agg221

Yes you can do it, but I would only try it if you are running a very short bar and cutting very small diameter material with it. The bigger the chain, the bigger the 'bite' it takes. If the chain is too long with too big a bite per tooth then it bogs down. Alec edit: new post has appeared indicating lo-pro. Yes, this will work nicely but it's tricky to find the right bar. Rob D knows which one it is but I don't!

OK, for what it's worth, the process I would follow would be: Take the bits off, strip any plastic/paint/grips and clean by washing down with acetone, followed by Decon 90 in an ultrasonic bath. I would then wire brush over the areas to be welded, which includes the area where cracks can be seen. The cracks are related to the forming of the shape by compressing the tube, followed by wear at that point so will need some attention. I would then clamp the parts up in a vice to hold them correctly orientated. I would put copper blocks in the jaws to heat-sink it and make sure the part to be welded was held as close as possible to the blocks. I would then use a thoriated tungsten electrode ground with a coarse taper and balled on the end, spot-tack it autogenously, on both sides and the bottom face, then flip it over and put a couple more spot tacks in on the upper face. I would run the main weld with the power set for full penetration, running a 1/2" length of bead around the two sides, mostly as an autogenous weld but adding a bit of high silicon filler to the pool to build it up about 1/8" in the centre. I would then complete the weld on the top in two more runs. I would then grind back the surface. If I found porosity (which is likely in lower grade alloys such as die castings, but less likely here in a drawn tube) I would grind off the built-up layer flush and repeat the weld cycle as above, grind off to check that I had cleared the issues with porosity by 'floating' it all out, and if not, repeat (this is highly unlikely to be needed). Once I found no porosity, I would leave the surface raised by about 1/16" at the weld bead. I would then turn to the underside. I would repeat the above, but also run welds down the crease where the tube has been formed concave and worn away on the edges of the folds. These would be autogenous welds if possible (ie no porosity having been observed) with minimum filler to rebuild any wear. If not I would repeat the above to get clean welds. Finally, I would add some extra thickness by filling in the depression across the broken region. I would probably run about half an inch either side, building up with a series of weld overlays, looking to leave a neat lateral profile tapering from the full tube diameter to zero, ie ending up with a wedge-shaped overlay, which will take a lot of the stress concentrating features out. I would grind this off to a smooth profile for the above reason. I would not expect the above to fail at the same point in the future. Alec

Yes, I have tried welding one (from an 090 rather than a Husky 181 but similar alloy), with successful results, but then I'm reasonably good at TIG welding nasty stuff (e.g. rebuilding missing lugs on die cast parts such as nla carbs and starter cups on old Stihl models and also doing sub-mm SS corners). It is nothing like farmer-style stick welding and it does want to drop out as a soggy pool, but if you know how to grind up the electrode properly and use the right filler rod it's not too bad. You just have to allow for the differences. I agree that in order to avoid melting things you need to take it right off to do it and strip off the remains of the grip if still present, but then if you buy a replacement it will be off the saw anyway. I would expect to pay around £20 cash for someone to do it in their lunchbreak. With a bit of luck, it might get done tomorrow. Buy a new part from the US and expect to pay £40 for the part, £15 for the shipping and another £15 for duty and 'handling' and receive it in about 2-3weeks. Hence I would get it done, even if I couldn't do it myself. Alec

It's very much weldable - try your local fabricators or alloy wheels place. The area adjacent to the weld melt pool, known as the heat affected zone (HAZ) will have an altered microstructure from the heat input which weakens it. This means you want to get them to build it up thicker and don't grind the weld off to the original profile to make it look pretty. Alec

Assuming the site allows, if you've got access to a cant hook, or some other way of rolling sections, I would section it up into the longest bit you can roll fairly easily which will probably be around 2m. You can then disc up a length with a whole series of top cuts, roll it and cut again from the other side, which stops you having to cut near the ground. Alec

A lot depends on what you want to cut. A full chisel chain such as Stihl lo pro full chisel will cut faster in clean timber but if you have dropped it on the ground and it has got at all dusty/gritty then it will dull quickly. A semi chisel chain such as Oregon lo pro rapid would be a reasonable compromise - not so fast but will hold its edge better. Oregon multicut will hold up better if your wood is really dirty but won't cut as fast to start with. You can find various options on Chains - just enter your saw/bar combination Alec

