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Yes David, it's just down from the enormous plane, right next to the equivalent building at the other end. Any thoughts on a prognosis, being as our place is a bit digital (ie leave alone/fell)? Alec

Whereabouts is it? Alec

Thought I would add this one - the FB is quite hard, to the point where you get a solid sound if you rap the top with your knuckles. There is another one, slightly smaller but looks the same, on the other side. Tree is pushing 4' DBH. Alec

To run it needs fuel, a spark and compression, all at the same time in the cylinder. Since you have put fresh fuel in I would take the plug out, see if it's wet, wipe it clean, check the gap and check it sparks against the side of the head while pulling it over. Assuming there is a good spark, I would then put the plug back in and pull it over a few times (full choke), then take it back out and see if it is wet. It could just be that there is some old fuel or water somewhere in the line which needs clearing through before it will run. Alec

How are you going about trying to get a mortgage? The problem with talking to individual lenders (e.g. your bank) is that they each have a risk profile. Many banks already have too much high risk (which is what self employed is seen to be) so it can be difficult to get accepted, let alone get a decent rate. The whole market brokers are generally best at knowing who is looking to lend to people in a particular bracket. They charge, but only if the mortgage goes through. London and Country, and John Charcol are the brokers which usually get recommended (see MoneySavingExpert). We went with John Charcol when we remortgaged about 3yrs ago - I am employed but our house is timber framed, 500yrs old, Grade II listed and thatched so fairly specialist and they still saved us around £2.5k a year. You get assigned an advisor, who you deal with personally and actually answers their phone, so it was fairly painless. Alec

Do it when dormant. What to cut depends on what you want to achieve. Assuming you are looking for productivity from the tree, don't go in too hard. Think of a permanent framework of main branches with smaller fruiting branches growing off them. Keep plenty of light and air going through the tree and take out dead, diseased, crossing and larger bits that grow towards the centre rather than away from it. If you put up some pics it should get more comment. Alec

I'm not local, but it would help to know how large would you like (length x width x thickness ranges) and any preference on species? Alec

I think you could do it, but I don't think it would be worth it. You would need a jig that followed the right profile and then bang wedges in hard at the back end as you go, to open up the cut so that it will follow the curve. You would also probably not dare go too close to the line so would end up with carving off to do anyway. I think I would cut the sides off first, then mill the bottom face right through, then flip it over and mill the top face up to where you want the curve to start and withdraw the mill. You could then mark up on the sides the profile you want to follow, run a series of vertical cuts down every couple of inches and use a mallet and a big chisel to split out the lumps, then smooth off. Actually, I would do it with an adze, but that relies on having one and being reasonably familiar with it. With regard to timber, I would use poplar as it is light and surprisingly strong with long grain fibres (it is also cheap and readily available!) I wouldn't use lime or grand fir as they are short grain and rather brittle. Alec

They are all small enough to stand a good chance of success. The main issue will be a tap root if they are self-seeded - when trees are grown in pots the tap root tends to get disrupted but when self-seeded it can go down a surprisingly long way and you want as much of it as you can possibly get, which means digging a deep hole. Best option is to wait until late autumn, as the leaves are yellowing on the deciduous ones, and then dig them right out, keep the roots damp by wrapping in damp paper and a plastic bag if you have to do more than just move them across the garden. If you are just moving them across the garden, dig the holes to receive them first. Back-fill but don't tread the soil down hard, then water well to settle the roots, even if it is raining! If you have to move them sooner, the above is still your best bet but you stand less chance of success. Do it on a cool, rainy day, as quickly as possible and be prepared to water regularly until autumn. The oak and the horse chestnut will be virtually only a vertical root, so you won't need to go out very far from the stem (8" or so maximum). The holly will be bigger, so I would start a foot out, dig round to a spit deep, then start digging under the rootball and move as much of it as you can with it, by wrapping a sack round it. Alec

If you post where in the country you are, it is likely that there will be someone on here local to you who may be able to help. Alec

