bilke_user

Burns well, a bit like larch, but doesn't tar up the chimney as much.  Easy to split

Something different for a Sunday.
Customer asked if he could bring a couple of old logs he'd like milled to 75x500 to make a couple of large dining tables.  Don't worry if the boards aren't perfect he said, we're going to resin them anyway.
Made for an interesting couple of hours!

1 minute ago, Spruce Pirate said:

Sounds like the old 365 compared to the 372.

Go try one and tell me the difference between it and the 572, except price and not as revvy.  Certainly no difference in cutting performance.........but that might be down to me being closer to 60 than 50.  

On 05/06/2022 at 19:25, Spruce Pirate said:

Thanks for all the replies.

 

First off, I've already ruled out a 462 from Stihl, it's an OK saw, but it doesn't perform as well as the 572 in my opinion.  I had an extended demo of one a while back and it's good, but it's not a 572.  A bit clunky and the rear handle has a tendency to fall apart.  All you hardwood guys in the south might like them but I still think the Husky is better for softwoods which is what I do most of.

 

I'm well aware that the 500i is 10cc (or almost) bigger in engine capacity than the 572, and that we possibly shouldn't be comparing them.  They do however fall into the same niche when felling, at least up here they seem to, so they're always going to get compared.  Maybe the question should be why Stihl had to build a bigger saw to compete with the Husqvarna?

 

I'm still not sure whether to just go for the 500i as it's there (but might not be for much longer), or hold out until a 572 can be got.  Decisions, decisions.......

If you get a chance, try out the 565..........detuned version of the 572, but as of yet I've not noticed any real world difference between the two.  I'm running both with 20" bars and only bought the 565 as it was available at about £120 cheaper than the 572 and most importantly.....available!

Clearview Stoves have taken the sensible approach and still sell stoves with back boilers.  They use a loophole in the law that allows them to keep producing the stoves with the back boilers.

20 hours ago, Stere said:

Chesnut oak or larch

 

 

 

 

 

and Douglas

Got fed up sending blades away for sharpening and being charged almost as much for the postage as for the sharpening.  Bought the Woodmizer sharpener and a setter and just don't need to think about how many blades I've got for whatever orders are on the books.
Normally it's 3 sharpens to one set, unless the blades been blunted with a deep embedded stone.........then it's sharpened and set

41 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

Well thats very timely for me as the Estate is selling their Avant so Im loaderless now.  

 

I was out looking at a wee Bobcat Skidsteer a 400 series but they wanted £6k for it. I thought it was well over priced but also too wee/narrow to handle long logs, ie 6m. Im now looking for a Telihandler in the £10k range as without a loader Im kinda gubbed. I dont have a huge turnover but Im getting over £4000 of orders to fulfil each time Im home now. With minimal outlays it seems worthwhile investing in a loader. 

Be carefull with tele handlers.  Anything around 10K is usually needing the same again spent on them.  I'm full time on the mill now and there's not one bit of machinery that does it all.  I'd like a tractor with timber trailer and crane but alone it's not worth as much to me as what the skid steer with grapple and forks can do........also it can be towed behind the jeep to take to offsite milling jobs.  The one I've bought lifts big 6m Douglas weighing in at just over 1.2 ton..........anything bigger will need to sit and wait until a friendly timber lorry is passing

45 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

I like it too, unfortunately its not mine.  

I've just invested in a skid steer loader for the mill, should take the pain out of carrying!

43 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

Had a couple of easy half days Milling this Spruce. £20 a cubic foot so ended up as a £1500. 

I do like your tractor setup

15 minutes ago, Johnsond said:

That’s decent going for a  day, it’s always the same with the wind eh 🤷‍♂️. What do you use for the blade lube when doing Larch ??. 

Lidl's finest! W5 apple scented washing up liquid at £49p/bottle.  1/4 bottle in 20litres water.  Keeps the blades and rollers clear of resin.

20 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

Good effort! 
 

How much are you charging a length/bf?

150x22 is £2.50/m

Decent day for milling, apart from the strong wind blowing dust into the eyes

Larch cladding order halfway finished

I used to use a 162SE and a Jonsered 630 and they were much the same except the 630 was dearer to buy but cheaper for spares,  then went onto the 266's when they came out. All the side cases and tops fitted as did the carbs, and sprockets. 

