daltontrees

I'm not suggesting anything except thaty if the vote goes the no direction the anti-english rhetoric will not be swallowed by the 1.7 million people who don't want to be ruled by England. And I use the E word deliberately, in teh absence of anyone here addressing the pointed enquiry in my earlier posts about the english assembly. I was brought up mostly in Northern Ireland and know/knew people who were shot dead, burned from their homes, tortured, falsely imprisoned. I can forgive them a little chaos in their growing pains, they have come a long way from a couple of decades ago when the country was run by mobsters on both sides. The history of Irish separation from Britain (the republic, that is) gives some thought-provoking insights into what forces stir when democracy is masked by subordination. And what happened when the residue was strongly divided. Honestly I am not making any point about Irish politics, there is no condoning the atrocities over there over the century and no-one has clean hands. But if one only sees the issue as one of first-past-the-post democracy one cannot understand that resentment will linger.

Good point.

Poeple are having difficulty separating Salmond from the real issues. Jusrt as they are with Cameron. Of whom I would say he barely can relate to the english public and really doesn't have the ear of the scottish public and deosn't even have a mandate to run the country. What a mess British politics is. Whether the politics or economics add up or not there is clearly an issue. Rhetoric like this doesn't go away. So if 30% of Scotland votes for independence, with a disproportionately high part of the younger voters wanting it, the Yes vote might have lost but it would hardly show contentment if a third or more of future electorate of Scotland doersn't want to be part of the UK. The rhetoric will become resentment, embedded as never before. I have almost given up on trying to debate the non-political issues on this thread. The debate keeps being dragged back to the politics. And in that respect I am finding it very disappointing that no-one here has been willing to address the question of why England doesn't have an assembly. If it did the UK government could be run as a federal one, where decisions made for it by its parliament would be made for the benefit of the UK. This solution is so very very obvious and the current set-up is bizarre, anachronistic and productive of the sort of resentment that has raised the independence issue. The if-it-aint-broke-don't-try-to-fix-it argument only washes outside scotland.

Mostly willow. Take it!

Amazing but much potential to go horribly wrong in a real tree situation. Might be easier to put a cambium saver up first and put the ART in once you get up there?

I spotted that, thanks. Cheap so far, but now you've told everybody.... My top cover is cracked too and a missing O ring on my petrol cap, so it would be useful to have. It looks a bit knackered though.

Thanks. There's nothing on their website but I may give them a ring.

I think the purpose of the tapering off of the weld might have been to reduce this risk. Or would the heat of the welding weaken the adjacent area?

Please keep going, I am learning so much and the quality of the debate is beautiful.

Somebody been salting the path in frosty weather? Go to McDonalds and get some chips and a sachet of vinegar. Put some of the powder on the chips and trhe rest in the vinegar. If the chips taste better it's salt and if the vinegar fizzes it's chalk. If you snort it and start telling everyone how great you feel, I'd keep the location quiet.

Ahhh... disappointing.

I had no idea this was so complicated. I am far from sure there is anyone near me that can do non-farmer welding. I can get a fake part form the States for £30 all-in, and if I figure in my time spent taking to welder, discussing, picking it up, etc. it probably works out cheaper to order a part and wait for it to cross the atlantic on a steamer. I don't need the saw back in service right away so I can wait. It is good to know tha there are people whose determination greater than mine wouldn't let this problem beat them. I shall ponder for a day and then go with what I decide. Thanks everyone, but keep firing away with anything else that comes to mind meantime for the furtherment of the common good.

It shoudn't be about Salmond, it should eb about 20 years' time. I have said it elsewhere on Arbtalk, but if England had the decency and humility to admit that it needs an english assembly ina federal UK we wouldn't even be having a referendum on scottish independence. Why do the english settle for scottish MPs voting on english-only matters? Is it because the scottish vote never really changes anything anyway.? Isn't that the driving force for independence?

You are breaking down my resistance. IS there any cost-effective alternative to importing one of these handles from the States. Any time I walk into my Husky dealer, I am sure they have got the door mechanism wired to make a ker-ching noise like a till.

Dare I ask what the F stands for?

Sorry guys, my posts keep crossing with yours. What about reinforcing the repair with fibreglass tape and resin to prevent rivets working loose?

That's a possibility, the handle is hollow at the breakage point so I might get something inside.

I never would have thought of welding, I didn't know aluminium alloy could be welded.

That's what I am trying to avoid. It's not so much the expense, it's just an instinct to try and fix first.

I wonder could anyone help me out here. I havehad a look in the froum to see if thius has come up before but don't see it, aplogies if it has. I have a Husky 181, an old girl but still very capable. 2 weeks ago cutting some really big stuff I was forever hitting metal and I think when I hit a nail the jolt was so severe the top handle snapped at the base. I can get a replacement form the States (£40 after postage) but I am tempted to try a repair. Thing is, I suspect that area takes quite a lot of force and the repair would have to be pretty solid, like a short metal stripped drilled and bolted. Anyone know if this is possible and worth doing?

Och go on Tim, tell us what you really think! England might not let us in after independence. You at least would nneed to change your name to English Oak. Or you could stay and be the first tsuga tsar of Scotland adn make sure the tree insustry up here stays sensible.

I think it just goes to show that in the playground of the Houses of Parliament souinding posh and being able to treat the country's woes as a win/lose of a public school debate is more important than substance. And I said I wanted to keep off the politics. Seriously, I hope no-one makes up their mind based on Salmond's personality except insofar as it might reflect the national personality, and likewise Osborne. Personally it's that last bit that makes me want to push scotland out in a rowboat and take our chances, rather than stick with Westminster pomposity. So back to the debate. It seems that the consequences of independence for the tree industry are highly dependent on what pans out on currency and border controls. Does anypne south of teh border want to speculate what will happen if the Tories get in next time around by selling their souls to the UKIP-sympathisers, then have their much promised referendum on Europe in/out for the UK. I mean, wha happens if UK votes to get out? Won't that create problems for trading with europe (transaction costs) and could we effectively shut the borders to imported plants and infected timber?

Har har! More importantly, who gets Gordon Brown. I'm not offering, by the way.

He asked who would climb it. I would have. He did. Doesn't have to be a massive top knock out, just a steady strip, definitely no rigging. It's possible to knock tops off without twanging the stem like a bass string. I'd have undercut Mr Blair by 1/2.

It's still standing, isn't it? Probably will be for a few years. Spike up it, knock the top off, knock a feww lumps off onto the crown then fell it (afer getting out of it). 1 hour max.