agg221

I was in a similar position, except that my first saw was an 064 with options of a 2ft bar, or a 3ft Alaskan. This pre-dates CS30/31, but nonetheless some training of some sort might have been/be useful! The point being, it's not just about cutting up the odd bit of firewood, sometimes if you have access to woodland you are inevitably felling, and that doesn't conveniently stop at 'small trees'. In fact, the first thing I felled was 4ft6in oak, standing dead in a field. Perfectly sound timber and textbook cuts (really) and it still fell at right-angles to where I wanted it after snapping the perfect hinge clean off! I suppose things were more relaxed then, and I was lucky with the people I spoke to who were happy to show me how to go about what I was trying to do. I was having timber milled with a portable band mill at the time, and the owner showed me how to fell etc. Another person (tree surgeon) showed me how to limb up on a different tree, and the knowledge built up. The advantage amateurs have is that they're not being paid to do a job quickly. I'm always mindful that the tools I'm working with have a lot of power, and the potential to kill me. I can take the time to assess how to deal with a particular tree, and if I don't like the look of it I can leave it alone. Even now, probably 15yrs on, I would still be interested in some training - not because I need it to be allowed to do what I do, but because it would be good to see what bad habits I have inadvertantly picked up, and fill in any gaps in the information I've gleaned. It's possible that I am sufficiently uncommon for nobody to be interested in running courses along those lines, but maybe with the rise in firewood prices, the availability of saws of any size to anybody on ebay for a few hundred and the relatively easy access to Alaskan mills (and the pleasure of milling your own timber) which inevitably means using bigger saws and cross-cutting to length before milling, there may be enough interest to warrant something? Alec

From the side of the graft you can see, it looks like it's taken fine, but hasn't been maintained properly afterwards. You often get growth from latent buds on the stock just below the graft in the early years, particularly when it's high worked. Something to do with the damage from the incision promoting hormone concentration I suspect. These shoots need rubbing out when small, otherwise it ends up looking like the above. Bit late to do anything about it on this one. Alec

Don't think it's the weight that's so much of a problem with this one: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXR3ZOPlRys]YouTube - Comet norskprodusert dieseldrevet motorsag fra ca. 1950 (Comet Norwegian Diesel Powered Chainsaw)[/ame] - more the slight tendency to smokiness in the exhaust...... Alec

Went along today with the family. Was a bit worried beforehand that there wouldn't be much to entertain a 2yr old but the workshop organizers seemed quite happy to accommodate her (although in practice she spent most of her time watching fish in the pond, playing with hula hoops and rolling down the steep hill!) Thoroughly enjoyable day, picked up a lot of useful information and had a play with a pole lathe which I've been wanting to do for ages. Alec

There have been diesel chainsaws - 1950s I think, made by Comet and later by Jonsered. It was a 2-stroke semi-diesel, with a pre-heat required on the hot bulb. Apparently it worked very well but there was no commercial advantage at the time. One thing that may be helpful on the duty question - canal boats often have diesel heating, cooking and engines. Prior to the introduction of duty on the fuel used in the engine, all were duty-free, so the boats usually only have a single fuel tank. When duty was introduced, the rule came in that you self declare the proportion of the fuel you use for cooking/heating vs. that for the engine, and only pay duty on the latter. This approach could equally be applied to petrol driven agricultural/arboricultural equipment. I think though that the much stronger argument with fuels like Aspen is that it's so much more expensive than pump fuel, and will remain so, that the only reasons for buying it are health or environmental related, and nobody is going to try to buy it as a cheap way to fill up their car! As such, it isn't going to make a dent in the government's coffers - maybe a few tens of £k a year at most? Alec

Have you seen these over a period of time and it's progressing, or is it a one-off sighting? Are the branches affected randomly placed, or all on the same side, above or below a certain height? If it's height-dependent it's probably frost damage. There was a late frost that got a lot of them. If it's on the side of the farm sprayers I'd suspect chemical burn. If it's all along the most exposed side I'd expect drying winds to be the cause. If it's totally at random then more info needed! Alec

Erm, that's the cut at planned branching height:biggrin: In theory, the four or five buds below this would now be nice little shoots about 6in long. In practice, they were all nipped out cleanly when they reached about an inch long. and as soon as the trees start to recover they get nipped again. Guards are about 18in high, damage is at heights of up to about 4ft6in. Muntjac sounds very likely, sand traps are a really good idea. Anyone in my area with a rifle fancy some venison? Alec

Deer is possible as the ends look shredded, but i would be surprised if they could get in that precisely to eat the shoots. We have had some frost, but there wasn't any last night when one tree was attacked so I don't think it is that.

