agg221

The hardpoint saw is probably 24" long - how long is your band, as it would be reasonable to factor the relative lengths in. Ripping is harder than cross-cutting too, so if you reckoned on trying to rip 8' lengths of 4"x2" in half lengthways it would be equivalent to 306 lengths. My saw band is 8' long, so dividing by 4 gives me 76.5 lengths. I don't reckon I would get that out of a standard hardpoint saw, but I have probably had the equivalent out of my coarsest japanese saw which is 12" long so 38 lengths. Alec

It probably would. It's a shame the Ripsaw isn't available in the UK as it would do this very nicely. Alec

The problem with any system such as an Alaskan which takes its reference point off the log is that setting up for the first cut is slow. In theory, there are a couple of nice 6" boards up the middle of an 8" log but in practice by the time you have set it all up, and it turns out not to be dead straight, it is rarely worth bothering. 10" is probably the minimum I would do unless it was something exceptional (mulberry, boxwood etc). Alec

I use an Alaskan rather than the Fisher mill, but I have seen mills of similar design to the Fisher before. A couple of observations. It will work fine - mills are pretty simple. However it is built to a price which means there will be a few limitations. For example, the deck clamps to the uprights with a single bolt. To get enough force to hold it this will go through the powder coating pretty quickly and will also create a series of dents, which will mean it is not freely adjustable. I would guess it will give you gradations of around 0.25" which could be fine. There is no adjustment scale, which means holding a ruler or similar against it as you try to make adjustments. This will be a bit fiddly - adjusting the Alaskan I usually have one hand holding the deck at the right height, the other doing up the clamp whereas you would need a third hand to prop the ruler and some rapid maths if you were measuring from bar to clamp to work out what this meant. You could mark on a scale but this would take some thought as you would need something which stuck permanently to the powder coating. I also note it has no nose guard - I would want to make one up as the nose is exposed and you often can't see it from a milling position. Given how bent mine is, I know it is being useful! Alaskans are supplied with different length rails, so different weights - what length would you want to compare it with? Alec

A lot depends on your expectations. A small saw - one with a maximum 18"-20" bar specified will work well enough with a small log mill to: a) tell you whether you enjoy milling. b) make a few boards for hobby use. It's best to try to keep cuts narrow where possible, but in practice if you cut an 18" log in half, then take cuts the other way you get a good amount of timber of 4" to 9" which will suit most projects. Above about 70cc on the powerhead the Alaskan starts to become the best option, increasing in size with power. The real key to enjoyable milling is a very finely tuned chain. This means having all teeth absolutely sharp and absolutely identical in length and angle. In hard wood (as opposed to hardwood) this is pretty much essential and I don't believe you can do this well enough except with a precision filing jig or grinder, with positive depth stops and angle setting. This is the difference between taking ages, using a lot of fuel and getting nowhere and a reasonably pleasant experience. Bigger is definitely better on saws, but you would get a long way with 90cc and upwards unless you specifically want to mill big timber. I use an 066, 070, 076 and 090 and to be honest I pretty much stick to the 076 for general milling and the 066 on a mini-mill (very useful for making beams for construction). I generally use bars up to around 48" but can go longer if needed. I generally work single-handed, although when Burrell pushes the other end of the mill through a 48" oak butt it does make it easier! Re. construction with your own timber. Check the latest, but certainly a couple of years ago this was possible but for the structural bits you need take a bit of care in how you go about it to comply with the rules (assuming you are building England of course). I suggest sticking to hardwood (oak is easiest because it is high strength, naturally durable so the lack of pressure treatment doesn't matter and your engineer will have figures to hand to calculate for it) because the grading system is visual, whereas for softwood such as larch it is mechanical, which makes it expensive to get a sample from every site tested. It is a good idea to comply with the visual grading requirements but they don't formally apply to timber above 20% moisture content when installed. This means that you can technically install what you like when it's green and building control can't say anything about it, but your house might fall down so it's probably not a good idea! The visual grading system was certainly findable through a google search and is easy to use. You need to be qualified to formally apply it, ie to sign off timber as passing, but since it doesn't formally apply to green timber in practice you can do your own if you install your timber above 20% mc. It is a good idea to inform your engineer though if you are doing this, as they can over-specify the timber to ensure it is the lowest grade in strength calculations which gives you some leeway. As I said, check that the above hasn't changed, but it was certainly the case fairly recently. Alec

You should be able to run it around off-road on the farm without ag registration (SORN is statutory off-road notice and you wouldn't be contravening that?) I would get an open sided cover over it - few sheets of tin on top of a wooden frame lean-to against a barn, then set a reminder in your diary to start it up every three months and take it up and down the track. It will clear out the cobwebs and keep everything freed off. Alec

