agg221

I can't see any particular problem. Although alder is soft, it isn't much if any softer than spruce which is often found as floorboards and holds up well enough so long as you want to have 'character' rather than perfect, unmarked boards. If you have the material, I would look to go slightly wider than 100mm - more like 125 or 150 if you can. It will soon add up to save a lot of nailing and gap filling. They don't all need to be the same width - if you can span the room, go with whatever you can get out; otherwise I would pick a couple of widths and make everything one or the other - we did this and it is a lot more efficient of on timber. I would through-and-through saw, as much of the log as was wide enough, although take out the core and if possible enough of the centre to lose major knots from side branches as they grew, then stack high enough to minimise cupping. Once dry, I would edge up to take as much of the cupping out as possible. I would allow about a quarter of an inch over thickness - this might only let you get one face perfect on planing, but that's all you need. We had no problems with this when making 6" average width x 1" thick boards. Alec

If you aren't trying to grow anything, and there is nothing flammable in the area, you could try a flame weeder. Very effective and quick if used regularly, just don't let it get near any conifers... Alec

Cutting so the grain runs in straight lines across the joist will give the most stable timber, but there is a trade-off between optimum cut for material and optimum cut for yield. Say you have a 24" diameter butt. This will comfortably yield four joists from the quarters but if you cut a slab out of the middle you can only get two. However, if you need a load of other depth material (for example rafters) then this may still be OK as you can cut the slab out with its centreline in the middle of the tree. The 'offcuts' from each side will yield a good slab; these can then be ripped down the other way into for example 1off 8"x3" + 2off 6"x3" or 2off 6"x3" + 2off 4"x3", depending on what you need. This is why it helps to have your whole cutting list worked out before you start as it lets you optimise your cuts. Once you have cut out all the bigger stuff, don't throw away the small offcuts. You will be amazed how many decent battens you can get out of it using a table saw. I would avoid getting any sapwood into the battens though. Alec

No problem with the Rollomatic bar. 8" is quite narrow to mill with a 48" bar on a large powerhead if you are learning. Making the slabs is easy enough, but cutting them down at 90degrees whilst maintaining accuracy is tricky as there are a lot of things to watch and check they are level. If you have a smaller saw, around 60-90cc with a bar length between 15" and 20" and can run to a mini-mill to go alongside your Alaskan, it will make it a lot easier to get starting cuts. If it is a decent size saw (70cc or more) it may well be easier to then mount that in the Alaskan once you have a face to work off, as it will be a lot more controllable. I tend to do this with an 066 running a 25" bar once cuts are below 15" or so as it is just as quick, more fuel efficient and a lot more manageable. Alec

I am also a convert to Tuff Saws. For dry hardwoods I use their M42 blade which holds up very well. For general milling I use the Sabrecut. Alec

Yes, but with you the "+ beer" might well work out more expensive than the £700 others are quoting Alec

Been enjoying Richens then? Alec

From someone completely unqualified to comment I would stay with oak. The site is more than its ecological value, it also has cultural significance and that cannot be maintained if other genera take over. It also has aesthetic significance so I would stay with large species which retain the original grid planting pattern. I would certainly want to broaden both the age range and the gene pool, but that could be a mix of using a wider range of seed sources and adding different quercus species. The approach you take with regard to replacement strategy may well have a significant bearing on replacement choices. If you have large, clear areas then you can establish different species compared with infilling small gaps, due to light levels. You may also be able to induce different growth habit, e.g. tall centre leader vs. low forking, which would have consequences for further management. Personally, don't think I would look to accelerate the replacement process. Whilst there is a risk of population crash, unless there are clear indications to the contrary, these trees may not have yet reached the halfway point. 'Population crash' is also relative. Unless wiped out en masse by a pathogen, they would probably die off over at least a century. A 100yr old tree is a good size, so regular replacement should maintain continuity of appearance. As above, please feel free to ignore the comment of the ignorant Alec

It's a fair question. The Stihl and Oregon are standard semi-chisel chain, ground at 10deg rather than 30 or 35deg. Stihl is probably slightly harder wearing and holds its edge a bit better. Granberg is a modified chain - it has half the cutters ground down to half width. These are for scoring the sides of the cut, which is then cleared out with the raker teeth. The design is more efficient but opinions vary on whether it is worth the extra in price. Personally, I like it, but some don't. I do also use Oregon chain and have used Stihl (probably still have a Stihl ripping chain for my 066 somewhere, on its last legs after a lot of use). Alec

