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I will preface this Post by stating that I have always been a fan of the natural grain in wood and I normally hate to cover wood with paint or any kind of embellishment. When I started my Woodturning business I created natural grain pieces exclusively. About a year into the business I noticed a few videos about Hampshire Sheen Intrinsic Colour Collection and saw the amazing transformation of the exterior of bowls with added colours and a natural grain inside. I was intrigued and thought for the first time about adding colour to my pieces to contrast between natural grain and colour. Taking a Gamble I bought the Hampshire Sheen Intrinsic Colour 125ml Box set as an experiment yet still had major reservations about adding colour. I'm so glad that I took the risk as these colours are now a major part of my Woodturning. Before writing this Blog Post, I went looking for early examples of my experiments with Intrinsic Colours and found the picture below. These were snapped up in the shops very quickly to my surprise. I then found myself making these regularly. I wasn't a very experienced Woodturner back then and was largely trying to find my feet. These experiments encouraged me to keep going. Thankfully, I got better over time. The piece below which is a more recent creation also includes the use of Hampshire Sheen Gold Embellishing Wax which accentuates the open grain in species like Ash, Elm, Oak etc. The shape is far more artistically pleasing than previous versions. What About Bowls? My first experiment with colouring on Bowls was an Olive Ash Bowl that had cracked severely during the drying process. I turned it to 7mm wall thickness for practice and I figured what the hell, I might as well experiment with colours and embellishments. Once the Black Intrinsic Colour was dry on the outside and sealed with a Hampshire Sheen Sanding Sealer; I then applied a base coat of Hampshire Sheen Electric Green Embellishing Wax to fill the grain and the drying cracks. The Green wax really made the grain pop out. An overcoat of Hampshire Sheen High Gloss was then used to finish the exterior to a high sheen. Embellished this way, the cracks actually add character to the Bowl or so I am told. I now agree with that assessment! In order to show the inside of the Bowl in a more natural way I chose to add Hampshire Sheen Gold Embellishing Wax to the inside grain and cracks follow again by the Hampshire Sheen High Gloss Overcoat. There is no way I could have thrown this beautiful piece of wood away. One of my Friends saw the same value in the Bowl and it currently resides in his house. In truth, I could have kept adding Gloss Coats to make the shine even better but I believe the Bowl looks great with only one finishing coat. How Best to Apply Intrinsic Colours There are quite a few ways to apply colours and you'll be delighted to hear that they are all messy. Make sure you mask off or use waste cardboard on the Lathe Bed to catch the drips and oversprays. I usually use a small brush or a swatch of cotton cloth to apply the colours but I have also used a small air compressor that I bought in Lidl. The compressor means more masking off and cleaning of the spray gun etc so it's only of value on large projects or multiple pieces at the same time. I will try and find a Video or Pictures of my application process and add it here. Here are a few bullet points with various methods I know of; Paint Brush, any size Cloth Swatches Sponges, can be great for added texture Air Compressor Sanding Sponges Tip From Me to You One piece of advice if you go down the colouring route is to get some Magnetic Cup Holders like the ones I got on Amazon UK to stop the bottles from being knocked over. See image below. Please Note: As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases. You can buy the Magnetic Cups using my Amazon Affiliate Link and I may receive a credit for the referral. Check out Magnetic Cup Holders on Amazon UK. Nothing worse than losing the contents of the bottle while destroying the lathe bed and surrounding floor with colour. These are also very handy for holding 400ml spray cans in multiple locations and angles. I bough 4 initially to test them out and they were so strong and reliable that I bought several more. In Conclusion If you are still hesitating after reading the paragraphs above, my advice is to just power through it. Buy the Intrinsic Colours with a view to experiment, once you start you will see the benefits almost immediately. The Hampshire Sheen Intrinsic Colour 125ml Box set Box Set costs somewhere in the region of €60 and represents the best value for money. Act fast though as the Box Set size is now discontinued. I am lucky enough to have bought more so I can still sell them for the next year or so. If you have a damaged piece, colouring and embellishing is a great way to hide or feature effects without throwing the piece of wood away. After a while you will find that you use some colours more than others so the 250ml Intrinsic Bottles are a great way to top up. These are also now discontinued in favour of smaller 125ml sizes but I have a good supply of the 250mls built up. Don't be afraid to experiment! Thanks for reading, David.

You've seen the videos of Woodturners online and you are enthralled by the fast flying shavings and skill of the Woodturner who cuts the wood with so much ease. You are so impressed that you want to go out and buy a Lathe and some Tools immediately. Sound familiar? I did that too back in the day. Now that I am a Professional Woodturner with my own business of 8 years I look back on that person and wish I could have advised him that he was making mistakes. Big mistakes! So you want to be a Woodturner? So you want to be a Woodturner do you? You probably know nothing at this stage and are checking your bank balance and comparing various brands of Lathes to see what you can afford. You are making your first mistake and you will buy a Lathe completely unsuitable for your future projects just because it is in your price range. They all look the same on websites and are photographed to look their best by professionals who want you to buy the product because it looks great in a picture. I know that it seems expensive to shell out a few hundred Euro on lessons when all you want to do is just buy the stuff you think you need. Why waste half the price of an entry level Lathe when you can just buy one and see what happens? You have to realize that taking a lesson will actually save you money long term and allow you to keep Woodturning long into the future. Take the initial hit to your pocket and buy using the advice of experience. Please Take a Lesson First! I was advised to take a lesson but I didn't and I regret it to this day. Who knows how far I could have climbed in the Woodturning World if I had done it right and looked for guidance in those first few months. I stupidly thought I could do it on my own and only realized my error when I eventually asked a professional for help. Talk about a light bulb moment! Woodturner Overnight? You can't become a Woodturner overnight after taking a single lesson or even after two lessons so don't expect that to happen. You will not get a light bulb moment on the day of your lesson or even the next day but it will happen in time. One day the muscle memory will kick in you will go forward and you will wonder why it ever seemed so hard. Woodturning is a difficult craft to master. It takes time, effort, money and repetition to achieve good or even great results. Some people are better than others and will make greater strides forward, don't let this get you down. You must stick with it and persevere no matter how bad it seems to be going for you. The effort is all worth it when you are finally able to finish a piece properly on the Lathe. It is this great moment that I wish my students could see up front as it would encourage them to go forward with even more effort. I spent months after my first tuition making fair pieces before becoming proficient and proud of what I was making. I still keep some failures in my workshop to this day to show my students that I didn't start at the top, I had to work hard at it. Will you Take my Advice? That's a loaded question right there. I have taught many new Woodturners at this stage and I can see when their eyes glaze over as I'm explaining something about spending money. I know then and there that they will go off and spend on the cheap, probably buying inferior machines or handtools and regret their decisions privately later on. I rarely see these students again. They chose poorly, they may no longer be turning and are too embarrassed to come back and admit they didn't take my advice. Money Money is at the forefront of Woodturning and it is something that all Woodturners have to contend with. 'Buy cheap and you will end up buying twice' is an absolutely accurate statement and one which I sometimes had to learn the hard way. I normally advise students that they should probably spend about €2,500 to buy what they need to get started. That is buying a reasonably good but small entry level Lathe, Accessories and Tools. You will have to buy more later on, accept that fact before you proceed in the first place and you will be a lot happier. Many want to buy with money they have in their wallet but what you should be doing is taking out a Credit Union loan and paying that back monthly. You can always pay off a bit extra here and then and the loan will soon be gone. You can then borrow again for the next machine upgrades. Taking a Lesson The hardest part of this is actually making yourself arrange the lesson in the first place. In other words booking the day/time and deciding to go ahead with it. You might be shy or lazy and the effort seems too much. Push past these procrastinations and arrange a lesson immediately! Ignore that inner voice that keeps stalling you and tell yourself that the lesson will save you money in the future. It could also prevent you from being hurt while using a Lathe which is a very real possibility. Once that booking is made, the rest is easy. Booking a Lesson I offer a few options on my Woodturning Tuition page for you to try. Pick the one you want and use the Contact page for booking requests. Tell me the name of the Tuition/Experience you want to do and the date which suits you from my Calendar. I will then get back to you to confirm your booking if I am available. I list the days that I am willing to teach well in advance but I am not always available closer to the time as I may have bookings from other sites or have production days. My website doesn't have the capacity to deal with all the different options by automation so that is why the Contact Form is necessary. I find that some people try to book the wrong option for what they need so I can correct and steer them to the right option before they attend. I have another Blog Post which goes into more detail about getting started, 'Buying Your First Woodturning Lathe in 2023'. It is listed on the see other posts section at the bottom of this page. In Conclusion The best things you can do in life are by listening to those who have walked in your shoes, made their mistakes and then corrected. It saves you a lot of grief. Take the plunge, take a lesson and then feel good that you will save money going forward and will probably be Woodturning in years to come. I hope to see you in my Workshop soon! Thanks for Reading, David

I was asked by a few customers in 2022 & 2023 to bring in a new product, namely True Grit Finishes from the UK. I had used Yorkshire Grit previously which is a different brand but similar product so I was aware what it could do for me and my project pieces. Unfortunately, I did not initially have the funds to bring in a new product at that time in bulk. Most of my business is self-financed with me regularly using business capital to make purchases like this rather than bank loans. I have bank loans too in case anyone is wondering and money must always be put aside to make repayments. Not the best way to run a business but you have to do what you have to do. 2022 and 2023 have not been great business years either, so with less money coming in investment tends to take a back seat. Dan Smith, the co-owner of True Grit contacted me during the Summer of 2023 to see if I would be interested in stocking the True Grit Range. I initially had to decline again but I managed to secure some funds a number of weeks later. After a bit of back and forth I finally received my first batch order in September. True Grit Abrasive Wax Paste is Now Available in Ireland It was kind of a nice moment to be told that I'm the first retailer in Ireland and indeed Europe to be stocking True Grit. The 2 Types are now available on my website. I will deal with them in the next few paragraphs and link to them directly below. True Grit Abrasive Wax Paste Original What is True Grit Original? True Grit Original is a wax based abrasive paste, made completely of natural and ethically sourced ingredients, all the way to the tub and labels! True Grit Original allows woodturners to finish their piece to a 1000 grit finish whilst removing the sanding process from 240 grit. This product in turn reduces the fine dust and airborne particles involved with sanding whilst leaving your work silky smooth. Designed as a stepping stone between sanding and finishing, it can also be used as a finish in its own right. This product has been developed and tested by (Kt.turnings) Katie and Dan Smith. Both members of the Register of Professional Turners. As well as being tested throughout its development stages by other keen and well respected UK based woodturners. If you would like to see what it can do for you, checkout True Grit Wax Paste Original here True Grit Superfine Abrasive Wax Paste True Grit Superfine is a wax based abrasive paste, made completely of natural and ethically sourced ingredients, all the way to the tub and labels! Superfine was made and developed with resin and hybrid users in mind, allowing them to greatly reduce scratches left by their initial sanding process. Sanding to 240 grit is recommended, applying True Grit Original Abrasive wax paste before then applying True Grit superfine as a final sanding step to leave a smoother, reflective surface. A huge benefit to the superfine for resin/hybrid users is the incredibly fine dust created from micromesh pads and high grit sandpaper is eliminated and captured within the wax base. Therefore protecting their lungs from microplastics and reducing the risk of health issues. Another use of True Grit Superfine as a final process for high gloss lacquer finishes. Designed to denib, buff and enhance any lacquer a woodturner chooses to use leaving an almost mirror like and ultra smooth finish to their work. If you would like to see what it can do for you, checkout True Grit Superfine Abrasive Wax Paste here What Can True Grit do for you? As mentioned above, True Grit cuts down on airborne dust particles and also pulls those particles from the surface of your work leaving a cleaner final finish or cleaner preparation for your final finish coat. At €12.50 each they are inexpensive enough for you to experiment with. Who knows, maybe this will turn out to be your go-to product from now on. Don't take my word for it, try it out yourself! Woodturning Products As you continue your Woodturning journey you will find new products and new ways of preparing work or applying finishes to get the best result for whatever project you are working on. In my own case, I sometimes move away from my favourite products only to return using them again at a later stage. No product I ever bought has been a waste of money as sometimes you use different products for different projects at different times. I am also a Stockist of Chestnut Products, Hamlet Tools, Hampshire Sheen and I have a load of Woodturning Tools & Products here As well as being a Stockist for these products I run a Woodturning Woodcraft business and I also teach Woodturning Tuition and Woodturning Experiences. Thanks for reading and I hope I see you at my Checkout soon! David