Erm, probably more likely because farmers are very conservative in their approach. They tend not to experiment - it has a serious impact on their livelihood. Also, it doesn't actually decrease weeding and spraying as if you make the ground more fertile, weeds grow better! It is a bit tricky to do too - you have to apply at the right time, in the right condition to promote germination of the seeds; drilling is different (yes, he is very good with a rake, but a tractor doesn't quite work the same). For what it's worth, I am hoping to do something similar, but I am not dependent on the success/failure of the experiment for my livelihood. It's 4.75 acres of grade 2 arable, normally growing a 3yr rotation of winter wheat/winter wheat/rape and I am looking at the options for green manuring between/during crops and I want to add as much chip as I can, but this probably means hand application after the wheat comes through, which means the layer won't be thick. It won't be quite the same - the field will still be ploughed, but over time I hope that the plough depth builds up to a high organic content to improve fertility and yield. I also want to drop the rape and plant something else higher value at this point. Alec

You can make your life relatively simple here. You know the pitch, DL count and, presumably the gauge. At this point, you can choose any chain of that pitch and gauge and order a loop the right length. You may find these links useful: Chain ID table Custom chain loops Alec

I would try taking the top cover off and seeing how well the throttle cable is returning. They can get sticky and take a bit of time to settle. I would also look at the carb to pot seal as these are notorious for working loose and leaking - a smear of instant gasket on both sides is not a bad idea. It's the one downside of not having a rubber boot in there. On the plus side, you are unlikely to cause any damage to the saw through an airleak so long as you have left the windvane governor in place to engage the choke if the saw overspeeds. Alec

Several things to check. Firstly, check whether it is 2-stroke or 4-stroke (Villiers built both). Is it fuelling properly through to the carb? If there is a tickler button, can you get fuel to come right through? If it has been standing then bits settle out and block the system. Settings on choke etc will also be completely different depending on whether it has lost its air filter or not, and if it has one, whether it is single or double height (one or two sets of sliders), or something non-original that happens to fit. Can be worth taking the air filter right up, pouring a bit of fuel straight in the inlet, giving it very little choke and seeing if that is enough for it to fire up - if so you know it's the fuel system. Secondly, check for decent spark. If there isn't one, points as above but also the condensor and coil can both pack up (50yr old lacquered brown paper has a finite lifetime!), although I have been lucky and this hasn't happened on any of mine yet. Another thing that can be a problem if they stand for too long is that they de-magnetise. If this is the case, you can take the cowling off to get at the nut on the flywheel, stick a socket on it, on a bar that will fit in an electric drill chuck. I cut the flat bit off the top of a coach bolt to get a half inch square at one end but you could file down any old bolt head. You then take the plug out to stop compression and spin it over on the drill for about 10mins (very boring!) but that is enough to re-magnetise it. Finally, check the timing. The timing on the Villiers engines is adjusted by rotating the flywheel on the crankshaft - there is no keyway. It is held in place by what is euphemistically known as a 'hammer tight fitting', ie you have to do it up that hard. This means the timing can slip. I check this by putting a pencil down the plug hole, turning the engine to tdc (you can feel this through the pencil) and then picking something to line a mark up with on the pot, and putting a mark on the pencil at this point. You then need another mark 3/16" above it. Drop the pencil back in and line up the lower sight mark, then rotate the engine backwards to line up the upper sight mark. This should be the location where the points just start to open - if not then timing is simple to adjust by positioning the engine at 3/16" before tdc, undoing the flywheel nut (very tight), rotating the flywheel so that the points are just starting to open and then doing up the nut again. Even when properly set up, they can still be a pain to start if you don't get them on the first go. The plug can oil up very easily, which means taking it out and cleaning it, and the right setting on the throttle can be tricky to find - I tend to aim for about 1/3 open. Hope this helps! Alec

The problem with making your own handle out of something which isn't shock resistant is that you end up putting a lot of time and effort into something only for it to break very quickly. Sycamore, beech, maple and hornbeam are definitely short grain and hence not suitable. Oak was always available, but not used which suggests it doesn't hold up very well. That leaves greenheart as previously unavailable and hence probably untried, so if it has to be one of these I would go with greenheart for that reason. If I had the option though I would go for hickory first (lasts longest), then ash, then privet. Alec