You say 2yr seasoned. Does that mean it fell over/was cut down 2yrs ago and has been left? If so, it will still be wringing wet so I wouldn't factor 'seasoned' into the pricing. I would work on the basis of roadside cordwood in your area as a reasonable price. You know the usable volume and you can calculate the green weight. Cordwood is sold per ton, so multiply by the number of tons and you have a figure. It won't process as easily as cordwood, but you don't have the transport costs or time so it's probably a fair basis, particularly if the farmer can lend you a tractor/trailer to bring it back. Alec

Bad luck - oddly enough I got done again a few weeks back too. There seems to be a lot of it about in this area at the moment. Btw, I did try to get back to you about the oak but your inbox was full and I don't have your phone number. Alec

Thanks - I've dropped them an email and I'll see what they say. Of course, if I could figure out why the blasted thing has taken to throwing bands -forwards- whilst cutting then it would significantly reduce the need for sharpening as they wouldn't then grind into the metal case, but that's another challenge. Alec

Cheers - yes I sharpen them with a small grinder at the moment but 96" bands at 3tpi gets rather tedious so something with an auto-feed would be a big improvement - particularly as the mill is currently in a sulking phase and periodically throws a band forward, meaning I can end up doing three or four in a day! Alec

I could do with something to sharpen the bands for the Ripsaw - I know the spec says it won't but does anyone happen to know if the Woodland Mills sharpener will go down to (or could be easily adapted to do) 3/4" blades at 3tpi? Alec

I think that about sums up my view too. I have been done twice - the first time for saws a couple of years back, the second a few weeks ago when they didn't find any saws, just the hedge trimmer, my long Hayauchi and a canvas bag full of scrap plumbing fittings. Compared with last time, it was a lot less financial impact, but it's still mine not theirs, and now down to me to meet the cost from my pocket, and it leaves the constant watching for when they are coming back. My main frustration with the law as it stands is that if I put anything in their way which would act as a serious deterrent, in a place where nobody who is unaware of it has any right to be, or easy way of getting there (ie it's behind a lock which would have to be cut off), I will be held liable if they injure themselves on it. That said, I may recently have been a bit careless in securing some coils of barbed wire which I put out of the way, coincidentally in places where one might attempt to climb through, and they may have become a bit unwound and tangled up there. I really must get round to tidying them up....

If you have the mini-mill, have you considered sticking it on the 088 on a long bar and running it down first one way and then the other on the halves to create quarters? The faces won't be perfect on the first boards so you'll need the rail again but it would give you a few very nice quartersawn boards (say a couple off each face). The quarters will give you a far easier cutting width so your productivity would go right up. If you're making 10" square beams I wouldn't think you will get away with much over a 15' span anyway so cutting it in half lengthways won't cost you much either and you should then be able to lift the pieces easily and get them chocked up for milling. If you have two people and two powerheads you could probably get milling the first length with the Alaskan underway while you broke down the second one. I'm not quite sure where you are as to whether there is anyone else near you? Alec Edit: I see you're reducing it to 16' anyway which will make life easier.

Really nice stick that! Do you have the standard 13" uprights on the mill or the extended (26") ones? Also, what is the biggest/heaviest bit you can lift out of there? If the farmer is amenable and has a set of forks, I would get the log shunted round out of the way to buy you a little more time for milling it. I presume you have some moving gear as you have already rolled it? If you have the extended uprights I would be inclined to split the log dead up the middle as it loses you very little material and halves the weight to move around. Otherwise I would just skim the top and then take it out in slabs as big as you can. If you have the mini-mill you could then square these up if you are planning on beams. Beams are often made box-heart for strength, so it's really oversize for this. It's also tricky as without the appropriate calculation tables you can't get the dimensions correct for the span, so you could for example make a 30' x 1' square, only to find it needs to be 18" square, so unless you have a buyer or want them for yourself it's a risk. If you split it in half you could then quarter it with a mini-mill (if you have one) - I have run a 3' bar on mine on the 066 and it worked fine - or roll the half up on edge and use the Alaskan again the other way - going much quicker as it is then only just over 2' wide. The quarters may then be moveable to somewhere out of the way for either quartersawing yourself or taking off to a bandsaw mill? Alec

It is also useful for building sea defences. Alec

So many factors (location, aspect, setting etc) but assuming these were suitable I would want to plant Ulmus minor 'Ademuz'. It isn't yet available in the UK so I would need to leave a space for it, but it is a truly DED resistant elm. There are other resistant clones too, hopefully with more to come, but this is the one with the form most like English Elm. It may yet suffer from a whole load of other problems, or not like the climate, but I just remember the loftiness of a full grown elm and, whilst I would not live to see it, the thought that in future others might just get to experience it as a full grown tree would be enough for me to take the risk, rather like when the Victorians planned out their grand gardens in fact. Alec

Sorry, this is down to my total incompetence at organising anything (good job there are no breweries nearby!) I will try to get in touch with Geoff and arrange something re. trailer which would then tie it up, if that's an option? Alec

