas, the bull in field next to my carving site started it all, he'd obviously been eating Viagra contaminated grass.
Chris
-
I hope you're right Ian, I'm about to go and blow next months budget on Dom Perignon and lobster!
Chris
-
I can see through your feigned disinterest Opas! Why, do you need a model?
Don't set me off Pixie, my imagination is wild enough. Next project is a school, a 5m Totem, an eagle with wings spread coming in to land on a chateau/castle which is emerging from rocks, steps leading up to the door, a snake emerging from rocks, rocks turning to tree roots with fox and owl and perhaps woodspirit, I'm putting small seats at the bottom so the kids can use it as well. It's going to be a fairytale depiction of life in the Creuse. Anyone want to turn up with their chainsaws,axes,bowsaws etc I could do with help....I'm scared of this one!
Chris
-
I'm surprised the post stayed up!
Good thinking Valerie, I took one along to the Royal Norfolk show once and was asked to cover it up, it still sold! Is it art? Sure....anything goes in my book.
I behaved today and have started carving the sign, I triple checked the spelling.....'Chambres d'hotes' with a hat thing above the 'o'.
I'd love to meet that chainsaw chick, you wouldn't really be able to refuse would you? The veins were the trickiest part!
Cheers, Chris
-
I seem to be on a bit of a posting roll lately. This one might get wiped but the words are all in the dictionary (we're all grown up here James!)
Sarah sees me coming downstairs this morning in my chainsaw gear and asks me what I've got planned for the day (knowing that I'm a little late on a dining table and a carved sign for a chamdres d'hote and knowing that I hadn't got the slightest intention of doing either!) with that look that sort of shrivels a man. I bravely announced 'I'm going to carve' and scarper (most of you know what I do by now), I just feel the need to carve at the moment.
So three hours later just before lunch (two hours carving and one hour sanding)I plonk a three foot penis, beautifully formed , and with realistc veins and testicles on the kitchen table, it did the trick, the icy looks disappeared and we both laughed alot! Then it got cut up and now rests on the firewood heap. All in all, a good day!
Salut, Chris
-
Thanks for the kind thoughts, I hadn't meant to seek sympathy but your thoughts are nonetheless appreciated. I just meant to illustrate to the orginal poster, and the many who will read this, that if you wait for the right time the right time will never come because all of a sudden you waited too long and the energy levels have diminished and age has crept in and your safety net has bound you tighter than you thought....I consider myself one of the lucky ones, tomorrow morning I'm going to be standing looking at a hulking lump of Oak, half a dozen chainsaws next to me as eager as I will be for some action, in the middle of the greenest countryside imaginable, not knowing or caring what will happen, not caring who will buy it or when....but knowing that the piece always sells and the bills always get paid and we're as happy as a pig in merde!
My parents hated us going but they knew we'd made the right decision, don't leave it too late.....
Salut, Chris
-
"I understand more than I speak"......Give me a euro for every time I heard that from a Brit!!!
Chris
-
Hi Bedders, I'll try and keep this short! There must be many who have had the same dilemma. When we left the UK my wife had been working with people infected with HIV and Aids for several years (we keep that quiet here, many of her patients are now dear friends and come here regularly), my parents were ill (my mother died today), my boys left all their friends and clubs, I left a well paid business and a comfortable financial structure, we left our language and culture and safety net behind.....in short a huge risk. Did we do the right thing? Sure we did, and no doubt about it.......any regrets? Not a single one. Yesterday my mother told my wife that she was convinced we had made the right choice. Now we're happy, no worries with work, language or culture, we've swapped a difficult culture for an extremely rich and supportive one. In short, do it....there's only one life and it's yours, we'll be a long time dead and I sure as hell ain't going to my grave saying "I wish.......". Good luck.
Salut, Chris
-
Thanks for the posts and emails I had also, some good ideas and I've made a few good contacts. I hope to meet up with some of you this year.
Chris
-
Great idea Pat, thankyou, the event might be quite appropriate for totems and American eagles etc. I found the website of the festival and have left a message, it looks like a huge event!
