Robert Raven

Ps very jealous of that pic Big J!

I knew there'd be a wealth of experience here. I guess if you run them flat out, being able to seal it up is less important. And I can see the sense in not letting them smoulder all night- I used to deal with a strawburner which switched off it's air supply when heat wasn't needed, and the cool smouldering burn pretty much wrecked it. I'm learning that the cost of the burner is pretty minor compared to the s/s flue I'll need anyway, so I'll see if I can afford that first. Anyone installed their own?

Megatron: thanks for the info and pics- I'm planning on using a hard nose bar purely because I can't find a 36" sprocket nose bar other than the Cannon, which is £160+vat! The Oregon 36" solid nose is £70 including vat and del. If you know where I can get an economical 36" sprocket nose .404 bar for this saw, I'd be all ears! Burrell- you don't fancy uploading pics of the pages, if you have a very, very quiet moment?

Woodwarm is looking good, not silly money either. Just went to a showroom and a 10kw stove was heating the whole place, quite impressive.

Thanks everyone, good info there. I think I'll go for a higher quality 12kw to keep it in budget. Any good or bad experiences with twin wall flue makes? Should be pretty straightforward, 6m rise with 2 45 degree bends to dog leg through a wall. Most 12kw stoves can take 6", which will also help keep it affordable.

Mike, PM sent. Rob

Hi Mike, I was in exactly the same quandry a while ago. In the end I went for the Alaskan 36" because I liked the idea of being able to do bigger stuff when it was available. Also I wasn't keen on the way the timbajig only held the bar at one end, I could imagine the free end wandering a bit. I'm very pleased with the equipment, I first used it with a Stihl 048 with a 28" bar and it did a cracking job, even on some hard old oak. For big logs I'd get the mini mill too, you can whip the sides off and leave a cant the right width for your Alaskan, and then just slab away. However the best thing so far about the Alaskan setup is the incredible backup you get from Rob D, I rang him before I ordered anything, I recommend you do the same, it's free! I posted some pics of my first go on an earlier post (dont know how to link?). It's very rewarding and now I have a shed full of oak and ash which is far more interesting than anything from the timber merchant, and an absolute fraction if the cost! Good luck, Rob

I reckon pretty much everyone on here must have a woodburner so I'm after some advice. I want one for a barn conversion, quite open plan so needs to be pretty big. Which makes/ models do you recommend? Efficiency is key (price too of course), so I'd like one that shuts down tight rather than raging away all night like some I know of. Would welcome your thoughts. I've been offered a Villager A, 16kw in pretty decent nick, anyone got one of these, and is it any good? Thanks all.

Excellent, thanks megatron, sounds like you're pretty clues up on these saws. Mine should arrive tomorrow so will look it over then. I was talking to Rob D about milling chains and sprockets, we were wondering if the 070 would be powerful enough to run an eight tooth .404 sprocket on a 36" armor nose bar, hoping to use it's torque to get a bit more chain speed, do reckon this would be ok, or do you think the combination of higher gearing and the drag caused by the solid nose might be too much for the poor old thing?

Hi there, does anyone have a link or a PDF for a Stihl 070 owner's manual? I found the workshop manual but wouldn't mind the owner's one too. Thanks everyone

Hi everyone. I just bought an 070 from eBay, powerhead only, so I am now in the market for a bar and chain for milling. My Alaskan is the 36" model. Does anyone have any suggestions or links to good sites? I believe these saws can take two different chain pitches, so I will have to check the sprocket when it arrives, can anyone tell me how I can figure out from the sprocket which chain pitch I need? If the sprocket is knackered and needs replacing, what pitch should I go for? Finally I will soon be selling my 048 which has a nearly new 28" bar and ripping chain as well as an 18" bar and chain. Will the forum allow me to post a link to it? Thanks for everyone's help so far. Rob

Yes very chuffed, always nice when the fix is instant and complete! Cheers for the help.

