Big J
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Everything posted by Big J
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I heard from someone that poplar isn't very good as a firewood....
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I finished filling my kiln a few weeks ago and about a day before I finished milling, I lost the idle on my main 088. It would start and run under throttle, but once off the throttle the revs blipped slightly and then the saw died. Thankfully I have an older, back up 088 which I was able to finish the milling off with. I spoke to A and S Spences in Edinburgh and they suggested it might be a carburettor issue but to check the fuel filter first (which I did, to no avail). The saw is a little used 2000 model belonging to my uncle. He has had it from new and it has only seen to the occasional large fell before I starting using it for milling. It's seen about 10-12 days milling since then and has been well maintained by myself. It has never idled quite as well as my older 088, but it stopping working altogether is new. Any suggestions would be kindly appreciated. Jonathan
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Just did the maths myself whilst drooling over the pictures on the first page! Rob - transport might well be a prohibitive issue
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Any I might get a few slabs for my next kiln??
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Thanks for the response Rob - this being the first run in the kiln, I'm a little bit paranoid about the details. I would say that the timber in the kiln has an average thickness of 1.75 inches, so perhaps 11 weeks is a fair estimation! I am curious to learn more about solar kilning - it's something that I am aware of, but know little about. Interestingly, several different people I know know Willie Dobie in the borders (seems to be one of the experts in timber in these parts) and he has been quoted as saying that steam kilning is the best form of timber drying as it produces next to no distortion or degradation in the timber. Had a quick look online and found a company called Sauno Kilns - they seem quite reasonable and I'll maybe consider trying one at some point in the future. Jonathan
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Thanks Rob! Bit concerned that the amount of water being ejected from the kiln hasn't increased much in the last few days, though the temperature has. It's now sitting at 38 degrees inside (to be expected with the minor heatwave we've just had) but still only pumping out 25 litres a day (roughly). At this rate it's going to take 11 weeks to run the full cycle, which seems to be a bit too long in my mind. Anyone have any personal experience with when the kiln really starts to shed the water/optimum operating temperature etc? Jonathan
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Very nice Cracker - I really like the style of furniture you produce
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A little bit big for kilning, but for air drying I use used tree stakes from failed planting. Some of my work is taking out the tubes and stakes of failed trees, so I'm left with a stack of literally thousands of perfectly air dried, inch square stickers. Might be worth speaking to anyone you know locally who has recently planted trees - they usually skip or burn them so will be more than happy to get rid of them! Jonathan
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Update on the kiln: Temperature inside is now up to 34 degrees and at best measure is pumping out 25 litres of water a day. Both statistics are still increasing, and I anticipate a final output of about 50 litres a day at 40-42 degrees. That said, the higher external temperature does warm things up a bit inside. Fingers crossed, all is going well! Jonathan
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Some wildly different opinions here!! Can I ask the 'larger saw' crowd why you would go for a heavier saw, even if it is quicker? I suppose that I have a propensity to go for small and lightweight at the expense of power but my colleague uses a 361 and it is a fine saw. I have used a 260 in the past, and enjoyed it, but even that seems a touch like overkill for sub 12 inch trees (and the incumbent MS261 seems to have been on a bit of bulking diet). Finally, excusing my inexperience, but is there anything beyond the obvious Stihl/Husqvarna that is worth considering? Jonathan
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Apologies for the daft question, but based on your experiences, what would you recommend as the best all round thinning saw for hardwood? I'm going to be doing a lot of hardwood thinning this year, primarily up to about 18 inch trunk diameter (though most in the 6-12 inch range). What's stood up best to the abuse of being chucked around and felling dozens of trees day in, day out? Thanks in advance! Jonathan
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Forestry/woodland work, day rates?
Big J replied to Andy Collins's topic in Forestry and Woodland management
Looking through this thread it seems that most folk are on terrible money for felling! Just started thinning with the estate I'm on - thinning out 40 year old primarily beech, sycamore, ash and Oak woodland. We get £15 an hour, providing everything ourselves. Due to the access issues and the widely varying sizes of trees (anything from wrist thick sycamore regeneration to 18 inch, 70ft sycamores) we aren't to cut or stack, but await winch extraction. From purely the felling, we were averaging about 2.5 tonnes an hour, but obviously we haven't been processing. That is the average though, as there were some epic hangers of trees that brought that down. The best day I managed about 32 tonnes on a 10 hour day. Anyway, having fun and looking forward to the 100 odd acres that they still have to mark up for thinning! Jonathan -
Daft as it is, I love my 088 for ringing up big firewood. With a 21 inch bar it's about 10 seconds per cut on an 18 inch log! You just need to have more regular breaks to recover from the weight and the higher vibration. Get's the job done very quickly though!
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I have the tiny DCS230T, which is a cracking little saw. Sod all power, but for lighter work up a tree it's 2.5kg weight makes it invaluable at arm's length. As a cross cutting saw for my milling, I will be purchasing a DCS7901-18 in the near future. I've only heard good things and you can't argue with 6.2hp and 6.3kg. Jonathan
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Supposedly, you need to replace your rim sprocket once for every two complete chains. Alternatively, replace once you notice any significant indentation in the sprocket. They are very cheap (£6) though. Jonathan
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Haha! I do seem to have been grossly misinformed!
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I supply a small quantity of logs in the Edinburgh area - I've sent you a PM log supplier. Thanks!
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Fair do's - thanks for the correction
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I have been informed by a number of people that Poplar is almost incombustable (was contacted by one chap wanting poplar for cladding for a traction engine as it won't ignite until it reaches 220 degrees). Might be better to save for milling - very durable and useful as a cladding timber?
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The best stove I have come across in terms of heat efficiency and design is one from Bullerjan. My uncle in Germany has one of the mid sized stoves (around 11kw I think), which heats his entire house (150 square metres). It's considered dire if the living room drops below 30 degrees, even when it's well below freezing out. Bullerjan-UK What's unique about it is the way it convects air - for a fairly small stove using very little fuel it emits a huge amount of heat. All we have at home is a crappy Villager stove that came with the house. Time for an upgrade! Jonathan
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I throttle lock, but don't have two handles yet. Will do shortly though. For those of you putting the ladder on for each cut, how do you attach it without screwing into usable timber? Jonathan
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Just planks Pete. I'm lucky enough to have a fairly enormous supply of bone dry standing wood (felled about 8 larch, a silver birch and logged a fallen elm this evening - all dry enough to burn now). I haven't thought about firewood loading for the kiln but I imagine that with the approximate volume of 10-15 cubic metres for firewood and a £200 electricity bill, it wouldn't be economically viable? Also, difficult to ensure correct airflow? Jonathan
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I've got a friend who fabricates with steel. I've got a few ideas in my head on how to construct a user friendly rail system that is quick to set up and completely solid. If they come to fruition, I'll pop the design up on here. It's basically along the lines of a pair 3200mm box section (something like 80x30mm) with double holes drilled at every 100mm. Two cross members just beyond the ends of the log lock into the double holes, one of which has a screw tight clamp (like one a carpenter would use). The plates in contact with the log are drilled so that you can screw into the log with screws for additional security. Shouldn't cost more than about £80-100 to have made which is comparable with the cost of a good ladder. I spend so much time pratted about setting up with ladders, working out what slice to take off so I don't hit the screws etc - I would just love a simpler system! Jonathan
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Thanks Rob! Bloody satisfying to get the whole lot done. I'm feeling like I've over vibrated my wrists a bit though - a week off chainsawing should help with that! Kiln went on on Friday night - been back to check temperatures twice. Saturday was 14.5 and today 16.8 - certainly heading in the right direction and it's pumping out plenty of water too. Hard marketing starts this week - hoping to have half of it provisionally sold before it's done. Maybe a pipe dream, but it's an aim nevertheless. Jonathan
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Some sort of method to pull the saw through would certainly make the milling easier. I've a few questions and ideas.... The greatest inaccuracies with the milling for me come with the lead on and lead off the timber. In terms of design, a single flat plate on the bottom rather than two rails might result in a smoother finish. Also, a second handle to vary hand position. Does anyone here use a double ended bar with two drive units? Is it worth thinking about? I have two 088s and a 5ft bar I've yet to christen. Would it be worth doing away with the sprocket nose and replacing it with a second drive unit end (if that's possible)? Does everyone use a ladder for that first straight cut or does anyone have any designs for an effective, reliable rail system? Jonathan
