Sorry Alistair, slow brain today.  Typed "Al... " and went from there.

So far as wood species envy, I heat my house with wood, though I do have a
gas furnace and it assists.  No hardwoods here in the West.  Well, there is
birch, but not easily gotten where I am.  The best generally available are
larch and Douglas fir, both at about 22M BTUs/cord.  Good white and scarlet
oak like I burned in Kentucky, or post oak and black jack like I burned in
Oklahoma and Texas run 28M up to 32M BTUs/cord, and burn much cleaner than
any conifer.  In California there is oak, but not up here.  Mesquite has
even more heat, up around 35M BTUs per cord.  I have only Ponderosa pine on
my property, but trade it to wood vendors for larch and sometimes birch 2
to 1.  That is about par for heat content.

mcneely

On Wed, Jul 5, 2017 at 2:50 PM, Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca> wrote:

> Hey Dave,
>
> I'm only Allison on the weekends.
>
> :-)
>
> Yeah, as a kid was always envious of the wood species on the east coast of
> the us. Stuck with mostly conifers up here on the island. Yeah, some
> exceptions but still...
>
> Alistair
>
>
>
> > On Jul 5, 2017, at 2:39 PM, David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM>
> wrote:
> >
> > Allison, the gadget is of course, as you hinted on your blog, a third
> > hand.  So, when working on something on the van (or any vehicle, or
> > anything ferrous that can't be gotten to a vice or clamp, just use this
> to
> > hold it in place against a ferrous background.  The work item wouldn't
> even
> > need to be ferrous, if thin.  Wood, plastic, non-ferrous metal, any could
> > be held in place against a ferrous base.
> >
> > Regarding dogwood, excellent for walking sticks and for mallets.  Gavels
> > are typically dogwood.
> >
> > Another wood besides lignum vitae that sinks is Osage orange, also known
> as
> > bois d'arc, hedge apple, and horse apple.  It also will not rot, and
> many a
> > house in the lower midwest and Texas is on bois d'arc posts rather than
> > concrete piers.  It was the favorite wood of Native Americans for bow
> wood,
> > hence the French name bois d'arc (arch wood).  Woodworking tools are
> ruined
> > quickly trying to work it, however.
> >
> > mcneely
> >
> >> On Wed, Jul 5, 2017 at 2:01 PM, David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> The cup provides a path for flux lines from backside of magnet to get to
> >> the front, creating intense flux in the gap between them.
> >>
> >> Yrs,
> >> d
> >>
> >>> On Wed, Jul 5, 2017 at 4:34 PM, Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Old shipwright gave me some scraps, wasn't from broken mallet.
> >>>
> >>> Yes, could use it for all those purposes, but isn't the primary use.
> >>>
> >>> The metal cup for the magnet I got from lee valley but must be
> available
> >>> from many places. Sized for the magnet and has countersunk hole for
> >> screw.
> >>> I think they now have a notch in the side so you can get the magnet out
> >>> again. Pretty well impossible to pry the magnet out of my version.
> >>> Supposedly the metal cup alters the magnetic lines of flux enhancing
> the
> >>> attraction on that side.
> >>>
> >>> Alistair
> >>>
> >>>> On Jul 5, 2017, at 1:18 PM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> Very nice. Lignum vitae scraps? You must have had a woodcarving mallet
> >>> come
> >>>> apart on you. Also sticking notes, maps and such to the dash of a
> >> diesel
> >>>> vanagon! Where'd he get the magnet with the pocket on one side, or is
> >>> that
> >>>> just the way it appears?
> >>>>
> >>>> Jim
> >>>>
> >>>>> On Wed, Jul 5, 2017 at 3:03 PM Edward Maglott <emaglott3@gmail.com>
> >>> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> to prop open a too loosely swinging vent window?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Edward   (who once made a much less attractive magnet with stick
> glued
> >>> on
> >>>>> for this purpose.)
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> On Wed, Jul 5, 2017 at 3:57 PM, Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca>
> >> wrote:
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> This little gadget might be too small for Felder industries to
> bother
> >>>>>> with. It might be even considered silly, but it works.
> >>>>>> But just having a magnet on a short handle is handy for finding
> >> screws
> >>>>> etc
> >>>>>> dropped in the gravel or dirt.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Most every van owner could use this, not saying many will, but they
> >>> could
> >>>>>> :-)
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> https://shufti.blog/2017/07/05/vanagon-whats-this-gizmo-used-for/
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Alistair
> >>>>>
> >>>
> >>
>
>