Alex’s firm has an impressive line-up of equipment to support
his business. This includes fixed equipment such as massive band saws that can cut up to six foot diameter tree trunks and mobile kit such as Valtra tractors, trailers of various sizes to carry timber and machinery and even a bespoke forestry forwarder. And the jewel in the crown is a Volvo EC140D excavator which was purchased at the beginning of 2015 replacing a ten year old EC140B. “I’ve always been a fan of the Volvo machine and even before we had the first one back in 2005 we operated a Samsung excavator for a good many years,” explains Alex. “The EC140D is a quality machine and ticks all of the boxes for us. The size is just right for getting into areas we need to tackle on most of the jobs we undertake and big enough to assist in the felling of some of the larger trees we encounter.” The new fourteen tonne EC140D benefits from an extra
heavy duty cab guard that has been designed supplied and fitted by Messrs Kokurek of Ipswich. In addition, high powered LED working lights have been fitted to the boom to aid working in poor weather conditions. At the business end of the machine is a Miller twin lock quick hitch to which a variety of specialised attachments in the A & P Blake arsenal can be added. Besides a conventional range of backacter buckets, a brash rake is also included. When used in conjunction with the bespoke, hydraulically operated thumb clamp which is mounted on the underside to the dipper arm, this attachment can grab and lift tree trunks and limbs. This facilitates the quick and easy loading of trailers taking the material back to the saw mill. Another intriguing device in Alex’s armoury is a Lasco cone
splitter. This unusual looking piece of equipment can be picked up on the attachment bracket and plumbs into the third line hydraulic service. Operating at just 76 litres a minute and controlled by a proportional foot pedal control in the cab the splitter is literally screwed into the trunk of the tree which it effectively splits. “This is a really useful tool which we use either on site or, depending on circumstances (i.e. inclement weather) we can bring the freshly cuts trunks back to the yard and blitz the process there,” says Alex. “It was a fairly significant investment but
splitting trunks into quarters reduces the overall process of reducing the material to finished sawn logs and reduces a lot of double handling. It means they can be cut and processed straight away.
we‘ve had this particular tool it’s paid for itself time over.” Log splitting for firewood
applies to wood that’s been felled and found to be unfit for any other purpose however Alex supports his eldest son Will in another venture. Bainton Timber Ltd was established in 1994 and besides offering a variety of timber products for the building industry, specialises in the production of green oak and Douglas fir beams and timber frames for bespoke house builds or barn conversions.
Green oak and Douglas fir beams are typically used in creating roof structures as well as floor and ceiling rafters. The operation has the capability of producing beams in lengths of up to 36ft long together with complete kits including door and window frames, bespoke stair-cases etc. Show-casing the company’s ability adjacent to the works is Alex and Pauline’s new house which has been built entirely from material produced on site and is now nearing completion. All the timber parts have been cut to size following full architectural drawings and using traditional methods when it comes to jointing and assembly.
Both operations take place under one roof at the family’s headquarters at Bainton where a large storage yard for the raw material together with an impressive sawmill and its attendant production facilities are housed.
I’d say that in the five years
Alex Blake at the controls of his EC140D
Top right: Alex & Pauline’s new house Bottom left: House interior featuring Douglas fir beams Bottom right: Utilising the traditional fixing methods
THE VOICE MAGAZINE No26 2016 21
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