Mik the Miller

Shouldn't be that hard, Oil (your raw material) is currently around $25 a barrel whereas 2 years ago it was almost 3 times that and 5 years ago 4 times .... basically the price has been dropping since 2008 when it was way over $100. Duty is £0.5795 per litre (which should, IMO, not be applicable). Have you a comparison of your prices from 2010 until today ?

Sorry I read that as 3% on 3 cans or more not 5% - my apologies. Genreally though my point was that it is difficult to qualify (in my opinion/circumstance) paying (almost) three times the price of petrol. In my opinion Alkalyte is overpriced here in the UK, not becasue of the retailers (you in this instance Mr GardenKit) but because the distributors are agreesively marking it up. I do agree that if petrol were sold in 5L cans it would be more than it is, hwever you are forced to buy your Alkalyte in this packaging as there is no alternative and you need a licence to hold more than 10L in plastic cans ...

From his previous post 1 x 5L can = 18.98 54 cans = £1024.92 Less 3% for more than 3 cans = £994.18 270 liters @ £3.68/L (£3.07 + vat) = 314.53% more than Tescos finest (£1.17 here) To be fair you would need to add 5liters of 2 stroke (£16) so it's 'give or take a baw hair', three times more expensive. And you can't buy 270 liters of petrol at a petrol station, nor can you store more than 30L at home, (20L in steel and 10L in plastic cans) but you can store up to 275L of 'fuel' at your premises as long as ... " You notify your local Petroleum Enforcement Authority in writing, giving your name and address as the occupier of the storage place or the address where the petrol is stored. "

Well I beg to differ. I noticed my little saws were getting hard to start and eventually I couldn't get my 170 going, then my 240 then the 360 started playing up, the 660 and the 880 were fine however. I put the little one up on the shelf and after some messing about (and the fact the i'd run out of Alkylate) i filled the 240 with std fuel/oil mix - bit of adjustment of the needles (which i'd been twiddling with) she ran fine. The 360 was filled with Tescos finest and she was much better. I pulled the 170 down and used std fuel and into life she sprang. The fuel still burns, I used the last few liters to light a fire and it went satifyingly WOOF! The Aspen was at least 2 years old (nearer 3, maybe older) but the smaller saws didn't like it at all. I'd bought 50 liters (to get the price down) but it does go-off and because the price is so high (3 times that of petrol) and I use so little I find it uneconimic to buy more. But it does go stale ...... granted, a lot slower than petrol.

If the crank is damaged then replacement would be the only answer. I'd be tempted to buy a used one off eBay (there are several for sale) and you'd have a fist full of spares ... Just out of interest - how did the crank get damaged ??

Yeah, that's the one Thanks for the info, i'll have a go removing the oil pump as I think the tubes are still blocked.

A friend bought over an old Husqvarna 61 the other day, sad it looked. First couple of pulls were more fluttery than buttery ... She started but raced. My first Husky. Fully stripped down she was gunge'd up to the nines, full of old oil and sawdust, black and congealed. The clutch is on upside down too (see i'm a Stihl man at heart). Stripped her down and I have to say the layout is pretty easy to work on. With the pot off I could see that the piston ring was oval (accounting for the low compression) and with the clutch off I could see the worm gear had seen better days. Soaked in oil and a bit of petrol she's a lot cleaner now and the oil pump turns. New sprocket and worm gear, new piston ring, a shed full of elbow grease and she's heading in the right direction. The exhaust was a wee bit clogged with over half of the baffleplate holes clogged with sticky soot. I presume the mesh is a spark arrestor ?? Is there any mileage in opening some of the holes out ? I've span the clutch drum but can't see oil appearing on the bar plate ?? I checked that the passage down to the hollow pin and it's clear and if I squib oil into the pump and spin, by hand, it it pushes it back out - any tips gratefully received. Also does anyone know the initial setting for the LA and HA carb screws ??

picture please (I have the same - a great running 020AV with a leaky tank)

Yeah, that accounts for 58p/ltr (+ VAT) .... so why is it £5 a liter (£3.30 if you buy a shed load)... ?

Having re-read my original and seen your reply I should apologise for using the term "profiteering" I wasn't implying that the resellers/distributors are "ripping people off" but it does seem somewhat at odds that in a different country the same product (composition) sells for significantly less than here in the UK ... ref: Alkylate petrol linky 1KR = 90p

I've used Motomix and will continue to do so although I cringe at spending £100 for 20 liters. It is very similar to Aspen (equitable even ?) being an Alkylate fuel that has been mixed with a Biodegradable, fully synthetic, 2 stroke Oil which meets the NMMA TC-W3 spec. What is interesting is that you can buy this in Sweden at the pumps and it's around 10 to 15% more expensive that normal Petrol. Given that the price of petrols raw material has dropped, why hasn't Aspen/Motomix ?? Is £4 a liter sustainable ? Even buying 200 liters + the cost doesn't drop to below £3.30/ltr which is well above the current 99p/ltr (for 95RON) and 115p/ltr (for 102RON sexy Nitro + fuel from Shell). Are you not profiteering here Eddie ?? Shouldn't Aspen be around £2.50 a liter these days ? Yes it's better for the environment and the saw but you are now 500% more expensive...

If you are a VAT registered firm in the UK then as Sweden are in the EU any Swedish VAT registered company should not charge you any VAT (zero rated supply). No forms, no complications, no VAT. If you are not VAT registered in the UK then they must charge you their rate of tax (25%).

