gondarman

I know that a big band mill exists here,

because I saw a sharpening shop delivery truck

The freshly sharpened bands were around 3 inches wide,

and folded it's hard to estimate,

but perhaps 12-15 feet long

Having a love for anything related to a saw mill,

it caught my attention first because I'd never expected to see it,

and secondly it was huge.

I saw this in the area of Chai Nat or Uthai Thani,

an hour or so north of Bangkok

in traffic on the main highway, is it 32?

Here in Mae Sot we have several circular saw sharpening shops,

with blades almost as big as I've seen in North Carolina.

Perhaps 50 inch?

I've not seen bands while driving past those shops.

Some years ago I inquired of a logger / sawyer friend in Montana,

about the cost of a portable band mill.

He said $15-20,000 for a decent used mill .

I decided for that kind of money I could weld fab an even nicer one,

and not have to pay shipping and import tariff on it.

I think it would be cheaper to build a stationary mill,

and leave the concrete behind if you ever had another location in mind.

Unbolt your rails and carriage and move on.

I know that a big band mill exists here,

because I saw a sharpening shop delivery truck

The freshly sharpened bands were around 3 inches wide,

and folded it's hard to estimate,

but perhaps 12-15 feet long

Having a love for anything related to a saw mill,

it caught my attention first because I'd never expected to see it,

and secondly it was huge.

I saw this in the area of Chai Nat or Uthai Thani,

an hour or so north of Bangkok

in traffic on the main highway, is it 32?

Here in Mae Sot we have several circular saw sharpening shops,

with blades almost as big as I've seen in North Carolina.

Perhaps 50 inch?

I've not seen bands while driving past those shops.

Some years ago I inquired of a logger / sawyer friend in Montana,

about the cost of a portable band mill.

He said $15-20,000 for a decent used mill .

I decided for that kind of money I could weld fab an even nicer one,

and not have to pay shipping and import tariff on it.

I think it would be cheaper to build a stationary mill,

and leave the concrete behind if you ever had another location in mind.

Unbolt your rails and carriage and move on.

Yeah WatersEdge, one would more likely see a thing like that in your area. Here in Surin the natural environment has never had many trees. Originally something like a prairie and now mainly rice land. The good logs I am talking about have come down the river many years ago from central Thailand I guess.

You are right. I checked on prices a few years ago as well and came out with similar quotes, but I googled a bit recently and you could buy a good new complete portable one for about 6,000 USD now. Milling 26-30 inch dia. and standard length about 16 ft. With the possibillity to lengthen the track to any length. The tracks I could weld easily here, but the carriage and running parts I would not trust myself making a good job. I have got a new honda engine already to mount on it and even a 12 hp electric motor, which would do even better.

I am sticking to the bandsaw idea. It is a bit more hazardous working with a bandsaw compared with mounting a chainsaw, but for owning a chainsaw that size one needs a special licence here. I was told that it is because they dont want just anybody to be able to take down trees.

My best bet would be finding a miller who would rip the logs the way I want them. Otherwise I would have to find exploitation for the investment and I have already got so many projects on hand

I know that a big band mill exists here,

because I saw a sharpening shop delivery truck

The freshly sharpened bands were around 3 inches wide,

and folded it's hard to estimate,

but perhaps 12-15 feet long

Having a love for anything related to a saw mill,

it caught my attention first because I'd never expected to see it,

and secondly it was huge.

I saw this in the area of Chai Nat or Uthai Thani,

an hour or so north of Bangkok

in traffic on the main highway, is it 32?

Here in Mae Sot we have several circular saw sharpening shops,

with blades almost as big as I've seen in North Carolina.

Perhaps 50 inch?

I've not seen bands while driving past those shops.

Some years ago I inquired of a logger / sawyer friend in Montana,

about the cost of a portable band mill.

He said $15-20,000 for a decent used mill .

I decided for that kind of money I could weld fab an even nicer one,

and not have to pay shipping and import tariff on it.

I think it would be cheaper to build a stationary mill,

and leave the concrete behind if you ever had another location in mind.

Unbolt your rails and carriage and move on.

Yeah WatersEdge, one would more likely see a thing like that in your area. Here in Surin the natural environment has never had many trees. Originally something like a prairie and now mainly rice land. The good logs I am talking about have come down the river many years ago from central Thailand I guess.

You are right. I checked on prices a few years ago as well and came out with similar quotes, but I googled a bit recently and you could buy a good new complete portable one for about 6,000 USD now. Milling 26-30 inch dia. and standard length about 16 ft. With the possibillity to lengthen the track to any length. The tracks I could weld easily here, but the carriage and running parts I would not trust myself making a good job. I have got a new honda engine already to mount on it and even a 12 hp electric motor, which would do even better.