I bought a Vicmarc VL300 back in 2016. It is now 2023 so I believe I can speak about the lathe with some authority. I first used a VL300 on my first day of tuition with Glenn Lucas in Co Carlow. and found it to be an excellent machine. I had actually bought a Jet 2424 shortbed 3HP lathe a few days prior to that tuition but hadn't even had the opportunity to try it out yet. I was at that point making a jump from a 1HP Draper WTL100 to professional grade machines and there was no comparison to be honest. OP Note; I originally wrote this in 2023 and after reading over it in January, I find the same thoughts are relevant for 2024. I might expand on a few points during 2024 when I have a bit more time. Vicmarc VL300, An Honest Review After nearly 8 years owning this Lathe I can safely say that it is everything it is cracked up to be. There is a very good reason why many of the most renowned Woodturners around the world own one of these Lathes. It is rock solid with probably the best designed Lathe feet in the world in my opinion. Like every machine out there, there are a few niggly things which I will deal with later but for the most part this machine is outstanding. I own 7 Lathes and each of them has a different function in my workshop. 4 would be considered professional, 2 school level and one that is a glorified motor attached to cast iron. I also still have my Draper WTL100 but only for use as a face sander. The VL300 is my go to lathe for turning Bowls both green and twice turned. I also turn many small pieces on it too. My Jet 2424 is used for coring operations and taking the foot off finished bowls plus loads of small pieces. I also demonstrate on this Lathe during Tuition Classes and Woodturning Experiences The Last Time it was Clean! Below is a picture of the Lathe just after unwrapping it in 2016 and removing the pallet from underneath. I had also just attached the bed extension. It does not look as clean as that now lol. Toolrests The VL300 comes with 2 brilliant Toolrests, 6 inches and 12 inches wide. The attached steel bar create a nice groove for your finger or hand to follow ensuring accurate cutting. The Toolrests are beautifully finished and very easy to maintain. The Toolpost fits accurately and snugly inside the housing and the handle locks the shaft allowing no movement during Turning operation. The handles are made of strong material too which you won't get on cheap Lathes. If you turn large Bowls you are going to have to invest in a 16 inch Toolrest to reach the bottom of the Bowls but that isn't the end of the world. My Jet 2424 has a very long Banjo and I sometimes wish the VL300 Banjo was 3 or 4 inches longer but that's just me being used to another machine and not a big issue if you have a 16 inch Toolrest. As you can see in the image here, the Toolrests have seen a lot of use and show signs of real wear and tear. Remote Controller The Magnetic Remote Controller box is very well constructed and the 4 piece magnetic hold is very strong so it will not move on its own. The potentiometer ( speed dial) on this model is a bit too sensitive to dampness. This probably isn't a big issue in Australia but in Ireland it is. Sometimes when turning the dial the lathe will cycle up and down in speed and you have to adjust the dial until it settles down. A workaround is to spray the inside of the switch with an electrical contact cleaning spray. I did this twice and now I just turn the dial because it's too much effort to open the box. If you are going to do this, unplug the Lathe first, spray and then wait for the spray to evaporate before plugging in again. This small issue should not turn you off buying this lathe. The box is visible in the top picture. Changing Torque Changing the belt from speed to torque is very easy on the VL300 even though it has quite a long belt which stretches from the base of the motor to near the top of the headstock. Open the front left door, loosen the motor stay handles; lift the motor and just tighten one handle. There is a door to the top pulleys at the rear of the headstock. Change the pulley to the desired pulley position. Go back to the front, loosed the handle and put a small bit of downward tension on the motor; tighten both motor locking handles and you are ready to start the Lathe again. Make sure to close the rear door or shavings etc will fall into the pulley area. As you can see from the image below, there is dust and shavings which I should probably clean out. It is currently set to high speed, low torque for general small piece turning. Greenwood would be turned using the far left pulley wheel. Tailstock Issue The tailstock extends only 75mm before the quill stops extending, I have been caught many times by this limitation. I don't know if Vicmarc intend to increase this in future models but 120mm would be much better in my opinion. As a reference, my 2424 extends 150mm or so which gives me so much scope for what I want to do. The VL300 has an optional extra though, a 150mm extender built exclusively for the this Lathe and probably the other Vicmarc models. This gives you scope to do different things and makes up for the short quill. I will say however, that the short quill is very strong and stable so maybe they designed it that way on purpose. The quill winding handle has come loose on me and no longer sits flush against the tailstock frame. This is a known issue and Vicmarc have a video on how to maintain this. Moving parts on machines can develop issue, it's no big deal. The picture below shows a slight gap on the right side which allows left to right movement of the quill. Again, this is a minor issue and Vicmarc have a fix for it. Bed Length and Extensions If you intend to turn bowls you will need to take away the tailstock from the Lathe or you can purchase 1) a Swing away Bed Extender or 2) A straight Bed Extender. I have the later and from what I have seen from other Woodturners, this is the best option; the swing away is kind of awkward to work with. Make sure that the Bed lines up perfectly before tightening up the bolts and you should be fine. VL300 Feet I mentioned earlier that the VL300 feet were great but they really are well designed and rock solid. My other Lathes have threaded feet and I have opted to remove those feet and sit the Lathes on solid Hardwood instead. The VL300 feet are flat and angled from the Bed outwards so there is no chance of a tip over. They have a bolt in the foot too where a quarter turn here and there can really steady the Lathe on an uneven surface. Adjusting the Height of the Lathe Height adjustments are easily made by lifting the lathe with a Trolley Jack in the centre and using a Socket Wrench to undo the bolts that hold the leg end frames. The frames will fall downward and you then lift to the height you want and re-tighten the bolts at that new height. If you don't have a Trolley Jack it might be a little more complicated but not impossible. Lever and fulcrum until you can get a solid bit of packing underneath and then adjust the legs one side followed by the other. Adjust your packing to suit the side of the Lathe you are working on. Make sure you are using solid packing, you don't want the Lathe to tip over due to uneven lengths. Outboarding This Lathe has the option to turn outboard at the headstock using the reverse function of the controller. There is a locking collar and wheel that need to be undone to free up this area but to date I have no interest in trying this out. You can buy a Bed Extension, External Banjo and Toolrest if you want to go down this road. Just remember that you will be using the controls in reverse to turn this way. Maintaining the Bed I must admit to being a little lazy when cleaning the Lathe bedway. When using dry wood you can just blow off the debris with a compressor and off you go again. Now and then I will use a Furniture Polish with Beeswax to make everything glide smoothly. When I am turning greenwood, I will prespray the bed with WD40 before starting and clean repeat if I'm stopping for more than 20 mins. I have metal polishes but the result is the same using Furniture Polish so why go to that expense. FYI. Please follow manufacturers guidelines for cleaning and don't take my word as gospel. Take Away I have highlighted a few small issues with the VL300 but every Lathe on the market has those. The Lathe is ultimately extremely reliable and solid even when turning unbalanced material. I paid over €6,000 for the Lathe back in 2016 but now it is retailing for over €7,000 due to high shipping costs and economic inflation. If I had the disposable income I would certainly buy a second VL300 without hesitation. My one regret with this Lathe is I failed to mask off the headstock when spraying sanding sealer. The result is a build up of overspray and fading of the Vicmarc blue colour. Laziness reaps its rewards! Ronaynes in Thurles Co Tipperary Ireland sell Vicmarc Lathes and products through their website mytools.ie and you can check out the Vicmarc VL300 here They sell out with each new order and it takes time between ordering, manufacture and then shipping from Queensland Australia so allow for that. I bought all my machines from Ronaynes and I find them excellent to deal with. FYI: I have no affiliation with them other than being a good customer and I gain nothing from this recommendation. If you are thinking of buying one of these Lathes, I hope this post has been helpful. If it was, please add a comment below. Thanks for reading, David

We live in an ever changing world with constantly changing ideas, laws, regulations and methods of doing day to day things. The environment, climate and state of the world makes headlines on an ongoing daily basis these days. What was true and set in stone a few years back may not be so today. Vague enough? Welcome to 2024! The world has been railing against the mass us of plastic over the last few years and rightly so. We as human beings have no idea of just how bad the micro plastic problem has become. From being found in the deepest trenches of the ocean to the possibility that our bodies cells may contain traces of microscopic plastic. Health issues related to plastic use is just around the corner. The problems exist, they are not made up! OP Note; I wrote this back in 2023 because I felt it was an important topic. Unfortunately, only a few people actually read it so I'm wondering if this is an important issue for people at all? Recycling to save the planet I remember when Recycling bins were first introduced in Ireland, sometime in the 90s I believe although the exact year escapes me. I think we all felt that we were contributing to a better world and stopping the practice of sending all our waste to landfills. I think everyone over a certain age remembers what these places smelled like and how they blighted the surrounding areas. Not to mention the constant squawking birds and the exploding population of vermin. The dumps have now become recycling centres where you sort what you can and the rest goes to landfill. These sites still smell of course but now everything is sorted to reuse what can be reused. Yes, something very much needed to change and we have definitely gone in the right direction. Change in Attitudes to Waste Along came the idea back in the day of recycling a good portion of our waste. Where before, we just dumped without thought, now we were actively changing old bad habits. We soaked in all the information about the dos and don'ts about what goes into the bin and what should not. Most of us probably got it wrong at some stage and added items that did not belong or maybe spoiled the entire bin but that didn't change the positive sense of what we were trying to do. Once the material went in the bin, we no longer thought about it and never questioned where it went after collection. Originally, our recycling was probably done here in Ireland or maybe sent to the UK but imagine my surprise when I recently discovered that the UK was sending their waste in 40 foot containers by the shipload to poorer countries in the Far East. Even more surprising was that these countries were shipping vast quantities of spoiled recyclables back to the UK. How much of that spoiled recycling waste came from Ireland I wonder? Is Recycling still a good idea in 2024? That Carbon Footprint we were all thinking we were reducing is now massive if the waste has to sail all the way there only to be returned on another ship. These poor countries also have plastics blown all over their landscapes during storms, high winds etc. The problem has just been exported out of eyeline, it hasn't gone away. The damage to these countries is plainly evident if you do a Google search for it. Is recycling still a good idea? Would we have been better burning plastic waste in our backyards, or sending it to a local landfill? Of course we shouldn't be doing either of those things but there is a lack of transparency about where our waste products go and what is done with them. I still believe that recycling is a good idea and we should still actively sort our waste items, the sending everything to landfill alternative is a terrible thought indeed. What we Dispose of I'm not going to go into too much details with loads of changeable figures here, my aim is to make an example. I wouldn't have the first clue of where to go to get accurate information about where our waste actually goes so I'm not going to try. I did get some figures online which hopefully will be accurate representations. We create about 14 million tons of waste per year in Ireland across all sectors according to the EPA. Household waste is approximately 1.8 million tons which is a small percentage of the total but a lot of waste at the same time. Think about how much you throw away, daily, weekly and monthly. Now think about your neighbours, your local area, your town. Human beings can't really think that way, the mind has trouble grasping large quantities or never ending quantities. Don't believe me? Think about how large the universe is...you can't, right? My