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Do you mind! Our children had to have home births here to make sure they were Essex girls - make it Suffolk and we'd have had to drive south in the snow to do that. Alec

The two approaches you mention above have thrown up some issues recently. The first is the recent EU volatile organic content (VOC) legislation which came into force in 2010. This has, in effect, made the use of any organic compound with a boiling point below 250degC challenging to say the least. They're not banned, but the controls make it very difficult to apply them, particularly in volume. We were initially looking at systems based on a low toxicity organic solvent and had to change approach as feedback suggested that end users simply wouldn't introduce a new technology based on it, in part driven by the current legislation and in part by the fear that an extension to the legislation would make it rapidly obsolete. Essentially, anything fundamentally new now needs to be water based. A slight aside, but relevant, is that proper 'Cuprinol' (as in copper-oil, originally copper naphthanate in turpentine but latterly the octoylate in petroleum distillate) wasn't banned - it was withdrawn as the manufacturers couldn't justify the £40k annual fee for its registration as a biocide. This is another issue in introducing alternatives which work on a biocidal approach. Acetylation has shown very good results with regard to durability - but has some adverse effects on the cell structure, most notably the timber becomes signficantly more brittle. It also changes both the appearance, which becomes muddy brown, and the smell, which becomes vinegary. It's also only effective on certain species, particularly radiata pine, so its uses are limited. This is very convenient for converting a low value, low durability species into something highly durable, but the cost of the process at present puts Accoya on a par with high durabilty hardwoods, so the benefits are mostly lost except for very high end painted joinery, mostly window frames, where the main benefits are easy machinability and high dimensional stability, the drawbacks being less signficant in these applications. And yes, I think we agree, although the original poster may be beginning to wish he'd never asked! (hopefully he's got something useful to work with from the earlier posts) Alec

Hi Pete, interesting post. I've got some current professional involvement with one of the major wood preservative manufacturers - we're trying to develop a non-biocidal alternative on their behalf, so are also working with TRADA and some of the major end users. The fundamental issue is that the very factors which make timber an attractive option at the same time make its use a direct competition with nature - as trees have evolved, so have agents of decay as a fundamental lifecycle and you're trying to stop the process for as long as possible. The factors which generate decomposition/degradation are environmental, and as you highlight relate to temperature and moisture content. The options for preventing it are therefore either to control the environment or to use chemical inhibition (biocides). Environmental approaches are ideal where possible, but they do require extremely tight control to be exercised when crossing from conditions which promote decay (usually the high moisture content when first milled for example) to conditions which inhibit it. In the commercial environment, kiln drying is a highly successful approach - the operation at a mill somewhere like BSW Timber in Carlisle for example is staggering in its efficiency, and facilitates transfer to a kiln kept at optimum conditions (which are sufficiently high in temperature to kill latent fungal infections) within less than an hour of a log entering the saw line. They achieve this through economy of scale - there's a log going in about every 30 seconds, 18hrs a day. For the hobby miller, a different approach is required! The use of a biocide is an effective approach to controlling the 'difficult' stage. It's also useful in controlling any other issues that may arise during the drying process, due to inability to control the conditions to closely. Considering types of biocide - the highly persistent ones are inorganic while the organic ones tend to degrade over time. The other choice is fixed or mobile biocides. The fixed inorganic type are ideal for permanent exposure to environments where there is a risk of decay (class 5 would be the technical definition). The best of these was copper chrome arsenate (CCA) which is now banned. Other copper-based treatments, and some zinc-based have previously been used successfully, and are chemically fixed, but they have virtually been withdrawn. One issue with fixed type preservatives is that they are only operational within the region of the timber which they penetrate during initial treatment. Results suggest that subsequent development of surface checks requires that a minimum of 5mm penetration is achieved, which requires pressure treatment unless repeat applications are to be made at regular intervals throughout the life of the structure and often difficult to access the critical region which is usually concealed, which is why it remains sufficiently wet to promote decay. The advantage of the non-fixed biocides, such as those based on boron, is that they remain water soluble so are taken further into the structure in the presence of water, which makes them long-term active in the event of irregular exposure to decay conditions. The down-side is that they leach under permanent exposure, so they aren't useful for class 5, more class 3 or 4. Practically speaking, OK for bits of house or shed, no good for fence posts! As you point out, the big issue is end of life disposal. One of the biggest problems with CCA is that when the timber is eventually broken down (decay or combustion usually) it results in leaching of arsenic and chromium compounds. Copper and zinc based products are less severe in their effect, but the presence of copper results in highly toxic dioxin formation during combustion under the wrong conditions. Fixed organic biocides are usually rather chemically reactive, usually through radical formation, which means they tend to have relatively short lifetimes. The advantage is that they do not usually have the same problems in terms of end-of-life disposal of the timber structure as they tend to break down either in service or through combustion, but the down side in terms of the lifetime of a structure is that they tend to require re-treatment, which is often not possible in the critical regions. The durability of modern softwood fence posts is highly questionable for this reason - I have spoken to some manufacturers who have significant concerns. Whilst this is unlikely to result major issues, childrens' play equipment is a very real problem. In practical terms, a relatively short-lived fixed organic biocide would be the ideal choice for milled timber which is to be post-processed, since the biocide will chemically decompose (possibly accelerated by combustion) without leaching, and will last until the timber is sufficiently dry to inhibit decay. If it is to be used in an indoor (class 1 or 2) environment it will then be fine. In an exterior environment, the ideal solution is to use naturally durable species such as oak, sweet chestnut or cedar. However, the use of boron-based preservatives, with good understanding of their method of action, is probably one of the most effective approaches currently available in respect of its combination of effectiveness, aesthetics and toxicity. Sorry for the very long post! Alec

