Thanks for your welcome guys.

Kingcreaky - you've certainly got your work cut out for you there, but it's great that the schools have realised the imprtance of giving the kids something hands on and worthwhile to do that they can put to good use later. I looked into the cardboard briquetting a couple of years ago, using a RUF 400 briquetting machine and a heavy duty shredder but the main falling point was that SEPA (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) were happy for us to burn the briquettes but wanted all sellotape etc removed first of all. The fact that nobody else in Scotland does it already tells its own story. I did meet up with a guy in Cumbria who works as an engineer at Sellafield who produces about 3 tonnes/week in the winter and none in the summer as there was no demand.


Lee - at the moment all the blue pallets get returned to the mainland but the white ones tend to get left outside by various companies and they mysteriously vanish by the time they return in the morning! People tend to use them as fire wood for open fires and wood burning stoves. I'm hoping that with a bit of work on a cnc router that we could use some of the better quality bits of timber on the pallets, that we can make something that folk would be keen to buy. Breaking up the pallets is something that can be done quite easily by our guys and we can all learn how a cnc operates over time and then there is the finished product to wrap and sell. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I didn't realise just how much the world of cnc's could be so addictive! I found myself waking up this morning thinking about vcarve and traverse speeds. And i took the laptop to bed last night and spent a while surfing various sites looking at different models and reading reviews, much to the disgust of my wife!

Looking forward to learning much more about cnc's on this site and from you guys.

All the best

Robert


p.s. - although we have the best beaches, it's a pity the weather isn't that great!