pwhole
Well-known member
I've been having this discussion with a few people recently in terms of installation of climbing aids in mines and/or caves, where timber stemples were the original method, and we're often wrestling with problems like bad wall rock or very wide pitches to span, making Y-hangs almost impractical. In most cases many would reach for some (ideally new) scaff tube or stainless cable, etc., but I'm increasingly wondering whether simply re-stempling with timber would be appropriate, and if so, which timber? The sockets are usually still in-situ, and undamaged. And the elasticity of wood compared to metal is crucial for fitting them tightly.
I appreciate there can't really be 'standards' applied to timber installations in terms of caving organisations like DCA, but timber is no weaker than metal in many cases - we had five people climbing up the Titan Streamway cascades last night on a cut-down hickory pick-axe handle with some etriers, with the added advantages that it floats and doesn't damage the rock lip of the cascades. Some mines I've been in, particularly Odin Mine in Castleton, seem to have incredibly well-preserved stemples, and I've used many as deviations and climbing-aids in the past, so either something in the shaley atmosphere is preventing bacterial growth there, or Richard Bagshawe had a really good mate in the timber industry who was giving him the best material! Though the table legs in Chippendale Rift are probably from the 1960s. I've heard larch and elm can be quite good - obviously I'm trying to think 18th century fidelity here, so not tanalised, pressure-treated etc. - just good round fence posts or similar in a very strong, mould-resistant species - any ideas?
I appreciate there can't really be 'standards' applied to timber installations in terms of caving organisations like DCA, but timber is no weaker than metal in many cases - we had five people climbing up the Titan Streamway cascades last night on a cut-down hickory pick-axe handle with some etriers, with the added advantages that it floats and doesn't damage the rock lip of the cascades. Some mines I've been in, particularly Odin Mine in Castleton, seem to have incredibly well-preserved stemples, and I've used many as deviations and climbing-aids in the past, so either something in the shaley atmosphere is preventing bacterial growth there, or Richard Bagshawe had a really good mate in the timber industry who was giving him the best material! Though the table legs in Chippendale Rift are probably from the 1960s. I've heard larch and elm can be quite good - obviously I'm trying to think 18th century fidelity here, so not tanalised, pressure-treated etc. - just good round fence posts or similar in a very strong, mould-resistant species - any ideas?