I am sticking to the bandsaw idea. It is a bit more hazardous working with a bandsaw compared with mounting a chainsaw, but for owning a chainsaw that size one needs a special licence here. I was told that it is because they dont want just anybody to be able to take down trees.

My best bet would be finding a miller who would rip the logs the way I want them. Otherwise I would have to find exploitation for the investment and I have already got so many projects on hand

I have laid my hands on some beautiful long old mai talian thong logs. Want to use them for boat building. Most of the problems I faced during my first building projects came down to inaccuracy in the materials, caused by inferior logging, rough cutting, drying and sawing. That is why I have set up that whole process myself. Drying kiln, sawmill, complete woodworkshop with table saws, planers, thicknesser etc The missing link in the process starting from the logs is having them cut into rough boards on location. The way I have seen the Thais doing it is not what I want. They slice them parralelly overlength with a giant chainsaw with the result that the grain is running everywhere, the boards are not the least straight and causing alot of waste material.

I would like to have them cut with i.e. a portable bandsaw and roll them a quarter round for every board so the grain will run the same way on every board.

Saw them using these particular bandsaws in Australia and Canada. They loaded them on a pickup truck, assembled them on to the log and cut beautiful boards. There is a crane and some excavators on the location which I can use so lifting and rolling is not the problem.

Wonder id there are any saw millers in Thailand using this or any other system to fill in this missing link and meet my needs of an accurately processed hardwood

Would appreciate help or advice of any kind to solve this particular problem

Regards

Arthur

Surin

You want a really big laugh? Put the likes of me on a rice farm or anywhere near a Cobra and watch me try to eke out a living and survive.

You are right Jingthing, apart of having a good laugh about eachother we can learn alot from the Isarn people too, especially when it comes to survival. They have done it for hundreds of years in this harsh environment. When we take the time to talk and listen to the older people in the villages a world opens of which we never knew it existed.

Could not resist telling you this true story which happened few days ago

A German friend of ours, who lives with his Thai wife in Germany often sends us messages or scanned documents by email to pass on to the inlaws. Great service the MIL must have thought when she came to our house the other day to ask if my wife could send an email back to her daughter in Germany. So far so good!!!!

In a plastic bag she brought 2 papaya. My wife said she would send the email and thanked her for the papaya she brought for rendered services.

Wrong, wrong, wrong!!!!

MIL said her daughter loves to eat papaya and wanted to send the 2 papaya along with the email, so they would be there fast enough to eat som tam in the evening

Thanks guys for the fast service. Mr Moo is the one I'm looking for.

Arthur

A wide selection of silks, exclusive and good quality, you can find in the silk village Tha Sawang which is located along the 4026 coming out off Surin about 10 km. Prices are quite steep there, because the place is focussed on international tourism. If you are interested in silk and the process of silk weaving, dyeing though it is a good place to look around in the factory and the museum.

If the price is important to you then you can go to almost any Isarn village and check with the local people because you will definately find some home factories everywhere.

Arthur

Quite some time ago I read a topic on Thaivisa about a Thai guy in I think it was Krasang who does bikes. I remember the topic even referred to his website. Tried search on TV and Googled it but can not find it. Does anybody know what/who I am talking about?

Arthur

Bruceboy, my wife just asked me to devorce, and want's to mary you.

40000 bath is a lot of money.

KC

Ban nong keang, 10 clicks from town

My wife just read the post and I've got a funny feeling that she will be after Bruceboy too. We better keep this a secret before the whole female side of Thai community will be hunting for him. We don't want to start a civil war over Bruceboy do we. Enough people battling eachother in Thailand.

Arthur

Wow!! so much for the Unsinkable Meuanfun!

TBWG

Hi TBWG

I am sorry that the journalist concerned was not very accurate on both pictures. Or too lazy to run after the shipwrecked. Otherwise the pictures would not only have explained the cause of the capsize, but also the fact that the Mueanfun II is indeed unsinkable. If she wasn't we would never have been able to recover her so fast with the heavy engine mounted.

On pic one you can see that the Mueanfun II was perfectly stable and the captain was ready to set sail. Not knowing that the crew were still too busy with their darlings and forgot the basic rules. i.e. sit on the lower seats, don't hold the sides for balance and when she rocks just keep you balance by moving the gravity of your body to the other side. The old rule is herewith proven again!!!! Don't let women on a ship, because they drive the sailors mad. On pic 2 you see part of the result of breaking that rule. The Mueanfun II shook off her crew, but stayed afloat. Even after capsize she's got enough bouyance to both stay afloat herself and resque her crew.

What a fine ship she is. If again the journalist had not been struck with panic you could have seen this with your own eyes. Now you will have to do with the captains log.

