agg221

Think about what people might want to do with it. Pear is very hard and dense, with a fine, even grain. This means it takes a good finish and once dry is very stable (although it can crack badly during drying). It is fairly pale and does not have much grain. This means it makes rather bland furniture - it lends itself better to pieces where the design or carved detailing are the feature, rather than the timber itself. Smaller pieces are also used for carvings, musical instruments etc where the natural properties lend themselves to it. I have some nice boards for making a longcase clock case from at some point. This will be in late C17 style, as pear was used as a substitute for ebony as it can be stained black with iron and then highly polished. Otherwise I have dropped some very wide boards off with se7enthdevil and have three more to get over to him - not sure what he wants to do with it. 6" x 2" doesn't allow much scope. Alec

Funnily enough I have literally just installed one of these (finished about 15 minutes ago). The beam section is 9" x 9" to line up with the wall and give headroom. The span is 3.3m so it required a steel flitch plate let in to the top. I milled the original beam and immediately cut the slot with a mini-mill, using the narrowest kerf saw I could get my hands on, which turned out to be my neighbour's McCulloch on a 1/4" narrow kerf bar. I offset the cut 6" - 3" so it lines up properly with the joists, which are notched in, and with the upper beam which is 5.5" wide. Shrinkage in trees is always around the ring, meaning that the slot widened, becoming wedge shaped. I have now trued it up to take a 12mm steel plate which will be bolted through, and made a wedge which will drop in to fill the slot. The first picture shows the side and underside - you can see that this is clean without splits. The second picture shows the slot from the top, which will obviously be under the floor. Alec

I also have issues with this. I have the same issue whether I log in from the normal computer, friend's computer, iPhone or computer at work - first log in doesn't work, second log-in says it hasn't but actually has? Alec

Have you seen this thread: http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/woodcraft-forum/88433-green-larch-timber-frame.html ? If you don't need to comply with building regs then nobody will want to see stress calculations, which means you can do what you like and either go for a calculated approach, 'that looks about right' or 'oops it fell down'. If you do need to comply then you will need calculated sections based on species and grade. Boxed heart is stronger so you can use a smaller section for a given grade and species. If you use non-boxed heart, e.g. quartersawn beams then you just need to allow for this. Milling for your spec. I would take 5" slabs out near the centre so that when mini-milled to 8" widths they will be effectively quartersawn. I would take 8" sections further out, so that they can either be 8" x 8" or 8" x 5", as the timber allows. This approach also allows you to split the tree up the middle first, which has the advantages of showing up most major defects and taking out any stress (as well as making it easier to move where necessary). Alec

Hi Chris, if you have an Alaskan then you may want to consider making life easier by running a single cut up the middle of the lengths to split them in half. This will make them far easier to winch up the bank. Although a Tirfor will easily handle the weight, it's very easy for the end of a heavy log on soft ground to dig in - if it's lighter you can skid more easily without it rolling (not so top heavy) and can use some bits of ply to skid up, which makes it very easy and does a lot less damage. You would need the extension uprights on the mill though. Alec

It doesn't matter too much (mine are the older type, going back to one which is very early) and are still used. The only advantage is that a few parts are not available for the earlier models (for example, the throttle cable for the original AV models) but everything is still available for the later one. I think the only real difference is that if you had an absolutely perfect condition, very early saw it would always be tempting to not 'spoil it' with use, whereas a standard later one does not have that same dilemma. Alec

That's an interesting bar. It looks like the 150cm (59") bar which is still an option with a sprocket nose, but in your case as a hard nosed bar. Being hard nosed, the bar does not have a pitch, but that looks like standard .404" cross-cut chain. The 090 is so slow revving that you will not have as many problems with a hard nosed bar as you would with a more modern saw such as the MS880, but it will still heat up. I have run the 070 and 076 on hard nosed bars previously for milling and still have one as my back-up. Changing it to a roller-nosed bar would be a good option though, as it will take less power from the saw and therefore mill faster. You will need to file down the depth gauges on the chain quite a bit more than standard to get the most out of this saw. Alec

Very nice. That's the late model AV, not sure on exact dates but I would guess 1990s. Alec

The second comment suggests that this may be a branch? If so, which way round you mill it will have a big bearing on balancing stresses. Alec

