TuscanPhil

Good stuff - keep them coming! I started my own thread about 2 years ago now - I'm using a 42 year old Homelite 84cc saw and a chillaskan mill. I have a 36" bar and lo-pro (or is it skip) chain for it but all my milling so far has been with the 30" or 18" bars and semi chisel chains (ground to 10 deg). I'm learning as I go (only home / hobby use) but the best thing I did was read the milling forum from start to finish (not every thread) to learn from others. I've cut English and American Oak, Sitka Spruce, Douglas Fir, Silver Birch and I have some Ash coming up and hope to do some Cherry as well at some point soon - oh yes, and a dirty great big (to me) Poplar that I bought the 36" bar for.

Neil, definitely consider a small electric splitter - I split and stack 15-20m3 per year - I have a biomass boiler so need seasoned timber logs for that. more info on this thread but do consider the Handy range, though I'm pretty sure they are all made in the same Chinese factory. I bought mine as an ex-display model through Handy's eBay outlet - mowermarket on eBay WWW.EBAY.CO.UK Follow mowermarket on eBay. Buying, Selling, Collecting on eBay has never been more exciting! and have now owned it since Feb 2020 - using it every few weeks for a morning or day's work at a time.

Won't the new house owner want a heating system? Why are you not leaving it in situ? I also have a biomass CH and DHW system and it wouldn't even cross my mind to take it out when we sell where we are living.

More info here:

Good question - deserves a good answer - but - I haven't got one!! It's not something I'd really considered, so I have not idea what it 'could' be used for or how to make it long lasting, but it seemed to be a waste to ring it up and split it for firewood, which is all else I'd have done with it.

Having promised (maybe) an update on 27th March, it turned out to be Mothering Sunday so I was otherwise occupied. I can't believe it is now pretty much 3 weeks on, but here I am with an update. The first 'stick' of Sitka Spruce is now milled to about 2" slabs. Not sure what they'll end up being used for, probably garden tables or benches sort of thing maybe... One of my neighbours popped round to have a look (I invited him) and he came with his early teens daughter who asked - would I be able to do that... so maybe there is a young miller in the neighbourhood... Any way, pictures paint a thousand words, so here they are:

And also a first cut of my Sitka Spruce (been felled for about 5 years also!!). Whilst it is a wider board, it was a lot slower to mill than the oak, but, I hadn't tickled the chain after the oak and I might have dulled it a bit on the small bits of metal and 'dirty' bark etc. Hopefully a bit more time tomorrow to mill some boards of the Sitka - gonna have to fit my new 36" bar and skip chain for its first use... watch this space...

Having been busy with house DIY, I've not had much opportunity to get out and go milling recently, but with a break from fitting skirting and architrave, I re-attacked an old American Oak that was 'half milled' Jan last year. 2 boards off at the moment, a brief stop for lunch and probably only 1 good board left to go. Managed to find a bit of metal in 2 places - must be at least 10 foot up the trunk, one seems to be solid (nail?) and one is definitely braid - never mind, these tings happen!! It's a 24" steel rule for scale, possibly down to 11" for the narrow bit. I've had a winch fitted for a while but never used it. I put some rope in it after the 1st board and WOW, what a difference it makes to how easy it is! Wish I'd not waited and done it sooner, I didn't realise how much of a difference it would be.

Two good ol’ rednecks boys are sitting in a trailer park supping some cold beers. After a while one says to the other “If I was to sneak over to your trailer on Saturday night when your out hunting and made love to your wife, and she got pregnant and she had a baby, would that make us kin?” The other guy crooked his head sideways for a minute, scratched his head and squinted his eyes thinking real hard about the question. Finally he says “Well I don’t know about kin, but it would make us even”

Having just registered today as a self-supplier (in receipt of the RHI), I did note this bit: Step 1: The woodfuel producers apply to the scheme and send us a sample to be tested. I was wondering if they were going to ask me to send in a log........ Can I put it through my biomass drying system I call my biomass boiler first and just send them some ash??

I've cut my post down to the relevant bit - ok, so it wasn't the very last minute, but I've bitten the bullet and have now registered as it seems I have no other option if I want to keep receiving the RHI payments I'm currently getting. Just waiting for Woodsure to email me my 'quality manual' as a self-supplier - so I know the wood I'm supplying to myself is of high enough quality.......

I had a chinese Longli branded 4 ton splitter very similar to what you linked - bought second hand from a neighbour but I doubt it had seen much use prior to me buying it. Managed to get about 10 years out of it (6 years easy use and 4 years hard use) before bits of it started breaking (return springs on the handles). Got rid of it and bought a Handy 6 ton splitter of the same horizontal variety - can't really tell much difference to be honest but it probably does split more than the 4 ton did. I've a similar use scenario to you - my own woodland for personal use - about 15-20M3 a year. If I was going to get anything else, it would likely be an Oxdale SE400 but this is quite step up in price. I did hire one in with an operator (only way to get it) and he struggled with some knotty Sitka Spruce that I wanted to try it on. It managed to get through it but he had to rev the engine a bit harder to get more hydraulic flow.

Cheers - does pitch pine have quite a strong fragrant smell? Even though it must be at least 70-75 years old, it still smells really strong when cut. It's not an unpleasant smell, but certainly nothing like cutting a new piece of stud walling 2x4 etc.