Timber Conversion site in Glentress Forest
The photographs are courtesy of Stuart Mitchell, Peebles area, who formerly worked at Glentress Forest.
Scots pine trees have been hauled in the full tree length by a skidder to the 1st quarry at Glentress where Ian Smart is converting the trees into timber products with a Jonsereds saw - Model 612? The tree quality is moderate only and they are being cut into very short lengths of about a 1.2m. Could this be mining timber?
This quarry was a favoured location in past days for the Edinburgh based bee keeper Mr W W Smith to locate thirty or so hives from early spring to autumn.
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5 Comments
The saw is probably a Jonsereds 621. The short lengths could be 3ft 9ins for Bowater pulp.
Comment left on 10 August 2018 at 19:07 by Andy MacNicol
Yes Andy is correct...Bowaters..the larger pine went for mill wood and also pallets,cut at 4’ which went to David Grays! Sawmill in Innerleithen, using their own 6 wheeler and crane...not there now..the ends went to Workington.....Thames Board Mill
Comment left on 17 January 2021 at 19:01 by Ian Smart
I remember Stuart taking this now,and it’s staged as I am not actually doing anything other than creating clippings flying about for the camera. The Bowaters measuring stick is on the woodpile behind my right elbow. As I recall the timber was dragged out butt first and point first which is a bit unusual and suggests it may have been a clear fell as opposed to a thinning...when they are all normally point first. Note the roller nosed guide bar as opposed to a sprocket. Ground skidder would have been the Unimog from Glentress or Ploughmaster from Cardrona.
Comment left on 30 January 2021 at 15:06 by Ian Smart
Ian if I remember correct the roller nose guide bar had a real bad habit of getting twisted out of line compared to the sprocket type?
Comment left on 31 January 2021 at 11:25 by leslie phillip
Yes Leslie, they could twist a bit if you got them jammed.However I believe they were better for chain wear. I see to remember them getting wedged by thin branches when you were snedding something like Japanese Larch where the branches were almost dead, and therefore very hard.In all the years I had saws after I left the F.C. I never owned a roller nosed bar even when I went onto the tree climbing game.
Comment left on 25 February 2021 at 15:57 by Ian Smart
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