Rob D

Superb! Thanks for the update and additional pics How did you make the shingles - with a froe?

Yep she's def a handy little workhorse I still think you want a tow hitch/eye or similar on the front for pulling a small barrow trailer - that would save time on long trips.

Narrow kerf chains work very well IMO on the small/midsize saws. The only system really for general cutting is Oregon 95VPX but will only go up to 18" (sort of...!). This works very well and takes only 4.2mm kerf compared to normal .325 chain which takes 6.2mm. No loss of strength as is still mounted on a normal .325 chassis. The only problem is trying to match Oregons ridiculously named bars to the chain (and bear in mind they've just swapped it all around....) The semi chisel (or micro chisel) chains are good fast chains and are def more tolerant to dulling + easier to sharpen than full chisel. Carbide chains - forget em! I spent £600 experimenting with them. They cut like a dull chain even when sharpened (carbide does not take an edge like conventional steel chain). And you hit something like metal or a stone you'll break cutters and effectively write the chain off. Although to be fair have not tried the new Stihl carbide tipped chains.... - the principles must still apply to these though. Multi-cut chain. Oregon's chain with 3 times the chrome layer. Supposed to stay sharp for longer.... but no one can decide if it works! And that tells you it prob doesn't work that well!

It seems to be the same for everything - use big juicy bits of bait to lure people in then gradually start to shaft them the longer time goes on.... .... there is no such thing as customer loyalty with these large corporations.

Thanks for posting - isn't it always when you least expect it?!

Nasty but glad it wasn't more serious.

Hmmmm.... so maybe changing provider may work.... I suppose I've been with BT 8 years and I fear change!

Because if it's a physical problem in the line or exchange etc then changing provider will do no good and after all it's BT that own the lines and have the engineers.... Would changing provider work in that case?

Yes that's the new PS3 full chisel 3/8 lo pro chain which is pretty good (I tried it over the weekend)... Must admit though the other 3/8 lo pro chains Stihl do I've also found to be pretty good - what was it about their performance you found lacking?

BT hub 2 Distance from exchange 3.5 miles BT have admitted each time there seems to be a problem with the line or a problem with the exchange i.e. they do a line test and say 'yes we have found a problem' When they reconfigured the line which they said is like re booting your computer at times at the beginning of the week speed was 2.8 Meg. So clearly the potential is there for a half decent speed. So why the problems? They can't tell me!!! They're useless?

They should replace them or refund but to be honest they prob don't have any dry logs to replace them with. Switch supplier until you find a good one.... Find one who'll let you come and view the logs.... I let people come and see my set up so they can see exactly why my logs are better if more expensive than most others. If they're not happy for you to visit their yard then call another.... Find someone good and stick to them... they should then look after you and if there is a problem be quicker to do something about it.

Have a plan - are you going to just do treework? Logs as well? Milling? Then try and stick to getting what you need for that plan. As above it's easy to see something shiny and run after it with a handful of notes.... Eg I bought a van mounted platform. Had it for a year, cost £1,500-00 insurance + all the other costs and it didn't reach that high - I prob used it 20 times. I could have hired a local tracked platform for when I needed it cheaper, better machine, much less hassal

I'm not sure I think it has to do with growing conditions, soil and prob lots of other variables.... Someone else on the forum may be able to help with that.

Exactly it. There will always be a little cross shaped crack in the best log in the middle (usually starts appearing minutes after cutting) and this is normal. Shake is there as soon as you look at it and the radial cracks are longer and nastier looking! You can see in the pic a tiny bit of ringshake forming on the inside - when the rings start separating further out that can render the timber totally unuseable.

It was worth milling and should get some nice bits out of it.

I've tried everything.... moaning, crying, exasperated, helpless, worn out, inconsolable, angry, sad, resigned..... it doesn't make a difference. Straight away tried the 'will try another provider' - after the 10 minutes I spent talking to the customer services on that call she all but said 'thank god!'

Just thought I'd do a quick thread on selling walnut. If you have come across a walnut tree to come down it may be worth your while selling it. But it helps a lot if you know how to describe it and then you'll have a better chance of selling it. Bear in mind it's highly unlikely to be worth the mythical figures that seem to be associated with it but still may be worth doing. The things that make walnut more valuable are: The colour - walnut can be a dull grey colour to an intense very dark chocolate brown. The more intense the colour the better as a rule of thumb. It can be the grey stuff is worth something if there are a few very black growth rings in amoungst it. Shake or no shake - star shake is a common problem and means the yield from a log is greatly reduced. Size of the sap ring - some walnuts can have an enormous sap ring then only a small dark heartwood. The larger the sap ring the less it's worth. Burring - if there are nice burrs then it'll increase the value a lot. When taking pictures take a clean cut across the log and then take some pics within 5 mins while the wood is still moist and you can see what the colour is like. After the face dries it's hard to see the colour at all. In wet weather it may take a few mins for the colour to deepen. Try and take a pic when the colour looks the most vibrant. Went and looked at a fallen walnut last week and milled it today. I quartered it to get less wide but more stable planks. So after cutting the face you can see that this one has a good colour, small sap ring but some definite structural shake. There's also a pocket of decay and some metal inside (but the pics don't show). I paid £70 for these 2 logs but would have paid £150 if there was no shake, no metal and no decay. So to describe these logs I'd say where they were (first 4 letters of postcode), diameter and length of each log i.e. in this case Fatter one 24" diameter, 4 foot long, and other is 20" diameter and 6 foot long. And what the access is like - fine but across a long back garden.

This year I've called BT Broadband technical 19 times with issues with poor service or no service. In each instance it's been their fault either on the the line or exchange etc etc etc etc ... But it's wearing thin now. I've filled in their complaints forms and then get a call saying 'sorry about this' ... but the only thing they suggest is calling the technical helpdesk again. What do you do? They seem powerless to act other than their prescribed script and I can't face the same battery of tests they keep asking me to do. It gets fixed, lasts a week or two then something happens. Did a speed test just now and it amounts to 0.18 Megs Is there a way of speaking to someone with the power to actually fix things?

I do feel sorry for anyone having their gear nicked but shouldn't have said 100% sure and then not be right! Prob because they said they were 100% is why the riot van was there.... But nice to hear the police are following up leads like this.

Best thing would be to cut the root plate off and take a pic immediately before the outside dries so the size of the sapwood ring can be seen and more importantly how dark the heartwood is. Roughly where is it?

To sell a root is rare and there is very little demand for it despite the massive amount of myth surrounding them being worth a fortune. Good pics by the way..... this walnut is not worth a lot as it is not that large and also it has a large sap ring. Colourwise (of the heartwood) looks average to good though. Would be good for rustic furniture and is def worth planking.

I usually go by the motto if it ain't broke.... But if there is any problem at all engine wise i.e. not idling, difficult to start, then first thing to do is replace the spark plug.

What do interlink say about it being delivered to the incorrect address and also have you knocked on the door of the address it was delivered to and asked them if they signed for a parcel? I don't think the delivery drivers are allowed to leave at another address unless asked to do so.

What a great vid - I liked some of the camera angles i.e. camera getting the sawdust in it's face - not seen that before - very effective

I'm going to re saw it and see how it goes.... but what I've sawn so far half has shake but half comes out beautifully.... no knots knots or anything. Apparently it planes up easily despite it's density. Will post some pics up as I go.... thanks for the replies.