neighbour recently remarked to me that there were 16 plastic wrappers involved in the creation of his morning breakfast....a healthy fry-up lol. Even he hadn't realised the waste created in his household up until that point. It's something I don't really think about myself. The image below is made up but the actual reality is just as if not more ugly than this image portrays. It is Not the Consumers Fault Everyone gives out about consumers and their bad habits creating all this waste and it really annoys me everytime I hear this repeated. It is the politicians alone who bear the responsibility for all the waste we have today. They legislate policy in each country and they should create new legislation to push businesses down the road to create more environmentally friendly packaging. This can be done by carrot or a stick depending on the industry. Imagine blaming millions or even billions of consumers instead of pushing one or two companies to change their habits. It doesn't make sense, does it? Who Actually Runs This World? According to a Forbes article about corporate control, there are 147 intertwined companies or corporations if you'd like, that control the entire world. Imagine the lobbying power of the parent companies and how much control or influence they can have over the political elites. Does it make sense other than for taxation purposes to keep blaming billions of ordinary people to get us to change our ways? No, it doesn't! Sure, it will cost an enormous amount of money to make the necessary changes but we are going to pay for it in the form of taxation or product price increases anyway. The technology for biodegradable packaging already exists but the vast majority of packaging is still produced using Oil. The Oil producers certainly don't want this to disappear overnight, do they? Taxation Will Solve this Looming Crisis Give me a break will you. Every time I hear Climate Crisis or Plastic Waste Problem on the TV or Radio I just know there is a new tax coming down the pipeline. We've all started paying Climate taxes in the last few years yet none of it actually seems to go into new technology that reduces CO2 levels. Wind Farms and Solar Panels will only do so much to reduce emissions but fossil fuel energy plants will still exist. We buy 'Bags for Life' in shops instead of disposable bags and we pay for that privilege. We use privatised waste collection services which cost far more now than ever before to sort and deal with all waste, both recycling and landfill. I've gone a little off topic here but the same applies to changing plastic packaging over to something that is easily biodegradable. We will all end up paying for that change at some point, it just seems that we are not moving in that direction at all. Eventually, our polluted world will reach a crisis point at which stage everyone will have to get off their arse and do something. The Re-Turn System in Ireland This system was in the pipeline in Ireland for a long while and has been activated in March 2024. It was successful in other European countries so they decided to bring it in here. Basically, you bring all your plastic bottles to a shop or designated point where Re Turn machines are based. Bottles are fed in one at a time and you get a credit not for all accepted bottles. A an extra charge is placed on each bottle when you buy and you are supposed to reclaim that when you scan your bottles. Is the Re Turn System working? No, the system is a disaster. There is already millions of Euro uncollected and people have returned to using their recycling bins as before and losing their deposit money. So many bottles were being rejected by the machines or the machines were out of order that a lot of people ended up putting the bottles in their recycling bins as they always have. Most people view this as a wasteful extra method of taxation instead of being for the environment. The machines cost money to run, repair & maintain and the bottles have to be collected from each of these locations and brought to a main sorting centre. A Better System? A better system would have been to use the existing private waste management centres around the country who would have to create a new area for drop off and storage for plastic bottles separate to all the other facilities. Ordinary reusable large plastic bags could be used to transport the bottles here by the public where they would be weighed or counted or some other method to calculate. A person's mobile phone number could be used at the drop off centre where you can link your credit to an account. A simple secure website could have been created where you could log in and add your details including preferred payment method. Obviously a more thought out system could have been created for far less money and hassle but someone in the government is making a few bob out of this so they don't care. Like everything thing else in Ireland; it's not about the good of the country, it's about taxation. Conclusion The final title here is conclusion but there really is no conclusion to the issue of plastic waste until major changes are made. Stop blaming the general public for these issues and get our so called leaders to start tackling these problems without lumping on more taxes onto an already struggling working public. There are solutions to plastic out there but companies are still making money from oil based plastic production and this will not change until politicians make them change. If you are an ordinary Joe or Mary, keep doing what you are doing with the recycling and the next time a politician comes to your door maybe mention that they need to do something about the waste issue. They will probably smile at you in agreement and then let your comment fall by the wayside. We have to think of future generations and stop kicking the can down the road. If you would like to add a comment, please do so below. Thanks for reading, David

This Guide should be a help for Airbnb Experience Hosts to understand the review system a bit better but I'm also hoping to educate Airbnb Experience Guests to make better choices when leaving a review. Leaving negative comments, dropping stars or answering the Airbnb additional questions carelessly can have a negative result for the Host and damage their business. I was brought up with the phrase 'If you've nothing good to say; then say nothing at all'. Have we become a society of people who just have to gripe online over the slightest little thing that is out of place or where our lofty expectations were not met? I find it more than a little sad that most people cannot put themselves in other people's shoes for a couple of minutes and try and see things from another perspective. If you are just going to be negative, why leave a review at all? The information below and advice could also apply to users of Airbnb properties and how you might leave feedback. Although I'm aware that the duel Feedback system there has its own issues where Guest and Host sometimes leave negatives for each other; which is detrimental to both parties. I'm hoping to shed light on the review process for all users in this blog post so please read on if you have a few minutes. Broken Windows Theory In my opinion, adding negatives is the equivalent of 'The Broken Windows Theory'. I heard this phrase mentioned in the TV Series Blue Bloods and thought it was a very accurate explanation of human nature. The first negative feedback or dropped star may allow, encourage or embolden the next person to also be negative, much the same as the first broken window in an empty building encourages other people to break windows too. Hence the name 'Broken Windows Theory'. Negativity breeds negativity in real life and online. In the last 5 years, the internet seems to have become an increasingly negative place. Who would have thought that the internet, one of the greatest inventions in the history of our species; a shining light of knowledge sharing and advancement could have degenerated into a cesspool of ignorance, stupidity and hate. Think about Youtube and Facebook who came to a similar conclusion a few years ago. After careful consideration, Facebook removed the thumbs down completely and Youtube removed the counter on the thumbs down. This removed a lot of the negativity around posts and videos immediately. On YouTube, the creator still sees the amount of thumbs down but the end user does not. The thumbs down however still counts towards the ranking of the video which negatively affects the maker and also their revenue generation. Most users never consider this though. My Background I am a professional Woodturner from Tralee Co Kerry Ireland and I have been in Business since 2015. I became a Host for Airbnb Experiences at the end of the 2019 season. Up until recently, I ran 3 loosely linked Experiences related to my Woodturning Business. Covid caused over a year of a gap in my customer base and getting tourists back has been a very hard slog. I had a consistent 5 star rating on all 3 Experiences and my Ornament Making Experience was by far the most popular. The other two Experiences had only a few Guests each with only a couple of Feedbacks received. I also run Woodturning Tuition and Woodturning Experiences through my own website so I am thankfully not fully reliant on Airbnb Experiences to make my living. Recent Issues Changed my Opinion of Airbnb I had 2 Guests attend one of my other Experiences recently. Both were not from Ireland and obviously did not read the Experience Description very well. The Experience was designed to be a very basic introduction to Woodturning, which many people around the world will never see or take part in. Language difference was a little bit to blame here but not the cause of any problems on the day. Both left the 'Try it Out Experience' with smiles saying they enjoyed their time however I could tell that they wanted to do more at the time but that was not what the Experience Description allowed for. Had they read the description properly, they would have understood clearly what was on offer. Alas, it appears they did not. The Host is Tied to Their Description As Hosts, we have to describe the Experience as accurately as possible and stick to that. Our accounts could be in trouble if we deviated from the description and a complaint was made to Airbnb. If one of my Guests wanted to do more, they could have chosen another one of my Experiences or better still; find my Website which offers far more flexibility in Experience content and prices for that matter. In this case, they chose the least expensive option and the end result was as described below. Good Review but Bad Score I got the Airbnb email the day after their Experience letting me know that new Feedback had arrived and opened it expecting a good review like I normally receive. 4 out of 5 stars appeared, ok; not the end of the world but not great considering the work that I put into the Experience. The review wording was very positive with the caveat that they wished they could have done a bit more. I guess I was expecting something like this based on my feeling at the end of the Experience. Upon checking the Airbnb desktop view I discovered a huge knockdown to my rating. Most people are not aware that Airbnb ask questions about 3 more aspects of the Experience and obviously don't tell the Guest that this affects the Host's score on the website. Lower the score, the lower that Hosts Experiences appear in search rankings, ultimately damaging their reputation on the site and quite possibly affecting future earnings. In 2 of the questions the Guests knocked me back 50% on both which was a terrible rating. No Guest has ever knocked so much off for these aspects before. The end result of this was the loss of the 5.00 rating and reduction to 4.67 for a single Experience. That 0.33 doesn't sound like much to the general public but if you got more negatives that would increase the downward slide. A private comment was also left that the Experience felt rushed even though they got an extra 40 mins over the Experience allotted time. Some Hosts would say not to worry, someone is always going to leave negative feedback but I don't agree with that. I was so upset over that review that I turned off the 2 lesser Experiences and deleted loads of extra dates that I had only added this year. I thought about emailing them and asking if they would reconsider their scores but I felt this could open up even more issues for me if they took offense. I decided to let it go in the end. Fair Question but needs understanding The first area they question, which is separate from the next main 3 is Do you think the Experience was good value. Fair question I suppose but the Guest may not be a business person and may not understand business overheads or the fact that an Experience although only 2 hours long may take up 5 hrs of the working day. Insurance, Machine Costs, Tools, Electricity, hourly wage for Host....the list goes on. I am also limited to a maximum of 4 Guests due to the size of my workshop and the difficulties managing each Experience. So What are the 3 Questions they Ask? For the Questions below, I will use my Ornament Making Experience as a reference. The Host has a direct view of the cumulative score of all previous Experiences here. I assume that the questions have a sliding scale, 1 to 5 or 1 to 10 rating system. I don't know for sure as I have never seen the Guests questionnaire. Top scores are probably difficult to achieve here as everyone will have different opinions of the Experience and some may just be trying to be honest and end up knocking off a few points because they weren't absolutely blown away. Question 1 Expertise I've had a few Guests knock me back a little for this and to be honest I don't know why. I don't know exactly how they ask the Guests to score their answer here but maybe marking 9 out of 10, which they might consider a great score but is still a negative count from 100%. In my case, I'm a professional Woodturner and I make a living turning and working with wood, so why knock off a point percentage for this? Maybe my explanations of each part of my processes need a bit of work? I try to improve with each Experience. Question 2 Insights For my Ornament Making Experience, I show Guests the behind the scenes work including all the drying areas and explain the process of tree to finished product as well as I can. I try to be brief as the actual Ornament Making is time consuming and we need to concentrate on that. The Ornament piece we work on is Ash, which is now endangered and throughout the whole event I talk about everything from my techniquess, tips and tricks to how I finish products so that they shine they way they do. These are products and processes that I do everyday. I can't see any way of improving what I already do here. Question 3 Connection Honestly, this is the most baffling addition and it quite possibly could be phrased wrong by Airbnb. This does not take into account regional differences, language barriers or cultural differences at all. Do you go to a restaurant expecting to make friends with the