Big J

I've heard good things about the Timberking 1220, if anyone is looking for an alternative. Alternatively to that, with lower cost manual mills, there isn't much to go wrong - there are literally dozens of US manufacturers that produce bandmills starting at about £2000.

I had an early model before an Alaskan: Pros: It's heavy. You want heavy as you won't have to push the mill into the wood to keep it flat. It has longer approach and departure rails, and has four, instead of two. The upshot of this is that you can keep a flatter cut coming onto and off the log. It's cheap. Cons: No measurement marking system - you have to measure each adjustment manually, which is a pain. Bar clamping unreliable - had bar come loose in milling with predictably distastrous results for my chain Only one size of bar per mill - no adjustment. IMO you would be better getting an Alaskan.

We had the same issue - fixed as described above.

All very good, very good indeed. Only problem I see it is one of location. If we were located in country with cheap diesel, we would be laughing. That we aren't is just a shame. Did you know that you can get Unimog Fire engines on German ebay?! I can't think of a cooler donor vehicle for a camper van project. If mountain climbing was your game, you could establish your own base camp by simply driving half way up the mountain. I need to make this happen

Hehe! It looks like a cross between a frog and a pig - funny looking machine!

Solid effort, but 4mpg doesn't sound too appealing. I'd still have the Merc!

We have been looking half seriously for a vehicle to convert into a camper van, and my searches have taken me to German ebay. A dangerous place to be for a chap who loves Mercedes, trucks and speaks German reasonably. Found this monster, which I do believe (and feel free to correct me) is the single coolest vehicle in the entire world. Mercedes LG315, Allrad, Oldtimer, LKW,Feuerwehr | eBay I can only imagine the gleeful fun one would have running over any and all peasants in normal cars on the single track roads in the Scottish Highlands!

Give it up! I just found this lovely G Wagen on Carandclassic.co.uk : Mercedes 300 GD Wagen Swb 460 model For Sale (1987) on Car And Classic UK If I could get out of my stupid unreliable Navara lease, I'd snap it up!

Just came across this on the BBC website: BBC News - Gunther Holtorf's 23-year road trip Truly remarkable journey, which rather than making me want to travel more, has increased my already considerable desire for a G-wagen!

I know you don't want to hear it, but you are flying in the face of overwhelming evidence. I used to be hardline Stihl, and just over a year ago I listened to advice gathered here and got a 346xp. It's a better saw, which isn't to say that the MS261 is a bad saw, only that the Husqvarna is better. Subjective loyalties aside, why would you want to spend you money on an inferior machine?

I love my 346xp. Used to have an MS260, which was reliable but very slow and horrible for vibration. I've use an MS261 but they are much heavier and no more powerful.

Rob makes a good point about calling Andy. There is every chance that he might take it, and I send stuff his way with reasonable frequency, so you could always leave it with me.

A Higgs boson walks into a church. The priest orders it to leave immediately. The boson protests: 'But how can you have mass without me?'

That is a cracking burred lump there Timmy. Looking forward to the pictures of it slabbed up! If you are over this neck of the woods I've got a static chainsaw mill set up now as well as the woodmizer. Might be worth a visit again!

Simon is, to the best of my knowledge, still running the Alstor, but he is as unreachable and unreliable as ever. Still very good on the actual machine though. I don't even have a current number for him any more as his old one went with the old job I think. I can get you his number if you need it though, as the estate I work on stil use him. Jonathan

I've worked both the MS260 and Husqvarna 346xp extensively in thinning and I'd strongly recommend the Husky. It's just a much quicker saw with better anti vibration.

Seen quite a few unhealthy looking sycamores out near us - leaves browning and wilting. Must be the constant rain.

Sold!

My mistake. I assume it was Coast redwood they used instead?

Cladding and construction. Most of the Pacific coast of the US is built from Sequoia.

You are probably right, but the idealist in me pines for the frontier lifestyle. It's a very small world now, and a little less exciting for it.

What a great video - fascinating stuff! It would have been an exciting time to be alive.

I seem to have thousands of them. That said, I have some lovely straight elm in at the moment which makes a nice change from burry!

Lackey sent the photos, so here are a selection. Funny thing is that I thought that these slabs were good (that we milled yesterday) but the two logs we milled today were even better. Output was down a good bit as I managed to get the forklift bogged in the barn in the soft shale blaze. Couldn't get it out for love nor money last night on my own, so JCB loadall from the farm came to the rescue. We then dug out the soft shale, whacked it firm, dropped a tonne of type one on it, spread it and whacked it firm again. Also installed a heat recovery unit in the kiln (cuts electricity bill by estimated £8 a day). Anyways, some elm pictures: Genuinely the best straight grained Elm I've milled. Looks like a nasty accident with a chainsaw and a gentlemen's wedding tackle! Electrical wiring, embedded at least 50 years into the tree. A first, but mercifully did not damage to the band. And finally Katie doing her best to look dejected at us working, rather than playing ball with her!