No real connection between the problems. Two ladybirds joined is probably either mating or just a lot of them. Ladybirds eat the aphids, therefore they are a good thing. White fur is, as you suggest, probably woolly aphid. Spraying with soft soap in water is not a legal treatment, but if they like to keep their trees well washed..... Maggots will be codlin moth, which although only starting to be obvious now will have laid their eggs just at blossom drop. Nothing that can be done this year, other than collecting up the fruit to remove as many as possible, but as the fruit starts to ripen the ones which look brighter and more yellow than green first are usually the infected ones. Picking them off helps reduce numbers. The main treatment though would be to put up pheromone traps next year at blossom time, about one trap to six trees. This will attract the males and trap them on the sticky base. It won't eliminate every maggot but will make a big impact and the following year will be even more effective as the numbers start to reduce. Chickens are good - they eat a lot of the overwintering grubs in the soil - moving the coop around under the base of each tree in turn is a good idea. Alec

True to a point, however I think the figures are slightly different. Take a log 2m long by 80cm mid-diameter, ie one cubic metre. Assume it is cut for logs into 8 equal lengths 243mm long - each saw cut being 8mm width. This wastes 3%. Splitting wastes effectively nothing, but assume a few bits come out too small, so another 1%. Shrinkage of the remainder by around 10% means a seasoned log volume of 0.86m3. Split, this will be almost exactly 2m3 of loose logs, saleable for £200-250. Take the same log and mill it through and through, with a bandsaw mill taking out a 3mm kerf, into 50mm boards. Assume you go down to a minimum 150mm width, which will still cup badly but you can leave it thick as the last one so it can still be planed up the same. Assuming minimum taper so the top is still 75cm diameter, with no dips or bends to reduce this and shrinkage to 45mm thickness, the log yields 2off x 740mm, 2off x 720mm, 2off x 680mm, 2off x 620mm, 2off x 535mm, 2off x 405mm and 2off x 150mm. This gives a total saleable volume of 0.69m3. Assuming your £35/cu.ft this generates about £850. Still worthwhile, but indicates that there isn't quite as much in it as is often assumed, particularly when you then factor in the time and the fuel cost. Alec

I reckon you would only have to mill one, just to set an example. Word would soon get around and they would probably come waving wads of cash after that to make sure they didn't get the same treatment Alec

Really interesting thread. In the spirit of contributing, some additional comment re. Fact #1 on coppice woodland development, taken from Edlin H.L. (1973) Woodland Crafts of Britain so rather an old source but probably still valid. The history of hazel coppice in southern sheep farming areas dates back a long way - sheep cropped the downs close, preventing regeneration, so the need for wood was met by reserving and enclosing areas in each parish for hazel coppice. This was supported by statute passed by Edward IV in 1483 authorising the enclosure of woods for a term of seven years after cutting to prevent encroachment of stock. Since seven years is the standard rotation for hazel this effectively placed former common land in the hands of the Lord of the Manor, but in the process also created a new trade in coppice management. Alec

The problem with comparing these three mills by volume of product is that they are rarely asked to do the same thing. I can probably mill the same number or more of cubic metres of 18" square oak beams x 20' long out of 30" forest grown dead straight butts in a day using an Alaskan as Big J can mill feather-edge cladding 6" wide x 1/4" to 3/4" taper out of gnarly stuff with rot patches to cut round. However, whilst Big J would probably be very happy to swap the product specs. over I really wouldn't! A lot of time goes on moving logs, moving boards and stacking, so whether or not you have any help (or machinery) for this makes a big impact. Probably the most I have produced in a day with an Alaskan and chainsaw driven bandsaw combination is just over 2cu.m of mostly 2.5" quartersawn boards from a 42" mid-diameter tree. Alec

Fresh cut you can get a good idea of colour. Grain is harder but if the trunk is dead straight and clean it is less likely to be interesting than something gnarly. Alec

Hi Andy, the leaf picture definitely looks like Camperdown elm but it does not look like DED. This tends to make the trees look sickly, then then the leaves look like they have been scorched but the tree is effectively dead by then so you don't get the healthy re-growth. I can't see what it was that did this, but it could be a number of factors. The trees are pretty much always created by grafting onto Wych Elm at the desired height - the graft line can sometimes be a source of weakness, but it doesn't look like this is the case if there is growth above the line. Since it is grafted, I would take off all the shoots occurring below the line and leave above the line alone and see what happens. DED is endemic across the whole country so you will have it in the area, but the leaf angle on weeping trees is not favourable for the beetles and they prefer other strains, leaving Wych Elm (and its varieties such as Camperdown) as one of the last to be attacked. They also tend to fly higher up so because Camperdown is so short it can often avoid attack, although it has no resistance so is killed if infected. With luck though it could still be there in a generation. Certainly worth leaving and seeing how it looks next spring. Alec

Hi John, Big J sells a lot of elm, both green and seasoned, indicating that decent stuff will sell. The price to pay and the price you can sell for will depend a lot on quality/colour. Elm can be very pale, fairly straight grained and dull, through to richly coloured with curling, wavy grain and burring. Alec