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I think you may be right - shoe size about 6. Must have needed a car to get it away though. Alec

Cheers All, It's slightly odd - more for what they didn't nick, and walked straight over/past. I can only think that someone came down the road and they decided perhaps it wasn't quite as quiet along our road as they thought it was, or that they felt they had been there long enough what with every trip up to the road by hand, lugging something heavy. Nothing they didn't take is where it was, and the access route they used, which is pretty much the only route, is now no longer accessible thanks to an unravelled roll of barbed wire. Now I have to see whether insurance will pay up or wriggle out of it. Alec

They weren't laying about, but they weren't targetted - the other things that went were a couple of rolls of lead for the extension, so I reckon it was people of the mobile disposition. You can only hand carry anything in and out of our place. On the plus side, the 076 is not very happy so it's saved it going on a trip to Spud. Alec

OK, if anyone spots a mid-1980s 090AV with an old, tatty 28" Stihl bar, or a mid-1980s 076AV with a very new looking 47" Stihl Duromatic bar and ripping chain on it, still bolted to an Alaskan mill, please let me know. The mill has the front post missing. Cheers Alec

They probably do bury some - worth sticking some sand bowls down to find out Alec

Ah, now here's one situation you can make the squirrels work for you. When the nuts are ripening, stick a few buckets or bowls of sand around the tree (make sure they have holes in the bottom so the sand doesn't become waterlogged). When the squirrels grab the nuts they will look for the easiest place to cache them - in your buckets. Once the nuts are gone from your trees, tip out the bucket to retrieve them - the squirrels having done all the work. Alec

OK, firstly the bar isn't a Duromatic - this is the Stihl brand of hard nosed bar. This type of bar has no sprocket on the nose, instead the chain simply runs round the nose in a groove. They were relatively common for bigger '70s saws and are particularly temperamental about chain tensioning. If they've been run too tight they can wear the nose rail causing the burr I described, but yours isn't one of these. As Spud says, you also need to check that the nose sprocket is free running. With regard to bars - before replacing I would check that this bar isn't OK. If you clean the rails through, check that there is enough remaining depth and that the chain doesn't wobble from side to side then you could have a fair bit of life left in it yet. If you do need to replace it, check the condition of the clutch sprocket at the same time. If you're not bothered about originality I would be inclined to replace the clutch sprocket with an aftermarket rim sprocket and go over to a 3/8" pitch. You can then get a 3/8" sprocket nosed bar to suit. Whether you stick with .404" or switch to 3/8", I would go for a 24" or 30" bar, probably the latter. It will pull it well and I'd rather have the extra nose weight on a non-chainbraked saw (although personally I'd use a chainbraked saw - this one can be converted). Chainsawbars (Rob D) has a good selection - I think he even has specific links to bars that fit to 051, and offers an Arbtalk discount. If you look elsewhere, any bar advertised to fit an 088 will fit, although check whether the oil hole needs enlarging to line up. Alec

Yes it should turn freely. You could have it slightly too tight, or you could have a bar problem. Is it a sprocket-nosed bar or a Duromatic? If it's a Duromatic they can get slightly worn at the tip, causing a burr which just stops the chain from being pulled round by hand. You can get the same problem along the bar - if you are slightly pulling the chain at a slightly different angle to plain along the bar. The chainsaw has a lot more power, so it pulls it over - obviously wasting a lot of energy and getting hot into the bargain. The easiest thing I've found is to take the bar off, check the clutch is spinning freely (could be slightly sticking or weak springs) and then run the chain around the bar by gripping one drive link, pushing it well in to the groove and sliding it right round. Any stiff spots and there's your problem. Alec

The key point on kickback is, I think, in the third post on the third page of your lawnsite link. With the spur in place you couldn't fell, so anyone who's using one for felling must have taken the spur off, which would give you a very large area exposed to kickback. However, with the spur in place you can't access the kickback zone so it should be extremely safe, particularly if you don't tamper with the top guard. No, I haven't tried one, interesting they're still made - could be good for firewood? Alec

Not tried it, but I have an early spec 066 Magnum (US import) from the time when adding the word 'Magnum' meant something. I believe at that time there were two different crankshafts, the one in the Magnum was described in the parts list as 'heavy duty'. Just a thought - no idea whether Stihl went for this as standard later on or for the normal one, but if they felt the need for an uprated crank then it may indicate concerns over up-rating the normal one. I think the Magnum was an extra 0.5hp or so, mostly achieved through a factory-fit dual port muffler. Alec

That's interesting. From what I understand, adders and grass snakes tend to prefer different habitats (grass snakes like it wet, adders like it dry) so it's relatively uncommon to find them in the same place. Alec