I wouldn't dig the area over. You have probably already lost quite a few surface roots and digging will risk losing more. I would move the bins and mulch over as much of the area as you can, out to the drip line. I would use a double layer of corrugated cardboard, followed by some wood chip from a rosaceous species such as plum, cherry, apple or pear (you haven't given a location, but there may be someone on here near enough to you to let you have some). Worms love the cardboard and will drag it down, aerating the soil and breaking up the compaction. The wood chip from rosaceous species is higher in sugars which will leach into the soil and benefit the tree. The combination will mean the tree is no longer competing with the grass for moisture and nutrients. There are other, more direct actions you could use such having the soil aerated with an air spade and watering the area with a sugar solution, but I am not qualified to offer an opinion as to whether these would be beneficial here. Another consideration may be whether you have lost so much root area that the tree is retrenching to compensate, in which case reducing the top may reduce stress? However, again this is a question, rather than a suggestion that you should do so - others are better qualified than me to answer it! One good sign may be that the growth near the base of the tree looks a good, healthy green. If this is real rather than an artefact of the picture it suggests the tree is fighting back and you stand a good chance. Alec

I would want some clear details here as to what is expected. Bare-root or potted? Pit planting (best) or trenching? Any soil improvement to go in with them? How solid is the ground (e.g. can it be deep ploughed before planting)? Stakes and ties? Any weed preventing mulch, e.g. Terram? Hand or machinery? At one extreme, you could be trench planting bare-root into ploughed lines, no stakes or ties (although with 2-yr old trees I would expect stakes and ties). At the opposite extreme, you could be pit planting by hand into some highly compacted soil which needs improving in 2-3' diameter holes, with stakes and ties. The latter I would turn down on a commercial basis - it's how I had to do mine, into heavy flint and clay, and I reckon 10 trees a day was the limit. Alec

Thanks Eddie, useful info. I will eventually get round to looking at mine in detail. One thing that may be useful - Oregon used to make rim sprockets for the 090 which fit the 6 shoe clutch, but discontinued them. They have been copied in Australia and I imported a box full so if you need one give me a shout. Alec

I would do this too. I would also check that the compression feels solid. Be aware that with these saws they can feel like they have enormous compression but it's actually a different design of ignition where there is no 'soft' entry onto the magnets (it could even be points ignition depending on the age. I would still want to buy it, even if it was seized or there was no compression, but I would factor the replacement parts into the price. Almost all parts are still available OEM from Stihl - there's a seller on Ebay in Germany who does them at a good price. Many parts are also available as pattern. If you get it, put up some pictures! Alec

How dry, how wide and how much? Alec

I charge by the day. This is because the milling spec. may change - far more work in breaking down a large log and quartersawing it into thin boards than slabbing it up through and through in a mix of 2" and 3" and either the job may dictate it or the customer may change their mind - a day rate leaves you free to accommodate this with no issues. I don't charge mileage as such - you know the distance when you quote the job, so make sure you are building enough in to cover it. A single figure is easier for the customer to understand. Don't forget to build in enough for all the set-up at base, loading, unloading, sharpening etc. that the customer doesn't see. You really want to turn up with a machine which is ready to roll as soon as it is set up on site. Do factor in how experienced you are. An experienced miller will get more yield of higher quality timber out of a butt. It is never good walking away at the end of the day leaving a pile of timber which would have been cheaper to buy. Do consider what you will do when you turn up and the butt is full of nails, wire etc. or you get into the butt and it turns out to be half rotten, or the customer expects you to single-handedly take 3" slabs halfway across his garden and stack them for him. There is a judgement call to be made in all of these situations, and the customer's expectations need to be carefully discussed. Personally, I ask the questions to work out what is needed in advance, take a view on the likelihood of metal, am happy to help stack but obviously time spent stacking is not spent milling so production rates will go down (make sure this is clear). If I got into a log and it was obviously not worth the effort of milling, I would explain this to the customer and offer to get what was possible out in a half day and only charge for that. I have only once had an unsatisfactory outcome. The customer paid as agreed (the good bit) but they really didn't understand what had been done, why their actions had slowed progress, and that the pile of timber did (just) outstrip the cost. Burrell and I were working together on that one and I don't think either of us left particularly happy with the day, but this will inevitably happen from time to time and you just have to learn what you can from the experience and try to adapt your approach so that it is better next time. Hope this helps. Alec

Ah, not quite as big as I thought - my initial impression was more like 10" square. I would probably have guess that you needed a 6" post, but then thinking about it I'm used to box frames with studs which carry some of the load. Alec