Thankyou also Cat, another really good idea. I'll call them straight away. The two events aren't too far apart, sounds like an excuse to stay out and explore a bit!
The Harem sounds like it could be hard work Katie, but hey, we're a long time dead and my energy levels are good at the moment....I'll ask Sarah!
Thankyou ali, I'm sure they're aware, they'll contact or not!
Chris
-
This is mixture of a story and a request for help from the expats here. I can't believe we've been so silly as not to have asked the question before from you all.
As some of you might know, I am a chainsaw carver, prior to that I was a Forester and Tree surgeon with a successful business in the UK who got sick to death of the mounting costs and beaurocracy of my profession. I dumped the business and turned to carving with saws and spent four years travelling the UK as paid entertainment on the UK event circuit, from which I burned out. Don't get me wrong, the money was great but the tedium of repetitive travel and carving subject wasn't great. The constant carving of the same old subjects just did my head in, I never really developed in those four years, hence one of the main reasons we have come here. I'm now developing with a vengeance and want to get out there again! The one part of the UK business we retain is the storytelling circles for schools and local authorities,they sell well, I just love carving for kids.
I've not enjoyed carving for the last three years but have come back to it in recent months, quite simply because I love carving and really want to be out there again........
My Question is THIS!! ........
Do any of you know of an event or fete that I could go to, to display my work, something that is well attended and really left a memory with you? I don't really want to carve in public again but will if my arm got bent, I'm insured to carve in public. If you could possibly help with contact details of organisers and communication with them that would be fantastic! I'll pretty much travel anywhere, South of Limousin would be better than north, I like heat. It could be a good opportunity to meet some of you?
Thinking caps on out there please!....... I know the UK event scene intimately but I'm a virgin here so I need you guys to help me out.
Looking forward to your thoughts.
Salut, Chris
-
You lot really must have too much time on your hands!
There's nothing wrong with killing trees, you can sometimes hear them screaming as the chain first tears into them. If killing trees was a crime I'd be on death row for genocide by now ! That's left me open to the tree huggers, ho hum.
I'd have to carve something for Twinkle to sit on out of that stump, don't worry lover I'd sand it first...........
Chris
-
Hi Cassis,
Either the chain has been unevenly sharpened or the bar has uneven wear on it or a combination of the two.
Each cutter has to be sharpened to same length and angle. Use a vernier caliper to measure the length of the cutter until you get used to doing it and can judge by eye.. If it takes, say three strokes to sharpen the cutter make sure each tooth on both sides has three strokes of equal pressure as well. When you start, find the shortest cutter and adjust them all to the same length. Clamp the saw in an engineers vice making sure the jaws of the vice don't nip the bar so the chain can rotate freely, again this will give you practice at sharpening accurately. You should be using a file guide which will have angles marked on it, 25 - 30 degree is the norm for croscutting. Make sure the file is clean and not clogged and change it regularly. Use fluid and positive file strokes. Ensure the file is the correct diameter for the chain. Also the depth guages should be lowered according the chain wear, but that's for another time. Correct sharpening is really very easy if you have the patience to learn how to do it.
As you've already done, turn the bar quite often to assure even wear of the runners, the bar should occasionally be 'dressed' too but again, that's for another time. If the bar is excessively worn then the chain won't run correctly, ask your dealer to look at it.
Hope this helps, Chris
-
Hi Sid,
I didn't take exception to your post at all. I agree that there are a lot of decent quality cheap tools out there, and as you say, 30 euros for a grinder that has a 2 year guarantee is a great deal. It was wrong of me to assume that you don't have the same requirements from a saw that I do....perhaps we could carve together sometime?
Chris
-
Ian the trees sound lovely, but I think it's about time they were given a new home and re-planted! They've spent a long time in their pots and are telling you that they are stressed and need to be elsewhere! Make sure they have water. If they were mine I would want to wait until they are dormant, in the winter, and then re-plant them, you might get away with replanting in the middle of the summer as they are quite dormant then but I would think that you would risk shocking them much more than if you waited until the next winter.
