Al Smith
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Everything posted by Al Smith
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I've had good luck with E-bay myself .I however feel it might be a tad different in this part of the globe . With most transactions being within reasonable distances, shipping is not a problem .Plus the fact I do think there is a larger selection of saws and related repair parts to choose from . For example ,as a general rule parts for a Stihl saw,brand new are usually about half of a dealers price . Let me say though if you buy an E-bay saw,bid accordingly .It may need repair .If you don't have the knowledge or where with all to work on them best to pass them by .
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Most large saws do not get a lot of running time .One reason they last forever--almost .
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Most large saws ,Stihl 084/088.Husqvarna 3120 ,old Mac 125 etc are pretty well balanced using a 36" bar . They will all handle larger bars but they get real nose heavy . These large saws are made for large wood so really running shorter bars is not utilizing the saws potential .Oh they are a hoot to run but the novelty wears off after you hoist one around for a few hours .Practicularly preforming tasks a smaller saw could do just as well .
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Official "Yank'" Picture Thread
Al Smith replied to GASoline71's topic in International Arborist Forum
Thanks .My ancestors spent centuries pounding out arms and armor for knights in the middle ages on your shores .Their offsprings are now recycling car parts for stuff such as splitters and bandsaws .Times have changed .ha . -
Official "Yank'" Picture Thread
Al Smith replied to GASoline71's topic in International Arborist Forum
This is just a pic of one of my last projects "junk yard "splitter .5 inch cylinder ,11 HP electric start engine ,16 gal per minute 2 stage pump ,10 inch I beam . Heavy duty Judy ,it will split any thing ,cheap too .
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I don't have a clue what is available on that side of the broad Atlantic .However products such as J-B coldweld and Duco Liquid aluminum usually will repair a leaky tank .
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Those little Chinese Zamas develop cracks in the fuel chamber for some reason or another .They run fine when cold but the crack opens up and causes problems when the saw warms up . I know some of you folks don't surf the net much but I discovered this several years ago and made it public knowledge .Since they have been many reports from all over the globe saying exactly what I said . Let me see If I can find a picture which I'll put on later after I get home from work . It would be a shamed to shelve a saw that costs over 500 US funds for a 60 dollar carb .
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Only a suggestion .The 200T's have been plagued with carb problems for years . Blowing excessive smoke would indicate a miss adjustment perhaps in the fuel shut off lever height . Most likely if not that ,still fuel delivery related . Just because the carb is new or some mechanic worked on the saw does not neccessarily mean it's correct . Then again it's nearly impossible to troubleshoot a saw over the internet .
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I don't know how oak is on that side of the big pond but you don't have mix a thing with it to burn on this side . Split ,stack and let it dry about two years and it's good to go . Heavy ,dense,splits good coals up good not much ash . About only three types are better ,hickory ,osage orange and locust but I have no idea if these species even grow eastward 2500 miles or so across the Atlantic .
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In that picture ,looks like some type of oak to me .In this picture,it is an oak,big one too or what's left of a big old midwestern red oak .
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A person will do better if they cut the stuff up in 16" or whatever size rather 3 or 4 foot stuff to block down later . You end up with short pieces plus the stuff picks up dirt,gravel ,sand from being moved around two or three times and just eats up chains on the saw .
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I had no idea that beavers lived anywhere but North America,I learned something . We have them in Ohio but in limited numbers.
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Doesn't surprise me a bit .My old mans 610 Mac sat for 5 or 6 years with fuel in it.Drained it out,put in fresh about half dozen pulls,off to the races .
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Alternaters are repairable but often times the repair parts add up to more than a rebuilt unit sells for . A majority of the equipment made on this side of the pond use Delco electricals .They easily adapt to most applications and the regulater is built into tne unit itself . For repairs you have 3 choices,buy new,costly .Buy from an auto junk yard ,iffy .The cheapest in the long run is remanufactured from a discount auto parts dealer which has a quarentee.
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It should fire right up if you ran it dry before you stored it . Prime the carb and give it a tug,should be good to go .
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It doesn't take much to make adaptor bushings to utilize Stihl bars on just about any saw providing the oiling hole aligns . I've ran a Stihl 084 sized bar on a 2100 Homelite for years ,works great .
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One thing you don't want to do is inhibit the air flow when drying wood .You will just end up growing mushrooms inside those bags . Just split ,stack and cover the top .Works any where in the world .
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It doesn't make any difference what you burn in a stove as long as it's dry .All wood has the same btu's per pound ,not by volume . You could get just as warm burning balsa wood as you could burning hard as a rock American red oak .Of course burning the balsa you would have to tend the fire more often .
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There are any number of places on-line on this side of the big pond to buy chain loops of about any pitch . They most likely will ship any where but it would be costly . As for myself I can just place a phone order to any of the three or four suppliers I use and have the goods in 3 or 4 days .Usually I might add at 40 to 50 pecent cheaper than dealing with a local supplier .
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Is there a viable future for dry top quality logs
Al Smith replied to yaxleylad's topic in Firewood forum
Plain simple fact,you can't get wood dry if you don't split it . Oak for example laying in logs will retain moisture for decades . Even in short rounds, upsplit it will take several years . I've been at this stuff for the best part of 40 years and can tell you the best thing to do is cut,split and stack the stuff in a timely fashion to get the best results . -
Oh a year with a tank full of oil most likely wouldn't hurt anything .I however have restored old saws that have sat for twenty or more and the oil is like axle grease . Now fuel is another story .I have,as I type a Husky 181 that had only sat a year and a half sitting , on the bench and the carb will need rebuilding .Diaphragms as stiff as a bridegrooms ---well .
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I don't know how you do it in England . In this neck of the woods,split it in a timely fashion and stack it on wooden pallets which normally can be obtained for free if you have the right connections . The pic is approx 15 cords of firewood .I keep it covered in the winter and let the sun get to it the rest of the year.Usually about a years worth of drying does except oak which takes about 2 years .
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I suppose the mulberry on that side of the pond is about the same as this side. Although ours grow into rather large trees at times . The wood is a second cousin to osage orange and is a really good "coaling " wood with a high BTU content . Kind of sticky stuff to cut though.It has a thick milky sap about like a rubber tree. Although to tell the truth I've never seen a rubber tree .
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Come on you guys,get with it.Since this thread got started I've ported a pair of 038's,both a cut above the normal .One a simple port job and the other one , a Mag ,a radical with a cut piston . Now come on now don't let some farm boy from Ohio show you up.You folks are supposed to be the best two cycle bike tuners in the world .
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Oh you folks just don't know what you are missing.Every four years the circus comes to town on this side of the pond.Complete with the dog and pony show that gets more amusing the closer to the election time it is. Ha,and you thought Monty Python was funny,sit back and watch this one materilize. Over there they would get sued for libel and slander here about anything goes.
