agg221

Some useful information here on identifying the correct chain for your saw - most of what you need will be stamped on your bar: Chain | bar | sprocket identification You might also want to compare the price (go to the custom chain loops tab and enter your spec. then type in the number of drive links you need in the box). Alec

Having only done concrete once I have very little to add, but a couple of things that may be of use. If you are putting expansion joints in around the edges, we used Korpak which is like MDF soaked in bitumen. Comes in an 8'x4' sheet in various thicknesses (we used 25mm) and easy to cut to shape - in your case probably 6" wide strips. Before we put the plastic membrane down, we blinded out over the base with sand - not very thick but enough to stop anything poking through the membrane. I don't think it makes a lot of difference if you use sharp or soft - we scrounged up every last bucketful of sand lying round the place in the end as we were a bit short. Ours was the structural slab to the extension, so had low edge walls at the time, hence no edge boards to tamp off. We marked up heights on the wall (actually on the membrane) and filled to that, then tamped down with an edge board. I like James' technique of laying in strips, but not being aware of that we more just went for it and it turned out fine. Area was about 6m x 4m, hand mixed in a Screwfix electric mixer, by one person in about 6hrs working time. Alec

Excellent, that's a good result I think. It will keep him out of of trouble for a while if nothing else! Alec

It's worth keeping an eye out as you mill for ripple or burr. This can be much more worth milling for boards than for kindling. There have been a couple of threads with pictures: http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/alaskan-mill/45517-black-poplar-plank.html http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/milling-forum/52259-advise-poplar-2.html Alec

What height can you get through, ie do you need to take it just off the sides to squeeze it through the throat, or do you need to take the top down too? Poplar has fairly fat bark so if you've got a couple of inches of bark to remove, then an inch or so of wood at the fattest bit, I would use an axe. If you can get it under the head, the other option would be to put the 'side' up first, skim that off by a few inches, then roll it up (or flip it right over first if you need some off both sides). Alec

How much is it too fat by? If it's a little bit, I use a side axe (Gransfors but any will do) which will take a couple of inches off in a lot less time than it takes to dig out and fuel up a chainsaw. More than that it's time to freehand it with the chainsaw, sighting down the line from the end. Alec

If you do get anywhere and want to give me a shout over the conveyancing, feel free. I'm only a step ahead of you, but at least I will have found all the necessary forms! Alec ps - Mum's back if you want to tip any more.

First thing I would do is check they're cold. Check serial numbers are present (ideally get these first and get them run past the database). I would take the plastic shrouds off (take the torx screwdriver for this with you) and check the pots are stamped Mahle. Look for the overall condition under there - a bit burnt with some old sawdustbut not totally caked would be ideal - suggests they have done some work, ie not recently lashed back together, but have been looked after by occasional blowing out with an air line. Look at the clutch side - you could take the sprocket off and check the clutch is OK, ie springs are all there and the faces of the segments aren't chewed up. I would then put it back together and check the action on the throttle - does it lock correctly in all three locations? Then hold it by the starting cord and let it drop, checking it goes down slowly (several seconds) which is the poor man's compression check. If the bars are decently long, they will form a significant part of the value so I would check the rails aren't splayed (chain doesn't wobble side to side) or chipped on the tops and the grooves aren't worn down too far. I would then set up the bar and chain and check that the tension sits in the normal range, then pull the chain round by hand to check that it doesn't go tight at any point. I would then start it and see how many pulls it takes to cough on choke - more than half a dozen and I would be concerned, and want to check it again at the end. Assuming it starts, I would check it settles to idle quickly, then when it's been warmed a bit, try revving it out and check it revs up to full quickly, settles back to idle immediately when released (otherwise if it wanders on idle there is likely to be an air leak) and then check for the oil streak to see that it's oiling properly. Both these saws have adjustable oilers underneath, so check the screw is present and whether it is turned up or not - you could check it on full to see if there is a fatter oil streak. I would then test it in some wood. If the chain isn't brilliantly sharp then it may not cut fast, but it should not feel gutless or bog down easily - the 660 in particular should be virtually unstoppable with up to a 25" bar. Finally, check it stops properly. Otherwise, it's just the chain brake operation and the general condition of the AVs, which at this age should not be perished, so cracked is a sign of really hard use. If the paintwork is really scruffy, again it suggests hard use or poor care so look to knock a bit off but I wouldn't assume it's shot because of it. Sure I've missed some things, but it's a start! Alec edit: agreed on pulling the muffler for a quick look - you will need a small screwdriver to tweak the front part out to do this, and be prepared for some hassle getting the inner screws back in. Also worth having a look at the screws straight into the case (the lower two on the front part of the muffler) to check that the threads haven't been stripped.

