Rob D

Pretty much as above. 10 degrees is the norm. You can play a little with this if you wanted. I find 5 degrees is minimum. This gives less self feeding a smoother board. Increasing the angle say to 20 degrees gives you more self feeding but a rougher board and more chance of the saw bogging down. Granberg chain has scoring cutters that can be filed to 20 degrees with the clearing cutters set to 5 degrees but for ease these days I tend to do the lot 10 degrees. More important in many ways than the angle is the tooth length (getting all cutters the same length), tooth shape (which is more to do with the side angle) and consistant depth guages. A more beaked tooth gives a more aggresive cut and faster chain dulling, a laid back tooth a smoother dustier cut and takes much more effort to push the mill up the wood. More info on general chain sharpening is Guide Bar & Saw Chain Menu and there is also more info on sharpening ripping chain (although I wouls say keep the file flat rather than trying to angle it at 10 degrees).

A few points: You won't get any money back quickly selling logs. In fact it has to be one of the biggest cash flow blockers there is. You need a regular source of timber and then all the equipment to load it, split it (could do this by hand to start), store it and deliver it. Using vented bags on pallets in a polytunnel IMO is the best way to dry wood. Cheap, energy efficient, can be whipped out and delivered dry. But if you have barns then these would do if the ventilation is good. Stack on pallets. Another IMO forget about the trailer idea - that will be too much work hassal and money for the return. Just split in advance and mother nature will dry the wood for free. Work out all your costs and then what you will charge for the wood. I'd say you have a good advantage over competition in that you have a ready market that you can show your dry logs - and therefore charge more for.

Sort of film if you hear the story line you think - can't be that good - but this is one terrific film... .... unlike black swan which is just a bit weird.

Have you marked the logs in some way so they can definately be identified as yours Dean?

Ho Ho! I must put stickers nearer the end to prevent splitting. I must put stickers nearer the end to prevent splitting. I must put stickers nearer the end to prevent splitting. I must put stickers nearer the end to prevent splitting. I must put stickers nearer the end to prevent splitting. I must put stickers nearer the end to prevent splitting. I must put stickers nearer the end to prevent splitting. I must put stickers nearer the end to prevent splitting. Lines just don't carry the same punishment when you can copy and paste.....

Ho ho! You can get an Oregon bar for your 261 that runs Oregons 95VPX (I think it is). This is .325 .050 chain but the kerf is the same as a lo pro 3/8 picco type chain. I used it with the MS260. It's good - is it much faster... or less sawdust? Hard to tell really... and that sort of tells you something! Personally I would concentrate on perfecting your chain sharpening rather than sawdust reduction. There is always room for improvement.

Yes I've painted the ends with PVA so all ship shape there. I'll get my stickers at the end next time though fingers or no fingers!

I bet you're looking forward to it Bob! Yes I know I should have the stickers closer to the end but I was stacking on my own and worried about my poor wee pinkies!!

Got it from this company here Cord Straps-Woven Polyester Strapping-Polyester Strap-Dunnage Bags at the APF. Fiddly to start with but brilliant when you get the hang of it.

Some more pics.

Just a small oak butt I milled Friday. Took me 4 hours from leaving the yard to being back with the wood stickered and bound. Also knocked up a quick coffee table (in return for the wood) for the owners. Also got 6x 4" smaller slabs of 4ft by 2ft. Taking a lot more care these days on my stickering - 18" apart spacers and then using strapping to bind it tight together (this strapping can also be retightened as the planks shrink).

Have you tried milling much with yours Liam?

Nice Tom never knew that These these things that can go on chainsaws that'll make you all the chopping boards you'll ever need.... .... hang on I'll remember in a minute or two

Great tools for splitting with. Love the cone splitter that fits on the digger. I'd like to get one for our 2.6 ton digger.

Thanks for posting. I'd love an 090 for milling but can't justify it at the moment... I'd like to compare it to an 880 on big logs but at the moment it would be another machine which means another one that can potentially go wrong.

Superb post there Mark. Now and then you just seem to pluck them out of the air!!

I very much doubt that do you.... :lol:

Sorry to hear that. Can you say what the symptoms are and if this means you have to give up working in trees?

Excellent vid! The story of the Kauri tree in New Zealand is amazing and also tragic... .... another example of the 'good ol days' where the entire country was 94% stripped (in just one century) of a tree that can live for thousands of years and only exists in New Zealand. Must be amazing to climb a tree like this

I've been looking into more security equipment like this Home CCTV security system 2 SonyCCD dome camera DIY KIT on eBay (end time 19-Feb-11 17:07:02 GMT) which seems pretty good value. There's also stuff you can get that takes a pic when it detects movement and sends it to your phone. I'll be getting some kit soon and will feed back.

Get your balaclava on, a large thermos of coffee and make sure you know what was on telly the night they come back.....

Surely it's the widespread burning of rainforest to make way for soya and palm oil that's the problem IMO not this. In the area where this drought has been no doubt the forest will recover and grow back (albeit over time).

I have to admit having a small chuckle when I read this!

Have a search through old threads as this topic has been discussed many the time. But there is already a lot of info out there on this. Also have a look at the new arbtalk firewood website as this will tell you what different people around the country are selling at.