Big J

Fascinating ideas brought up in that video. I'm intrigued by the idea of a woodland croft in Scotland and the thought of being able to use all of your brash and green matter from forestry activities to provide your dwelling with heat and perhaps power is enticing. The bonus of vast amounts marketable compost at the end is excellent too. Whilst there isn't a vast amount more heat available from a chip pile than burning it, there is comparatively no maintenance. Could run a kiln drying firewood by heating it from chip from the material that is too small to sell. So many of you out there sell firewood and have chip mountains it seems a no brainer.

Some people will do anything for a nose job on the NHS! Glad to hear that it wasn't more serious - make sure to post some before and afters once you are healed up so we, the public, can judge as to whether it was all worth it!

Welcome to Arbtalk Oli. First off, I know a fair number of people with the Sauno steam kiln and most seem to operate them without much trouble. I myself prefer a system where I can go in and check on my timber at any given time, so I use the kiln detailed in the kiln construction thread. That said, a furniture making friend with whom I do a lot of work and share a workshop has one, so I intermittently use it. In an ideal world, you would only kiln the same species at the same thickness with the same starting moisture content. Every species takes a very different time to dry and a mixed kiln is going to have a variety of final MCs. Try to avoid mixing Oak with other species as it just takes longer. Also, try to air dry everything for at least 6 months, and Oak for twice as long. 12% MC should be achieved at an RH of around 25%, though with oak it would be lower (around 20%). That is at 32 celcius though, so some adjustment might be required for 38 celcius. End sealed boards are fine in the kiln to the best of my knowledge, but I don't do it so can't say definitively. Jonathan

New G class 6x6 video on Autocar. Excellent cinematography/car porn, depending on which way you look at it! http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-video/video-mercedes-g63-amg-6x6-tames-desert

All this talk of stable temperatures of 60-80 celcius has got me thinking - has anyone run a central heating system off a chip pile? I don't know how long a pile will maintain it's temperature for, but I love the idea of piling up a monster pile in autumn and that supplying enough heat for the winter!

Kiln construction is very easy, albeit oak is a pain to dry. Might be worth building your own - I wrote a fairly long thread detailing how

Why?

I used to have an MS361 and it was indeed a lovely saw. Only sold it as it had the annoying easy tension side cover and was a touch too large for our work. I use a 550xp all day in almost exclusively hardwood and it's superb. It is just much quicker than it's Stihl counterpart.

Very good. I am pretty sure that it's the same model that a furniture maker friend uses with great success.

I would say that the MS362 is perhaps the worst regarded of the modern Stihl range. When you compare it to it's predecessor, it's limp and wooly. Go for the 560XP.

Where is Peckerwoo when you need him?! Looking at the longer range forecast, yr.no ? Været for Norge og verden fra NRK og Meteorologisk institutt is saying fairly heavy snow for almost all of next week for us. Total precipitation of 45mm, which translates to anywhere from 4-18 inches of snow. We are always the last ones to get it too. Anyone any further information on it?

I suppose there is the question - if a chimney fire is well controlled in a lined flue, is it really an issue? A useful (lazy?) alternative to sweeping your chimney!

Had an entertaining chimney fire with the Rayburn the other day. Happened a total of three times now and always when I leave the vent open for a touch too long. It can quite quickly set light if you're not careful - the hazard of having a fire that's on constantly. The fire always goes the same way - flue sets alight, burning off the creosote, which condenses at the cowl, which then sets alight, burns away like a candle wick for a couple of minutes, dislodging aforementioned creosote which falls back to the Rayburn. I just shut all the air down and keep an eye on it until the flue temperature returns to normal. Wouldn't like to have an unlined flue though, lord no!

Treat with borate solution - I've never experiences any woodworm issues on any timber with the exception of spalted beech.

It's no 3cx, let's put it that way!

JCB Prosmart (awful phone by the way, never get one). Runs Android but with some irritating little bits missing from the operating system. I assume this is one of them.

My bloody phone won't send a text to 112 as it regards it as an invalid number. Stupid smart phones!

Thanks for all the information there. Perhaps the first 'course' could be run as more of a workshop. 4 or 5 Arbtalkers talking about and demonstrating various methods, techniques and tips for efficiently dropping hardwoods. I'll speak to one of the local estates and see if they have licences in place anywhere for us to work in. Afterwards, I should be able to form some sort of plan for learning outcomes and all of that!

Very good! What sort of cut rate does that width of cut allow? Also, what's the standard method of handling such monster slabs? I've just given up on big boards now due to moving and handling issues.

Bit big isn't it!?

Far fewer issues with summer felled darker woods than with the white woods. Oak can be dropped at more or less any time of the year. Elm is very rare in your neck of the woods (I would imagine), so make the most of that too. No issues as far as I would be concerned.

I think that there is more coming into management. Much was planted and forgotten about - a lot of the big estates have fairly large hardwood stands and really struggle to get anyone with the experience to cut them sensitively. I'm going to speak to the chap that originally did my chainsaw certs (Chris White) for guidance on this. Got some interest from a forestry training social enterprise too.

Lovely colour in the Oak - good job!

Very good! Is the fourth photo in Fife near Auchtertool? Looks like one of the Lomond Hills in the background.

Fair enough. I do stand by my statement that using a large Elm for such things would be a waste. Mike, I know Falkirk Wood quite well. There are other sawmills in Scotland that have similar arrangements with councils. It can be a double edged sword though, as they have to process some real rubbish too. It's best to be as selective as possible with regards to timber you mill - it's all the same time and effort to mill a crap log, but without the quality timber at the end. Leave the rough logs to the local authorities!