Concierge, Table Servers, Busboys or even the Chefs??? No you don't. If they remember your face the next time you go to that restaurant that may give you a good feeling but don't expect them to write to you after you go home. Irish people are friendly and outgoing for the most part but we are still a conservative nation at heart and over-friendliness by strangers has always been viewed with a little bit of suspicion here. I'm sure this is also true for many countries around the world today. Come along for the Experience, have a laugh with us by all means and we'll part company on good terms. If you want to follow Social Media accounts you are more than welcome to do so. I may even follow you back if you are in a similar Craft but I rarely spend time on Social Media anymore. By all means, send me messages. comment on posts, like and share and I will try and answer you like I do everyone else. My Guide to Leaving Airbnb Experience Reviews For the Host; I would advise mentioning nicely and briefly how the review system works at the beginning or end of your Experience and if the Guests choose to leave a review, just ask them to be careful with their scores. Even seemingly benign questions can knock a business down. Some Guests may feel they are answering honestly but could be knocking you back because they are not thinking about consequences. For the Guests: We are here to provide you with a good and enjoyable Experience. We try and make you as comfortable as possible and every effort has been made to describe the Experience in the clearest possible way. You are able to send us a private message after leaving public feedback and you can make suggestions as to how the Experience could be improved without damaging our public profile. Please consider this rather than knocking us down. Your view of the Experience is subjective and in groups you could find several different opinions of the time spent. In my case; I have put extra effort to try and match the 3 criteria as set out by the questions on Airbnb even if I don't exactly agree with them. With everyone thinking differently, it's impossible to please everyone in a group. Not Every Guest will Leave Feedback Most Hosts know this already; not every Guest leaves feedback or a review. I probably have had about 25 Experiences of the Ornament Making on Airbnb at the time of writing with 17 who left reviews. I have the same Experience on my website and I've lost count of how many I have run, most without feedback. At this stage I have stopped asking Guests to leave reviews so I don't tempt fate and get some kind of negative review. I'm happy to let Guests leave reviews if it pleases them to do so without prompting. If Guests seem to have really enjoyed their time though, I will maybe drop a little hint at the end but I don't push it anymore than that. Leaving a review Leaving a review for an Airbnb Experience is an easy thing to do for a Guest who has recently attended one. So easy in fact that you might decide to have a little inadvertent dig at some small little part of the Experience. Please don't do that. A short positive note doesn't hurt you at all even if the Experience was a little short of the mark in your opinion. Positivity breeds Positivity and it costs nothing to be nice! Leave a short note and give the full 5 Stars. Your profile picture next to your review will forever be a positive! Many Guests do not realise or probably forget that their reviews are permanently viewable on Airbnb. Too many bad reviews is a pattern for you too! Nobody has Written about this before! I searched long and hard to find an Airbnb FAQ page, information page, blog post or even a hint that explains the review process from the point of view of an Airbnb Experience Host but couldn't find one. This is why I ultimately decided to write this Blog Post. If you are a Host who has had a similar bad experience with a one off feedback like the one above then this might help you a little bit. I would like to hear from you in the comments below too if you have a minute to spare. I realise that I am talking about one bad experience here but I put a lot of effort into my Experiences to make sure that each Guest has a good time. As mentioned above, negatives breed more negatives so I want to nip it in the bud. In Conclusion If you are a Guest attending an Experience. The Host may be a professional at what they do but may not be a natural entertainer or may struggle a little bit during the Experience. Please allow for this, you may struggle at some things in your own life and can probably relate. Airbnb Experiences are all about finding things to do that are off the beaten path so don't judge the Host too quickly or too unfairly. Hosts can be nervous and unsure of themselves when surrounded by a group of strangers. Put yourself in their shoes for a minute. I struggle a bit at the start of each Experience and if I seem a little distracted it is because I have a lot to keep track of during the event. I also have a hard time remembering names of people in big groups which can be a little embarrassing to me. Instead judge Hosts on the following and try not to deduct stars unnecessarily. Were you made to feel welcome? Did the Host follow the Experience Description Closely? Did the Host try and include everyone in in the group in what was going on? Did the Host try to explain everything as best they could? Did you do something that you wouldn't ordinarily do at home? Was the bulk of the Experience worthwhile? A positive comment and private feedback advice to the Host will go much further than dropping stars or marking down a Host in those 3 areas. Whatever Experience you attend, try to come at it from a different point of view. You could be stuck at home watching TV, instead you are attending what could be a once in a lifetime Experience while on Vacation/Holiday that you may remember fondly for years to come. Thanks for reading this far! Please add a comment below if you would like. David

I often get asked by my Airbnb Experience Guests about where to get breakfast in Tralee before their Experience starts in the morning and once the Experience is over I get the same question about lunch in Tralee. It was something that never occurred to me to research beforehand so I have been caught out unprepared a few times. No longer though, I'm finally typing the keys on this Blog Post. Places to Eat Breakfast in Tralee Hotels are nearly always a safe bet as they serve breakfast for their guests and can easily accommodate more. Local knowledge is nearly always better than rehashed business blurbs found on Google so I will mention a few places that I know to have good food first and then maybe add more that I am aware of. Tralee is full of places to eat during the day from full Breakfast/Lunch to pub grub, toasted sandwiches and more so don't be afraid to explore yourself. I am not going to add images to this Blog as I have linked directly to each business website. The following are listed randomly in no particular order. Der's Delicatessen - The Mall Tavern - The Mall Tralee Der's Delicatessen and The Mall Tavern Bar (all one place) is situated right in the middle of the town and has been operating for nearly 50 years with the bar being a younger addition to the business. Opening from 09:30 to 17:00 with the bar remaining open until late. You can eat your breakfast, scone & coffee, sandwiches, lunch or whatever you order in the Delicatessen seating area or in the bar. They also sell wine, savoury sauces, scones, buns, cakes & all sorts of Deli meats behind the counter in their shop which is at the front of the building. We have been coming to this Deli since I was a small child and continue to visit at least once a week every week. I could add loads more images of lovely food but you are better off going there and ordering some yourself! Visit Der's Delicatessen Website Here Alfie's Lounge in The Ashe Hotel Tralee Alfie’s Lounge offers a variety of indoor and outdoor casual dining spaces and starts with a Brunch between the hours of 09:00 and 12:00, Lunch from 12:00 to 17:00 and Dinner from 17:00 to 21:00. There is also an alfresco area if you'd like to take your coffee hopefully in sunshine outside and not rain. The Hotel is very well laid out and decorated to a very high standard. I have been there once recently and was well looked after. There is a multi story car park nearby for parking, payment required. There are adjacent roadside parking areas which require a paid ticket also. Visit the Ashe Hotel Website Here The Pikeman Bar - The Grand Hotel Tralee Admittedly, it has been a little while since I've eaten in the Pikeman but the food was excellent during that occasion. The Bar is very comfortable with plenty of seating at the bar counter or at tables around the bar. Breakfast is offered from 8:00am to 09:30pm daily. The Grand features an in-house French Pastry Chef making fresh scones, Brown Bread, Pastries and more. The Pikeman Bar is very popular with both the Tralee and North and West Kerry locals as well as guests from further afield. In keeping with the ambiance of the Grand Hotel itself, The Pikeman Bar is a traditional style Pub and is in keeping with the look of the Grand Hotel itself. There is a great Bar Menu serving Bar food, Pub food and Pub Grub? Visit The Grand Hotel Website Here Benners Hotel Cafe - Castle Street Tralee Serving Breakfast from 7.30am - 10am Monday to Friday, 8am – 10am on Saturdays & Sundays. Benners offers a Continental Breakfast Buffet & also a cooked breakfast menu. The Continental Breakfast Buffet has a selection of Fresh Juices, Cereals, Fresh Fruit Salad, Yogurt, Pastries & Our Famous Der’s Homemade Brown Bread. Benners is part of the same family business as Der's Delicatessen and The Mall Tavern so you are benefiting from decades of experience when eating here. I haven't had the pleasure of having breakfast here but I have eaten in the Hotel Restaurant and the food was fantastic. Knowing this family for decades, I expect the breakfast is just as good. You can find paid parking up the street next to Dom O'Donnells furniture Shop. Visit Benners Hotel Website Here Yummy Cafe Market - Dominic Street Tralee My own experience with this cafe is a bit limited. I ordered a takeout coffee and sandwich when I operated a Christmas Stall in Dominic Street a few years back. Both were delicious, by the way. I hear great things from people who frequent Yummy Cafe and often see posts online with images of the food served that make me want to call in myself. Open 09:00 to 17:00 daily, closed Sunday. There are a number of paid car parks in the vicinity so you shouldn't have to walk too far. Visit Yummy Cafe Market Website Here Parking Facilities while you visit Tralee has plenty of car parks around the town and before 11am should have plenty of empty spaces. After 11am they tend to start filling up so if you are going for lunch find a spot close to where you want to go as early as you can. Most are paid parking with cash meters. Google maps has them all marked out clearly so I won't mention them here specifically. Most hotels would have free parking facilities onsite or arrangements for parking with an off site car park. Always check out their information on their website first or contact them and ask. Paid parking ends at 6pm so you should be ok to park for free after that and go and enjoy an evening meal in the town without worry. Additional Places to Eat I would love to keep adding more but I don't have enough information to provide details. Some Hotels may not have a public breakfast menu but have bar food throughout the day. To my knowledge, every hotel serves breakfast to non staying guests but if I don't know for sure I don't want to lead you astray. In Conclusion I hope I have given you some good recommendations here. It is my intention to keep this updated and added to but I won't go beyond 10 premises as too much information wouldn't be great. I hope you have a pleasant time visiting Tralee and come back again. Please note; The annual Rose of Tralee Festival runs from the 18th Aug to the 22nd Aug so the town will be busier than normal. Please allow additional time for all activities and meals. Please allow that these businesses will see a massive rise in short term business and may have trouble finding staff to work. Eat early, avoid peak times and you should be ok. If you are looking for something to do in Tralee, check out my Woodturning Experiences on my website. Thanks for reading, David

So you've found yourself in Tralee in the morning, late afternoon or early evening and you are planning your evening's food and entertainment. Where and how are you going to figure out a good place for an evening meal? If you'd like a bit of local knowledge, please read on. My Airbnb Experience Guests and travelling Woodturning Students ask me all the time about good places to eat and I am never properly prepared for an answer. Well from now on, I am going to show them this Blog Post in which I have painstakingly researched (certain details) ( googled briefly) and written myself. This Blog Post should give a visiting person/ family or group a few ideas on where to go based on hopefully some good local ( me ) advice. I prefer to give information I know to be true so I am only going to list places that my family or I have Dined in to begin with but I will add more after I talk with people I know that go out all the time. Restaurants in Tralee for Evening Dining As mentioned above, I am going to try and give you first hand experiences for Restaurants in Tralee where I or someone well known to me has visited. I will also have to include places later on that I only know about beyond that. My aim is to feature no more than 10 establishments, more would only complicate things. There are plenty of articles online that mention Tralee Restaurants in the driest language available while simultaneously being copy/pasted from someone else's blurb. I'm opting for the genuine experience article here so please bear with me while I warm up my not-oft used culinary related vocabulary. I have chosen not to add any images of these places in this Blog as I have linked to their websites or Facebook pages. No point in me showing you one picture when their pages are filled with professional photos that tell their full story. Read my paragraphs and then follow the links when something gels. Reviews are Subjective You may know this already but reviews are always subjective and each person can have an entirely different point of view than you or I. I guarantee, the best restaurant in the world has a few negatives reviews from people who probably can't be pleased or who have to stick a knife in but that shouldn't dull your view of that particular establishment. I am going to try and give an accurate, fair assessment of my experiences in each place and leave out the negatives. The world is negative enough without adding to it. I judge places on cleanliness, friendliness, fairly good service, good food and everything with no hassle. Sometimes restaurants are very busy during peak times and staff might let something fall through the cracks. As a business owner, I understand this only too well and I always allow for it. Staff are doing a difficult job and they are only human. Please Be Kind, always! If you are of a like mind, then my reviews will be exactly as they appear and should suit you. If you are spending more than one night in Tralee, maybe you will visit them all to see how accurate my details are. I'm sure each restaurant will appreciate your business! Benners Hotel Restaurant - Upper Castle Street Tralee I recently went out to this restaurant with my Aunt and Uncle from the US, on 2 different evenings. I'm not much of a critic of places so I will comment on what I know. The staff were very friendly and the restaurant was not crowded or loud and the atmosphere was pleasant. Service was quick with friendly chats from the server and the beer was going down nicely while we were waiting. I had the most amazingly cooked chicken burger with fries, no idea how it was cooked but the burger seemed to be crispy all the way through. If I could have managed a second helping each evening, I would have. Along with a front Bar, they have the restaurant behind with it's own bar and a huge courtyard with outside seating and dining too I believe (but not 100% sure). Definitely a place I would recommend. For full transparency, the owners are neighbours of mine and are well known to me. Visit the Benners Hotel Tralee Website Here Cassidy's Restaurant - Abbey Street Tralee I'm not much of a real restaurant enthusiast type person but I have eaten here several times. This place is a favourite eatery for my parents and they regularly come here with their friends. There is a lovely calm atmosphere around the place and the lighting is subdued for effect. There is music through speakers around the rooms also for effect. (the tables are spread through 3 areas downstairs) The serving staff are very friendly and always have the bit of banter while taking the orders. The food is very high quality with the veg and fries normally served on side dishes so as not to interfere with the taste of the main course. I have eaten a few of their main courses which would be unusual for me. The food is always great and interestingly prepared and displayed. There is a good selection of beer & wine to go with your meal. They don't have a website but I will link to their Facebook page instead. Visit Cassidy's Facebook Page Here The Rose Hotel Bar & Restaurant - Dan Spring Road The Rose Hotel is a 4 Star Hotel. I don't know much about evening dining here but I have had a lovely lunch in their Restaurant recently. Again, opting for the Chicken Burger and Fries, I wasn't disappointed. (I have an amazingly diverse palate as you may have already surmised). Everything was beautifully presented. I did have a bit of difficulty with the plate design, not being critical, just informative. Every time I rested the knife and fork on the oval plate, they would slip in and get sauce on the handles. Not a big deal, probably says more about me than the Restaurant (insert laughing emoji here). The Restaurant was full for lunches but tables are far apart enough that you are not joining in on adjacent tables conversations. My next door neighbours eat at this restaurant several times a week and are always happy with everything. I would also happily return here for lunch and maybe an evening meal at some stage. Visit the Rose Hotel Website Here The West End Bar and Restaurant - Fenit Ok, so this one is not technically in Tralee but is just outside the town a little bit (17 mins) and you will need a car to get to it. I have been to this restaurant in the past and had a lovely fish dinner. My parents go to this restaurant several times during the year as a bit of variation from Cassidy's. They always have good things to say about the food and atmosphere. The West End is practically in Tralee Bay and you have a fantastic view from near sea level. Fenit has a long pier that you can walk out on which will give you a better view of the Bay. Visit the West End Fenit Website Here Fancy a Pint after your Meal? Tralee has plenty of pubs if you fancy an 'auld scoop or two' and each offers something a little different. Some have live music for a couple of hours on Fridays and Saturdays. The town has suffered a lot in the last number of years so having a few tourists spend a little money around the town is always greatly appreciated. Tralee often has full hotels overnight with coach loads of tourists going off to see Dingle, Killarney, Kenmare and other places the following day. Many of these visitors do not take the time to explore the town which is in fact the Capital of Kerry. New Blog Post Coming Soon I am going to do a Blog Post on Tralee pubs soon but I thought I'd mention two pubs here that I like to visit. Turners Bar at 22 Castle Street and Baileys Corner at 30 Lower Castle Street. Aidan Turner and Garry O'Donnell are the owners respectively. Both are good for a chat while serving you and both have a huge knowledge of the town and surrounds. If you are looking for further recommendations, these are the men to talk to. They are not always working but you might be lucky and catch them on duty. Parking Facilities while you visit Tralee has plenty of car parks around the town. Most are paid parking with cash meters. Google maps has them all marked out clearly so I won't mention them here specifically. Most hotels would have free parking facilities onsite or arrangements for parking with an off site car park. Always check out their information on their website first or contact them and ask. Paid parking ends at 6pm so you should be ok to park for free after that and enjoy your meal without worry. Parking Facilities while you visit Tralee has plenty of car parks around the town. Most are paid parking with cash meters. Google maps has them all marked out clearly so I won't mention them here specifically. Most hotels would have free parking facilities onsite or arrangements for parking with an off site car park. Always check out their information on their website first or contact them and ask. Paid parking ends at 6pm so you should be ok to park for free after that and go and enjoy an evening meal in the town without worry. Finally I am going to add to these Restaurant listings until I get to a maximum of 10 and then rewrite the ending. For now, there are some great recommendations for you to follow. If you are visiting around the time of the Rose of Tralee, please allow that these businesses will see a massive rise in short term business and may have trouble finding staff to work. Eat early, avoid peak times and you should be ok. Thanks for reading, David

As a Woodturner, I create a lot of waste byproduct from making bowls, turning ornaments and general woodworking in my workshop. In the first few years of my business the only way to get rid of the waste shavings was to spread it around the garden to kill weeds but this was not a long term solution at all because I was producing so much of it. Hiring skips for waste removal is very expensive and not ideal for a small business. After a lot of investigating and trials of lesser methods I finally bought a proper Briquette machine. I now turn all this waste into a useful product instead of having to dump it and I get some money back from selling Briquettes to the general public. The remainder, I use in my fires around Christmas time. Everyone wants to Turn Waste Shavings or Sawdust into Briquettes Everytime I show pictures or short videos of my Briquette production I get bombarded by questions about anything and everything related to it. I have a few videos out there on My YouTube Channel which I have embedded below but I need to go into more detail as I miss mentioning certain bits and pieces. I'm not a professional video producer so don't expect high production value in any of my videos ha ha. Everyone thinks that Briquette making is a huge moneymaker from an otherwise worthless material. You can make money but it requires the information I am going to share with you below. Stay with me now! The Quick Fix Easy Money Method This method doesn't exist I'm afraid. People are looking for a cheap quick fix to start using their waste and perhaps make a bit of money in the process. Everyone wants to make use of their waste shavings by turning them into Briquettes in some shape or form. It galls most woodworkers to dump all this perfectly good material because they don't have a way of processing it. Making decent briquettes is a bit more complicated but stick with me here and I'll try and explain. I will deal with my earliest attempt first as most people will have gone down the same road and then go on to my PH Briquette Maker Machine. What you need first is something that almost everyone forgets, you need space; lots and lots of space! Turning waste into briquettes requires quite a bit of work area and then storage of both the raw material and the finished product which must be stored in a warm, dry area. The Wet Paper Briquette Press I had delusions of grandeur when it came to using the cheap hand press. I developed a very basic system where I could make spongy briquettes using paper and dry shavings mixed together. It was really messy going and then I came to the point where I needed to dry the pressed briquettes. This is where my experiment died. I realised that I had nowhere near enough space to make this pay so I dropped it. Once these were dry, they then had to be brought into the house to be stored until they could go in the fire. Not a good idea bringing that mess inside. I eventually gave up and went looking for a proper machine. Read on below. Hammermill for pre-Production I knew that I was also going to have to purchase a Hammermill to prepare my material before ever using a Briquette Machine. Woodturned waste would have much heavier particles than the joinery waste that the PH Briquette machine was designed for. I spent ages searching Google for anything reasonably priced. I eventually found a small single phase Hammermill from an Italian company for something in the region of €600. The mill was designed for a small workshop needs. It is slow enough but capable of making the pieces small enough for Briquette production. I made a sorting table so I could manually go through the waste removing tools, nails, screws and anything else that might harm the mill hammers. After some time I added a long tool magnet to the edge of my sorting table which increased the finding of small metal bits/screws and sped up sorting time considerably. Here is a quick video of the hammermill with some more explanations. I have a video of it in action somewhere, if I find it I will add it to this Blog. The sorting table magnet was not added at this point. The PH Briquette Maker Machine I did a lot of research into briquette makers until I finally realised that I was going to have to spend money if I wanted to make anything out of my waste shavings. The PH Briquette Maker seemed to be a good fit for a small workshop so I contacted the company and asked for a quote. At something in the region of €6,000 it was quite an investment to make. I should add that this was prior to Brexit and I presume the price plus Customs Duty and VAT would push this machine beyond most people's budgets now. I am VAT registered so that took the sting out of it for me. The Briquette maker isn't exactly plug and play when my production waste is going through it. Once you start it up you must keep an eye on it. It takes about 10 minutes of tightening the pressure handle until the machine clears the pipe of the last production and you start making new briquettes. The previous Briquette length comes out cold and once it clears the pipe you have to adjust for the new hot Briquettes. Another 5 to 10 mins of micro adjusting until you get it right for the current material before it starts making a consistent new batch. With my coarse waste material, the hopper cannot be filled beyond a certain amount or the agitator will stop turning. As you add new buckets of material you have to recheck the consistency of the briquettes as the material changes from each bucket to the next. The PH Briquette maker was designed primarily for joinery waste so my material slows down production considerably. I normally carry out other tasks while the machine is operating and I keep checking and feeding the hopper continuously. I will start early in the morning and stop filling so that the hopper is empty by lunchtime. This way I don't have to disturb my lunch by having to go out for checks. This is my second attempt at making a video showing the process, it won't win any awards. Lots and lots of 30 Litre Buckets I wasn't prepared for the quantity of waste I would need to keep on hand as I had only a few plastic bins to use for all the waste. You also need containers for the finished briquettes before they are bagged up. The biquettes are hot when they come out and require some time to cool before going into the bags. I ended up buying 30 Litre plastic carrying containers from Lidl which worked very well. I currently have about 30 of them which I bought over time to deal with the ever growing sprawl of waste material. Someday, I will add a picture here of all the buckets stacked into each other so you will see what I mean. This was an early attempt at a video, just showing the machine working without any talk. I got a few thumbs down for that lol In Conclusion As I mentioned above, everyone wants the quick fix solution for next to nothing and I will just remind you that it doesn't work that way. This system I use cost me a lot of money with fairly limited return in the short turn but it does sort out any issue of waste removal. Waste disposal is something that we probably don't factor in too often but it is something that I may have to prove to a public authority later on. As a business, I have done this as a long term investment so it may well pay for itself eventually. I do like the fact that after it brings in some money for me, I still get to enjoy some heat as I burn the remainder at Christmas time. If you have any questions after all that, pop them in the comments below. All the Best, David Addendum It has been a few months since I wrote this post and I have just processed my briquette batch for 2023. I created a mock up auto-feeder for the hopper out of chipboard and plywood. My intention when testing is finished is to get a new one made from stainless steel so that the vibrations of the machine will push the waste at a consistent pace. The wood in this test design dampens the vibrations a good bit but it is still a good proof of concept. My material, which normally stops the agitator from turning if too much goes in at any one time, now falls consistently based on the angle of the auto feeder. I still have to top up the amount in the hopper from time to time but I'm not worried about stopping the agitator now and blowing the capacitor. My only worry now is the price of making this in stainless steel which has gone up in recent years like everything else. I hope to add a photo of the finished feeder once made.