The phenomenon that Hamadryad and Skyhuck are referring to is a dark blue/black stain within the wood, which is visible when you first mill it, formed by a reaction between the tannic acid present in some woods (notably oak and sweet chestnut) and iron, usually from nails or bits of fencing. However, what you are referring to is called "blue stain" which is a mould growth on the surface fairly rapidly after milling. This is more likely to form on species without high tannin content. There are several things you can do. First option is to paint everything with borate solution straight after milling. This is a durable inorganic fungicide, and stops the mould growing. Second option which is a bit trickier is to mill only in clear, bright but cool weather - usually September through to April, and lay the boards out up off the ground out of direct sunlight, rather than stacking them immediately, turning every day or so. After a few days, time depending on temperature, light levels etc, you will see a subtle change in colour on the surface as they start to oxidise. In most pale species it's a slight yellowing; oak first loses that pinkish tinge, then goes very pale and then yellows a bit. If you stack the boards when they start to get that slight oxidation colour then they are much less wet at the surface and don't develop mould, however you have to be very careful to avoid either surface checking or case hardening in the process, which is why you have to keep them cool and in the shade. Borate is much easier! The other factor to consider is your stickers. They really do need to be very dry, as they will trap water against the surface of the board which then leads to local development of blue stain, known as sticker stain. Hope this helps. Alec

Worth a bit of effort cleaning it up before starting - will save chains/teeth. If you (or the builders?) could get an excavator in to knock the soil off? Any way to get a pressure washer to it? If you can get even a modest excavator in then it will break up the smaller stuff and drag the bigger stuff, which will cut down the grunt work and chain damage. Alec

Yep, a few solid pulls to pull fuel through - about 3 for the 076 and a couple more for the 066, then one firm and sharp. Alec

No, I haven't tried the 298XP - the 076 had a few goes at breaking my fingers until I got the technique right though. Alec

I've got no decomp on the 076 (111cc) and never use the one on the 066M either - and I'm not exactly big. It's all the in the technique Alec

