Flyguy

This is very interesting. Based on the cumulative (compounded) inflation since 1968 £12 then is the equivalent of £145 now. And £65 in 1996 is now the equivalent of £85 Calculated here: Calculator - UK Inflation | How much is money really worth now compared to history So all in all it looks like current firewood prices are historically very low and people used to pay significant money for logs.

Great advice - and a good point about having more time to spend on this. I'll have a go this weekend and see how it turns out. Cheers

This is obviously the easiest option... and one I would be happy with. But the other 0.5 wants something done. So action is required ! Unfortunately the crown has engulfed a telephone line (thankfully not in use at present) that passes over our garden and it is just getting too big for its spot. However I feel more confident that I'll not kill the thing now and if it regrows at 3' per year even the most barbarous of hack-jobs will soon be hidden ! Cheers

Yep - its growing well. Picture shows what its put on this year already. I was wondering about a 'semi-pollard'. Not cutting it right off at the main trunk but rather leaving 6-8 branches 1-2' long coming out. Something like whats shown in red..... Is this potentially the best of both worlds ? Cheers

Thanks for the advice ! Much appreciated Sounds like I'm all set - plenty of ignorance and tweezers are not a problem Here are some pics. The tree is growing out of a 5'6" high privet hedge shared with our neighbours. Its a lovely tree, just getting a bit too big for its spot. Other pic shows the rats nest of cris-crossing branches within the crown.

Thanks for all the feedback guys ! Great advice. You are right - there are a fair few crossing branches up in the crown and I see what you mean in terms of these being very difficult to get out with everything so dense. How about this for a plan B: Would it be feasible to just cut the main trunk at around 8 feet off the ground just below where the crown starts to branch out ? Would the regrowth then sprount from this cut ? How long would it take before it doesnt look like a pole with some leaves on top ? Thanks again !

Please excuse my ignorance, but as a non tree person I wonder if I might ask a question of the experts that know these things.... I have a largish Hawthorn in my back garden that has grown into a 25 foot tree. It looks great but has got a bit too big and has a very dense crown. I would like to thin it out a bit and reduce its height and breadth. This doesnt seem to be a technically difficult job that a good pair of gloves and a pole saw wont cope with. However I wanted to ask some advice about what the best time would be to cut it back. Also how hard it could be cut ? - as a hedging shrub am I right in thinking it can be cut back pretty extensively ? Hints or tips from those that know would be much appreciated ! Cheers

That works out to 115.6 x 96.5 x 91.4 cm Which multiplied together give 1.02 cubic meters. Or almost exactly one 'cube' Hope that helps...

If a company was trying that kind of pressure selling BS on me I would walk away. Go to a reputable dealer....

I would advise against this as you could gain a fair bit of extra warmth from the heat being radiated and convected off a single wall pipe (especially if it runs all the way up to the ceiling) Keep it single wall within the room you want to heat and double wall beyond there to maintain flue temperature and draw. Enjoy your stove !

I concur - not a good firewood. Poor flame and not a lot of heat.

I had a big monkey puzzle from a neighbor a couple of years back for firewood. Biggest PITA I have ever dealt with. Resin everywhere, impossible to split, razor sharp 'leaves' and not even particularly good burning. I wouldnt touch it !

Often these skin sensitivities build up with repeated exposure over many years. Look after yourself ! In the meantime I'll keep a close eye on the squeakers.

Hmmm... Hadnt considered that. I must admit that it is just regular [mineral] bar oil. However all 4 guinea pigs have been living on it for over 3 years (essentially all their lives) and they all seem healthy, glossy coated and apparently happy. If you count eating loads and squeaking for more as contentment ! And I have never had a reaction to neat bar oil on the occasions I have accidentally spilt a little onto my own skin. And its obviously much more dilute than that in chain saw dust. Obviously, I wouldnt want to risk hurting them. But also wouldnt want to stop unnecessarily given that its not been a problem so far.... Do you have any references that document the harmful effects I could read up on ?

