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Tom Jones

@welsh_thomas__

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Idiot that makes things
Based in South Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

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Just under a minute to cut a 16 foot 8”x3” ain’t too bad, especially when the timber was this hard!
We were also taking the time to shoot for grade not just output, aiming for mainly quarter sawn and riff sawn stock with as little knots as possible

#sawmill #peterson #show #sawntimber #rhysstandinglikeanoldman taken in The Lake District, Cumbria by @welsh_thomas__

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20 hours ago

Why has The Guardian written about us twice?
Perhaps because the most interesting thing about a sawmill is the connection it creates.
In Devon, a fallen oak became timber for an 18-metre community table. In London, we milled a sequoia in front of students and designers.
Different places. The same question:
How close can we bring the tree, the person processing it and the person who could use the timber?
Now we’re bringing that conversation to Bedfordshire.
The Forest of Marston Vale has spent more than three decades transform a landscape shaped by brickworks, clay pits and landfill into community woodland.
But planting trees is only the beginning.
Those woodlands mature. They need management. Some trees need thinning, and timber comes out.
Then what?
Does it become firewood or woodchip? Could some become boards, furniture or material for a local project? Who has the equipment and skills to find out? Who could use it?
That is why a demonstration here matters.
A community woodland needs more than trees to build a local timber economy. It needs connections between the people managing the woods, the people processing the timber and the people making things from it.
On 19 October, we’ll demonstrate a Peterson portable sawmill at the Forest of Marston Vale.
We’re bringing processing to the timber, so you can watch a log become boards and ask what that could mean for your woodland, workshop or project.
The people responsible for these woods decide how they are managed. Our part is to show a tool and open a conversation about what access to processing makes possible.
We celebrate planting trees. Seeing one cut down can feel very different.
If you’ve ever asked, “Why are they cutting down the trees?” bring that question with you.
Because understanding what timber can become is part of understanding why we manage woodland, value its trees and plant the next generation.

Read the full story: https://nationalsawmills.co.uk/2026/10/02/why-has-the-guardian-written-about-us-twice/
National Sawmills x Peterson Portable Sawmills 19 October 2026 | 10 AM | Free to attend Reynolds & Holcot Woods Forest of Marston Vale, Bedfordshire MK17 8BW
See you there.

#bedfordshire #forestry taken in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom by @welsh_thomas__

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2 days ago

Expectation vs reality?

Achieved it.

Way beyond what I thought was possible.

I dare say it won’t be the last spectacular thing we will complete.

From that madness has lead us down a very funny path. What other bits of insanity is on the horizon?

Details of how this sequoia has found a new life www.nationalsawmills.co.uk

@welsh_thomas__ @nationalsawmillsuk @petersonsawmills

#forestry #argyll #sawmill #timber by @welsh_thomas__

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3 days ago

Something nice about making a table out of a tree you milled!
Not a bad size either
If there is anyone in the market for a massive table let me know 😂 this is one of the smaller slabs

#sawmill #woodwork #table #interiordesign #desk taken in Scotland by @welsh_thomas__

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6 days ago

Bow tie time!

#woodwork #hultafors #table #scotland taken in Scotland, United Kingdom by @welsh_thomas__

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10 days ago

Cheeky little before and after of the Westmorland show, two logs, two days, loads of timber produced!

#sawmill #show #peterson #speed #makingamess taken in Westmorland County Show & Agricultural Society by @welsh_thomas__

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12 days ago

Weapons of choice for bow ties!

#woodwork #table #bowtie #butterfly #workshop taken in Scotland by @welsh_thomas__

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14 days ago

@notchequipment enabled us to conduct fruit warfare with the MOD using analog weapons.

Next week I’ll be uploading clips of the sexy climbing gear we’ve got.

🫡

#fruit #notchbigshot by @welsh_thomas__

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14 days ago

Bow tie cutting ft. My beer belly 😂

#woodwork #woodbutcher #idontknowwhatimdoing taken in Helensburgh by @welsh_thomas__

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16 days ago

No power? No problem 😂
The anker is doing bits this week, don’t always want the generator running as it’s noisy.

#offgrid #notthenorm #woodwork #tools #workshop taken in Scotland by @welsh_thomas__

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17 days ago

Scotland has become a much bigger part of our story than we ever expect.

It started with a 5am phone call about some oversized timber and it’s turned into repeat trips north, a permanent demonstration site, ambitious milling and a growing network of people trying to make better use of timber around them.

This reel is only a small glimpse of what we’ve been upto.

We’re heading back!

If you’re wondering why @nationalsawmillsuk has such a strong connection with Scotland, we’ve finally put out story into words.

Read what we’ve achieved so far here -

https://nationalsawmills.co.uk/2026/04/10/from-unusable-to-educational-legacy/

See you next week in Scotland.

@welsh_thomas__
@petersonsawmills

#forestry #argyllandbute #scotland #ukforestry #britishtimber taken in Scotland, United Kingdom by @welsh_thomas__

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21 days ago

What an absolute dream of a bit of kit to have for working in remote locations with no electricity!

#work #worklight #sawmill #lookinggood #midnightmillers taken in Wales by @welsh_thomas__

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22 days ago