It's a 630.  Good saw back then, most of us bought husky parts for them as they all fitted but were a bit cheaper.

Matt Thompson at Munro Harvesting would be a decent first call, Ewan MacDonald at James Jones  Timber would be another.
Finding Larch that of that specification and volume is difficult, but not impossible and certainly not cheap

I use Showa 490 thermal gloves, think they're about £14 a pair, but last for ages and tick all the boxes you ask.
I use them on the Woodmizer and on the firewood processor. They are perfect for pressing the small buttons (1cm2) on the Woodmizer computer and are warm and waterproof.  They are probably the best all round working glove I've used, and I've used many over many years

And no matter how many times it is reported to Ebay, they are still reluctant to take the listing down

Another vote for Victorinox.  A  complete cook set will cost about as much as a single, much hyped, latest and greatest  chef knife will.  

DF is generally abrasive on bandsaw blades when it's green, such is the difference between the softer sap wood and harder heartwood and knots.  It does even out a bit with age and then becomes easier on the blades but knots still tend to be a lot harder than both heart and sap even if aged
I mill only douglas and oak and find that with oak,  fresh or old, a blade will last a long time, maybe as much as 6hrs. Douglas  will last maybe 2-2.5hrs if it's fresh and about an hr more if a year old.  

Mull & Iona Community trust. Not sure if they bought a mill or got a contractor to mill stuff for them, but certainly they were looking to get stuff milled earlier last year and asked me to quote

I've a 220c-b with a 16" bar and 3 x 300s batteries.  Happy with it.  Mostly used for trimming but ends that don't quite fit on the mill and find I now use it as my go to saw for cutting up any firewood stuff around the yard .   For bigger stuff I've got my trusty 372xp with 24" bar but for stuff sub 16" its bloody great.  Quiet, low vibration and has a 3/8 chain

If Stihl come out with a big electric bugger, >20" ,I'd be happy to buy one.  

For car drivers
 

You must be able to read (with glasses or contact lenses, if necessary) a car number plate made after 1 September 2001 from 20 metres.

You must also meet the minimum eyesight standard for driving by having a visual acuity of at least decimal 0.5 (6/12) measured on the Snellen scale(with glasses or contact lenses, if necessary) using both eyes together or, if you have sight in one eye only, in that eye.

You must also have an adequate field of vision - your optician can tell you about this and do a test.

Lorry and Bus drivers

You must have a visual acuity at least 0.8 (6/7.5) measured on the Snellen scale in your best eye and at least 0.1 (6/60) on the Snellen scale in the other eye.

You can reach this standard using glasses with a corrective power not more than (+) 8 dioptres, or with contact lenses. There’s no specific limit for the corrective power of contact lenses.

You must have an uninterrupted horizontal visual field of at least 160 degrees with an extension of at least 70 degrees left and right and 30 degrees up and down. No defects should be present within a radius of the central 30 degrees.

You must tell DVLA if you’ve got any problem with your eyesight that affects either eye.

You may still be able to renew your lorry or bus licence if you cannot meet these standards but held your licence before 1 January 1997.

Easy way to find out how deep the creosote has penetrated is to cut one about a foot from the end.  Most likely the wood will be Nobles, Larch or Douglas unless you have some Greenheart ones that I wouldn't recommend cutting with the bandsaw..........sparks will fly from the bloody stuff.
I put a couple of old sleepers through the mill using a dull blade, didn't really make it any blunter as the de barker did  the job of flicking the stones out of them before the blade could drag them further in.
We used the half sleepers for quad bike bridges over ditches.  Wouldn't dream of using them inside let alone as a mantle, the constant smell of creosote is maybe an acquired taste, but one that most will not want to aquire.   Green oak can and does work well as a mantle, but will move a little 

Milling stuff for a customer who described the stuff as "a lot of decent oak"  He was wanting 2x6's, 2x7's and 5x5's from it.
One or two decent sticks among what I would normally describe as firewood.
Christmas is coming, so no job is being turned down