Perfect! I am about 20mins drive from there, and work about 10mins from Syngenta which may be the place. Cheers for that Alec

Yes, you find your local person like me, who will happily take anything going leylandii and sweepings included Alec

I presume PA1 and PA6? I need to do these but have not been having much luck finding someone who will do the course and the assessment in one, and at a reasonable price. Only good option I found was in South Devon but it's a bit of a trek from Essex. Can anyone recommend anything more local? Alec

We went and enjoyed it. It was certainly not cheap without NT membership, but I managed to pick the brains of both Rick Lewis of Traditional Oak Carpentry and Stephen Westover of Westover Woodlands and their advice will save me a whole lot more than the entry fee. Our daughters are that bit smaller and enjoyed the face painting and the storyteller, who kept them entertained for about half an hour. We also had a look round the gardens and the stumpery in particular was quite interesting. Always good to see the steam sawing - looks like we were there one log later than you David. Did manage to catch up with The Village Idiot though, and met Mrs Idiot too (in case you were wondering, her attire was somewhat more conventional). Not as good as Weird & Wonderful Wood, but a nice day out and with weather like today (maybe the last really decent day of the year) well worth it. Alec

Thanks for sticking the link up - I found it once before as it's where I got the various rafter joints from but I could never find it again! Alec

Looks like we are going. Alec

I can bung you some rushes if you want to strew them over the top.... Alec

I did my own boards in our previous house. I milled at 32mm, through and through sawn but not from the outermost parts of the tree, air-dried as planks for a year and then cut out boards to width, using a hand held circular saw with a stringline for the first cut and a fence for the second. Widths were grouped, from memory, something like 6", 6.5" and 7" (if you cut to the same width it has to be the narrowest, which wastes a lot of wood but if you make too many widths you can never find pairs which fit together). For boards which were long enough to span the whole room I cut them to whatever width made sense. The boards were then stacked in the room, behind the sofa, for about 4 months. I then had access to a jointer-thicknesser and edged them all, then planed down to 1", making sure one face was perfect, the other as good as possible. I used a router to put a half lap in (I had allowed for this when I cut my widths, so as long as I was machining it out, I left the odd waney edge as long as it didn't go more than halfway through). I fitted the boards with brass screws, two through each board onto each batten (mine was over concrete). I bought one of the all-in-one drill/counterbore/countersink drills, which proved a really good idea. I also found a long steel screw of the same diameter and pitch, ground the head down and had it in a second electric drill with good torque and quick reverse, so I could drill a set of holes, then run the steel screw down to cut the thread. The screw fixings were being left visible, so I used slot-head and screwed them in by hand, using a bit of grease. All the heads were lined up neatly. I then sanded and finished with Endeavour oil and white wax, which gave the look I was after. The colour is graded through the use of normal, mid-brown and very brown timber. I didn't have to re-apply anything in the next 5yrs we were there and when we sold I just ran a quick buff over it and it came up as new, even in the high traffic areas. I was very pleased with the result and I had negligible shrinkage. Except in boards from the very edge of the tree you don't get enough cupping in a 6" width to be a problem for planing out and double-screwing held everything flat once it was in. There is a photo here, on the second page. This isn't from when we sold it, it's the people after us so the dodgy red leather sofas which clash with the pale green woodwork and casein distempered walls and ceilings are nothing to do with us! http://www.cheffins.co.uk/assets/property/file/14188_1.pdf Alec

A couple of questions if anyone has any thoughts: I need to fit vertical posts between two beams (ground floor and first floor). This will be with mortice and tenon joints, pretty much resisting vertical load only. The beams are 9" x 9" below and 5.5" wide x 8" deep above. The posts will be 5.5" (to match the upper beam) by 4". Any idea on dimensions for the mortice and tenon (single shoulders on the posts or double? Depth? I am anticipating that pegs will not be needed below, as per a sole plate. I could peg the upper ones or just leave them? Because of the construction sequence, the 6" x 9" ridge beam is already in place and meets the upper beam described above in the middle (T-shape intersection). The top of the upper beam is about 14" below the bottom of the ridge beam so a short 5.5" x 6" post will need to be inserted. However, because the beams are already fixed, this can only be slotted in from the end, ie I can't use standard mortice and tenon joints. Any thoughts on appropriate joints which could be used both at the top and the bottom. I wondered about an open mortice and tenon at the top, but what about the bottom? Alec