Author Note: If after reading, you found this Blog Post to be beneficial and are going to buy from Amazon anyway, you might consider using one of my Amazon Affiliate links below. As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases and I may receive some sort of credit for the time spent researching and writing this Post should you decide to purchase. Revitive Circulation Booster Amazon UK If you are buying this device in the US you can use this link Revitive Circulation Booster Amazon US My business isn't a huge moneymaker so I have to branch out into different things to get by. There are also more of my Affiliate links throughout the Post that link to Amazon UK. I only added the Affiliate links after this post went beyond 2,000 views. The Peripheral Neuropathy Issue Some time before writing this Blog Post, I had the misfortune to develop pain, numbness, pins and needle stabbing sensations in both of my feet. It started out of the blue in one foot and by the next day the other foot had identical symptoms. The pain made me so anxious that I rang my Doctor for an appointment. I'm normally the type of person that waits for an extreme pain event or something falling off before going to the Doctor but these sensations were bad enough to make me want to go immediately. Background, who am I to advise you? After being pre-diabetic for a for about a year I became a Type 2 Diabetic during Covid in 2020 and this comes with a few negative side effects as anyone with this condition knows. Getting used to medication on a daily basis and removing items from my diet that I used to love is fairly rough going. Ongoing lack of energy and brain fog are another two symptoms that I developed and diabetics must come to terms with and will be familiar with these symptoms as time goes by. Those symptoms paled in comparison with the Peripheral Neuropathy (PN) symptoms I started experiencing. I was aware of this being a complication of Diabetes but didn't think I would be bothered by anything even close until I was in my late 60s and beyond. In my late 40s I think this was a huge wake up call. Pill Remedies I desperately searched for medication and got lost in reviews and advice for various snake oils and vitamin supplements. Medical advice was leaning towards Vitamin D and B12 deficiencies with pain pills for pain management. My blood test revealed that B12 deficiency was not the issue and taking high dose vitamin D tablets didn't seem to resolve anything. Taking tablets long term, especially painkillers is not the healthiest way to treat something like this so I decided that circulation improvement was probably key in all this. Once that decision was made, I went looking for circulation boosters online. Circulation Boosters The vast majority of circulation boosters on Amazon were over the €100 mark but reviews were mixed. I find that reviews on Amazon can be very unhelpful at times as many people are usually for the the products and enough are against the product to make you hesitate in buying. A fantastic product can be marred by a few reviewers who are never happy with anything. Where is the real accurate information to be found. I was bothered by this so much I felt I had to write this Blog Post. Maybe it will help someone who is going through the same issues as I was. I finally stumbled on the Revitive Circulation Booster. The price tag of €375 (at the time) made me very wary. Why was this device so much more expensive than others yet seemed so much less complicated? I went after every review I could find, visiting multiple websites in the process. There seemed to be mostly positive reviews on those websites with people finding great relief from poor circulation issues. Amazon had the usual negative people though so I had to discount many of those. I finally pulled the trigger and ordered one. Don't worry, they sell these in other countries beyond Ireland too, please read on. Revitive, Finally Relief from Peripheral Neuropathy Pain Any buyers remorse or skepticism of the Revitive Circulation Booster vanished after the first time I used the device. I will deal with its use in later paragraphs but for now I just wanted to share the fact that it worked. I'm not going to share the technical reasons for how it works, you'd be better off reading the technical information on the website where you are thinking of purchasing from. I'd only be rehashing manufacturers blurbs here and wasting your time. Please note that I bought the more expensive version with the digital display, see picture below. There is a cheaper Prohealth Version. I can't say how that one performs but I suspect it does most of what the more expensive one does but with a few less bells and whistles. You can find the ProHealth Version on Amazon UK here. Baby Steps in the Beginning I had to start low and build up slowly over the next few weeks to get used to the sensations but within days my PN symptoms were vastly reduced and my ankle and calf musculature were feeling much stronger. I write this blog post over a month after first using this device and I have reduced usage to one 30 minute session a day to maintain my feet. The sensations are not painful but if your setting is too high your muscles may contract painfully now and then. Take your time getting used to it and adjust down if it feels in any way more than you can handle. My First Impressions The unit is very well designed and on first inspection the light weight of the unit might make you suspicious of quality. Fear not, it works and gives very powerful sensations right up to your knees. The rechargeable batteries are a fantastic addition to this machine. Charge at home and use it for a few days on battery mode is a fantastic plus for this machine. A lot of the other circulation boosters I looked at had fixed electrical leads so you had to stay close to a socket to use. The Revitive Circulation Booster is 100% portable and can be set up to use in seconds. The rubber matting for under your feet is very comfortable but you may have to keep readjusting your feet position as the machine is working. The remote control is a blessing, especially for people with limited mobility or bigger mid sections. Just point and click to increase or decrease the intensity. From my own point of view it was great to finally have some relief from Peripheral Neuropathy pain with the added benefit of stronger calves and ankles. How I tested the Revitive I first charged the Revitive Circulation Booster unit for about 2 hours. I was a little impatient to see if I had wasted my money or not. I started the unit and was gradually increasing the intensity about 2 clicks at a time. When I got to 20 I had to stop as I thought my calf muscles would snap. Recommended settings for PN improvement is 40 and above and I thought I'd never reach that when the sensations at 20 were so powerful. I now know that it was because of muscle weakness which strengthens as you use this device. I began with 2 x 30 minute sessions a day with a break of about 2 hours in between. Within a few days I was managing to get to levels above 30. The maximum sensations are normally in the first few minutes and again in the last 10 minutes but the sensations change all the time. The sensations are engaged for a few seconds with a relaxation break after and this keeps cycling during the operation time. If it is uncomfortable at any stage you can lower the intensity but it is the changing sensations that make this device so great. At the time of writing, I use setting 58 fairly comfortably. The high sensations only last about 10 seconds before they calm down so try to go with them, they are less uncomfortable the more you use the device. You can always lift your feet off the device and it will automatically pause. Added Note; Every time you stop using this unit for a few days or weeks your muscle tone will drop and you will have to build up at a lower setting once again. I had to go from setting 58 down to 36 or so after I took a break for over a week and try to build up again. The Underside of the Revitive The underside of the Revitive Circulation Booster unit is very simple. There are 4 grips to stop it from sliding and 2 pivot points which allow your muscles to move up and down. That's it, nothing complicated about it. I have hidden the barcode here for obvious reasons. It Also has a Tens Function The Revitive Circulation Booster also comes with a port for Tens patches so you can treat pain in other areas of the body. I have not tested this yet as my focus is primarily on my feet circulation problems. I may or may not use this feature as I already have a Tens Machine for pain relief. This is a nice bonus feature though. Pros and Cons I could not find fault with this device at all. The only issue I have is that it keeps moving away from the chair as I'm using it. This is probably due to the fact that I use it on carpet. I'm sure I could find a rubber or yoga mat that might fix this. This is not a big issue anyway and I normally just pull the machine back towards the chair with my feet between active sensations. You might find that some days the contact is less because your feet are dry. I don't normally have this issue because I use the Revitive Circulation Booster after my workouts when my skin is damp from perspiration. You can buy conductive gels but you may get the same result by wiping a damp cloth across the soles of your feet. I tried Aloe Vera moisturiser after a review mentioned it was ok for conducting, it worked but my feet kept sliding off the unit. My view is that buying a conducting gel is an unnecessary expense. Further Advice If I'm going to take advice from anyone, I would like to get it direct from someone in the same boat as me. As a Diabetic and a sufferer of Peripheral Neuropathy, my experience might save you time, money and a bit of pain and lead you on a path to healing. The symptoms of PN are no joke when they start so if you are Diabetic or have circulation issues; prevention is better than cure! Another Pro use, It can also be used by healthy sporty types for toning muscles while watching TV. In fact, anyone in your home can use the device to strengthen their lower legs and improve circulation. Please Note: Revitive Circulation Booster®, including Medic Knee should not be used by people who are: Fitted with an electronic implanted device such as a heart pacemaker or Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (AICD) Being treated for, or have the symptoms of, an existing Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) or Pregnant. In Conclusion Don't worry about the price, I did to begin with but I went ahead with the purchase anyway. I now believe it was worth every single penny. I bought the unit in Boots Ireland, you are free to buy the unit anywhere you wish. I have added my Amazon UK Affiliate link throughout this blog post, so I may receive a credit should you make a purchase there. If you enjoyed reading this post and normally buy from Amazon UK then it would help me out too. Check out the Revitive Circulation Booster Please note, prices are subject to change. If you are suffering from PN, I hope this device brings the same relief to you as it did to me. If this review has helped, I would love to hear from you in the comments below. All the Best, David Addendum After Writing this Blog Post While I was getting these PN foot pains I was also getting a kind of squeezing, contracting pain in the toes of my left foot while sitting down. This was down to reduced circulation and was hard to ignore. Even warm slippers failed to relieve the pain. This was all during Summertime so imagine what the Winter was going to be like. I searched for anything I could wrap around my foot while sitting down watching TV. I could not find anything suitable until I eventually came across a Foot Cast Sock on Amazon UK. I initially ordered the XL but found that far too big. I then ordered the next one down, size L and that seemed to fit much better. I bought a second one soon after. I wear these anytime I feel any bit of cold. If you struggle with the same thing, maybe these will work for you. I'm a UK size 11 shoe and the L is loose fitting for me. Try a size down from your normal size, you can always send it back. There are no grips underneath so they are not suitable for walking around the house. I hope that helps! Medical Check-up Maybe I should have pushed this paragraph further up but it needs to be said somewhere. If you are experiencing Peripheral Neuropathy, your first stop should be to a Doctor to get a blood test. This will rule out any mineral deficiencies or any more serious illnesses that you need to know about. A circulation Booster is a great health aid regardless but getting a Check-Up will give you piece of