• Hi all and welcome to TheWoodHaven2 brought into the 21st Century, kicking and screaming! We all have Alasdair to thank for the vast bulk of the heavy lifting to get us here, no more so than me because he's taken away a huge burden of responsibility from my shoulders and brought us to this new shiny home, with all your previous content (hopefully) still intact! Please peruse and feed back. There is still plenty to do, like changing the colour scheme, adding the banner graphic, tweaking the odd setting here and there so I have added a new thread in the 'Technical Issues, Bugs and Feature Requests' forum for you to add any issues you find, any missing settings or just anything you'd like to see added/removed from the feature set that Xenforo offers. We will get to everything over the coming weeks so please be patient, but add anything at all to the thread I mention above and we promise to get to them over the next few days/weeks/months. In the meantime, please enjoy!

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  1. HdV

    New vs Old Machines + Optimum Drill Press

    Ha, yeah, I was getting fed up with the handles always getting in the way. Not really. I just use a square and a hardened steel rod that is verified to be straight. I know I can use a drill bit, but I found this to be much easier. I had some round steel for an axle that was about 30 cm long...
  2. HdV

    New vs Old Machines + Optimum Drill Press

    I have a Optimum OptiDrill RB 8S. This is a floor-standing radial pillar drill. It really is a nice drill, but the chuck that came with it was so so. I replaced it with an Albrecht keyless chuck. With the new chuck there is almost no run-out and the machine has more than enough power for what I...
  3. HdV

    Glut of soft fruit.....tip for keeping fresh

    Most commercially available apples have been waxed (at least around here, not sure if that goes for other countries as well, but I think it does). That's why they feel so greasy to the tough. Compare that to a freshly picked (plucked?) apple's skin and you'll understand why they keep so much longer.
  4. HdV

    We've been invaded.....

    Ah, you use the term in a wider sense over there.
  5. HdV

    We've been invaded.....

    You have that many bats in the barn? I didn't think you were located close to the sea...
  6. HdV

    Unusual clamps, any ideas?

    I might be wrong here, because this is from a *very* long time ago, but these photo's make remember the old corner clamps they used when I still lived in Germany. Just plain corner clamps. The 3rd screw was to fix them to a table or something like that. So, you might be overthinking what they...
  7. HdV

    Drip irrigation.

    We have an extensive system built with parts from Rainbird. One thing I did right from the start was choosing the right type of pipe. Don't pick the cheaper type with just holes. Pick the type where the holes have a small coil. They prevent problems with clogging and roots trying to get in. Also...
  8. HdV

    Spitfire !

    Wonderful! As an aerospace engineer who has never had a pilot's license myself I am seriously jealous. What an adventure! 👍
  9. HdV

    Well, that day didn't go to plan.

    Ah, my "almost" sadly was a bit too optimistic then. At least it seems you are making good progress.
  10. HdV

    Not a straight edge - a cautionary tale.

    If the underside of the level is concave then it will still seem to be good with that test, but it won't be straight. As written above, put 3 different ones against each other in both orientations and check if there is light. If there isn't, they are good. Theoretically there still is a chance...
  11. HdV

    Well, that day didn't go to plan.

    That must have been a great feeling! Good to see you are almost back to your unstoppable old self again.
  12. HdV

    What Birds Have You Seen Today

    A few days ago we saw the hawfinches again. We hear them often, but only see them a few times each year. They don't come to ground level that often and like to stay up in the top of the canopy. But every now and then we get to enjoy seeing them. Those beaks are massive compared to their body...
  13. HdV

    What Birds Have You Seen Today

    Green woodpeckers are funny birds. Their cry sounds like a hysterical clown laughing. We have quite a few of them in our spruce nursery. Unlike other woodpeckers, green woodpeckers are found on the ground much of the time. You will never see them on a feeding table. Ants are the only thing they...
  14. HdV

    The Benefits Of A Hobby After Retirement

    Just like NickM I have been lucky to be able to retire quite young after I sold my company. People warned me about, what around here is called, "The Black Hole". They mean no longer having any obligation and by extension not doing anything anymore. Well, sometimes I wish. But no, it seems I have...
  15. HdV

    A question for dog owners …

    We used to have one. But later we noticed that our dog prefers a cooling collar (I hope that's what they are called in English). So, now the mat is somewhere where I'll probably can't find it when I meet someone who wants to have it.
  16. HdV

    Bees like the Blue False Indigo.

    Yeah indeed. She was extremely friendly and good-natured. She even had a habit to go and sit on my wife's hand when she came in the coop to feed her some treats. She would pick up the treats from her hand and then flap her wings to land on her hand. You should have seen my wife's eyes the first...
  17. HdV

    Well, that day didn't go to plan.

    July the 19th we can get our new rescue from Italy. We have to drive to Germany to get him, but it will be worth it. It will be our 6th rescue. This one is already 10 years old. But that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve a few years living the good live. Enjoy your fluffy new friend. Watch your...
  18. HdV

    Bees like the Blue False Indigo.

    They are popping up everywhere around here. Many people even consider them to be weeds. I don't. Me and my wife love them. But we always have a bit of a sad feeling when we see them. One of our chickens managed to get to one of them through the fence of the coop and ate it. Well, it didn't enjoy...
  19. HdV

    Bees like the Blue False Indigo.

    Beautiful! We have lots of digitalis around here. They seem to be magnets for bumblebees.
  20. HdV

    Mumbles

    Having been on the receiving end of an Eagle-Owl's talons (Oehoe as we call them), there's no way I would dare to call him a wimp. ;) I had come too close to it's nest without realising it. It went into full attack mode to protect its off-spring. Who can blame it. Such impressive animals!
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