I planted some maiden fruit trees this winter (a mixture of cherry, plum and pear) but as soon as they make any growth it gets destroyed as per pictures. It's too high for rabbits, and I have tried a systemic insecticide. Any ideas what maybe causing it and how to stop it happening?

Rough marks in the last third indicates that the plank you were using as a guide flexed down in the middle of the cut. You can't mill deeper than the mill is set, but you can mill higher (thinner). If the plank flexes, on the 'downhill' part, it tries to drive deeper into the log, so nothing happens. Once your'e round the curve, it tries to lift up, so you get bar marks. Ladders are great, if you're milling in your own yard or have a decent roofrack. Otherwise, if you plan on working 'off piste' then bolting together 5ft lengths of box section aluminium works very well. Alec

It's less the microporosity that helps, more the fact that it's got low crosslink density (the polymer chains don't bond together at very many places). This leaves the whole structure more flexible, so it can expand and contract with the wood. Have you tried Endeavour Oil? It's used on decks on boats, and particularly on the bit at the back (not sure what it's called) that's used for diving off, so the water washes over it - hence it's good in strong sunlight and wet/dry conditions. It's a two-coat system, the first coating being a penetrating oil, the second as a surface finish. It reeks of eucalyptus oil, which is the carrier. The second layer you have the option of a finishing oil, which gives a satin finish, or a wax which gives a soft sheen when buffed or dead flat if not. It has very little impact on the colour. I've used it on various things and been pleased with it, but it's not a high gloss, varnish type finish. Alec

Without going into too much highly technical detail, the challenge is obtaining a combination of adhesive and cohesive strength, together with abrasion resistance. Adhesive strength is the bond between the surface and the coating - poor adhesive strength results in flaking. Cohesive strength is the internal bonding in the coating layer - poor cohesive strength results in crazing or powdering. The surface of the wood is constantly expanding and contracting, dependent on the external humidity. Water uptake swells the cells so the wood expands. This creates stress between the wood and the coating which doesn't swell. It then fails either adhesively or cohesively, depending on which is the weaker bond. The alternative is something which impregnates the surface cells, such as an oil, or doesn't permanently bond so can move with the wood, such as a wax. The down-side is that these are soft, so you don't get the surface finish to start with and then they oxidize and erode fairly fast. The best performing compromise down this route is the tung-oil based materials such as Endeavour or Le Tonkinois. These are used in marine applications, e.g. wooden ships, and are UV stable, hence the rate of erosion is relatively low, but they are expensive. Current thinking, as per Sadolin Extra Durable, is to go for cohesive strength and form a high strength encapsulating barrier layer. In theory, if no moisture can get in or out the wood doesn't change dimensionally and hence the coating is not stressed and doesn't fail. If you get a perfect film, these will last a reasonable time, but all organic materials have a reasonably high permeability to moisture, so it will fail in time by flaking. This is one of the areas we're currently trying to address, by developing an impermeable (inorganic) solution. Alec

We're doing some work with Cuprinol at the moment, so I now have a decent understanding of why things don't work, not that this helps much. The main problem is flexibility as the wood shrinks. Have you tried Endeavour Oil or Le Tonkinois varnish? I've tried the former and liked it, not tried the latter yet. Alec

Second that. We don't have any warrens on the ours, but they come in. Damage is from digging, and to the bark. Don't seem to dig specifically near the trees, and kicking the earth back into the started holes seems to deter them. They do sometimes go for the bark on slightly older trees, so the spiral guards have been best for us as we can leave them in place indefinitely (some have been on for 15yrs now). Alec

I've had reasonable results from the stage you're at using a pressure washer last thing to clear the root ball, particularly underneath. In the morning it's soaked away and you can get in with a handsaw and know you're not trying to cut flints. Otherwise it's mattock and graft. Alec