Do you want to buy it in the round or milled to the above dimensions? Alec

There's a good range of bars available for the big Husqvarna mount, including Oregon and Sugihara across a range of lengths. Have a look at http://www.chainsawbars.co.uk/guide-bars/ and enter your saw to get an idea of the options. Alec

It depends - at that size it could well have slowed down a bit and the sapwood would then be significantly reduced. The bigger issue is that the market is for interior joinery, not for exterior use. Alec

It's not durable in fresh water, so no good for ordinary outdoor use. It's fine indoors, with good grain, and good in salt water for groynes or similar. Alec

Yep, that's the normal pattern. It's supply and demand - there isn't much of it but does anyone want it? Sometimes it's in fashion, when it costs more, sometimes out of fashion and costs less. As it happens, I am on the lookout for a nice bit of brown oak as I want to lay my living-room floor in it like I did at our old place. Alec

You should pay import duty, which is the equivalent to VAT, but not VAT on top. The price looks about right for 20% on top of the total (cost + shipping). Alec

I have now done some of the pruning but will be going back next Saturday (22nd) if anyone (Felix?) wants to come along. Alec

You can get a planer, yes, but it won't fit to the .404" chain that goes with bars of that size. I do have an 88" bar, which would deal with at 2m length and I reckon it could be bored with care but I don't know of any other single-ended bars of that sort of length. The first couple of feet in from each end could be dressed easily enough but it depends what you need the middle section of the inside to look like. Other than that I think your only option would be to split, hollow, put back together and then dress the joint line. Alec edit: actually if you went bigger in diameter you could get through it to tidy up the middle.

Yep, they do. I have been busily converting the emerging thickets of small blackthorn surrounding the telegraph poles along the edge of our field into a new hedgerow, which will be laid in due course. In our case suckering is not a problem as our side is a ploughed field (which will now be about 10' wider) and the other side is a road which should stop it from suckering. Alec

How long is it? If it's not more than a few feet I would be inclined to bore it through with a long bar in a series of cuts, then dress the internal surface with a carving saw or a mallet and chisel or a gouge, depending on the desired surface. At that diameter you should be able to reach in fairly well from each end. Alec

So glad to see the rapid and positive prognosis. All the best. Alec

It will be kinder than an older, non-AV saw, but it won't be very kind compared with a more modern saw, and don't forget that these are the big, heavy, low-revving end of things so have more vibration to start with regardless of age. AV gloves will help a bit more. Alec

If your saw is old enough it will also have it written on the top. It used to be a selling feature in the days when such things were optional - I have several saws without it, hence why I have AV gloves, but the anti-vibration mounts on the older saws are not as effective as on more modern ones. Alec

The biggest I have cleaved was a piece of oak about 2' across x 8' long. It was the short trunk of a tree that grew out of the former bank of a derelict canal and it had a natural curve in it where it swept out at an angle and then vertical - I needed the curve for the bottoms on the boat. The canal is now infilled and the tree had died. We were doing some volunteer clearance work and whilst the tree had been felled and limbed up by council workers, nobody from the volunteers was allowed to use chainsaws, hence cleaving was the only option. It was hard! Dynamite would have been a much better option but may have taken out a few windows in the process. Alec

I second the comments on the use of chaps and chainsaw wellies. Chaps are great when crawling around in the leaf litter in the woods. I also use a pair of AV gloves (from Rob D). I don't feel the need for chainsaw protective gloves as the position for milling doesn't really allow for the saw to come in contact with your hands. Note that the milling position also doesn't allow for the chainbrake to work by anything other than inertia. Alec

20" will be quick, 25" will be fine, 28-30" will be OK on an occasional basis. Alec

It is very tricky cleaving something that size. You can split it if you have enough wedges (inc. making up a few very fat wooden ones to hold it apart) but getting it to stay cleanly in half is nigh on impossible. That means you end up with uneven 'halves' which gives you uneven 'quarters' so you wouldn't be likely to get four decent bits out of it. Hit a knot and you're completely stuffed. Alec

Don't think so. There is too much detail provided on the items, the location is accessible, viewing is fine and Paypal is also acceptable for payment. Alec