To be able to let also unskilled sailors enjoy a trip on the Mueanfun II the ship will be modified shortly.

Arthur

I think I have a solution to this tricky situation!

Lets call it the Unsinkable Flying Dutchman 11 ...and conveniently ignore the fate of mk 1

TBWG

So far we have been able to contract: a tall bloke with glasses, an Englishman with back pain, a German shopkeeper, a Dutch poolboy, an extremely fit German (compared with the rest of us that is) and a lepricorn. Heavy negotiations are going on with an Italian crack. We need a crew of 7 If you are the least bit tempted or know somebody who could be tempted, please let us know, so we can complete the team. We are planning to meet on Wednesday afternoon 29th October at the raft restaurant on Moon River. After the meeting and inspection of the ship there will be a first training. Already contracted athletes will get a personal invitation for the meeting. Looking forward to seeing you all.

Paddles up

Arthur

Is it possible for you to give driving directions from say, Surin town???

Thanks

Colin

Hello Colin

Just in case you might be tempted, I have already made a seat reservation on board the ship for you.

Cheers

Arthur

Hi

I name this ship ....HMS unsinkable

TBWG

Mmmmmm, is that a wise move?

HMS or USS

Dave

Hmmm maybe USS Enterprise II .... We boldly go etc

TBWG

Typical US / UK discussion. Instead of worrying wheather it is unsinkable or not, they worry about HMS or USS. And after all it was built by a Dutchman, so what is your point guys?

Its called humour (or humor) between friends

Any experience of it, meawnfun?

Plenty of experience with it. Just a pity you did not recognise my post as such.

Maybe lack of experience?

btw Sorry Meuanfun's original post was written by Gondarman. Did not notice I was not logged in myself until I had already posted.

Hello Sponsors, Spectators and Athletes.

Get your wallets, voices, banners and bodies ready for this years traditional Thai dragon boat racing on Mun River. Last year the exhibition races by 2 farang teams got a great reception from both the organising committee and the many thousands of spectators. The farang races were also broadcasted on 5 national TV stations. And of course the teams, sponsors and fans had a great time as well and were well taken care of by the organising committee.

Reason enough to participate again this year, For those who wanted to be a team member last year but still had a little fear, there is good news!!!!!!!! and reason to join this year.

Last year we were using the crew of 7, traditional Thai boats. Width based on average Thai bums, About 10 cm freeboard based on average Thai peoples weight. No need to tell you what happens when 7 of us try to board that vessel. With 5 of us per boat we still had to squeeze our bums in and use most of our energy only to stay afloat.

Therefore I joined together with sponsor Meuanfun Resort and have since then worked hard to build a brand new boat XXL farang size. Sorry I can not add a picture yet. The boat is still under construction (coating and painting) but will be ready in time for testing and training. This is not a boat. This is a ship. Unsinkable, wide and stable holding a crew of up to 10 XXXL farang.

That is why I am looking for new additional farang team members to join the crew. If you are of normal good health, and have 2 arms to paddle, you will qualify. So don't hesitate and PM me to register. We will train from the 28th of October almost every day and will race on the 1st and 2nd of November. No need to be a local to join the team. Meuanfun Resort will keep accomodation available for team members and/or spectators from afar.

For more information please PM me with your question.

Don't miss it, you will regret it if you do.

Cheers

Arthur J

Call the embassy in Amsterdam, when you are in Bangkok. Just accept the 30 day stamp for now.

I will not qualify for the 30 day stamp, because I have used up my 90 days for the 6 month period starting from 1st July. If I would get that one stamp it would not be a problem. But I am afraid I will not get in at all.

Today I was just too late to get my visa from the Thai Consulate in Amsterdam. Unfortunately my flight from Amsterdam to BKK is fixed for this Sunday 12th October. So no chance here in ASD to get a visa before then. Before leaving Thailand on 15th September, I had used up my 90 days stay on exempt visa. I guess the Visa on Arrival is not an option for me because it is only for certain countries and only for 15 days.

Does anybody know if there is another option for me to get a visa in BKK or at least an entry?

Please please, got my hopes on all you wise men and women to help this idiot, who got himself into trouble.

Cheers

Arthur

would you mind PMing their details or posting them, I have a few questions on what they may be able to supply

Cheers

Oz

Through this link you will get their phone numbers and a summary of products. The guy I spoke to in Ubon is called Winai. www.resin-upr.com

Good luck

Arthur.................

I was just wondering if the epoxy resin can be used on the wooden chairs/sunbeds I have around my swimmingpool?

If so and if possible could you direct me to your source in Ubon?