That sounds like a palava, I have a couple of additional X-braces (near the power head) which allows me to 'enter' the cut with the mill @ 45 degrees. If you don't put too much force on the handle it rides in flat as glass. The bigger the mill the more difficult it is to handle of course, havin a second person helps (safer too). I like the bracket though, ace )

What are the legal requirements ref storage ?

The main difference between the Small Log Mill (SLM) and the MkIII Mill is that the MkIII has two ends (which clamp the chainsaw bar) and a round bar between the two (for rigidity) whereas the SLM only clamps the saw at one end. The most economic way is to buy a 24" MkIII Alaskan and use it as an SLM. Later on when you get the bigger saw you can get an set of longer bars to accommodate the larger saw. Rob sells the Granberg (USA made) Alaskan bar 'rail kits' and I sell a UK engineered version with any length of rail you like. A ripping chain is a must, do not try to mill with a standard 'cross cut' chain. The teeth/cutters bind in the wood and you will create a lot of strain on the chain and saw + the finished cut will be ragged and rough. If you have a spare/old standard chain for your saw, you can have it reground (sharpened) with a 10 degree, flat, cutting face.

Done. Thanks.

Hi I'll have one of the Woodchuck Dual log movers and the free wedges if the offer is still on. How would you prefer I place the order ? Can you take a debit card payment over the phone ??

I think the point is that using a 36"/660 combo to cut 150 to 230mm (6 to 9") planks from a typical pine is overkill. If you have a smaller saw you could use a 12" to 16" bar very effectively. I have two variants the 1216 and the 1820, both relate to the typical bar sizes it will take. More than 20" and you really need the support that the nose-clamp offers on the Alaskan Mills. It would be an ideal tool if you are quartering, a lot lighter and less cumbersome than a 36" Alaskan. Smaller saw using less fuel, cheaper chains, lower costs all round ? Being smaller and better balanced you can use the ubiquitous 6x2" plank for the first cut and then Mill the log with the larger set-up ? I'm close and am aiming for the SAS.1216.SAM and the SAS.1820.SAM to be less than £50/£55 inc VAT and delivery. The others I haven't 100% finalised yet but as a rough guide if you buy a 24" Alaskan (£199 + Vat from Alaskan UK) and a set of SAS.4850.AMil rails from S+AS Limited @ £75 + Vat, the total delivered cost (for both items) will be less than £275 (+Vat and delivery) and you'll have the two tools. The part numbers = the max bar size in inches. SAS.2836.AMil £55 SAS.4850.AMil £75 SAS.60.AMil £90 SAS.72.AMil £102 SAS.XX.AMil £1.40 per inch SAS.XBar.AMil £14 It depends on numbers, order more the material costs reduces per inch, the amortised shipping cost is less per item etc etc. The above prices are consequently not 'fixed' at the moment. If you PM me i'll get back with a discounted (to Arbtalk members) price. Of course you'll need to post a review

These are good, ideal for small stuff

And of course I can do longer rails too. Longer rails with an additional cross brace and a matching round bar. I can also supply stainless bolts (US thread) and end caps on the profile so you can easily swap rails to your existing nose and thrust bar clamps. I have presumed you would use the Alaskan handle and X-brace which fit in the rails (as per the attached photo). I am also developing a helper handle (not pictured) which will fit on a X brace at the 'nose end' of the rails so someone can guide/help that end along the cut.

I bought one. A 36" Alaskan (from Rob of course) I still need a sit down when I think about the cost Interestingly the 36" bar I have only cuts 705mm (28") - i could take the teeth off the trusty Stihl for a bit more, but it doesn't seem worth it really. The rails supplied (36"/915mm long) will obviously accommodate a lager saw bar, most likely a 42" (?) I did try out a 47" Stihl D bar, but the 36" rails are definitely too short for that. The longer bar does allow the maximum cut length is 870mm (34") so a 42" is probably about right. Trying a smaller bar the Mill becomes a unwieldy, 20" is usable but lugging it about is a bit of a pain, anything less is silly as you are losing the 4" off the nose due to the clamp. A Granberg Small Log Mill is the answer but @ circa £175 delivered that's difficult to justify. The Mills are all imperial of course (being American) so it's taken me a while to find an answer. The profile they use and the bolts etc aren't available here in the UK .... Well they weren't - but now they are

Here's mine ... Welsh slate hearth Brick slips on fireproof plasterboard Elm surround (stuck on with No-Nails) Eco Fan Humidor Temp gauge Sloe Gin and Woofy

Alycidon is not wrong in his post, you need to get the installation signed off and then it's important to keep the flue clean. Burning creosote soaked wood and burning wet wood, especially sap filled soft woods (firs etc) coats the inner-sides of the flue with a flammable tar like substance. To much wet wood creates smoke/carbon particles (soot) which can also block the flue and catch fire with expensive and potentially disastrous results. If the glass in your stove keeps getting coated and you can't see through it - the wood isn't dry enough. I'm not a big fan of these designer stoves to be honest, a cast iron or welded steel (if you must) box with a small door, ash can, baffle and rear exhaust is all you need. I really don't understand why people spend thousands of pounds on a stove when there are manufacturers like Martin Champion and Country Kiln who can provide one for just a few hundred

hahaha - you could always mix in a bit of Castrol-R and pretend your Wayne Gardner ?

This is the exhaust outlet of my 880. Will fitting a second outlet (thereby doubling the area) provide any advantage ? Drill some holes in the inner tubing ??