Well, one of the suspect looking ones fell over in the recent winds (no roots remaining) so that one is now available. It's about 4in dia (they never seem to get much bigger than this) and the first section is about 2ft long. There are then several more lengths. Let me know what the minimum useful diameter is and I'll cut accordingly. Alec

I disagree - George is also a good name for my younger daughter's teddy bear. Elder daughter's bear is called Edward. Alec

Potentially yes - it's hard and fine grained, decorative more than structural but more a 'blank canvas' than a highly figured timber - unless you hit lucky with burrs etc. Good for chopping boards and food related stuff like bowls and spoons. Alec

I would recommend felling it and giving the butt to me to dispose of - the infected timber is a beautiful chocolate brown and still useable. I want a load to do my living room floor with! Alec

I would say £2-6/hoppus foot. The lower end is for rough stuff fit only for posts or garden shed building. The upper end would have to be exceptional, e.g. outstandingly straight and clean, or very large for its species, or of exceptionally good colour. There's the odd 'special' which will work out higher than this. I would leave the birch for firewood and go for the larch - the birch will rot quickly whilst the larch will be reasonably durable. Alec

The first thing I bought was an Alaskan mill. The side chain tensioner on the Stihl made it easier to use, so I bought an 064. Other progressively larger saws have also been for milling, so have also been Stihl. By the time I went looking for something smaller I already knew the Stihl range so it was easier to stick with it. I do have a Danarm and a Teles too though. Alec

I have one - a good saw for a 24" Alaskan where the chainbrake doesn't matter. Really nice engine note. Alec

Good spot that - there's no import duty payable from Germany, postage is cheap and there's even one up at the moment for a Euro! Potentially of use, following the 048 thread last week, there's a used pot for sale - can't see the condition. Alec

The time I find this feature most useful is if someone has asked a question and I've tried to answer it - I like to check whether my answer has made any sense or not, or if they have any further questions - I always feel it looks a bit rude if I answer, they ask for more information and I don't reply. It can be a bit tricky watching out for the right thread, or even remembering what the thread was called sometimes. Something that lists the threads you've posted in, particularly if it puts the ones where new posts have been made in bold, can be quite helpful in this respect. Alec

As per Big J but in milling the benefit of a bigger saw is very non-linear (you get a lot more out of a bigger saw than just the extra .cc would suggest). Consequently, if you can run to it a 660 would make things a lot quicker, and let you upgrade to the 36" mill if you ever decide to do so - don't need a whole new mill, just the longer rails. Alec

The Woodland Trust | Ancient Tree Hunt | The Veteran Trees Initiative The links to the map and search facility are on the tabs at the top of the page. Note the text on this page - it indicates how it came into being. Alec

The ATF is doing something, and it's hit a definite need, but it won't be doing everything. The important question is to identify whether there is a gap that it would be beneficial to fill, hence the question over what exactly is needed. Opinions will differ on this probably, but if there is a collective view that gets homed in on that will be easier to focus around. There have been several other projects on a local level: Durham Veteran Trees Project Alec

The key thing to think about is what this is seeking to achieve. Is it greater understanding, greater awareness, greater application, new technology or something else? Also consider the geographic reach and the scope of interest. For starters, have a look at the link below. It's not just the subject - it's the context. The document sets out clear aims and objectives, and what the funding will deliver. Note the sums involved - this would be reasonable and the Leonardo (and Marie Curie) schemes continue, so anything involving people is still viable. http://frontpage.woodland-trust.org.uk/ancient-tree-forum/atfnews/images/Press%20release%20July%202012%20(2).pdf Alec p.s. don't worry about the buzz-words etc - this is fundability which is my specialist subject!

I'd been following the beech dismantle thread, and thinking along similar lines, but from a slightly different background. As most people are aware, I don't work in Arb. It's where my interests lie outside the office. I run a contract R&D group, and at the moment about 80% of the funding I secure is through competitive public tender. This means I don't get anything as of right - everything is through a bid process. For context, we are in the middle of the final funding round for the current series of EU projects which run in seven year cycles (sorry anyone for erratic replies to PMs etc but this is why). Within my group we will be part of around 30 separate bids, with an average value of 2M, of which about 0.5M will fund my group's work. I expect to win 25-30% of the bids we submit (the average is 12%). I have also used the same approach to securing charitable funding in the past, twice, with success. If anyone is seriously interested in putting something together then I am happy to get involved. It would need some level of input beyond my technical understanding, I/we would need to identify a funding vehicle, and as per the above stats, there is a success rate so no guarantees. My work-based submissions will all be done by 4th December, following which I am happy to pick up with anyone who is interested if they think I can help. Alec