Yes, but if the base section is any good (say 6'-8' long without any side branches) then consider that for milling - I would certainly be interested if it's a big enough diameter (a foot or so). Alec

I'm in the process of buying the field next to our house. It ended up not going to auction but they did it by sealed bid, which is probably worse (if nothing else because I had to dig out the sealing wax!) I'm doing the conveyancing myself, which is proving extremely straightforward. You still need a local authority search, and land registry details, which may be in the pack but if not are straightforward to get. The seller's solicitor has offered to draw up the deed of transfer (normally they just do the contract and you copy and paste it onto the deed) and I just need to complete the Inland Revenue form and the registration. Point being, knock £600 off for solicitor's fees and you can up the bid by the same amount... Alec

The 075 continued to be available alongside the 076 until sometime in the early 1980s - I have no idea why since they were the same, but it did Strangely enough, the gasket on mine is a piece of cardboard box - it was just easier than ordering the replacement at the time. I prefer the type which is not printed on either side, and then give it a good coat of gasket shellac compound which seals it up nicely. Alec

In that case I would definitely put some effort into exploring the fencing market and the charcoal side of things, as you will be needing to maximise your utilisation in the future and these links are the ones which are likely to to be needed on future rotations.

Serial number is the best bet - a nice close-up photo of the area where it should be, even if cropped to show part of it before the sale. Be aware though, some saws had replacement crank cases supplied unstamped by the mfr, but it should still be clear that the surface has been properly machined, not ground. Alec

I'd say you're pretty marginal for sawlogs with your 12-18" bracket. SC can spring and twist quite badly when milled, particularly the lowest bit. I think I would be thinking more forest products - cleft fencing for the smaller section, sawn fencing/posts for the larger. If you are on site and looking to get the most out of it then you could try a couple of oil drum kilns for charcoal and see what you get, particularly if you have some standing dead around. May be worth looking at some of the fencing suppliers, who may take the lot if they do sawn and cleft. Otherwise you will probably get more by selling it to separate niche markets but it will take a lot more research and marketing. Are you treating it as a return to managed coppice? Alec

That looks like a very realistic price - if you go for it then I hope it works out and perhaps convinces others that it is a viable option. What bed length does it have on it? Just thinking this is likely to be a factor in the likely hiring market (ie will it deal with making green construction timbers on site?) Alec

It's a bit odd. The scroll ends look hand forged, but the joints look arc welded. This is slightly strange as cold bending the scrolls is quick and easy (and cheap) whereas hand forging is not. However then to blob on a bit of weld and not even bother to grind it off neatly is somewhat surprising. My best guess would be that it is 1960s/70s - much earlier and arc welding gear would not be common. Much later and I would expect to see really dull cold bent work. It may be welded because it's mild steel and old smiths who were used to fire welding wrought iron just couldn't get to grips with the difference in welding practice for mild steel. Alec edit: could you take a close-up of the blob bits - about halfway down, joining the curves to the uprights.

