agg221

That's quite a cunning collection technique. I'd do the first year's pruning when the leaves drop. You can technically do it a month or so earlier but it just makes it messier and harder to see what you're doing. I've stuck a couple of pictures on below of a tree I've gradually been reducing as it was beginning to lean more than I wanted. Flat top single tier is a classic shape for large apples. This particular one is a long-keeping cooker called Annie Elizabeth and they're before and after shots on the day I pruned it in 2011. I forgot to take a 2012 photo but I think I cut where the yellow lines are (together with some general thinning and removal of crossing bits). Alec

Really nice shape - that's what you need my bigger bit of sycamore for I really enjoyed playing with a pole lathe the other year at Wierd & Wonderful Wood. I ended up with a spurtle, which wasn't the most inspiring object but when I work my way through the myriad of things I really need to finish then I fancy having a pole lathe down the garden. Very relaxing. Alec

I would do this progressively, over 3-5yrs. I can't see the exact branch layout from the pictures, but I would look at something like the pictures below. This is progressive cutting back, whilst training the low level shoots into a new framework of branches at a lower height. It means you end up with a new head on the tree, on a shorter trunk. With the tree that close to the boundary, I would try to make it relatively 2-dimensional, up and down the boundary line, rather than sticking out over your garden so much (although obviously you want to keep it your side). Cutting the trunk off won't cause problems. It may eventually heal but if it rots instead it's done that already! Cut it on a slant so the water runs off rather than ponds to help slow the process. Because by that time the new framework of branches will be a reasonable size it won't stress the tree significantly (although some balanced fertiliser and grass removal would help). The pictures below should be taken as a general idea rather than a definite suggestion as I can't quite work out the branch structure accurately. The aim is to make a small number of big cuts, rather than lots of little ones. These start by reducing leverage, then gradually take more and more of the top off. Red is year one, cyan is year two, green is year three, yellow year four. You might add or remove a year depending on the response. The second picture shows more of a shape aim after year one (again red) and eventual cut height and year four onwards possible size. You could go up or down on that depending on what suits you but I personally wouldn't go too much bigger. Alec

Sycamore is very non-durable, but that can be coped with. Oak is usually preferred because of its high strength so designs can use thinner sections. It's pretty durable, but consider that an oak fencepost will rot through in no more than about 50yrs, while timber framed houses will last for centuries. It's all about design. The structural timbers have to be laid out in such a way that they're not exposed to damp. That's about detailing and barriers where necessary - there are some really good publications from TRADA that relate to this. For context, a few of the surviving early medieval cruck frame blades are poplar, and the innermost layer of thatch on many medieval houses is still original - 500yr old grass! Alec

Hi Damien, What you've uncovered is quite normal. There are many old pollarded trees which keep going for centuries and are completely hollow, so basically I wouldn't worry about it. The foliage is good and dense and a good healthy colour with decent length extension growth, so the tree looks overall in good shape. The only thing I might watch out for is trying to minimise leverage on the trunk. That means keeping the spread of the branches reasonably balanced and the branches well spaced so the wind goes through. It looks very one-sided from the pictures. You could also reduce leverage by gradually bringing the point where the branches spring lower down the trunk. If you cut out some branches from the top, and train the new ones I can see at just above fence height, doing a bit each year over about 3-5yrs, you can eventually cut the trunk at that height, leaving the newly formed head of branches a little lower, which might make picking easier and would reduce the risk of the trunk snapping off. You could also consider removing the grass from directly around the trunk, say a 3-4ft circle, and mulching that area, giving a bit of annual fertiliser, something balanced like blood, fish and bone. I look after a small orchard where my mum still lives which was planted in about 1919, and the apples are still doing fine, so I reckon you've got a good few decades left in yours! Alec

What sort of bees - honey, bumble, lawn, something else? They have very different life cycles so if it's bumble bees they'll have gone by autumn but if it's honey bees they'll overwinter. A bird box is plenty big enough for a colony of bumble bees but honey bees will get overcrowded and probably move on. If it is honey bees, one option is to contact the local beekeepers and see if they want it - a bit late in the year but not too bad. They'll probably go up a ladder while suited up, take down the birdbox and put it in a cardboard box, then take it away after dark. Alec

They need to remember to uncover the sides at night, and on rainy days, to avoid mildew. I'll be very interested to hear whether they get a decent result as I want to get hold of some to mill for carcassing in my suite of bedroom furniture (has to be custom built with a sloping back to follow the roof pitch). Alec

I have a series of aftermarket p&c kits on various saws, including an 066. No problems to date, including milling with an 044 which has been worked very hard. I think it depends on which aftermarket kit you get to an extent. There are some rather dubious ones, but then there are others that come out of the same factory as the 'genuine' ones from some top brands. Spud has a better handle on which suppliers you need for which quality. Alec