Regards

Trond

Epoxy has a lot of good qualities, but for that purpose it is useless. Mainly because epoxy in itself has no UV protection. In the wooden boat building it is used in combination with glass mats to add strength to the construction, for which it is an excellent product and the transparant kind shows up the wood grain very nice. But if not protected with a good varnish with UV protection the UV light can turn the epoxy coat into an ugly yellow greenish colour. You would just be wasting money because the stuff is not cheap.

Arthur

I know it is strange to react to my own queation on this forum, but just to let you know that by asking around and surfing on the net i have found a dealer for polyester, fiberglass and epoxy resin in Ubon Ratchatani who ships to anywhere in Thailand. Reasonable price and English speaking guy too so easy to make it clear what exactly I need. Which is quite handy with technical stuff like this.

Thanks for your attention.

Cheers

Arthur

Does anybody know a supplier of epoxy resin in the Surin-Birriram-Roiet area. I am using a lot of the stuff on building boats and am tired of driving to Pattaya every time. I am not looking for the epoxy glue, they sell it in most well assorted hard ware stores around here now. I am looking for the liquid resin to impregnate glass matts with.

Thanks

Arthur

To build some more canoes and a few kayaks I am looking for a place where I can buy good quality fine and dry hard woods, like mahogany, teak, rosewood, mai makha or mai daeng. I have been using what they call here Mai Takian Thong and it works fine on the boats, but especially for the trimmings I would like to use some other woods. I was told there is a place somewhere in Korat but the person could not exactly tell me where it is located. I live near Satuek and I don't mind driving a couple of hours to get good quality materials. Can anybody in Isarn help me out?

Cheers

Arthur

Thanks gondarman. Sounds good. Will check this out Monday. Are there any phone numbers posted in these plots for contacting the owners?

Yes there are signs up with phone numbers on it.

Guys, do any of you know of a plot of land around a hundred rai (give or take a few) for sale, with chanod, near a decent road with elecric nearby???.......I have a friend wanting to buy now in either Korat, Buriram or Surin province; he isn't so fussy as to where so long as the price doesn't exceed 40,000 baht per rai & it meets the other criteria.

It doesn't matter if there are 94 or 107 rai???, so long as there's around the hundred mark.

Any leads appreciated, please PM with details if you know of anything to suit.

Cheers.

There is quite a big plt for sale. (think it is about 80+ rai) on the along the 219. Driving from Burriram to Satuek it is just past the junction where you turn right to Chomprah. It is right in the corner of the junction and stretches both along the 219 and the road to Chomprah. Land is partly riceland, partly higher grounds with a dirtroad diagonal through it. Forget the asking price because it has been a while ago since it was offered to me. I remember after the first asking price it went the Thai way, because I did not react too fast I got another call where the price already went down whit the remark that even that second price was negotiable.

On the same road just past Burriram airport coming from Burriram on the lefthandside there is a big piece of land for sale. That one is at least 150 rai. All higher land no riceland. Easy to recognise because in the front there are some old lower buildings on it and a high building obviously used for storing harvesters or loaders. They were offering the frontage part for 300k some time ago Don't know what the average price would come out at if the whole plot would be bought. I remember they were willing to also sell part of the lot.

Budget hotel recommendation in Paris. Not below 2 stars, though. Anyone???

Thanks

Try www.bookings.com they have a wide selections with alot of original feedback froprevious guests per hotel. Easy and correct booking as wel. I travel around Europe alot and always book through them.

Cheers

Arthur

Firstly i would like to say i am new here and what a great site you guys have, I need a little advice....I meet a girl in Bangkok a couple of months ago I am a foreign guy and meet this girl in a hotel i stayed at in Klongsan in bangkok, not a tourist area or hotel, so i feel pretty safe in the fact she is Ok, anyways ask her out to dinner and ended up spending a fair bit of time with her in the last few days before i left Bangkok, I am going back in the next couple of months and i suggested going up country to her home in Rattanaburi, I want to get out and see the real Thailand. So i have a few questions, I ask her if it is ok for us to stay at guest house etc, just because my Thai is not that great and it would make it a lot easier if I am not around her family the whole time, is this a rude question to ask? or should i stay with the family, are there actually any guest houses in rattanaburi and do you guys have any pointers on the do's and don'ts in relation to good manners around the family any help would be much appreciated. cheers Rick

Hi Rick

I know there is a great place to stay near Chumphonburi. That is not so far from Rattanaburi. Coming from Rattannaburi to Surin, just before Tatum turn right to Chumphonburi. Place is called Meuanfun Resort and if you don't have transportation, they have a limo service for guests. You can just call them and they will pick you up anywhere in the area. Place has complete fitted western comfort bungalows, nice swimming pool and tropical gardens.

Almost forgot they have good western food too incase you get tired of the Kao Pat Moo.

Hope you will enjoy your stay in Isarn and that you will come back again to prove it.

Cheers

Arthur