Apologies for jumping in, but I think I might know the answer on the Allen Scythe, what with Geoff's Dad's one now ensuring me an old age of lower back pain. Have you looked on the wheels - there is a pawl which can be flipped to allow it to turn one way, the other way or neither way (except by sheer brute force). If it helps I can take photos of what I'm on about. Alec

There are times when something like this would be very handy, although sadly your location makes yours less accessible to me. I think you would need to look at either insurance or a 'hirer pays repair costs' arrangement, and I don't think anyone you would want hiring it would object to either. Maybe it's a bit like hiring a car, rather than a chauffeur. Most people who hire cars don't damage them (and probably very few indeed actually try to). They mostly treat them as they would their own - you hear stories of people thrashing them but in reality they don't. Perhaps they don't give them the same valet treatment but they come back reasonably clean and nothing a quick brush-up won't fix (which gets budgeted for). Also, with cars, there is proof of competence before handover. It's pretty easy with a car (driving licence) but with canal boats you get a tutorial, then show the hire company you can drive it OK and then you're on your own. The bigger issue may be transport. Are you proposing to deliver and collect? If so, that deals with the issue, but don't forget you are doubling your travel time and that may make it non-cost effective. If it's hirer collects then you need to take into account the towing requirements on the licence. Overall though, if you can make it work then it could be a very good idea. Alec

When using this technique, I would also put the nut back on, fingertight, then back it off a couple of turns. This way, you hit the nut and don't risk bruising the thread. Once the flywheel is loose, you can take the nut back off. Alec

What condition are they in, and whereabouts are you? The Cambridge Vintage Sale was yesterday - a lot of Fergies, early MFs and Fordsons. Prices were a bit funny - sometimes there would be strong competition over something between three or four people, then a near-identical lot a few further on would get almost no interest. The sale report is up, so it might give an indication at least. Tractors were in Sale 5 - Lot 2540 upwards Vintage Catalogue - CAMBRIDGE VINTAGE SALE

Hi Jon, they do turn up on Ebay from time to time and normally make £400-450 if they're in reasonable condition, a bit more if they have a really long bar. If you wait your time though they sometimes show up for nearer £300. Alec

Yep, that's crowned, and as such it will always want to run in a single place - you can't actually make the belt long enough to counter this as it will want to run 'straight' so will run at a fixed point at the other end. The simplest option would be to align it with the 'fast' on the saw and leave it there, but if the MF pulley is as wide as the pair of pulleys on the saw, ie there is enough width to allow the belt to run in either location, you could get it skimmed down flat so it would let the belt slide. Alec

Stihl Contra is pretty iconic, but probably wouldn't see much use these days. Alec

Yes, it makes sense. Is the MF65 pulley crowned? If so, you may have to think around this one. A crowned pulley will try to run the belt in a single place, whereas flat pulleys will will run anywhere. If you run crowned one end, flat the other, and want to use the fast and loose arrangement, you will end up rubbing the belt sides a lot as the crowned pulley tries to pull it back - you can set it for one or the other, or for a compromise which will rub in either case. The reason we had to run off the flywheel was because we were running a 19" blade on a 24" saw. The original pulley was still in place, and was an uncrowned, double width pulley, which I think is what you would need. The other option would be to align it with the 'fast' side and use the PTO to engage/disengage. Of course, if the pulley is uncrowned then you don't have a problem in the first place:001_smile: Alec

Crowned pulleys will take quite a lot of misalignment - you can pretty much just set up by eye and it will run fine, maybe with a bit of slight twisting so I wouldn't have anything locked in place until I had pulled it over a few times. The only problem is if you have uncrowned pulleys for a 'fast and loose' arrangement, which uses a cage around the belt to slide it, and at the same time stops it jumping. Dad and I used to run an old Denning sawbench with uncrowned fast and loose pulleys, using a Lister B. The bench had lost its cage for sliding the belt across and to get the running speed right for the blade we had to run off the flywheel on the engine, so everything was uncrowned. We used old fire hose as a flat belt, with a wire lacing, so it was about as crude as you can get. We didn't have any problems with it jumping off. Alec