Big J
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Everything posted by Big J
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I bought an MS 181 a few months back, having had one when I started out some years ago. It was so bad, so slow, so gutless and so disappointing that I took it back the next day and got my money back.
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My best advice would be spend as much money as you can afford and get a pro saw. Husqvarna 346xp or Stihl 261. Both very good saws, robust and powerful and about £450 on a 15 inch bar. Much more powerful than a typical domestic saw too.
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Short answer - yes. Long answer - yes, definitely! An open fire (which is what a stove with the door open effectively is) is at best 30% efficient. A typical stove is 65-75% efficient. Therefore, you need to burn more than twice as much wood for the same heat output. Perhaps there is a degree of the placebo effect being better able to see the fire with the doors open! Having the doors closed won't cause stagnant air. The fire will still draw, though not as much. If you are concerned about humidity, get a dehumidifier. It's very humid up here, and despite constant heating of the house with the stove (it's a very comfortable 17-22 degrees in here and 4 degrees outside) the RH is 65-75% indoors. Old houses are unhealthy, which ever way you look at it. Jonathan
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Get in there quick ladies and gents - 90 cubic foot sold to go in the kiln and 105 cubic foot sold green!
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Hi Rob - sorry no pictures as I've been stupidly busy and every time I think about taking a photo, we've already run out of daylight! Tom - came from a tree surgeon this side of Edinburgh. I think that it was a council contract. Not a huge amount of trees, but about 15 tonnes all in I think. I'll give you a buzz about the mill at some point before the end of the week - I saw you out this morning towing the trailer with tractor towards Barnton. Jonathan
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Last chance - getting milled tomorrow. It's all been cross cut to 8-10ft and the quality is excellent throughout. 07832 106156 if you are interested! Jonathan
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Nice work - lovely colour in that Ash.
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I'm not sure that I have sleep apnoea - I'm in very good shape and very rarely snore. Certainly worth checking out though. Mercifully, I spelt like an absolute baby last night - 11 hours. Woke up just after 10am with no recollection of waking through the night. I have a night's sleep like that maybe once every couple of months.
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Used to like punk/ska/funk/hardcore punk as a kid, still do, but mostly listen to 'classical' these days. I use inverted commas as it's actually mostly romantic era stuff that most appeals, like Chopin, Rachmaninov, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky etc. Go to quite a lot of concerts, as Edinburgh is a great place to see live performances for very little mullah!
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As I said before - really stunning! I showed the customer with the pippy oak that photo yesterday, and he was really impressed
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The olympics are a bit like an orgy - great fun unless you are hosting it.
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Lots of useful suggestions coming up - thankyou! I've never really been able to sleep without waking in the night. On the few occasions I have, I few like a new man in the morning. It takes so little to keep me awake too - stress, worrying about money, sore stomach (as I've had for the last few days). I'm going to ask my wife to kick me every time I look like I'm dropping off on the sofa!
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Air drying makes for better boards. I've just not had the space or means to lift stacks until now. On the down side, I managed to mash two fingers under a board for the first time ever today. Quite nasty deep gashes just below my finger tips too - I'm an idiot for trying to catch a sliding 100kg oak board. Live and learn though. Jonathan
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Finally finished sorting out the log. Yesterday saw the milling of several beams from one section and the cutting of 1.5 tonnes of turning timber. All sold now, so not a complete disaster. Milled the last length that the woodmizer operator removed from his mill. Cut to 2 1/8 inch, pulled out one nail and hit one more. Not a major hit though - only took about 5-10 minutes to sort the chain again. So all things considered, it could have been worse. Took three times as long as it should have, cost twice as much to process, but at least I've recouped some of the initial cost and I've a nice stack of 90 cubic foot of Oak to go in the kiln in a years time.
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Sleep - something you take for granted until you can't get any/enough (much like good health I suppose). I can't remember the last time I had a good nights sleep. I wake up throughout the night, and find myself falling asleep at 8pm on the sofa because I'm so tired. Even then, it doesn't translate to a good night's snooze. Any tips for getting sleep?
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Are you a tree surgeon, or involved in the sale of certain gentlemanly escort services?!
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Christ, I wish it was mine, but it's just a google image! My uncle has two though, the 11kw and the 6kw. The 11kw literally and completely heats a 150 sq m house all winter (German winter too). Jonathan
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We have a 7kw villager, and despite popular consensus, it's been a good little stove. An overnight burn is achievable with a good bed of embers, and it's more or less been our sole source of heat for 3 years. How a stove performs depends on the user I find. My neighbour has the exact same stove, but no real idea of how to efficiently burn (regularly shuts it down too early to 'tick over' - the stove is very sooted up and I assume her flue is too). I've come across very few folk that pay much attention to exactly what the fire is doing, and wonder why their chimney is blocked. Regarding stove recommendations, as is always the case in such threads, I recommend the make my uncle has two of - Bullerjan. They are stunning and highly efficient stoves that make excellent centrepieces for any large room:
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In a similar vein, my wife is an architect - very handy for those instance where I've dropped trees through buildings and this and that!
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Milled it in part today. What an absolute cow! I've never even had a log with half as many nails in. 5 were were pulled out of the first length that were visible from the outside. There were at least another 6 inside. The second length was even worse and the woodmizer operator refused to mill it past a 2ft x 2ft beam. Brass screws 16ft up the tree! I'm going to mill it thick with the chainsaw mill tomorrow to get it done. I'm going to have to saw it one way or the other to shift it so I figure it's better to mill it. Gutted!
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Very good, the last page!
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Andrew - PM Tommer9 regarding you MS361. I believe that in years gone by, he infact married just such a saw, but is presently, regrettably widowed. He got one of those mail order MS362s, but it's just not been the same.
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I pay £11 an hour (£100 a day for 9 hours).
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Regarding the saws, bigger is definitely better. If you have a maximum of a 24 inch cut, an MS660/395XP would just about cut it, but you would still be better with 120cc. I've used the Alaskan extensively. It's a good mill and good value for money. By far and away the best results are achieved with it when you have a person on each end of the mill. I just don't think it's possible to steady the mill sufficiently with one hand (the other being on the throttle). Jonathan
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Not to my personal taste (I like rustic, but only in moderation, and in contrast with clean lines), but the quality of the finishing is excellent, as is the piece of wood!