You say that your 034 dies after idling and then won't re-start? Has it always done this, or has it started doing it? If it has started doing it, was it sudden or gradual (over what period)? Also, does it idle OK when you first start it cold? It sounds fundamentally like a fuel issue to me - the fact that it won't re-start suggesting flooding rather than lack of fuel. I would check this by letting it die and then pulling out the plug - if it's wet then it's flooded. Also worth noting the colour of the plug as this will indicate whether the carb settings are right under load. If it's flooded, it suggests too much fuel relative to the amount of air. If it's always done it, carb settings would be my first thought. If it's changed suddenly it could be something in the carb, gradual could be the carb or have you checked the condition of the air filter lately? If it's not flooding then the failure to re-start would be slightly odd, unless you've got failure to pull fuel through. Most of the causes for too little fuel relative to air go with air leaks somewhere, but they also tend to correspond to rising revs and rapid saw death, so more thought required! The exception would be a bit of dirt in the jet - which may be mobile enough to block it under the low fuel demand conditions. Turning it up would then stop the symptoms, assuming enough fuel gets through, but it wouldn't cure it. I would be slightly surprised though, as I would expect it to start well if this was the cause. Alec

I've run a 36in bar for milling on an 044 - which copes. I wouldn't do it for pleasure, but if you only need to do very occasional cutting of that size it's certainly an option. Alec

I think broadly speaking there are three classes of saw use: Firstly, there's the day-in, day-out saw, which is the key tool of the trade for the user. These get worked to death and are probably worn out and changed in about 3-5yrs. Here you need quality for reliability and performance. If it breaks, you can't earn a living. You can overcome this by having multiple saws, but each extra saw is more tied up depreciating capital. Poor quality means more down-time as it breaks more often and more frequent changes of saw when you wear them out. Poor parts availability means more down-time waiting. Poor performance means each job takes longer, and is less comfortable to do. Hence you really need good quality and parts availability, so Stihl and Husquvarna score. The second category is the occasional use saw which does a very specific job. This might for example be the 088 with a 4ft bar that lurks in the back of the shed and comes out once every couple of years for a really big job. These aren't going to ratchet up the hours, so probably won't even be broken in by the time the warranty is up, but you really do need good long-term parts availability as they'll be well worth fixing for a very long time, the main components being only lightly worn. Chainsaw milling often falls in this category - it's not something many people do every day. Here you want models with very long production runs as it means there are plenty of machines out there so it's worthwhile producing the spares even after the production run ends, either OEM or not. Here, Stihl definitely score (can't speak for others as I don't know them so well) - you can still get the parts to keep a 40+ year old saw running. It's also worth considering buying secondhand in this category, as the same reasons mean the last owner probably didn't work it too hard. The third category is the homeowner or general gardener with a handful of trees to do. Here, the saw may not get more than a few hour's running use per year, so it will effectively go on forever. If it dies after 10yrs they won't complain (equates to less than a month in a full-time work environment) and they struggle with the idea that chains can be changed and sharpened - I've seen saws thrown away because they're blunt! In this category, anything goes to a budget, although some people do appreciate quality and will buy Makita/McCulloch etc as they are likely to not break on the first job. The above are a bit absolute, but I certainly wouldn't want to buy a saw that I intended working hard or keeping a long time unless I had confidence in the original build quality and the likelihood of getting parts. Without even seeing the makes you mention to assess the quality, the latter point would be a significant concern. Alec

I do firework displays, big ones. All day rigging, then 20mins of firing and another 2-3hrs taking it all apart again! Alec

Discs sawn from a branch were popular for veneering furniture in the late 17th century - they were called 'oysters' and the technique is known as 'oyster work'. The technique for making these is to saw the branch into a series of rings, leaving the bark on, then reassemble them in order with a sheet of blotting paper between each one, slightly overhanging the edges of the ring. The rings are then clamped firmly with a g-cramp, placing a heavy board at each end (these days a bit of 3/4in ply works well), and left to dry. The paper wicks the water out, while the clamping force stops the rings from shrinking and cracking as they dry. You're seasoning right through the ring thickness, so it takes a couple of years for a 4in branch. I've never seen it done with oak, which does move a lot - more common with laburnum or fruit woods, and if you look at old oysterwork there are frequently cracks that develop later due to the stresses. I would guess that soaking well with oil would be a good way to reduce movement in the dried oysters. Using PEG from a woodturners' supplies place is much quicker. Alec

