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GB · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 317 Location: Ireland

The farmer that owns the fields next to us has one 3 fields down planted in spruce. I noticed the other day that right by the gate to this field (over grown with brambles and sagging on its hinges so its not much visited) are 3 whacking huge trunks of bog wood from when the land was cleared for the spruce trees. Its just sitting there, right by the road and I really WANT IT Embarassed

really really really. Rolling Eyes

So what approach would you take with the farm owner to acquire it? Bearing in mind that I have said hi once and seen him only one other time and dont even know his name.

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wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1163 Location: Campile. Wexford

The secret with dealing with farmers is not to just go up to him and ask. He will almost certainly be busy and thinking of more important things. Phone him in the evening. or better still find out where and when he is likely to visit the local pub. Buy him a pint or whatever, ask how is the farm doing. then slip in your request. Never fails Very Happy

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GB · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 317 Location: Ireland

Buy him a pint works great for a bloke. It might seem a bit strange coming from me. Can you imagine, a strange woman goes up to farmer and offers him a pint Rolling Eyes

But I managed to catch him in the field next to ours and got to chatting (the fact I have been lying in wait for him doesnt mean chatting was contrived) And so, via the weather, drainage, land prices, cattle moving, kids and schooling, the weather and the weather we got around to the bog wood. I said I couldnt offer much for it but would if he wanted to get rid of it I could offer him 50 for it. It was so funny, the instant I mentioned an amount he did this little sort of shuffle and winded up about 20 feet further from me but he said it would be OK so now I just have to figure out how to move 3 logs prob. weighing a ton each Shocked

Talk about an embarrassment of riches Laughing

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blowin · Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2007 3:41 pm Post subject:

Hi GB , did you manage to get it to your place yet ? Do you have pics ?

I have really been getting into working with bog wood lately . Strange stuff , isn't it ? Its texture seems to vary a lot , even within a small piece . Some parts are hard as nails -- throw sparks if you take a chainsaw to it -- others are soft as sponge , some of which dries to the texture of hard cheese wax while rest goes more like balsa wood . Fascinating .
As to your Q about how to approach the farmer , I have a similar problem . I have seen a huge rooty bit at the end of a ditch . It has obviously been there for ages but I know that it will suddenly become very valuable the minute I start asking who owns the field it is in .
A couple of years ago a local farmer told me to help myself to whatever came out of the hole he had dug for hopper turf . I thought that was very generous -- suspiciously so ! Wink

. We hardly knew each other at the time but he did know that bog oak is worth £££ . I think he also knew that most of wasn't actually " black oak" , so it wasn't very collectible , and if someone would be daft enough to clear it out of his way then that would save him a couple of days work .
Anyway , I picked up bits and pieces over time and did get a couple of small ones which turned out very nicely once they had been carved . They would probably sell for around 250 euro and he knows that . On that basis he must assume that he has given me about 2 1/2 grands worth of the stuff so is due something in return ( tho in fairness he has never actually said so ) . On the other hand , it takes so long to collect , carve and polish the stuff I reckon the return is no more than 3 euro an hour even if you can bring yourself to part with it .
And I have finally found out where most of it goes now --- straight back into the bog . The digger man buries it as support for his m/c when he is working close to the excavation . Oh well , at least it is still there for another day !
Do let us know how you get on

GB · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 317 Location: Ireland

He said I could have the lot for 50 but when I went down to look closer at getting it home found that all but one piece had dried out over the years to hollow uselessness Crying or Very sad

and the one piece that is worth having weighs more than my digger Shocked

One of the days I will ask if he might bring it down for me but dont know if he will have the time or the want too Wink

and yes, its great stuff to work with Cool

can you imagine getting the huge trunks that the power people dig up and cutting it into floorboards? How cool to have a 10,000 year old floor Very Happy

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