Macpherson

just a thought, might be worth checking that the flywheel isn`t making contact with the pickup, that the gap`s correct and not closed up, cheers

Fiskars for me but get the geared ones, so much better, cheers.

Yeah, Granberg do a similar device, great tool, much overlooked imo, As for hedge cutters, I prefer the double sided, I find them more versatile as they let you cut on both strokes and both directions so you have less trouble positioning yourself when working and I find it also helps with back strain as you`re far more mobile and not stuck in the same position all day, although for different jobs having both is great. cheers.

Looks great, nice bit of wood, you`ll have the bug now, cheers.

Thanks Eddie for your pm, don`t know if you got my reply as it didn`t seem to work, anyway, I`m planning to use Aspen in the hedge cutters this year as that`s when I experience the biggest prob with fumes. But from the practical point of view,to run a thirsty outboard or motorcycle [ not to mention a car ] on Aspen would cripple my bank account. Technically these engines are more complicated, with much more to go wrong and much more expensive to repair than any chainsaw, but the principal is the same, so the whole debate has left me feeling a bit paranoid. But there`s no doubt in my mind that after having investigated the ethanol in fuel issue in a bit more detail it would seem that the problem`s not going to go away, the list of materials that ethanol degrades is extensive and surprising, and the whole thing is seemingly all down to some misguided points scoring green policy........but of course I could be wrong, cheers

Hi, yeah, luckily it`s about 70 miles to my nearest Tesco. Up here there`s lots of small outlets and frankly if I didn`t read this forum it`s unlikely that I would have heard of the problem or Aspen. Tbh from all that`s being said I`m more concerned about some of my other petrol powered machines, for which it would be totally impractical to consider running them on anything but pump fuel, cheers

Hi, as has already been said, petrol starts to decay from the moment it`s refined so how is it possible to tell the condition of the stuff at the pump as you have no way of knowing how long it`s been lying in the tank at the filling station, specially in rural locations where the turnover may be less predictable. Does anyone have any thoughts on this ? Cheers

Yep, I agree, I`ve got a lovely big slab of Caithness slate for a hearth which I leave naturally matt and simply clean it occasionally with hot soapy water, it looks great........but you did ask, cheers.

Hi, tung oil has many uses other than wood related stuff, I don`t know if it would give the finish you desire but you`ve probably got some. It was once the `varnish ` type finish seen as a protective coating on tools in the old days, used to prevent rust in storage , or putting a wet look on geological specimens or fossils and just generally sealing most surfaces from the atmosphere, just use it very thin as already said and rub off all excess vigorously and let dry as I`m sure you know, cheers.

Thought that too, might just be dry.

yep, sorry, I see that now you`ve pointed it out, it seems that there was a few variations of the item from what I can see, I mistakenly thought the saw was earlier but the composite part seems available, cheers

Hi, try e-bay item 271753134308 , it doesn`t say 262 but I`m pretty sure it`s the same bit as my 266, original part number 501 68 68-01 although I think that number may have since changed, it`s from Ireland , only a few quid. They do look as if they`re just cut from a bit of alloy extrusion, cheers.

Yeah, Sandvik or Bacho for me too, and diamond files are great for touching up many tools that may normally be considered `throw away`, also diamond rotary burrs are really quite cheap now and get hardened things really sharp again easily. cheers

Personally Iv`e not had any fuel problems but after reading all the posts on here on the subject Iv`e used both the Briggs stuff and Ethanol Shield [ which js better value ] just to be on the safe side,for all it costs, they both claim to stabilise the fuel for a long time and the E S claims to condition the rubber and plastic parts ......who knows !! There`s no doubt that todays fuel ain`t what it used to be so for the sake of your equipment careful management would seem the best policy. cheers

There`s no way that my granberg precision grinder `ruins the chain`, on the contrary, it lets me easily take a technical approach to accurate sharpening, tuning tweaks and gets a very sharp result, but I think it`s still important to learn to use a file and the file guides are a help to a good result, not used the stihl easy sharp yet, but it looks good.

when I was young it was a treat to see one but now they`re everywhere and I`m sure that they and they`re cousins are a major factor in the decline of many other species, there`s much less at the bird table these days. I became very much more aware of the whole murderous process when I used to do roof work and watched fledglings trying to leave the nest from a birds eye point of view.

Hi spud, just to say that in no way was anything I said meant to be contradictory or as criticism, I`ve very much enjoyed following your threads since I came across this forum a few years ago, I find the subjects that come up for conversation by yourself and others particularly helpful and interesting and regard the forum as a whole to be an education in many subjects. Although I`ve used both the honing tools in question for many years my only experience with Nikasil has been whilst working on my own or friends equipment so it`s not for a living and I suppose the great thing is that discussions like this spur you on to investigate subjects more deeply, which of coarse with the internet has never been easier. cheers. and, aye, my silicone carbide mistake was realised after I pressed send but when it`s gone, it`s gone as they say:001_smile:

With hedge cutters, it`s my fingers that feel the most vulnerable... that`s not to say other bits aren`t at risk, but I have to say that I like to be able to cut in both directions which keeps me moving all round and is better for me old back, so I prefer double sided in most cases. cheers

hi , once you`ve got it the way you want it, tung oil is an option for sealing stone, cheers.

Hi again, although I totally agree with every that`s been said, [and that`s how I would do it ] but it`s worth saying for anyone else reading this, that after I posted on the subject I decided to do a bit of research and re-educate myself, so it seems that the bottom line is that, as said, due to the Nikasil finish being porous it`s an absolute NO using any from of carborundum type stone or hone on it as it may embed, diamond hone only, as for papers... aluminium oxide or silicon carbide are ok as they aren`t easily able to damage the Nikasil, cheers, I would give a link to you tube but I`m too inept,

Hi, looks great, I`ve got a similar sized flue through a wooden pitched roof and was fitted as per regs , 50 mm clearance all round. The twin wall as has been said doesn`t usually get overly hot so no worries, but it`s worth considering that when the flue caught fire, the single skin flue pipe off the fire glowed red hot and the outside of the twin wall got extremely hot, shimmering hot, and even although I was on hand to shut the stove down and cool the flue from the outside with a hose the edge of the sterling board in the roof inside the flashing had started to get scorched, all that said, enjoy your stove, cheers.

Yeah, there`s nothing wrong with Sitka if it`s slow grown arctic circle stuff, I had some recently which was very tight grained 1 - 2mm per year, nice to work with and probably worth spending time and money treating with creosote, cheers.

Yep , sorry, larch and pine I really like, it was the endless , sterile, overbearing, daylight robbing, unmanaged sitka plantations where nothing except the midge thrives that were on my mind at two in the morning after a couple of drams, but.... I didn`t think that I`d get away with it. and apologies for the derail, cheers

Hi, glad you got sorted with a manual, just to add, these saws are much discussed on arboristsite if that`s any help, cheers

hi, it first appeared in 1984, which may make it seem old to you.