West Highlander

Thanks for the replies, I was really concerned about the sap issue.

Welding gloves are exactly what the people (not me) handing the branches will be wearing.

The background is that I am a regular domestic / farmer chainsaw user to produce wood for 6 fairly large woodburners across several properties. So I use a Stihl MS390 fairly heavily for a short time each year than occasionally for the rest of the year. I need to remove a fairly large fallen monkey puzzle. I have Googled and everything I read seems to say 'run away', but the job needs done. The sharp needles etc we can cope with, what worries me is posts saying the sap will gum up my saw and is hard to remove. Can anyone confirm if this is the case, as I do not want to damage my Stihl. Given the cost of a pro to do the job instead, I am contemplating buying a cheap crappy saw (e.g. £130 Hyundai with a 20 inch bar from B&Q) and just throwing it away afterwards.

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Turned out I did not have an option. My 034 was stolen from my driveway. The insurers would not give cash are replacing it with a Stihl MS 391. Can't quite see how they are able to send me this as I understood Stihl insisted on a personal handover. I wait with interest.

Thanks for the input. Closest dealer to me are A&B Services in Killin who are Husky dealers which may end up being the deciding factor. Though I must admit I am prejudiced against Husky as my brother in law is evangelical about them and could see no good in Stihl. I'm half inclined to get another Stihl just to annoy him. Getting pushed towards Efco by the dealer where I got my 034. They still supply Stihl, but are mostly Efco these days. I've heard mixed things about Efco so would rather stick with saws from the 'traditional' makers.

Thanks, so 2 votes for the 365. Which is heavier and more powerful than the 555 or 391 and lacks the auto tune the 555 has. Why would I not want that? Bearing in mind I am an occasional user I'd thought it would be useful to have it to compensate for my lack of knowledge. I use an 18" bar btw. Edit,just checked and it is heavier than the 555, but only very slightly more than the 391.

My trusty Stihl 034 is beyond economical repair after something like 15 years. We heat 2 large houses with wood from our own woods so it gets used fairly intensely for only a few days a year then sits in the shed. I have been recommended a Husqvarna 555 but am inclined to go for the Stihl MS391. Bearing in mind that these will not get constant pro use, does anyone have any thoughts on these (or any other saws that might be appropriate)? Thanks

Don't understand this. 'Larch can't go for firewood........' then 'Clean larch is THE softwood firewood'. I burn a bit of larch and it is pretty good, so I don't understand the first comment. Am I being thick?

I have always split by hand. Yesterday the chap who is doing our fencing brought his PTO splitter and the 2 of us split more wood in an hour than I'd do in a day or more. I have now realised how much time I've been wasting and intend to buy a petrol splitter for domestic use. I'm looking at a Titan 10 ton. Does anyone have experience of these or other suggestions. Thanks

That's stored under cover, or am I missing something?

Whilst I know birch has fairly low moisture content I thought it still needed seasoned to get it down to circa 20%. I've very occasionally put green ash in the stove but I'm loath to burn anything that's not well seasoned in case the chimney is coated with tar.

I know that splitting means it dries faster. But I have just cleared a lot birch that varies between 4 and 8 inches. As I have a log burner that takes 12 inch diameter logs I was planning on just cutting to length and stacking it to minimise the work required. It'll be 2 and probably 3 years before I burn it so I reckon that is enough time for it to season unsplit. Does that sound reasonable?

Thanks for the replies. I suppose there is the question of what is 'good'. To me, burns hot and fast isn't good as that means more storage space and reloading of the fires and I can get what I want from other woods that are denser. But I can see why other people might hold a different view.

On a sunny day, best place on Earth. Less fun in the wet. And then there's the midges.