Are you in Melbourne as in Oz? If so, I have absolutely no idea what's available to you that works, but the cedar you've used seems to have come out pretty well. Westover Woodlands do a lot of shingles in sweet chestnut: Westover Woodlands - Shingles for roofing There's also a really good video on Youtube, made by Woodlands TV. I can't remember if they're using oak or sweet chestnut, but the video shows the process in some detail. Alec

Hi Chris, Wrong end of the country for me, but it might help people if you could measure the clear length and the diameter at base and top of clear length. Have you rolled it lately? Unless it's been kept slightly clear of the ground I would expect a bit of decay to have started on the lower face, not necessarily significant but would need checking for any cavities running up from old branches. Alec

Just an update. I bought a loop of skip-chain from Rob D and fitted it to the 47in bar on the 076. I took it for a run today - a quick skim off and then straight through the centreline of an oak butt - 29in at the base, 24in at the top, 14ft long. I don't have a lot to compare it with (066M doesn't count!), but it felt very very quick - chewed its way through and didn't bog down, although I'll have to play with the tensioning a bit. Couldn't really get an accurate time, as I had to stop and fiddle with a few things (wedges, top end of the tree, refuelling as the breather cap leaked etc) but I reckon just over 5mins, so say between 5 and 6sq.ft. cut per min. The surface finish is poorer than with full complement, think of the finish on sawn softwood from a builder's merchant, but it's still flat and would plane up OK. For what I wanted, which was speed, it seems to be a good fit to the saw. Alec

I thought I'd stick up a list of the timber I'm currently looking for. This is all for my own use so I'm not in a hurry, just a case of if someone happens to fell something that will do it, it might be useful if they knew someone would like it before it gets ringed up! I travel a bit for work, and most of the lengths I am after are fairly transportable, so location in the country could be fairly varied. I can mill it in-situ if necessary to move it, or take it away whole. Cherry 10-20in dia x 4-6ft length This is to make some bedroom furniture to cope with our sloping walls. The ideal would be to find a top-grafted standard (would show a swelling at about 6ft up, just below where it branches) as this should have some interesting figuring across the graft which might make nice wardrobe doors. Eucalyptus 10-20in dia x approx 6-8ft length This is to make backs and drawers for the above bedroom furniture as it's good at deterring clothes moths. Pear 8in+ dia x 6ft length This is to make a case for a longcase clock. There's a particular technique I want to try where you 'ebonise' it, leaving it very dark but still showing the grain. This was mainly done in late 1600s and traditionally with pear wood as the grain ends up looking very like ebony. Probably likely to be a standard from an old orchard. If anyone runs across something suitable, please do let me know. Thanks Alec

Not exactly a porn star, but our house has been rented out as a porn film venue. When the place needed re-thatching, the previous owners had run out of money, so they rented the place out for porn films to raise the cash. They thought they were being very discreet as we're surrounded by thick hedges, but apparently they hadn't taken into account the gaps in the hedge at the bottom of the garden and our next door neighbour used to set himself up with a deckchair for the day. I must admit I was a bit sceptical when I first heard this as our next door neighbour is known for his tall tales, until I heard the same story from our other neighbour who runs the WI! I did comment to our neighbour that I wouldn't actually know how to go about renting out a house as a porn venue. She said 'Oh, that's because they knew people. XXX was in business with someone in the business and they used to run the storage container at the bottom of your garden as a fetish dungeon'.