Is that from the tree you're looking to sell? If so, that's a superb colour and grain. To be honest, I'd stick that picture up on one of the cabinetmaking forums and see what offers you get. One thing that would help though is to stick up some form of scale on it, and a location. Alec

Did he pick up the saw in person, and start using it with the fuel that was already in it? If so, odds are that the fuel was very stale and he's now wrecked the piston - even if it was perfectly OK when he bought it. If you're very lucky, the pot may be salvageable - talk to Spudulike. Alec

Arbutus unedo, the strawberry tree? - evergreen, native (well, to the British Isles) and well behaved. Alec

Clue is in your quoted text - it depends where you put the notch. There's a flow of growth hormones towards the apical bud, passing all the other buds on the way up. Disrupt the tissue (notch) below the a bud and it will get less than its fair share, promoting fruit formation; notch above the bud and it will cause a build-up below, so the bud gets more than its fair share which promotes wood growth. So basically, notch placement determines whether you promote wood growth or fruiting. In practice, other than on very young trees with few buds to choose from I don't bother with it, as something will grow so I make the best of what happens! Alec

Under certain circumstances you can get the bar groove splaying at the top. Not 100% sure on the cause (these aren't cheap, nasty bars) but I suspect it's more of a problem with long bars and heavy saws, as it's harder to control the tendency for a slight twist which causes the links to run slightly pushed against one side. You can feel it's bad when the teeth rock noticeably side to side in the groove. Stick a vernier down it and mine should be 0.063", but one of them is nearer to 0.1", which means it won't cut straight or oil properly. If they get really bad (i.e. the owner ignores the symptoms) they can start jumping chains. No particular tool for nipping them up and I agree manufacturers probably won't recommend it, but the bar isn't dead hard, so it will come back in without fracturing and you're not at much risk - worst that could happen is a bit of fracturing of a rail edge, at which point the bar would be scrap anyway, so there's nothing to lose. Given the cost of long bars it's worth a go, and has cured the problem for me. Alec

Just a quick follow-up. I asked Spudulike to have a look at the saw, as he's relatively close (bit nearer to where I work than Ipswich) and also not a dealer, hence will use non-OEM parts where appropriate. The problem turned out to be not entirely clear, but several things were wrong, most significantly a crank seal which had been incorrectly fitted during a main dealer rebuild and was causing a leak. The saw is now fixed, picked it up earlier this week and took it out for a test run this lunchtime, felling an oak of just under 3ft dia. Saw behaved perfectly (once I put some fuel in it!) and now cuts properly too, the bar rails having been nipped up a bit and the chain sorted. Rakers are a little aggressive for full bar cutting, but I'll leave them alone for a few sharpenings and it will be spot on. Very happy with the results - thanks Spud! Meanwhile I've switched entirely to Aspen, which has cleaned up the exhaust, stopped my headaches and streaming eyes from milling and generally been a good thing. I've found that I can get it in Whittlesford, Cambs. about 5mins from work, which is perfect. Alec

No idea on the legalities, but Garlon kills just about any stump (and is cited for rhodedendron). I haven't bought any for over a decade but a websearch suggests it's still available. Alec

Not sure on the mesh filter, sorry mine hasn't got this. Try finding a user's manual? Sharpening is more like once a tank than once a day. Not heavy filing, just a light touch-up. The depth of the rakers is a bit experimental, and will vary by hardness, dryness and width of cut. If you're switching around between the above species, I'd be inclined to play around with a wider piece of walnut - if it doesn't bog down in that it shouldn't in any of the others. Alec

So, how did it go? Alec

Yes, it's incorrect drying process, but when the weather is cold and damp it's pretty forgiving whereas when it's hot and sunny it isn't. In a drying wind, this can literally mean less than 10mins exposure to initiate it - had it on an oak once where we had to mill in an exposed site and it meant whipping boards off the mill and on top of one another under a hedge as fast as possible - you could watch the surface checking starting to open on the edges. Fortunately it was through-and-through sawing so exposed edges were only where we'd had to trim it a bit to fit the mill and we were losing the edge inch or so when we squared up anyway. Alec