Robert Raven

Thanks for the tips everyone. I'm using the Stihl ripping chain which seems ok to hand sharpen so I guess I'll persevere, at least until I get fed up (or someone gets me the grinder for Xmas!). I like the adjustable bolts idea, I will incorporate that. My ladder wanted to sag, I remedied it with wedges but they moved with the vibration and had to be screwed down, bolts sounds a lot easier. Will order moisture meter, very excited at the chance that the timber might be ready to use immediately!

Hi everyone, great site, I've done a lot of browsing before investing in some equipment. Thanks to Rob D for all his help and advice so far. I thought I'd put up some pictures of my first job. I am using a Stihl 048 with a 28" bar and a ripping chain, on a 36" Alaskan (in case I get a bigger saw in the future). This setup gives about 22" overall cutting capacity, which I think is plenty for this saw. I also ordered the mini mill, which is absolutely necessary if you want to tackle big logs with a small set up like mine. I took six 20"x 1 1/4"slabs off before it got dark today, they look lovely. This log is 9' long and was approx 30" diameter, and fell down some 20 years ago, has been dry stored for 10 years. As this was my first go I don't have much to compare it to but it seemed pretty hard to me. Do logs get harder as they age? Do older logs require less seasoning once cut? I guess I ought to get a moisture meter, any advice there? Also what do most of you do for sharpening? I had to sharpen pretty frequently, the log was gritty from storage. There was even gravel stuck in some of the cracks, I gave it a pretty thorough scrub and check over before starting. Thanks everyone, Rob