[Bell Historians] Ash

[Peter Whisker]

Recently we got a local sawmills (a clearing in the forest in East Horsley,
Surrey - powered by the takeoff from a tractor!!) to provide some English
ash lengths. About £5 each for a 6' length of 4x4.

Some fettling at home with a circular saw and plane and you can get up to 2
small stays per length. Nice heavy, damp, springy ash. Probably not how one
should go about it, but they don't seem to break too easily - they bounce
back instead.

Peter Whisker
(Chertsey)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "bellmaster" <andrew_higson at t...>
To: <bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2004 12:29 PM
Subject: [Bell Historians] Ash


> I had a similar problem when I was at university in Birmingham. Learners
at Edgabston carved through innumerable stays that we had bought locally. I
was allowed to try buying a stay from the trade - WBF, as it happened and,
hey presto, it didn't get broken again - at least not for the time I was
there, nor were any of the others that we subsequently replaced with
"proper" ash. Long term, the saving to that tower by paying more for a
better cut of wood outweighed the initial extra expense, especially as it
came in the post rather than having to chase around to a suitable(ish) wood
yard.
>
> Andrew
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: David Bryant
> To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2004 11:56 AM
> Subject: Re: Re: [Bell Historians] Stayless trebles
>
>
> > On the subject of different stay materials, I remember, many years
> > ago, going up to look at the bells at Coltishall in Norfolk and
> > finding that the treble had been fitted with two pieces of bent angle-
> > iron in place of the stay. Given that the bells were on G & J
> > headstocks and the propensity to gudgeon failure this manufacturer's
> > stock have, it was a wonder there hadn't been a nasty accident!
>
> I believe the headstock of the 3rd at Aston got smashed by using a
box-section steel stay, and the bell had to be be rehung on a new stock.
Bells have had the crown broken out by too strong a stay being fitted - e.g.
Bosbury, Herefordshire.
>
> I've tried stays with dowells, and found that they go too easily and, as
Andrew said, without warning.
>
> It's getting quite difficult to get good air-dried ash. The kiln dried
stuff is crap, especially for small socketed stays - a slight tap and over
it goes!
>
> David
>
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