Ok It's running great now, took off the cover to find a mugful of sawdust, thanks for the pointers! This begs the question, how the hell did this lot get in here? Again, thanks for pointing me in the right direction, didn't want to take it to bits without a bit of backup! Browsing similar posts I got some tips on tuning so I'm pretty sure its not too lean, I leaned the high needle till it revved free, then made it richer till the engine note dropped noticeably and the firing rhythm is disrupted- I guess this is 4-stroking? As for low needle and tickover, I just adjusted them to run nicely and pick up revs well. Sound about right?

Ok great, I'll take off the cover and diaphragm and have a look at the needle. You were right, I have so far only touched the H and L needles. Does the metering needle move in and out as the throttle is opened and closed, like on a motorbike carb? Are we expecting it to be stuck wide open, given these symptoms? When I reassemble it (assuming I get that far), does the metering needle have to be set at any particular number of turns or anything?

Hi Spud, I pulled the filter out of the tank and blew into the fuel hose from there, fuel came running out of air filter. So I took the carb off, and blew through it again, this time it did hold pressure. Reassembled, pulled it over, flooded again. Blew through tube and now it leaks again. I removed the needles and reseated them again in case there was muck holding one open, but got the same result. Seems to leak for a bit when you blow/suck on the tube, then seals. Could it be a diaphragm? I did notice a little sawdust inside the air filter when I cleaned it, not what you want to see. What's my next step? Cheers for the advice, Rob

Hi all, Was milling with my 048 today which is normally good as gold. Paused during a cut, and instead of idling, it died. Was hard to restart, had to hold throttle open to get it going. Finished my cut, ran nicely flat out. At the end of the cut, I let go of the throttle, again it died without idling, and now I can't get it to fire, just floods like crazy, fuel coming out of air filter (saw lying on it's side in the mill). These were long, long cuts, so I wondered if the idle needle had shaken out and made it too rich at idle, but I reset it to one turn out, and still floods even without choke. Gave up when it got dark, any pointers as to what to try tomorrow? Really want to finish this log! Thanks

Thanks for the info- do you know if the 070 can take the same bar/chain as the more recent stihls like 066, MS660 etc, or does it need something different?

Great, sounds good. I was thinking an old fashioned saw would suit the Alaskan, like you say AV is not really an issue, nor is chain brake. Can't believe they're still making them!

When were they made, anyone know what parts availability is like?

Has anyone used a Stihl 070, and have any comments about it's suitability for milling with an Alaskan? Also, what bar size is sensible on this saw for use with a mill?

Cheers everyone, nice to get a bit of encouragement and know it looks alright. I'm (slowly) converting a barn into a house so this timber is earmarked for some countertops and some shelves. I also have two external steps and loading platforms to build so if you hear of any oaks or chestnut available in Suffolk/Norfolk.... have teleporter and flatbed, will collect!

Finished milling that log, thanks for the help. I got the correct 7/32 stihl sharpening set and put the cutters back how they should be, they were not hooked enough. Still had to re-sharpen every two boards though. I've put up some pictures of the end result, unfortunately the log had some rot in it at one end as I got deeper, so some boards will need trimming, but overall I'm very pleased- eleven 1.5" boards and two 2", 9' long, 20" wide. Next job should be some newly felled ash, so will be interesting to see how that goes! Finally- once the timber is air dried, have any of you finished drying by bringing timber into a heated house? How long would that take for 1.5" oak?

Right, I'm going to have a sort out tomorrow. I think I'm getting a laid back hook because I'm having to push harder and I'm getting a finer sawdust. 10 degree top plate I can do. But do you control the side plate angle by lowering the file handle so it's no longer held horizontally, or is that angle just formed by the curvature of the file, and how deep you cut into the hook? Is the one in your pic about right? Thanks for taking the trouble to explain it, I bet you get a lot of this.....

Yes it's a file holder/guide.

Ah just a quick one- I just realised that the files I got with the ripping chain are 7/32, and the file holder I've been using says 3/16. Will this make any difference? Do I need exactly the right holder to match the files, and can anyone explain what the difference is? I'm a little ignorant of chain geometry. I have obviously been ignoring the 35 degree mark on the holder and filing at 10 degrees to match the angle of the cutter relative to the bar, and holding the file parallel to the floor. If that makes sense. Thanks all, Rob