Perfectly reasonable place to ask. There is a difference - the Granberg cuts slightly faster and leaves a slightly better finish. Whether it is worth the difference is a matter of personal opinion. What is seriously worth considering is the Granberg precision grinder - you would need one anyway if you go for the Granberg chain as the grinding back of the top plates of the chain can leave them too hard to file. It is worth having anyway as the key to good milling is a sharp and even chain. The former can be achieved by hand if you are good; the latter is pretty much impossible. Alec

Diameter? Was this one up earlier this year? Alec

He does indeed. If you go to Custom chain loops and scroll down the list on the left you get to the .063" gauge, 0.404" pitch chain. Click on this and you will see the options, which include Oregon, Stihl and Granberg ripping options. The number of drive links you need will be stamped on your bar - just enter this number and it will be supplied as a loop. Alec p.s. if you contact tech support on Rob's site you get me anyway

Hi Ant, You could mill with the bar and chain which came with the saw. It will not cut as quickly or give as nice a finish but it will not ruin it. The 880 is best kept with a .404 chain. In theory you can go lo-pro but it is handling a lot of torque so in practice is liable to break the chain. It is worth swapping the bar to something with a sprocket nose as the hard nosed bars take more power from the saw and can heat up on long runs. If you want some ideas, you could look at chainsawbars.co.uk (Rob D's site) which can supply a very wide range of decent bars and several options for ripping chain. What length bar to go for depends on how wide the trees are, and how big a mill you are buying. The 880 will handle the larger sizes but that makes things more expensive and more of a pain to handle for day to day work. A 48" mill doesn't cost much more than the smaller ones so allows you to extend the bar length when you need to. I would look at around a 46" bar to start with - this will allow a maximum cut of about 38" which covers most things. Alec

With milling, go as big as you can find/afford. It can be done even with very small saws (we recently tried milling with the Stihl battery-powered saw just to see what happened, and it worked) but it is slow. If you want to mill anything of around 2' at some point then anything under a 660 will be very slow. If you can get an old 075 or 076 that would be a far better option. Alec

In that case, it will be the same reason that any wood goes silvery grey eventually if left outside. The extractables (including colour) are not UV stable so they degrade to a soluble form and are then washed off by the rain. That's why it is still coloured where protected by the clamp. Alec

Where did you keep the stick outside? Alec

Would your planned design lend itself to scaling to a 200l volume? It's a useful size as there is a lot less cutting needed and it will still make a reasonable volume from the smaller, less straight material. Having spoken to people about fast burns, I understand there can be issues with getting a good quality material. There is a tendency to break up the structure of the wood too much, making it powdery. You also have to allow a certain time for the volatiles to diffuse out from the centre of the wood as it chars, otherwise they remain trapped and recondense in the middle. This would place limitations on the thickness of wood you could process and may mean it wasn't suitable for certain species. Any thoughts? Alec

Possibly. You defined small; how cheap is cheap? Alec

Not necessarily, it all depends on the pattern of work and taking an averaging approach to overheads (and the same applies with the OP). Working with gross figures, imagine your standard day rate is £300 and you need to average £60k pa gross. If you are averaging 4days/wk you are averaging £1200/wk, assuming 48wks/yr active you will gross £57.6k which isn't enough. However, your machine is standing idle for a day a week. If you can find more work at the same rate, or you can increase your rates without losing work, you can fill the gap. However there is an alternative approach. If you can find flexible work through a different route (ie extended client base) at £180/day then you are decreasing the time the kit is standing idle. If this fills in half the time, you are now averaging £1290/wk, or £61.9k pa. What you can't do is to drop the rate for the standard client base, or take on too much of it, but as a 'fill-in' it can work out fine. Alec

Your inbox is full of palm fronds! Has it found a new home? If not I have a friend who may like it. Alec

Too tight to get in a stump grinder then? Looks good. Alec

That is brilliant! Do you know what tree it was? Alec

This is a good method, although they are not so easy to get hold of now in unadulterated form. Drilling a few holes in, filling with potassium nitrate and then allowing to sit for about six months before lighting is quite effective. Alec

I have bought from them and found them very helpful on the phone and with the instructions. I went with them partly for this and partly for their price and range. I can't say how well they will do yet - plugs only went in this spring. Only thing I found was that I needed more wax than they reckoned in order to coat the ends of the logs, but fortunately both my daughters are addicted to Babybel cheese Alec

Could try drilling the stump and inserting Nameko mushroom spawn plugs: https://www.gourmetmushrooms.co.uk/mushroom-info-table/ The deliberate introduction of fungi would accelerate decomposition, and give a crop too! Probably take around 5yrs to decompose, depending on size and how densely you fill with plugs. Alec