Good luck, Chris
-
in the hope that as many folk as possible read it, it's an important subject...........
I'm not brand loyal at all Sid but my requirements from saws are very different to yours. I buy the best in a particular power range that I can, whoever makes them. If you're only going to use a saw occasionally then a cheapy will run the chain and cut a few logs. I'd highly recommend an electric saw, I use them when I want to work inside and the noise and fumes would be untenable, you don't have to worry about leaving petrol for too long which could give carb and starting/running problems. I don't want to be anoraky on the subject at all but I've seen the damage they can do too and it really is horrific, imagine 50 or 60 sharp little knives travelling at 20 metres per second meeting flesh and bone! Chainsaws don't cut the skin nice and cleanly like a knife does, they rake the flesh out, and when the cutters meet bone they smash it, not easily repairable. There was a tree surgeon several years back who just nicked an artery whilst reducing a tree, he was dead before the fire brigade could get him down from the tree.....it happens. If my words could prevent even one ignoramus from hurting themselves then it would have been worth the effort......and the risk of an anorak label.
My final thought, and opinion, is that anybody who even has to ask what a chainsaw runs on shouldn't be using one, period.
I'm more than happy to give free training if anybody is in the Creuse area or wants to travel.
Regards to you all, Chris
-
I'm not brand loyal at all Sid but my requirements from saws are very different to yours. I buy the best in a particular power range that I can, whoever makes them. If you're only going to use a saw occasionally then a cheapy will run the chain and cut a few logs. I'd highly recommend an electric saw, I use them when I want to work inside and the noise and fumes would be untenable, you don't have to worry about leaving petrol for too long which could give carb and starting/running problems. I don't want to be anoraky on the subject at all but I've seen the damage they can do too and it really is horrific, imagine 50 or 60 sharp little knives travelling at 20 metres per second meeting flesh and bone! Chainsaws don't cut the skin nice and cleanly like a knife does, they rake the flesh out, and when the cutters meet bone they smash it, not easily repairable. There was a tree surgeon several years back who just nicked an artery whilst reducing a tree, he was dead before the fire brigade could get him down from the tree.....it happens. If my words could prevent even one ignoramus from hurting themselves then it would have been worth the effort......and the risk of an anorak label.
My final thought, and opinion, is that anybody who even has to ask what a chainsaw runs on shouldn't be using one, period.
I'm more than happy to give free training if anybody is in the Creuse area or wants to travel.
Regards to you all, Chris
-
I would never even contemplate using a saw without protective boots and trousers and I think anybody who does is very silly. You should buy the safety gear before you buy the saw. Good quality safety gear will cost you more than the saw probably but as sandt has seen, they might well save a trip to the hospital.
The lower end of the Stihl range are a good buy, light and reliable. 50:1 or 2% mix, use Stihl or Husky oil. Get into the habit of filling up the chain oil reservoir every time you fill up with petrol. See if you can find a pro user to help with basic safety and maintenance procedures. Don't take down anything that you feel uncomfortable with, alot can go wrong.
Chris
-
Sorry Gluestick, it was a little droll I guess! I'm about to replace a broken Husky saw for the Stihl electric, I don't need power it's simply for detailing with a specialist bar and chain so I'll buy the smallest one possible, probably around 1400 watts. I really don't know what type of motor it has but I'll find out. I don't want to risk going through another saw though, my wife isn't too pleased with me at the moment!
Tony, the Arbortech is Ok up to a point but I find they greatly lack the precision and control of saws though, but if you're not used to chainsaws they're probably a safer bet.
Thanks all, fascinating info and most of it Chinese to me!
Chris
-
Thankyou Nick & Eslier, that's saved me a few hundred euro and another telling off. Petrol saws used inside are noisy and the fumes are unpleasant.
