Bob The Dog

i use the roundup biactive 450. Doesn't appear to do much for a week to ten days, but then it does gradually show signs of working well. It's systemic, so as I understand, this means it gets into the roots and kills the plant from there. It's been excellent on my ground elder, bindweed, and a few of Mrs Bob's nice plants! Clearly, you can mix it as strong or weak as you wish, depending on what you are trying to achieve. Best advice I've had that works - strim the weeds first, and then use the weedkiller once the new growth starts. This way, the new growth absorbs the solution much better, and it works it's way in quicker and more effectively.

You'll probably have the same type of caps that I have on the ms200t which turn, lock and then snap down. The oil filler cap on my Stihl can be awkward, and I do have to make sure it's closed properly. The saw does also leak a little from underneath too. Just one of those things I reckon. Probably the only way to overcome this is to empty the saw of oil once finished. Not so bad when using occasionally, but a PITA if using every day. Generally, I would say your oil consumption is about right - or at least it's very similar to mine! A 5 litre tub will last for ages if just the occasional use, and so much cheaper to buy that way than in 1 litre containers. I generally pay about £16 for a 5 litre Oregon saw oil. Re the 16" being slow going comment - this saw only has a small engine (30 ish cc's), and so if you try and use the entire length, or a good part of the bar, then the saw just won't have enough power to pull it through, making it cut slowly and strain the engine. I'd stick with 14" at the very max, and if you need to cut bigger stuff, either cut from both sides or buy a bigger saw (like a Husky of some sort!!!:😀)

Hand sharpening is an art, and some people just can't do it very well. I use the Stihl sharpening kits which include a round file in a guide, flat file for the depth gauges and a depth gauge / groove cleaner. There are plenty of good vids on YouTube to assist with this. A cs30 (or whatever the module is now) will teach you maintenance, but that's gonna be expensive if all you're doing is cutting firewood. You will get some safety instruction too tho, so worth considering. Make sure your wood is clean prior to cutting as this will prolong the chain life. Small amounts of mud and stone will dull the chain in no time. I use Oregon chains and Oregon super saw oil and like both, tho there seems to be a big following of Rye oil on here at the mo. If you have an engineers vice, you can hold the chain by the drive links to sharpen it off the saw (I use the soft jaws too, so as not to cause any damage). As for Archer chains - I currently have one on a pole pruner, as it was cheap and wanted to see what it was like. It jumps about loads and doesn't stay sharp for long, so back to Oregon I think. I don't think they're any more likely to break than others tho. As far as reputable places to buy goes - I try to support my local dealer as much as possible, even tho he's a little more expensive. I also use http://www.chainsdirect.co.uk as they have an easy to use chain selector, and will post out the same day.

Speak with a guy called Andy Willoughby. He does oil and gas - not sure about solid fuel, but if he can't, he'll know a man who can. He's based in North Herefordshire and is a bloody great bloke on Agas. He fitted mine a few years ago. Had him out at Xmas for an emergency call out and service. He travels all over the UK and is very reasonably priced. A. Willoughby

I've not tried it, but I'd have thought a file that size on a .325 would've eaten into the working corner, and the larger radius would not leave the chain quite so sharp?

Definitely electric cables - and no doubt live too! I'm surprised they're not arcing being that close together!

Celox and CAT's are great for the kind of injuries that may come about in this line of work. The haemostatic gauze is apparently better than the powder, probably both for application and clean up at hospital. CAT's have saved many lives around the world, but they must be applied correctly to be of any use. Direct and indirect pressure is very handy at stopping major bleeds too. Chest seals are handy should the chest cavity be punctured, although anything clean to seal the hole and taped securely will assist with preventing the ingress of air. I always carry an Israeli dressing amongst other bits and pieces as above. The point of first aid is to keep the casualty alive until professional help arrives, and so very often its best to keep it simple. Stop the catastrophic bleeds first and then take care of airways and breathing afterwards. i think regular training is essential, as this skill can diminish very quickly.

I've got both 5.2 and 5.5mm files for the 3/8 chisel chain. I tend to only use the 5.2mm and it sharpens them up very nicely. Doesn't seem to go blunt quickly either. I've got stihl files and they seem ok to me.

Padman - the CS100 shims are for when the blades have been ground a few times and their overall width reduces to 48mm (i believe that's the correct width). As I discovered, once the blades are narrower than that, the edge of the blade doesn't make proper contact with the timber being fed in, and instead, the top of the blade catches first, and doesn't cut very well at all, so the shims lift the blade to counter that. Re the tool kit - mine was a used machine from global and didn't have any tools / shims etc. No big problem - a 3/8 T40 drive from Halfords prof range wasn't much money, the shims are a couple of quid each, and a feeler gauge is probably already in your tool kit! I've never used the M300, and not sure on price, but from what I see in the vids, I reckon the CS100 is the better machine? With new blades, it'll chew through 4" timber with no probs.

Got a family of house martins in the eaves. There are some young in the nest at the mo - pretty noisy and poop quite a lot over the side of the nest, over the bathroom window! Seen a very busy Bullfinch in the garden looking for food. Had a nest of blue tits very low down in a honeysuckle last year. Don't think any of the chicks survived unfortunately. And plenty of bats, hopefully using the boxes I made for them a couple of years ago.

Heating and the aga is off now. Can't stand the house being too warm. Came home this evening to find the wood burner going. Wouldn't have lit it myself, but the boss was feeling cold so decided to waste some of my winter logs! She's good at that - reckon I'll have to give her a demo on the splitting axe at some point!

I have a pick up with an aluminium mountain top cover. Although the tailgate itself doesn't lock, the mountain top does, and prevents the tailgate opening, keeping everything inside out of view and secure. Only trouble with a lot of pick ups is they're not completely waterproof, so given a heavy downpour, it can collect a bit of water on the rear. Of course, a van is secure and water tight. Pros and cons to both I suppose.

I spoke with a mate recently who is a first aid trainer, and loves the haemostatic options. A good compression bandage, such an an Israeli bandage or first field dressings will do well if applied with good pressure. The gauze is preferred over the powder, presumably easier to remove and doesn't get in your eyes on a windy day! Any of the brands would do. Celox, Hemcon, Quikclot.......whichever is cheapest.

It's a bit like Les Dawson playing the piano - it's not quite right, but you get it all the same! Keeps a smile on my face!

I have some ash in my log store with the same markings as that in pic 1. Not sure how or why those marks appear. Still burns well!

Perhaps they'll just clear the area around the cables and leave the rest for some sympathetic pruning? I saw some lads a while ago who do utility contracts at work. They were good for clearance and take down work, but I do wonder how much damage they'd do to a tree like this cherry.

I hoped it would be. Thanks for your reply. I told the customer I wasn't going near it and he was more than happy with that.

I went to look at a job today. Most of it straightforward with a bit of climbing etc. the customer then showed me a lovely mature cherry in his garden which he wants thinning / reducing somewhat. Only problem is that the top of the tree grows approx 5 feet above and through the mains power cables. I'm not qualified to work around electric, and haven't had any experience of this before. I've pointed him in the direction of the utility company, in the hope they'll take some action as the cables pass over his land and feed other properties. Just wondering whether they will actually sort this work out, and whether it is done at their expense or whether my customer will have to pay for it? Thanks guys.

Something from the mahogany family perhaps? Utile, sapele? Possibly iroko? I'd have though that most joiners would've known those though!

Baches Bargains in Bodenham would be worth a call. 01568 717319. It's only a 10 - 15 minute drive from Hereford.

Yeah - from the same tree!