OK, so it won't like it much! The longest bar I can find that fits is 20" for the Husky 560. This is on .325" pitch as standard. Alec

Which saw is it (and what pitch are you running)? Alec

Bonsai usually suffer from two things - being kept indoors and ending up too hot and dry, and being watered with tapwater rather than rainwater. Either of these sound like the problem? Alec

Just to say my wife will be visiting Lochnagar next Tuesday (26th June) along with 120 children from her school. When she was telling me she was going there she didn't believe a 'hole in the ground' could be that impressive, so I showed her the pictures. Alec

May be worth dropping Se7enthdevil (Steve) a PM. For an idea of some his work, take a look at: http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/woodcraft-forum/60100-all-my-woodwork-so-far.html Page 3 has a TV table on it but I am sure he is capable of other styles to suit. Alec

May be worth asking Pinden End Farm. They have units one side of the road, the chalk quarry the other side (they use part of it for the Pinbins skips). Access is excellent to both (I've had 7.5 tonners in the unit part and the other side was designed with quarry lorries in mind). Noise is not a problem in either. Alec

No, if I was going properly European I would have to chop all the branches back viciously to stumps and keep doing it every year to give it that hacked 'pollard' look Alec

Hi Alec, Sorry, can't help with your question, but just to say hello to another Alec! Alec

Thanks for your thoughts. Visibility is quite important - the tree is on the junction of a narrow lane and an A road (you can just see both in the first image). The lane runs behind the tree in the first picture, the damage to the tree shown in images 4 and 5 therefore being on the far side. This means that the low, flailed growth is on the field side (foreground of the first image). Having taken into account thoughts, I have done the following: 1. Removed the loose, hanging bits but left the ends fractured. 2. Cleared the ivy up as high as I can reach (for visibility) but left the big, 4" stem intact so there will be plenty of growth retained up the trunk. In the process, I have also uncovered a lot of nails which I will remove (says the miller with an eye to a good butt....!) Having had a closer look, the ivy is beginning to work its way out along the branches, which I don't like so much as the tree has a few stags-head branches and an internal canopy so I am guessing the beginning of natural retrenchment and I would rather not smother it out. I will wait until the nesting season is well and truly over and then cut back the ivy to the main trunk only. Treesrus - good point on an old tractor, but it would stop you seeing down the 60mph A road as you pulled out of the junction. I am still inclined to think about a sort of curved steel cage section to put in front of the vulnerable area - a bit like a sort of giant version of a street tree protector but it would only need to be about a quarter of the way around the tree. Cheers Alec p.s. Graham - glad to hear the 'treatment' has worked on your Bramley - any chance of an updated photo on its thread?

Our land runs right to the parish boundary. On the corner is this oak. It's a great specimen and a bit of a local landmark. It is vigorous, reasonably sized (41" dbh) and shows no obvious signs of decay. There are a few points I would welcome thoughts on. Worth noting that this is a rural setting, and that I am quite happy with 'natural' management methods (fracture pruning, leaving standing deadwood etc). Firstly, as you can see from the second and third images, the farmer who looks after our field has just taken the flail mower to it (I've asked him to leave it in future as I will look after it myself!). Nothing major, but would you leave completely alone, trim back the broken bits or cut back neatly to unions or something else? Secondly, as you can see from the fourth and fifth images, the roadside face of the tree has been heavily damaged from grain lorries trying to make the turn the wrong way (the farmer has told them you can't do this, but they have tried anyway). From the way the bark has been stripped, then there is evidence of re-growth and then more stripping, it appears it happens from time to time. Am I better off leaving it alone or taking off the dead bark around the edges? I have a bit of space between the kerb and the tree, so was thinking of putting some form of upright ironwork structure right on the edge to take the impact first - any thoughts on this (am I just making myself liable if someone hits it?) or is there something else anyone can think of to stop another lorry hitting it? Finally, there is a decent sized stem of ivy going up into it (4" across). Would you take it off completely, keep it trimmed back to the main trunk but stop it working its way out along the branches or leave it alone so long as it doesn't dominate the crown, since the tree is not yet retrenching? Any other thoughts welcome. Alec