growforest

I put a good bit of raw larch when making stuff, and tend to use screws over nails. Pre-drill and screw, so you can always take the thing apart at the end of its life. Bit pricier, but... Screws can be left proud till your board finds its final shape and then nipped up - not too much though. Get a combined pilot / countersink drill bit and you're even better off. We used to fire bottoms of all larch strainers years ago to increase life, but I don't think it made much difference. I've tried flaming larch with a roofing torch and propane, but it seems like a lot of wasted gas to me. (That Kevin bloke has a lot to answer for in my book - giving everyone log cabin envy and dragging all the middle classes into buying tiny bits of woodland and breaking up decent-sized blocks into fun camps...but I digress) if you want it black go for Butinox products or Jotun stains - proper acrylic foreign gear from where it rains and snows a lot.

The Stihl augers are good once you get the hang of their limitations - do speed things up often over hand-digging, and can be really useful where you can't get with a machine. I've used mine a lot, but adapted the auger tips with tct blades, which makes roots / stones less jarring. Handy on good going for big tree planting jobs too.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk2xYYkJWu0]Thatching - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-BZIWSI5UQ]Elvis Costello - Tramp The Dirt Down - YouTube[/ame]

Stay away from Sonim. Best I've had is Nokia 3720 c. Get a case from Krussell and they'll replace it whenever it fails. My phone gets a real hammering and never fails. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnk1UYBblq0][/ame]

[http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/local/updated-tree-kills-man-in-park-1-4959083[/url]

Tell her the truth. Take a short film of her new life now and again and send a dvd for carers to show your aunt. And don't feel guilty - you have one your best. Try not to take too much of the weight of the situation. Stand back and assess what's good for you too. Best wishes

and it reels out sonnets like there's no tomorrow.Is there no end to Spud's skills Making Shakespeares of Huskies and Stihls?

Life is just too short Gnome....

Sorry about that. Here's the link: Stihl Ms 650 Chainsaw - Miscellaneous - The Hunting Life

Nice when green. Go easy with it though - can soon tear apart if you knock it about too much when roughing out. Dry it slowly too, or it will crack (I found wrapped in a plastic bag and keep turning the bag inside out to let out the water is the best way - you can monitor how they're doing. Do a few at once too, to make it worth while)

Try a price from Eddie Prest at Birnbeck in Weston. Good to deal with and matched my renewal price from elsewhere for forestry cover. Birnbeck Finance Ltd, 129 High Street, Worle, Weston-super-Mare, BS22 6HQ Tel: 01934-522252 Fax: 01934-520100

I've used hundreds of feet of various chain production logging over the years, and all chain, without exception, is better when hand sharpened. And far better cutting after three or four sharpens. Stihl chain performs ok out of the box, but is better once sharpened. Never waste chain sharpening it first - put a tank through and then give it a polish. Oregon chain always needs more work, IMHO. There was always an unspoken competition among felling teams to see how accurate sharpening could wring out a few more tanks from a chain. In softwood, with three eighths full chip stihl you can literally work your chain to the very last millimeter with little effect on performance. The aim is for every tooth to be the same size, right down to the wire. Even in hardwoods, the chain cuts better in its middle 50%, but does start to perform less well as the cutter area gets smaller. Chinese saws are sh*t. I've a 28 AV super hanging up somewhere bought early eighties. It would fuel up and run for a week non-stop without a beat. What useful machine recommends resting every hour?! Get your stihl to the shop, get it fixed and bin the rubbish. And learn to use a decent file.

I use Alpkit with a hammock - they're pretty warm, well made and roomy enough:thumbup:

Like he said. Don't bother with chip. Far more sustainable to manage the woodland for your own heat / timber supplies (you don't give area but assume it's big enough if ex FC). It may mean more work for you or may help keep a local person busy.

Hey Roddie Just have a search for "boots" threads and you'll get loads of chatter about 'em. As ever, you get what you pay for.

Electric fence is a must IMO. Don't name them - managed to butcher George but he was in the freezer for a very long time. Dry, draught-free house and a companion are key too. Build a wallow area for summer. It will not be cheap meat, but the best you can eat. Organic feed does make a tastier meat, but cripplingly dear. Commercial pig men get away with feeding all manner of crap. DEFRA rules are crazy. Enjoy your pigs. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

Nah, I prefer as a towing / family motor

When I started with bees I was advised to orient the hives so they were all in a row, but slightly staggered and every one facing the same way, but for a few degrees difference here and there. Bees don't like regular lines; they want the entrances irregular, so they can distinguish one from another. Or so I was told. And I never did line them in a regular row to test the theory. New Zealand strain bees are pretty good - nice and calm. Good bees are getting harder to find, as is a way of dealing successfully with varroa, spray drift etc.

Surely you know by now that it's not an option, unless you're a good welder. If you want to fit in with the Estate set, get yourself a nice old Subaru forester. The older ones are dirt cheap and you can buy a good set of knobbly tyres for 300 quid. Go most places you'll need to go and have that 4 x 4 cachet you're after. You can pull 1900kg with it and get 30mpg. Steer clear of the turbo model and get the oil pump sorted if it's a high miler.

You can't trim with a cutter - it makes a proper mess. You do need both machines if you're doing fine hedges and rough privet etc. For fancy stuff Berger make super-sharp hand tools. Echo HCR-171ES is a pretty good pro cutter, and their trimmers beat Stihl. Stihl are way too rough and ready. Steer clear of Husky too

Eyup What's your go-to tarp? I'm thinking machinery-covering, log-weatherising, old van-hiding tarp. Does the job. Doesn't tear next week. Won't require second mortgage (now that I've spent up on a new wheelbarrow)

Hi Tony I've been using seed from Real Seeds. They're very knowledgeable and have some very interesting varieties. Cheap, and send lots of info on seed saving too. I've been no-digging around an acre for sixteen years: I just strew it with compost year on year and cover any fallow bits with carpet. Spade only comes out to lift the big, fat veggies. Like the thread: look forward to updates.

What he said:bash: