Squaredy

The replacement of those timbers is going to be a tricky job. Respect to you for taking it on, and I would love to see some pics of progress as it takes shape. Bear in mind that woodworm love Elm (I am sure you know this) so maybe when done the new timbers should be treated to protect them once they have dried a bit.

As has been said it will burn OK if it is dry, however the amount of heat a wood gives off is directly related to its density. In other words a light timber that is dry will give much less heat than a heavy timber that is dry. All the best firewoods (Ash, Beech, Oak, Elm) are dense woods.

If i was near you i would offer. How about a neighbour with a small trailer like a camping trailer. Even the tiniest one will take 200kg and they are very low so should be possible to manhandle it in.

I agree a structural engineer might be wary. In reality any skilled chippy should be able to judge timber strength and integrity. After all the mighty oak can have all manner of structural weaknesses. Whatever the species someone has to judge the strength of each beam which will be quite easy when milled.

Ah yes it was a large tree. Got a lovely slab from this one 4ft wide and 8ft long with the lovely heartwood dark streak running up the middle. Was a near perfect table top. Dried really nicely with no splits.

Thanks Big J that is interesting. I have found a pic of the Lime with the coloured heart. Anyone come across this?

Well it isn't rot in the logs I just bought, and in Ash it is usually just lovely olive colour timber. I had some Alder logs a while back with some crazy colours in - picture below. Very pretty. I even had a large Lime which had a really dark lovely colour through the whole heart - a gorgeous chestnut colour. Usually of course Lime is so white it is almost featureless.

I agree the Lucas Mill is a good option for converting large logs so long as you are OK with 9" wide boards (or 8.5" or whatever depending on the model). I would offer to swap my Lucas for your Trekkasaw, but as you say the width of cut is in fact 1m or so which actually is not wide enough for me. I have started the plans for building an add-on to my Lucas to get it to power a bandsaw blade. The plan is to use the existing track and engine and raising and lowering mechanism, so I just need to build a frame for the wheels and get it driven off the existing pulley. Simples.....

Wasn't in a wet area at all. School ground - well drained. I will post some pics when milled.

I bought a few tons of Poplar logs from a local tree surgeon a few days ago. Each log had a clear dark area in the middle (like you often get in Ash) which I assume is going to stay darker and will hopefully make for a more attractive board when slabbed. However I have little experience of milling Poplar, does anyone know more about this? Is it certain species which have this or all Poplars once they are mature? They weren't especially large for Poplar (2ft diameter or so) and the tree surgeon had no idea which Poplar they were. In case it helps I have attached a photo. Any thoughts?

I wish my shed looked like that...

You haven't stated that the shed is for running a business from. If like most people's sheds it is used for storing loads of stuff, no-one is likely to come round asking exactly what each piece of kit is used for, unless you have really made your home look like a business. All the council are likely to be interested in is whether you should have applied for planning permission. If they feel you should have done, then they will make you apply for retrospective planning. If the building is reasonably good looking and not out of place or out of proportion, and assuming you are not in an AONB or conservation area or the premises is listed they are unlikely to refuse. Of course there are costs involved. Bear in mind that most of the sheds and outbuildings people erect to the rear of their homes have no planning permission. My guess is he won't ring the council, and if he does they won't be that interested.

You could try Roger at Mendip Forestry. I only have experience of buying sawlogs from them, but I imagine they must sell plenty of firewood. They are not always easy to get hold of but usually ring you back eventually! The number will come up if you google it.

Maybe the owner should simply list it on ebay. Good photographs and as much description as possible and let the market decide - a no reserve auction will show what people are really willing to spend.

That also impresses me. But could you do that all day? Maybe I am just not as fit as some people but I am not sure I would want to use a chainsaw mill for more than an hour or so, if that. Using a full travel keyboard is quite tiring at my age...

I may still sell it, I really haven't decided which way I am going yet. If you are seriously interested feel free to PM me and we can discuss. Although it is still in daily use it has a few battle scars so would be fairly cheap for a Lucas Mill.

I am seriously thinking of modifying my Lucas mill to run a bandsaw blade rather than the circular blade. I don't think it would involve that much engineering. I know such ventures are always more complicated than they appear, but I think it is totally doable.

Hi Muttley, I am impressed with your results. 4 minutes for a 4m slab 4ft wide is very good. Have you replaced the Kohler engine with a V8? Or maybe you don't know your own strength?

Thank you very much Big J for the details. That gives me another option to look into.

Can't really help with your question, but would be interested in why don't rate the lucas slabber. Is it just the kerf or something else? Sorry I forgot to quote you. Please see my reply above.

Sorry I forgot to quote you. Please see my reply above.

And in response re the Lucas Mill slabber, my problem with it is firstly speed, secondly exhaustive effort of pushing for anything more than a few minutes, maintaining the sharpness of the chain (and of course fettling the bar), time it takes to swap over from the blade and back again and lastly kerf. It has its place I know but I currently have maybe 18 or 20 logs in my yard of 1m diameter or more which need milling as slabs....the thought of slabbing these with the Lucas Mill makes me feel old!

Thank you Big J that is very interesting. What model Trak Met is that? And how would you rate it? And yes I agree in principle with you about wide slabs, but there are species of course that are more stable and work well as a wide slab. On the occasions I have used my slabbing attachment for my Lucas Mill to produce slabs of 1.2m or so I find customers almost fight over them, and I usuaully end up selling them unseasoned for a good price.

I did indeed have a chat with the guys at Loglogic this afternoon. The Autotrek is even more than I thought (£60,000 or so) and the other one they used to make (Trekkasaw) they haven't done for years and the guy said he didn't think they would be likely to make any more as the safety specs have moved on a lot since they made them. He suggested I might be better off trying to find a second hand one. So, anyone selling their Trekkasaw???

Thanks for the suggestion. I am aware of the Trak Met range, but as far as I can see they do not have a very wide cut. I already have a Norwood with a 710mm cut, and I really need a 1.2M cut. The largest Trak Met seems to be only about a 900mm wide cut.