mind. Walking Helps Neuropathy Symptoms You've probably heard that 30 minutes of exercise 5 times a week is vital for your health. Hard to do if you are a busy person isn't it? I recently talked with another diabetic and told them how difficult I find it to use my Concept 2 rowing machine during the week. I'm ok at the start of the week but struggle to do it later in the week. His advice to me was to go for a daily walk or use a treadmill for 30 mins instead everyday. If you can't do 30 minutes, do whatever you can. 5 or 10 minutes is better than nothing at all. My treadmill belt slips for the first 2 minutes or so which is the reason I stopped using it some time ago. I hate going outside for a walk, always seemed pointless to me even if it is a healthy activity. I've had to force myself to use it regardless. I started using the treadmill everyday at a 2.5 incline and 5.7km/hr. 6km/hr was causing some knee pain so I backed off a bit. The incline causes a good sweat after 10 mins or so and does burn off sugar in the body, this continues after exercising. PN symptoms will become less severe after a few days no matter what part of the body is affected. You are oxygenating your blood and pushing blood out to the starving nerves which counteracts the PN symptoms. You will feel better both physically and psychologically after your exercise. A treadmill session with music or TV on in the background will distract you and make it easier. If you like the outdoors, go for a walk in a park but push yourself a little more than your normal walking speed for best benefit. I definitely felt an improvement by bringing walking back into my exercise plan, hopefully it will work for you too. Additional Note after using Revitive for a few months Now that I have been using this device for a few months I felt a little update was in order. I still experience the benefits of using the Revitive Circulation Booster although I might miss a day here and there and sometimes I leave it longer. One 30 minute session a day is all that is required to maintain my feet and calves in top condition and this can be done while watching TV. The device still performs perfectly although I have something new to report. I have been using the Revitive daily on battery mode without connecting the charging cable, I generally don't like electrical devices connected to my body for obvious reasons even though this was designed to be used for both battery and mains use. After more than 3 sessions on battery mode I felt that the sensations were not as powerful as when the battery was at full charge. It still felt like it was doing something and I initially dismissed the issue. I recommend you limit it to 2 or 3 uses on battery mode and then recharge the unit. This way you will get the best benefit from it. Someone else might not notice the weaker sensations but I definitely did. I thought maybe my feet were not conducting the signals properly at the time but I used it with a full charge after that and it was back to normal again. I hope this helps! Another Update Wow, I can't believe the views I'm receiving for this post. Dozens of countries all around the globe and everyone reading the full post too. I'm honoured! I have added a new update below. Incrediwear I thought I'd mention another product which is available in many countries I believe. Incrediwear Circulation Socks. Looking after your circulation through exercise, diet and circulation boosters is great but what about when you are sitting down doing nothing or lying in bed? Again I researched solutions without much success, each product promising the sun, moon and stars. I have been using Incrediwear Knee Sleeves for exercise and knee pain management for some time and recently found out that they sell circulation socks as well. I was a bit skeptical about them being better than ordinary socks, especially when they cost about €25 a pair. I ordered a set of the ankle and crew socks to test them out and see for myself. They worked. I still needed the large sock cover while watching TV on cold evenings. I wore the socks to bed each night and woke up to very warm feet and no pains. I don't know if it's just me but they feel a bit odd when being worn. Maybe that's the material encouraging blood flow, it's not uncomfortable; just an odd sensation and certainly far more manageable than poor circulation pains. I have since ordered another 6 pairs so I can wash them in turn and always have clean socks to wear. I still wear ordinary white sports socks for work during most days, I'm always active at work so my feet don't have time to be cold. I prefer the ankle socks for home and in bed on cold nights, the crew socks I wear outside from time to time. FYI: I have no affiliation with Incrediwear, I have been buying their products for years and find them to be very good quality and they relieve pain. Feel free to judge for yourself or not. I have added a link to Amazon UK for Incrediwear here Comments I was working on my website recently, I had been wondering why I never get comments on my Blog Posts and I discovered why. Comments were visible but disabled for most readers. I have now changed the settings to allow everyone to comment. If the Blog was helpful to you, please let me know. Something for your next Holiday? I seem to be getting hits from outside Ireland on this Blog. If you ever find yourself on holiday in the South West of Ireland, maybe you'd like to try out one of my Woodturning Experiences?

Ireland and particularly County Kerry is one of the most beautiful places on earth when the sun shines. Unfortunately, our position on the fringe of the European Continent and in the real Atlantic Ocean means we have an overabundance of rain at certain times and our weather patterns can be very unpredictable. With a heart and a half, we Irish wish we could provide you the visitor with stunning weather to go with the stunning scenery but alas, we cannot guarantee this at all. There's an old line of a joke from the famous Irish comedian Pat Shortt ''it would be a lovely little country if you could only roof it!'' Rainy Day Activities in Kerry Invariably, there will be one or two days during your visit to the Emerald Isle where it is just too wet to be outside and you might be itching to do something; something unique, something off the beaten path, something inside! So what kind of Activities can you do on a Rainy Day in Kerry? Read on below. I intend for this to be an open Blog Post so if you have a unique activity to share, please contact me with your details. I will keep adding to this as I discover places and activities that I have been to but forgotten. Woodturning Experiences in Tralee I have to start with my own Woodturning Experiences which I have set up in the last few years. These give my Guests a little taste of Woodturning and insights into a Woodturner's world. Most people would only have a vague idea of what a Woodturner is and does so it would be an interesting Experience regardless of previous knowledge. The Experiences have been tweaked and refined based on multiple user feedbacks and I feel I now have the right amount of Guest involvement to make the Experiences worthwhile to the max. I also list on Airbnb Experiences but at a higher rate due to Airbnb's Fees. These Experience encompass the very basics of my Woodturning lessons. Woodturning is a very difficult craft to learn and I often have Guests requesting to do some Turning or do a bit more Turning depending on which Experience they chose to do. In those cases I recommend going to my Woodturning Tuition page and choosing one of those options instead or choosing the 3 hour option from the Experience page. Regular Tuition delves more into the theory behind Woodturning and each student learns the basics of how each Tool is safely and correctly presented to the turning wood. Learn methods of making Wet Felt with Wool Jayne Gillan is a fellow Crafter from the Original Kerry Craft Group and is based in Derrymore which is just beyond Tralee on the Dingle Peninsula. Jayne works with wool through wet-felting and silk nuno-felting methods and lists 2 Experiences on Airbnb Experiences. You can find the first one Wet Felting Experience here Jayne is extremely talented, her work sells in Boutiques all over Ireland and she has been teaching her methods for nearly a decade. You can also visit her website via the link jaynegillan.com where she also lists more Experiences and are a little bit cheaper than on Airbnb. Follow the link above for more details. Visit an Amazing Traditional Woollen Mill Andrew and Yvonne Eadie run one of the last surviving Traditional Woollen Mills in Ireland which have been creating fabrics for some 300 years. Having visited this location several times myself, I can tell you that the machinery is fascinating to watch in action. The complicated set up and running of the machinery and the constant monitoring by staff to ensure accuracy and consistency is mind boggling. There is an onsite store where you can purchase finished Wool products for both Men & Women like Caps, Blankets, Scarves and Wool items for the home like Blankets, Throws and Rugs. You can also purchase Wool yarn of all types which is also produced in-house and a few other trinkets from other Crafters. A tour of some of the Factory areas may be arranged if staff are not too busy but it would be highly advisable to contact and try to book an appointment first. They run a very busy business so tour availability is not always guaranteed. You can visit Kerry Woollen Mills here Andrew and Yvonne are also long standing members of the Original Kerry Craft Group. Get Wet Indoors in one of Ireland's Largest Waterworlds The Aqua Dome in Tralee is one of Ireland's Largest Indoor Waterworlds & Premier Tourist Attractions located on the Wild Atlantic Way. The Aqua Dome offers tropical temperatures all year round and is a Great Day Out for all the family whatever the weather! It is brimming with exciting features that captures the imagination of both child and adult alike. The Aqua Dome is fun for swimmers & non-swimmers alike. Side note; I was in secondary school while the Aquadome was being built and watched the complicated construction day after day until it was finished. Have a look at the roof and you will see what I mean. Visit the Aquadome Website Here Kerry County Museum in Tralee Located in the Ashe Memorial Hall which sits at one end of Denny Street, dedicated to the memory of Thomas Ashe. The building is built of local sandstone and houses the Kerry County Museum and the Tralee Tourist Information Office. It is a reconstruction of early Tralee. The purpose of the museum is to collect, record, preserve and display the material heritage of County Kerry. The contained artefacts from throughout the history of Kerry include sunflower pins worn from the Bronze Age and duelling pistols used by the Liberator, Daniel O'Connell, in the early nineteenth century. It incorporates 'Kerry: The Kingdom' and an exhibit which depicts life in medieval Geraldine (from the Fitzgerald family) Tralee in 1450. It has been a few years since I was there myself but it is definitely worth a look. Visit the Kerry Museum Website here Tralee Bay Wetlands While this is mainly an outdoor amenity, the Wetlands has a a fine lakeside Cafe serving Tea, Coffee, Snack Foods and Cooked Meals. Large glass panes ensure a lovely view of the lake and surrounding land. You can always look out at the rain while you enjoy your meal or coffee if that is your thing :) The Tralee Bay Wetlands project was conceived by Tralee Town Council as an innovative and sustainable visitor attraction. It was designed and developed to the highest international standards, aimed at attracting up to 50,000 tourists per annum. The project, costing €4.5m to develop, was jointly funded by Tralee Town Council and Failte Ireland under the National Development Plan (2007-2013). The project is unique in Ireland and is leading the way in the vastly expanding eco tourism market in Kerry. It is strategically located on the gateway to the Dingle Peninsula and will greatly enhance the visitor product offering in Tralee. The Wetlands Centre utilises the rich natural heritage of the Tralee Bay area, which is a nature reserve of international importance. Visit the Tralee Bay Wetlands Website here Crag Caves in Castleisland Crag Caves is an ancient fossil cave system over one million years old. It was formed by underground rivers and flood-filled chambers, eroding the limestone rock over millennia. Nature stands as a creative and patient stonemason, carving unique and atmospheric tunnels and caverns. Older than mankind itself, Crag Cave was not discovered until 1983. Today, Ireland’s most exciting show cave is an all-weather visitor