WorcsWuss

That's what's on my wish list to replace my widowmakers.....!

Lean out, keep your knees apart [like bow legged!] & sit in your harness, hugging the trunk will just cause you to double gaff out and slide down using your face as a brake!

I was waiting for you to come along Mr Spud! What do you recommend?

There's some profit in this! RYOBI 40CC 16" Petrol Chainsaw +Helmet+Gloves,RCS4040CA | eBay

Now that's a nice way of looking at it! I say go with that one!

Unusual, they used to be very good.... ! Kit is still good though!

Or Pontrilas Timber?

Did you look at the Stocks link I posted or did you miss it on the end of the last page? Give them a call, they'll help you out I'm sure!

Right gents. I can't afford to buy a new saw but I need to run a longer bar in certain applications, 25" should be plenty, I might even get away with 20" most of the time but since I'm at it, to have the capacity for 25" would be sensible. So, what do you suggest? Although Stihl is my brand of choice, I'm open to suggestions. My 260 will still be my main saw so I don't mind having 'something else' for occasional big trunks. I don't want a 'domestic' or 'homeowner' brand though.... Budget, couple of hundred quid. Condition, mechanically sound really, don't want to buy a wrecker to rebuild, unless I can end up with a 660 for 200 quid! [i am fairly able mechanically though if necessary] In terms of size & power, I'm not going to be running this all day long so it doesn't matter if a 25" bar is right at the top end of its abilities. Not too fussed on vintage, would prefer any post AV Stihl but as I say, open to suggestions. Thanks all!

He's more than welcome to come climb with me but I'm best part of an hour away I'm out Saturday morning if interested!

That sounds like 'Stocks type'... the other type commonly used in the UK were 'Bettinson type'.... [which have the weld on lugs and the claws which tighten via the lever across the wheel] The Stocks type is certainly the more popular these days, not sure you can even get the old Bettinson type any more, welding into wheel rims isn't ideal, particularly with tubless tyres and high road speeds... Stocks AG -Dual Wheels Think you're looking at a D2412 or D2415

Sorry, I didn't mean as a free for all, the forum proper is for that! I meant you could establish a larger group of contributors, fact checkers and editors to compile and publish the approved articles rather than just rely on the existing mod team... I believe behind Wikipedia articles there is a discussion forum and only once the editing team agree that all criteria for factual accuracy have been met, does the article get published into the public domain....? Could that be done in this instance...? I guess a separate arb-wiki forum accessible only by the editing team would be easy to set up, it's just board permissions right...? The actual platform for the wiki I would have no idea on!

Likewise... find the curved blade can be awkward for clearing ivy off larger trunks but otherwise love it....

This year I actually don't have one. I've never managed to keep to one so I don't bother anymore, hence when I quit smoking I did it in November 2010 rather than Jan 11.... My 'end of last year' resolution was to lose a bit of weight by doing more work outside and eating less crap. That seems to be going half OK.... I'm still eating a lot of crap though... and not losing any weight...

Having read through this thread since my first post I'd like to expand my earlier suggestion into an 'ArbWiki'...! It could encompass the equipment encylopedia I asked for, also the tree species / latin names request, terminology, there could be pages for different types of cuts and felling techniques all nicely cross referenced in the same way that wikipedia does it... And we could all contribute to that then rather than leaving it up to Steve and the mods to do all the work.... The knot guide could be migrated into it as well I suppose...? That would be some resource!

I'll keep my eyes peeled to see if it comes down this way shortly.... Photo, distinguishing marks or damage...?

Ha! Nice one! You're way cooler than me then... I got Clarks slippers!

Well I've been having a go on a helical knot in place of a blakes for a little while now and I have to say, I'm coming to quite like it. It took a bit of setting but I think today I have finally cracked it. I forgot to take photos of how I rigged it but I found that a fixed cheek micro-pulley clipped to a prusik on the standing line [as in standard blakes tending] but 'wedged' between the braids made it tend really nicely and kept it all from twisting. I've found the helical is an absolute b!tch to set but if anyone fancies trying it, persevere, once it clicks it's a good halfway stop on the way to a VT. I've experimented with 3 & 4 wraps, found 3 had a tendency to creep quite alarmingly using a 13mm split tail on 11mm rope [a far from ideal combination I know....] Stopping to prune off some ivy with the silky I kept finding myself cutting up above my head...! 4 wraps and the pulley between the braids works a treat though, tends nicely, binds up far less than a blakes and shoots down, I actually managed to swing out & down to a limb and landed on the limb before ending up ploughing back into the trunk, something I couldn't get the blakes to run fast enough to do. So, helical, thumbs up! On the downside, I snagged the bloody tail of my climbing line on the fecking chain today so I will now have that short rope & longer side strop I've been promising myself.... At least I have a spare 35m length of Aeris in stock though.... ar&e....

Would love to see the knot guide extended. An equipment guide would be nice too, not so much as a series of reviews but sort of an 'encyclopaedia of kit'.... for instance an entry for the rope wrench which so confused me previously would just outline it's intended use and perhaps include a couple of photos of how to rig it..... Fairly labour intensive - guess it would need to be set up as a wiki type thing....

ISC do a bentgate [non-locking] version of their Gator krab which is good for shortening a saw strop. They are buried in the middle of the krab section on the FR Jones site.

Very probably, but I remember we ran a pretty big bar on it...

To what? No need for the drivel and tosh that was posted... There are far more effective ways of making a point than that!

What he said.... Simply unbelievable what was posted....

Could well have been Rob... not quite as well executed as the production model....! This isn't the sort of thing I'd want hanging around with me all day but to have it sent up for the occasional stretch I think it will do... I will give it a go, not sure whether I have any cast rods left in the workshop back at the farm though....