agg221

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

The trouble is that if you're making feather edge tapering from say 6mm to 19mm, that's an average of 12.5mm. The Alaskan takes a kerf of about 8mm so you're turning 40% of your log into sawdust! You pretty much do need a bandsaw for thin stuff. The one time you do score is if you make radially sawn boards. Here, the thin edge comes from the centre and you make use of the natural perfect quarter sawn wedge shape. This makes thin bourses very stable against cupping. Think of the circular end of a tree, wit a series of radial lines, the angle included being such that the board is the right thickness at the distance out you want. You then lose the core of the tree as the wedge is too thin here, so that defines the inner edge. Basically, radially sawn your 16in log would make about 4in boards max, your 36in would make about 9in max. Hope this helps - I've done it with the Ripsaw mill if you have any more questions. Alec

Not really - depends on your perspective. Say I'm running the 076 which takes about a litre in the tank, so that's about £3.50. If I'm felling a 3ft tree that will take about a third of a tank, give or take. Milling a 2ft6in butt I reckon I can go 16ft on a tank at the widest point. That's not too bad - a surface area of about 40sq.ft for £3.50 - that's quite a lot of board! Alec

That's interesting, since in most circumstances the best time to prune apple trees is in winter.... I can only talk with any confidence about fruit and nut species and their ornamental derivatives. Apples and pears are conventionally pruned in winter to stimulate growth of younger, fruit-bearing branches. The exception is for trained forms, such as espaliers, cordons, fans etc where the aim is to minimise growth. These are pruned in July/August taking off almost all of the current year's growth. The aim is to do it early enough to stimulate fruit bud production, late enough to decrease the likelihood of secondary growth from the current year's growth, which is unlikely to ripen properly before the frost. Plums and cherries (and any prunus) are generally pruned from blossom through to end of June to avoid silver-leaf. Cobnuts are generally pruned in February, as the catkins are in flower to encourage the dispersion of the pollen. Walnuts are pruned as little as possible, but in mid-summer, to minimise bleeding. Quite a range really, for such a small number of species. Alec

I've got a great description of permeability vs. durability kicking around at work, which I'll dig out. It was written by Prof. Callum Hill, who is probably the UK's leading expert on wood modification. Coincidentally, he did a stand-up set on the Edinburgh fringe on the subject of wood. Alec

This is also where my Gransfors side axe came from. They were very amenable to the concept of a deal on the price..... Alec

I would agree with this. I'm neither a forester nor a tree surgeon - I fell the odd decent butt for milling (and using) myself. I have an 076 which will happily pull a 4ft bar, so there isn't much that I can't go straight through from one side, let alone if I go at it from both sides (not too many trees approaching 8ft!). Yes, it's heavy, but as I said, for a single tree it doesn't really matter if you lug it in and out, and I'll probably need it for the Alaskan mill anyway. If I've obtained a single standing tree then I want to make the most of it. That means I'm felling as close to the ground as I can get, in amongst the buttresses, so it's probably wider. If it's big enough to take it then I would probably be considering boring the centre of the hinge. Probably I'd consider applying it to something 2ft or so in diameter upwards. Alec

Hi Pete, Thanks for the SPAB links - an interesting piece of research. I've read the first paper, which I thought drew some generally interesting conclusions, although it didn't substantiate its conclusion with respect to the potential implications for damage from current practice - got a little hand-wavy at that point. I will read more later and see if it firms this up. I'm in an interesting position. Professionally, I develop such things. Personally, I live in a 500yr old house which has been much abused. Sometimes I get to develop things which I think it would be good if they existed, and I would buy! I suspect that I largely share your views - there's often a discrepancy between common sense and what the computer says. I think there are probably ways that the two can be reconciled in many cases, with due care, to reach a pragmatic compromise. In my limited (personal) experience the difficulty is that many decisions are taken either by people with limited understanding and a rulebook, or by people with very limited experience of advances in materials or arising understanding of their performance (think how many 'professionals' still re-point lime mortar brickwork with cement). This leads to a path of least resistance, which tends to be to adopt a common approach that works for the majority, and ignore (or fail to comprehend) that there may be implications for the minority. An example - I've just been delayed six weeks in constructing my extension roof because nobody could agree on the correct way to install aerogel blanket installation. This isn't because they disagreed - they had just never heard of it and wouldn't make a decision. I ended up sending a sketch to the supplier, which they drew up as a CAD drawing and issued to Building Control with their own header in order to get it through. I generally take the view that I wouldn't rip out a feature of historic value in the name of convenience or nominal improvement. However, where previous work has already removed something of value, and replaced it with something inappropriate that needs to come out anyway, I would be inclined to establish whether there was a sensible alternative to the original. For example, when the cement render over chicken wire comes off the outside of my walls, I may also be inclined to remove the internal plasterboard (between the studs) and the fibreglass between the two. At this point, I will have a section of bare frame. What goes back in may be more thermally efficient than the original, and more breathable than the current. This could potentially combine a lower thermal conductivity 'aggregate' than sharp sand in the plaster elements, and I will consider my options for the infill, with the aim of reducing thermal conductivity whilst increasing thermal mass for temperature stability. I have probably just derailed this thread enough! Alec