Yes you could - it would be called pollarding and would work very satisfactorily with hawthorn. Be warned though, it's an emotive subject on here, but ultimately it's your tree so do as you like! Assuming it's currently looking healthy and putting on reasonable growth (look at this year's shoots and see if they're 6in or more long at the moment) then probably you'll get 3ft growth per year over the first couple of years, so it won't take long to stop looking like a pole. Once you start down this route though you will need to do it again every few years - back to the start of the regrowth rather than making the trunk shorter and shorter, as the regrowth won't be so well attached to the trunk as the original branches. You could probably get away with doing it every 10yrs though if you don't want the hassle, or whenever it gets too big for your liking, so not too difficult. Alec

The natural form is a very dense crown though - so consider whether you want a bush or a reduced-height tree. If the latter, pretty much trim round the edges until you get what you want, and do it again every few years. Alec

Probably more important than either of the oils - make sure you buy decent branded petrol from a busy garage; make sure you don't keep the raw petrol for more than a month and any mixed petrol for more than a couple of weeks - and personally I reckon if you leave it in the tank for more than a week it's time to empty it and replace. The above timings are on the conservative side, but a lot cheaper than a new pot and piston. One of the reasons I use Aspen pre-mix is that because I only use each specific saw occasionally, I like the fact that it doesn't go off in the tank. Alec

I have a particular connection with elms, as one of my earliest memories is of seeing them dying. I specifically remember an occasion when visiting my grandparents on the Isle of Grain, aged about 3, and noticing that the row of trees on our regular walk was suddenly gone, and all that was left was a row of enormous stumps. This was probably the very start of my interest in trees. The elms were formerly so ubiquitous and the decimation seemed so complete that I never had any expectation that I would see a landscape with elms again. The fact that I found the ones in this area a few years back, and now have every expectation that they will still be there in a few years when my daughters are old enough to notice them is something I would like to keep going. Alec

My view is that man created the problem and hence man should take a hand in trying to fix it. I don't think Brighton council's approach is long-term sustainable, although I applaud their efforts. I also don't think the species will necessarily fail, although I agree that simply vegetatively reproducing a stock would leave it exposed to other pathogens. The approach I favour is similar to that of other re-introductions, which are usually based on breeding up a sufficient population (in this case likely to be by microprop) to ensure a breeding population in the wild which can then diversify further. For example, if you took a hypothetical 50 resistant trees, propagated them and introduced a couple of each within a square mile area, it's likely that those hundred trees would produce offspring with an enormously diverse range of characteristics. If allowed to simply reproduce naturally, they would be capable of producing millions of offspring per year. These would include both resistant and non-resistant characteristics. The latter would die at an early age, but the range of resistant population would still be enormous. Of those hypothetical 50 resistant trees, I could probably make a start with at least five genetically different populations, possibly as many as eight, so I think it's realistic. Alec

Genetic diversity vs. micropropagation is a challenge. Specifically as applied to elms my personal view is that whilst there are a reasonable number of trees left they often go unnoticed - try finding any links to the ones in Haverhill for example, the only source is knowing to look on Google Streetview! They are therefore at risk from many other threats - old age, development etc. and the population of resistant trees is therefore likely to be in decline. If the spacing between resistant trees exceeds a critical threshold it is likely that they will fail to sexually reproduce and the genetic resistance will be lost to the gene pool. In the above situation, propagation of apparently resistant trees represents a sensible move, to maintain the gene pool and ensure sufficient population to ensure sexual reproduction. My personal view is that there is a sensible series of projects to be carried out here. The first move is to document surviving trees of any size. In the US, screening techniques have been developed to confirm resistance based on exposing tissue to DED and studying the effect - a similar approach here would confirm which trees have survived through resistance and which through chance or geography. Propagating and distributing the resistant trees would then enhance the likelihood of maintaining natural propagation of genetic stock in the future. Unfortunately, whilst two of the above activities are underway - there is a national survey and a number of piecemeal propagation programmes for surviving trees, the missing link is the genetic resistance testing, which is key to ensuring that the efforts are not wasted. Anyway, not having access to the necessary screening capability, I am guilty of the 'propagate and hope' approach! Alec

It's stopped smoking now - the original mix for these was 16:1 with SAE30, and there was a fair bit of residue in the exhaust. A couple of litres of Aspen and it's now running pretty clean. It's 147cc, so pretty brutal. I have a spare engine for it, so could try porting that, but to be honest I struggle to control it already! I've had it out this evening, buried under 7ft thistles, nettles etc, and it's only been thwarted by a 2in branch it found in the undergrowth. I on the other hand am knackered! Alec