Use a file Dave with an appropriate file guide. It takes less time and is a much better method of sharpening the chain. Initially it might feel awkward but with practice it becomes easy. Clamp the bar (saws have guide bars that guide the chain, knives have blades) in an engineers vice making sure the chain can run freely and make sure you sharpen each tooth the same as the last so that they're all the same length or you'll end up with bannana cuts.
Chris
-
Thankyou both for your replies, I've just about worked out which end of the chainsaw I can hold and which does the cutting, I've been told not to touch the thing that whizzes around or I could be in trouble. I really just want to know if my suggestion will wreck the motor or not?
Salut, Chris
-
An interesting topic. I hope my reply specifically answers the original question.
I have a wide range of skills and services and price accordingly.
If I am asked for a specific product, a door, table, wardrobe, bed etc then I will give a fixed quotation which does not change. If it takes me longer than I thought then I don't earn as much, a little less then I earn more than I had priced at. I price at around 40 euros per hour for labour and build in transport and materials cost. If I'm unsure then I'll discuss it with the client, I don't want any bad feeling anymore than the client does.
If the project is a service, mostly on site chainsaw carving, or tree felling then I price at 450 euros a day for carving and 250 a day for felling.... plus all extraneous expenses.
Hope this helps, Chris
-
Is there any reason that I shouldn't have a rheostat or dimmer switch controlling the speed of an electric chainsaw? I ask because I want to mount an 8 inch carving bar on a Stihl electric chainsaw for detail work inside the barn. Somebody had suggested that it wouldn't be too good an idea as they thought that it might damage the motor and I don't want to wreck (yet another) a saw.
Thanks, Chris
-
James made absolutely the right decision. The poor chap must be feeling likes he's treading on hot coals here sometimes! I didn't think that the post would have degenerated the way it did though. I hope the chill pills have worked and tonights nocturnal activities are more relaxing.
By the way Dick, don't ever use one of those chainsaws on a disc, they are totally lethal and should not be on the market (without getting too anoraky about the subject) . If you have one, put it in the bin as soon as you can.
Chris
My day
in The Complete France Post Bag
Posted
I've never even heard of the word Bonobo, I looked it up in my ageing dictionary and it wasn't there either. You'll forgive me, I'm one off the pupils that gave the likes of Mr Smith a real hard time, I quickly grew to detest the egotism and control that grammar school teachers of the time chose to impose on their hapless students and unfortunately for me I wasn't afraid of them or to say what I thought, hence my education ended a week short of my fifteenth birthday by mutual agreement! All of which meant I never learned words like Bonobo or the 'learned' wit of Dick (sooo glad you didn't end up with my surname Dick).
I'm on a roll this evening, one of those arty farty thought processes that I can't get away from and those of you reading this might well get quickly bored but I just feel the need to type and talk. I just sketched what I want to carve, Sarah's banging on about cashflow but I'm not too bothered at the moment, we're OK. I've been working on the chambres d'hotes sign (hat thingy above the O) and into my head is coming a mixture of two of my passions. Eagles in flight and Spitfires. I've sketched it and it's pretty abstract but I've just got to do it. Eagle wings in flight...soaring, the body of the eagle is the fuselage of a spitfire complete with exhausts and cockpit, the landing gear are the legs and talons of an eagle and the propeller is four big feathers bent back under the force of the rushing wind....I don't have a title yet. I can't work on a subject I don't want to or for a person I don't like, I have to look somebody in the eye and have a clear conscience when they part with their money. I'd rather be poor than prostitute myself (Twinkle might just be the exception to the rule though!!), we came here to change stuff and stuff has changed. I had four years of carving the same old crap for the sake of a good income.
Where do you come up with stuff like that picture Twinkle.....how lovely is that? The subliminal is so important in my world, and I never met you. Boy I'd love to carve for you so long as you sing for me!
Hey Ty, I'm not adept at willies, I just saw a great big one in the field next to me and did the first thing that came into my head when I knew I shouldn't be doing it, and it was a laugh at the time
This internet communication is a weird thing.
If you even got halfway through the above then congrats! I hope you all dream your dreams tomorrow and go someway toward fulfilling them.
Chris