John Hughes

I hadn't planned to use the rotavator head and by the sound of it it is not worth taking it to bits to get it working.

Bought this on ebay: stihl backpack on eBay (end time 07-Feb-10 19:55:03 GMT) I collected it today , cleaned the plug ,put some fuel in it and she fired up after a couple of pulls. The rotavator attachment is a bit stiff through lack of use, obviously done very little work. It is a fr106, anyone know the equivalent current model, I like to know how much of a bargain I've got :thumbup: Also I will need a head to put a strimming line or blade on it. Anyone got one sitting in the back of their shed they want to sell, it has a 26mm shaft. Thanks John

Dave Looks good, but as I am Essex based it's a bit far for me to travel. Thanks for thinking of us millers. Anyone got any butts north of the river? John

I subscribe to the Forestry Journal and get Essential Arb thrown in. I look forward to receiving FJ at the beginning of the month, it's a great magazine, printed on high quality glossy paper. There is plenty in it for the small woodland owner/ mobile miller. Although I do find the 2 pages of cartoon a bit of a wasted space .

I have my eyes on a 4ft diam oak log lying in a farmyard. It seems to have a large burr on the side. However being a farmers son I know that they never use a 2inch nail when a 6 inch will do, so I am worried about the amount of iron in it.

I spotted it on the Ecolots website. Lucas Mill 827 - Machinery and Equipment For Sale I am now looking for more butts to mill.

I had a play with our new to us Lucas Mill this afternoon. It took about 30 minutes to set up and was then soon making dust. It seems a brilliant piece of kit. Unfortunatley the oak log had some rot right in the middle so I will not get as many boards out of it as I had hoped. John

I would be interested in any suitable butts for planking. I have a woodmizer based in south/mid Wales, and tomorrow I collect my new to me Lucas Mill which will be based in Dunmow Essex. I will be willing to travel for the right logs. My email is jphz(at)btopenworld.com John

My wife had a site visit at a church in GT Yarmouth yesterday. The architect put his ladder up against the church, they then proceeded to go round the back, ten minutes later they return to the front only to see a white van driving off with the ladder on board. Now the thieves have the ladder they will probably be back to take the lead of the roof.

Sorry Guys and Girls. Quess who is sitting at home recovering from flu and can't get out because of the snow. John

Last week was my birthday and I didn't feel very well waking up that morning. I went downstairs for breakfast hoping my wife would be pleasant and say, "happy birthday!", and possibly have a present for me as it turned out, she barely said good morning, let alone "happy birthday." I thought... Well, that's marriage for you, but the kids will remember. My kids came into breakfast and didn't say a word so when I left for the office, I was feeling pretty low and somewhat despondent. As I walked into my office, my secretary Jane said, "good morning, boss, happy birthday!" It felt a little better that at least someone had remembered. I worked until one o'clock and then Jane knocked on my door and said, "you know, it's such a beautiful day outside, and it's your birthday, let's go out to lunch, just you and me." I said, "thanks Jane, that's the greatest thing I've heard all day. Let's go!" We went to lunch. But we didn't go where we normally would go. We dined instead at a little place with a private table. We had two martinis each and I enjoyed the meal tremendously. On the way back to the office, Jane said, "you know, it's such a beautiful day... We don't need to go back to the office, do we?" I responded, "I guess not. What do you have in mind?" she said, "let's go to my apartment." After arriving at her apartment Jane turned to me and said, boss, if you don't mind, I'm going to step into the bedroom for a moment. I'll be right back." "OK" I nervously replied. She went into the bedroom and, after a couple of minutes, she came out carrying a huge birthday cake...followed by my wife, kids, and dozens of my friends and co-workers, all singing "happy birthday" And I just sat there... On the couch... Naked...

Flaming-ace. I am interested to hear you use a stroke processor, I have seen various films of them on youtube and occasionally seen one on ebay. How do you rate them? Are they reliable? I like the idea of having the processed logs in a pile so they can be picked up in one lift with a grapple. How many hp is needed? Thanks John

The Zetor has a 35hp Lombardini engine. I bought it at Cheffins auction just above Cambridge. It did not reach it's reserve of £2250. I went up a couple of days after the auction and was abble to drive it round the site,got it for £2000.

The Kubota does have a diverter valve but is a bit of a pain to use as any implement on the rear then tends to sink. My little Zetor. dual wheels, 4x4, front and rear linkage and pto. Front wheel steer but rotates about it's middle.

This is my latest purchase, a 30 year old Kubota, if I remember correctly a 345dt. The guy was selling it cheap as it does not meet current HSE regs. Hydraulic pipes are in the cab. It has a nice 4in1 bucket but the hydraulics are very basic, one has to wait for the linkage arms to raise before the loader will move. I have been told there is no economic way of changing this. It looks more than it's 35hp. John

Do we need to resize them ? John

If it were local and you could load it, I would pay about £150 but no more.

In the round I would pay abouut £3 hoppus foot. Once milled it would be worth £20 cu ft. Kiln dry it, 2inch thick would be £60:w00t: if it is joinery quality 1in would be about £50 cu ft

For those of you with a mill, how much would you offer for an oak but like the one on the right? I would normally offer £50 if it was reasonably local. I normally buy direct from the landowner, who tells me it is worth more for firewood. I then describe how much work is involved in collecting it ,then milling , stacking and drying it. There will be at least 50% wastage, it may be full of nails and shakes. I then say would it not be better to have their 200 year old oak turned into a bit of fine furniture rather than end up on someones logburner. We normally manage do do a deal. Recently I went mad and offered £100 for an exceptionally good butt, I await to hear back from the farmer. My mill is a Woodmizer lt40 John

I may be interested, how much do you want for them? Where abouts in Kent are they? Can you load them?

Bartoline - The VIP of Diy Sounds like I better get some fast.

Charlieh Where can I get some creosote, I only seem to be able to find it in 4litre cans at great expense and it is probably the creosote substitute. A 205 l drum sounds great. John

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S5wPasXdjM]YouTube - stake peeling[/ame] Anyone got any good ways of treating posts, my neighbouring farmer soaks his in old engine oil. Larch is supposed to be quite durable but I am not sure about the sapwood in the 3 to 5 inch tops. John

One can only ask why?:001_unsure: i.Saw - The World's First USB-powered Chainsaw

Thanks guys, the power of the Arbtalk Forum shows itself again!! If the auction does not get pulled I can now bid with confidence and and will be happy to pay more now I know it is a genuine trailer. Everybody wins. John