That's a slightly more comfortable size. If there really isn't anyone closer who wants to do it, I'm happy to discuss it with him. Alec

That's a fair amount to do into fairly thin boards with an Alaskan - quite a bit of sawdust on that one! There should be someone closer, but if not I could possibly do it as it's about an hour from Mum's place. Alec

How big is it and what's the cutting spec? Alec

I haven't got hold of any yet (still looking) but understand it is very temperamental to season as it dries unevenly. The shrunken end bits will be useless, but if there's enough length left in between then it's work doing if they can keep it covered (straight off the mill) and stack in the shade, covering the sides, end and top of the stack in the day and only opening it in the evening. I would also use 1/4" stickers. Ideally you would wait until late September to mill it as it will be much easier to keep it. It doesn't have much grain but it makes very good carcassing if you can get it to dry well, as it keeps away clothes moths etc. Alec

A ladder works fine, depending on what you're doing. It's very fiddly if you want to mill something longer than your ladder, so it's not a problem if you only want lengths up to about 12' but a bit tricky for 20' boards. Transport can also be a pain (unless you bring everything to a central point for milling) unless you have a very long vehicle or it's low enough to reach a roof rack easily. The reason I like the Ripsaw rail is that it's a rigid box-section that knocks down into 5' lengths. I have four lengths, so 20' capacity. When bolted together (5mins) it's rigid enough to lift from one end without sagging in the middle, and it is designed to take pins along the length which stop it being pushed down under the weight of the mill. It also has a simple end clamp which has worked well. Alec

I really rate the Ripsaw slabbing rail system, but it's a pain to import one-offs. What it really needs is a UK-based supplier (hint to RobD...!) Alec

That looks perfectly serviceable and in keeping with the general spirit of the thing - wouldn't look right to have a perfectly squared up fitting on a rustic gate! Alec

I haven't milled any, but I've seen it. It's very plain with no pronounced grain - looks rather like parana pine. It would make a really excellent floor in a victorian house - unlike the original pine, hornbeam is really hard so it won't mark up, and it's close-grained enough not to look dirty like ash does. What size are the butts you've got access to (length and diameter) and how many have you got? If the price is right, there's an outside chance I might know someone who is interested in the boards. Alec

I sometimes buy butts, but they've got to be something I'm looking for. Pricing factors include species, size, cleanliness, access and how immediate a use I have for it but typically between £3 and £5/cu.ft. I'm currently looking for good sized plum for example, as I want to make a suite of bedroom furniture, and if some nice standards (6' length to the branches) turned up in 1' diameter then I would happily go to the top end. Demand has risen a lot for firewood in recent years, so I think the odds of getting butts for free are diminishing. Roadside cordwood is around £2/cu.ft and there's good value in a decent sized ash. I think it's important to draw the distinction between the jobs here - arboriculture and milling are different things and have different economics at work. This also means of course that I don't buy windblown trees as though they were clean butts, and anything standing carries a higher risk of having defects which become visible when felled, so I factor accordingly. Alec

I used to use one for milling. Pulled a 36" bar OK, although noticeably slower than the 066. Nice solid saw though - not sure on parts availability as mine eventually got scrapped (in the days before I could have sold it for twice what it was worth on ebay...) Alec

Sorry, meant 045 not 048. It's got the old logo on, so mid-70s or earlier, but it's not an 041 or 051 as the plug isn't in the back handle. Still reckon the price is a bit on the high side. Alec

Do you mean 048? I would see £150 as a bit high - the big old saws hold their value for milling and some of the rarer models (e.g. 050) are collectable, but this doesn't quite fit in either bracket so I would have thought more like half that price. Maybe add a little bit if it's known to be good and allowing for not having to courier it (£7.50), so say up to about £100 but that would be higher than I would go. For context, I bought my 051 for £30. Depends how much you like it really. Alec Alec

If a brash-dragger is any good to you, I can do the 23rd. If chip needs shifting I can take away as much as you can get on the trailer (up to 1.5ton if we tarp it up). Alec

Yep, only thing to add is that they steal their pictures from people's listings on ebay (which is why it will be exactly the same saw). Alec

How large is very large (length and diameter?) Alec

I'm no expert (I'm not a professional arb), but I do have quite a few willows of various species. I can't see a shape you can tidy that up to so if you like the tree I'd pollard it. I'd bear in mind in doing so that it will probably rot out hollow through the major cut(s) so I would probably look at pollarding to a point low enough that it was easy to keep doing in future when there was less strength to the trunk. I know conventional pollarding on willow involves cutting the whole lot off every year or two, but if you're looking for more of a shape and a larger visible tree, you could take a few branches out every year, working on about a five to seven year cycle so they never get too big overall. We've managed the poplars along my parents' boundary like this quite successfully for the last 25yrs. No idea if it's 'proper' but it works for us. Alec

Oh and hello and welcome btw