Mother Theresa

It’s a solid Sugi bar, £65 I wish... without other opinions the pictured sprocket will go back on until the chain is kaput.

So I have a part worn chain on it, probably a third of the way through its life so do I swap the sprocket with a new one (with the part-worn chain) or wait for the death of the chain and swap both. It's a 25" chain so not keen just to toss it.

I have one that gets used a couple of times a year only, always starts easily (aspen in the tank) and on a 12" bar is potent enough.

Just a quickie I hope: is this sprocket ... A) Totally knackered B) About to turn C) Got at least another chain in it D) Barely run in? Thanks in advance MT.

I had an issue with a 251, if stored on its side with bar down then no leak, any other way then a gentle weep. Out of warranty so not worth following up for me.

I can’t see how to do a PN on this site.

Here are two thirds of the trunk. This is in Clare so the very south western corner of Suffolk. I can get my pickup within a few feet of it if that helps.

My father has had a large black poplar come down. It’s in south Suffolk. At its widest it is 40” (hand measured, not tape measured). Would anyone be interested in it? I’ve taken the branches but the trunk is just lying on the ground, access is reasonable. There not much black poplar around so I have no idea if it is a wood worth milling. MT

The best advice I got (and I am in the same boat as you - keen amateur with 4.5 acres of ancient woodland) was to begin with only go with one tank of fuel as you make mistakes when you are tired and you shouldn't get too tired with just that. I now go with three saws but no extra fuel for them. I don't earn doing this so when tired I can just go home and come back another day - all limbs intact. Second hand MS 261 is my main saw and it's fab and does 80% of the work.

I use a '64 Matador every week still so older than I am - just. I have to use a cordless drill to start miine though as the kick start cog has worn through but no biggie.

I bought the knock off .325" version having got a genuine one at 3/8"". Whoever made it didn't understand the mechanics of how it worked so although the file fitted in the holes correctly it wasn't set to the correct tooth distance - it might have been right to a non-.325" chain but that wasn't the point. Anyway, straight in the bin and a genuine 4.8mm and 4.2mm ones bought and all is well with the world again.

I used a 4mm file instead of a 4.8mm on one of my chains for a while and it cut beautifully, it just blunted more quickly - no biggie really.

193T 261 441 which is all I have anyway - though I think I could be really good friends with a 500i.

Strewth ,that is much cheaper than I was expecting - even with postage. I’ve got one for my 30”-er too.

So I've bought a couple of Sugihara bars (18 and 25") and very nice they are too but they arrive in a cardboard sleeve and though not a pro I do a lot (OK, some) work for friends and family so they get tossed into the back of the pick-up and generally knocked around. What do you guys use to protect the chain from wheel-barrow rims, other saws, etc when moving them around? There are plenty of 18" scabbards on the bay but 25"+ is just not there. Or do you just wrap them in hessian? MT