attraction located just north of Castleisland, the gateway to Kerry. Having visited this naturally formed system I can tell you that it is hard to put into words. Just wait until they turn off the lights for 30 seconds. Visit the Crag Caves Website here Muckross House in Killarney Muckross House, Gardens, and Traditional Farms represent the focal point and nucleus of Killarney National Park. A visit to the impressive location is one of the most popular things to do in Killarney. This is Ireland's oldest National Park, and it includes the world famous Lakes of Killarney, as well as the mountains and woodlands that surround them. Muckross and Killarney National Park are open daily all year round (expect the Christmas period). Please refer to website for more details on opening times & prices. You can visit the Muckross House Website Here. At the time of writing this Blog Post, the website was offline. I have now added the website link but you can still visit their Wikipedia page below if you wish. The Muckross House Wikipedia page. The Playdium - Something for the Small Kids! Located in Manor Retail Park Tralee, is the largest indoor soft play centre for children in Ireland and is the newest addition to Co. Kerry’s family and child friendly all weather facilities. Soft Play Facilities, provide children from birth to 12 years with a safe, supervised and comfortable facility for play, exercise and socialization in a warm, dry and comfortable environment. Parents, who must remain and supervise their children, are provided with modern café facilities, comfortable surroundings, TV and Internet access to while away the hours in comfort. Offering over 10,000 ft2 the Playdium is the largest facility of its kind in Co. Kerry. Open Friday to Sunday from 10am till 6pm and always on Public Holidays. Check out the Playdium's Website Here Future Mentions I am trying to feature North Kerry first before branching out to the rest of the county. If you have an activity or business experience that you want to share, please contact me with details. I intend for this Blog Post to expand and continue for a while to come. If you have made it this far, thank you for your attention. Maybe I could cheekily tempt you to browse around my website David Condon Woodcraft Thanks for reading this far, David

So you've started this obsession known as Woodturning and after buying a Lathe and Hand Tools you are chomping at the bit to get turning. Problem is that you've very little wood to work with and what you get is expensive or hard to get. You then read an article or watch a video where someone tells you that you can cut and dry your own wood for a lot less money and time. Easy and no fuss! Well, it's not exactly that simple and you have a bit of work ahead of you before you can do this correctly. Make your Own DIY Wood Drying Kiln In this Post I will describe how I built and used my own DIY Kilns using retail glass front shop fridges. Any unit that is mostly insulated like Fridges, Dishwashers etc. will do but the bigger they are, the more wood you can dry at any one time. With my experience insights you may be able to set up your own system and dry wood for Woodturning faster and hopefully cheaper than buying off the shelves. There are pictures in a Gallery below. Read the paragraphs first and then refer to the Gallery. Disclaimer; You need to get expert advice on Electrics and Fire Safety! This is only a guide of how I did this and not a definitive instructional manual. I am going to mention the safe way of doing things a lot because I want you to be safe while setting up and during operation. Get expert advice from a qualified Electrician before doing any of the wiring and make sure the kiln is properly earthed using Earth Wire and Earth Spike. Remember, you are dealing with Electricity and Water! Fire Safety protocols should be set up (fire Extinguisher, Fire Blankets etc) so your house is not put in jeopardy. You are fully responsible for any and all consequences while using a kiln so take expert advice before going forward. No point in saving a few Euros or Dollars on wood and having to fork out thousands on home repairs! Housing Requirements and Set Up First of all, you need a sheltered area to house the kiln; preferably an outdoor shed or lean-to which doesn't leak and rain can't reach the unit. Remember, rain sometimes blows sideways, not just straight down! Away from your house or valuable property is advisable too. An available power socket, preferably waterproof is also necessary, I don't recommend stringing extension leads together to reach the kiln as this is not safe practice. Have a Smoke Alarm, Fire Extinguisher and Fire Blanket in close proximity to the kiln at all times to be prepared for any eventuality no matter how remote you think the possibility is. Air Holes I started by drilling 4 x 1'' holes in the floor and the same on the left and right up near the inside top of the kiln. I could have limited this to 1 hole each side as 4 was total overkill. Most of the time the holes should be almost completely covered so that the warm air doesn't escape too quickly. A half inch hole would probably have been sufficient too and a control door much simpler to make. Too many holes and you might case harden the wood. In the early weeks of use, the kiln should always look wet with droplets all over the glass and walls of the kiln. From the pictures below you can see that I made a plywood door with reflective insulating material to reduce heat loss through the glass. There are a variety of options to do this but I chose this way. I also drilled holes in the floor so the warm air rising would pull in new fresh air which would in turn be warmed and circulated. There are many articles online that suggest drilling multiple large holes but I found that a few small ones do the job. You can always cover these holes if you find there is too much fresh air going in to the kiln. You can start off drilling one hole in the bottom and one each side and then experiment with each new load of wood. Drill more as required. Metal Platform for trapping heat This made sense to me after my first operation. I had Beech Bowls and some cracked because the heat from the bulb was too direct and severe. I got stainless steel platform trays made up with a downward lip on all 4 sides, in effect making an upside down receptacle. My thinking at the time, was that the tray would stop direct light from the bulb from reaching the wood and also allow heat to build up underneath the tray and dissipate more slowly. PC Fan At the time I was experimenting with wind and solar power and I had a couple of deep cycle marine batteries set up. A buddy of mine gave me 2 large PC fans which worked a treat using the batteries. The PC fan had a low CFM rate and gently pushed the air from below. Too fast and too direct air current can cause micro cracks, especially in bowls. Important; Bowls and blanks should have their endgrain sealed with glue before going into the kiln to slow down moisture loss. Always use stickers to keep an air gap around the wood at all times. Light for Heat I rigged up a standard light pendant at the rear of the kiln about 6 inches above the floor. I chose this height so as not to melt the floor of the unit. The floor is light metal sheeting with plastic and insulation underneath. I found so many articles about DIY kilns that say start a greenwood load with a 40 watt bulb and increase to 60 watt after a week, eventually getting up to 100 watts. I saw no need to change the bulb at all and the kiln reached temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius and above quite easily. If you want it to get hotter, close the air vents even further. You could add a 60 watt bulb to begin with but that may get too hot and will cost more to run. Using a 40 watt bulb and allowing extra drying time would be far better for the wood you are drying. Slower is nearly always better when it comes to drying wood! Glass Front Cover I realized during testing that the Glass Front was losing heat so I rigged up a cover of Marine Plywood with reflective insulating foil on the inside and a handle for easy removal. I also painted the lower end of the glass door to stop light reflecting back into the wood. This was a very effective and cheap solution. Relative Humidity Monitor You can buy battery RH devices and temperature monitors quite cheaply on eBay and though not 100% accurate should give you an indication of progress. During the first 2 weeks of operation there should be 100% Moisture Content in the kiln and it should drop slowly after that. Don't try and rush this by opening the vents. 1mm of air gap is probably more than enough on each side of the kiln. If the surface moisture on the fridge door starts to disappear too quickly you need to close the top air vents further or completely. Sometimes the moisture will escape through a closed hole without any need to open the vents, it depends on the material you use for the door. You will have to experiment yourself to find the best way. Before Operating the Kiln Before switching on for the first time I attached and Earth Cable to the metal frame close to the pendant and connected it to an Earth Spike driven into the ground close by. I asked an Electrician friend to double check everything was safe too. I didn't want to risk burning my workshop down so better to be safe than sorry. I have done plenty of wiring in my life but I always defer to a professional when there is any possible risk to life and property. Operating the Kiln When filling the kiln with wood, it is important to load the kiln with similar species and similar thicknesses. Don't put a 4 inch blank with a 2 inch blanks and expect them to dry over the same timeframe. Always use stickers to separate the wood and leave gaps all around for the air to circulate. Container of water Greenwood needs moisture in order to start drying so it's important to add a container of water so the heat can raise the humidity to 100% for at least the first week. In my case, I filled a Chinese takeaway container and left it dead centre in the bottom of the kiln. The greenwood will release moisture too so it shouldn't run out too quickly. You can add a bigger container if you wish. The heat from the bulb and the air movement from the fan will evaporate the container after the first week or so and the kiln walls and floor should be saturated at this point. As long as you don't open the vents too much during the initial stages the wood should dry correctly from the inside out. As Simple as that but not really. In the first few pictures you will see a mix of Leland Cypress, Ash and Yew. This was back when I didn't know what I was doing and having just built the units I was itching to try them out. Experience has taught me that you can't dry hardwoods and softwoods together and you shouldn't dry different thicknesses together either. Keep 2 inch stock with 2 inch stock and dry 4 inch stock with 4 inch stock. Experimentation in the early stages of my business made things really exciting and most of the time I couldn't help but push forward. Takeaway Being able to source Hardwood yourself can be a much better alternative to purchasing from a store. It takes time to make these things and perfect your methods. You will probably be a Woodturner for many years whether in business or hobby level so you have time to get it right. Drying wood is a slow process, don't be fooled by any online articles promising you fast results. Wood doesn't work like that. The best wood drying method I have seen is from Glenn Lucas who uses an Arrowsmith dehumidifier to dry bowl blanks in an insulated container in approximately 6 weeks. After the initial 100% wet week, cycles of 1 hr dehumidification and 3 hours off at around 35 degrees dries the wood slow enough for the moisture to leave the inside cells without the wood cracking. I have had good results from my DIY kilns but I was not very experienced at wood drying at the time. For small scale Woodturners, this type of kiln might suit you. If you like to experiment, this is a good one to try. One Last Option I saw another woodcrafter who set up a household electric dehumidifier inside a glass front fridge like I have above. A section of the floor and underneath was cut away to allow the dehumidifier to sit into the base. As long as the machine air vents are not blocked and the machine is allowed to vent its operating heat this could be an option. Again, you should only operate this while you are in the room or the fridge is located as mentioned above and doesn't pose a risk to life and property. Whatever system you use, please do it safely and get someone qualified to double check your work. I hope this has been helpful. Happy and Safe Drying!!!!!