Thanks for the suggestions and advice. I get the impression that narrow kerf bars are likely to be more trouble will not significantly reduce the sawdust issue. I have been drying out some of the sawdust, mixing it with molten wax and then filling this into egg boxes to make fire lighters. These work really well and save a lot of faffing with newspaper and kindling. But obviously dont use much sawdust. It also goes into the guinea pig hutch as bedding which gets rid of more. Except that a few days later it comes out again in an even less appealing state ! I've been splitting for next winter and there are bags and bags of the stuff and must admit that I have resorted to just throwing it in the bin ! I like the idea of using it to bank the fire however. Will give that a try. Any other suggestions ?

Many thanks for the info. Very useful. Yes, the 261 is currently running a .325 - and its certainly not slow now ! So a faster cut would be impressive indeed. No - Yorkshire ! Obviously its not such a big deal as firewood is more like a hobby for me. But I imagine that it might be significant for someone actually making a living from firewood.

I process and split firewood for my own home use and have recently upgraded from a rubbish B&Q cheepie chainsaw to a MS 261 and am VERY pleased with the change. However I have also noticed that I am producing much more sawdust ! Not only is this a pain to get rid of, but its also [presumably] loosing me wood that would otherwise be burnt. So the question is - does it make sense to get a narrow kerf chain [and bar?] to cut firewood with ? If so any recommendations ? Does the professional firewood community use narrow kerf bars for this reason or are they more trouble (and cost) than they are worth ? Feedback much appreciated...

My understanding is that biodiesel is great at loosening up any accumulated crud in the tank and fuel lines. Which isnt in itself bad - except that the crud then blocks the fuel filter. Buy in a couple of spare filters and you should be good.

Its absolutely up to you and I appreciate that having your own toy is always more fun than having to share with someone else Obviously different places work differently - but our microscopy facility here in Sheffield is accessible 24/7 - indeed, its cheeper overnight. Either way - have fun and good luck. FG

I am a research scientist for my 'real' job when not mucking around with firewood / trees and spend a lot of time using top end (£250k +) imaging kit. Most such equipment is too pricy for any one lab to justify (or use to its full capacity) and so these microscopes are generally pooled in 'microscopy facilities' that you can sign up to and pay by the hour to use. That way there is someone that runs and looks after the kit, keeps it in top notch shape and knows what they are doing if the users have any questions. Costs vary, but you could get a lot of microscope time for the kind of cash you are looking at and would also have the support and guidance you WILL need to get the best out of it. Personally, if I were you I would try and make a contact at my local University Biology / Botany department and make an appointment to speak to someone there and see if you can get access to their microscopy facility. They'll probably insist you get trained and may need to be chaperoned at first, but once you have established that you are not some time wasting muppet you should be in ! Good luck ! FG

Just upgraded to an MS261 from a non-pro saw and the difference is vast. Only had a couple of tanks full through it so far, but it seems strong, smooth and almost none of the normal 2 stroke stink. Great torque. Even if you burry the bar, the revs drop a wee bit then it just settles down and cuts. Not quite a manic as the 346. Go for it... FG

I stand corrected !

They were. But the govenment contribution has / will be reduced by an average of 80%. Arts/humanities courses close to 100% cut. Sciences less (but still >50%). The student fee increases will fill this hole. Effectively the University sector has be privatised as the government contribution will be trivial. Ex-pollies will most likely shut down. Russel group & Oxbridge will likely go completely private so as to get out of the rules that government set. Welcome to the Tory world.

Firstly, I must point out that I have no first hand experience in this. But... Husky, Stihl, Echo and the rest of the chainsaw manufacturers are all competing with each other in an open market. If modding was as straightforward as has been described and had absolutely no downsides then wouldnt they be doing it already ? Imagine if Stihl could sell a smaller, lighter 60cc saw that did the job of a 70-90cc saw made by the competition for less money ? They would be onto a big time winner ! And pretty soon the other chainsaw manufacturers would have to be be selling similarly super tuned daemons tweaked with all the gizmo's. The fact that this hasnt happened would suggest to me that there is some significant downside - be it in saw life, reliability, safety, noise/environmental regulations or some such. I'm not saying that it wont right for you. But bear in mind that there is almost certainly a downside somewhere. Also bear in mind, that if you are running the saw faster then the chain is running faster carrying more energy. Your PPE will give you less protection if things went wrong. Just my 2p worth.... FG

Sorry to risk derailing the thread - but do you have any pictures of this Mark ? Sounds like something you could sell to your wealthier customers as modern art - cubism ? FG