little_p

I had an infected Ash that came down. It was probably around 18 months before I managed to get around to sawing and splitting it. The stuff closer to the trunk was horrible, brittle stuff to split. Didn't follow the usual 'laws' of how to split wood. It would either just shatter into two or nothing at all. Didn't have complaints about how it burnt but I suppose it was as good as healthy, well seasoned Ash.

Photo of the finished job and double-fenced. Surprising how quickly it is springing back to life already.

Not my work. Although I do tell the hedger that laid it, that I do the hardest bit. And that is write out the cheque at the end of it. Luckily for me, he has a sense of humour!

I could talk to you all about my favourite fight scene, but the first rule is not to talk about it.......

Thanks for the replies. I have narrow bony feet so find that any lace up boots are painful after a short period of time. Decided to buy another set of safety wellies in the end and find that the Sievi ones are narrower than most.

I'm wondering if there any brand of chainsaw wellies which tend to be of a narrower fitting? I'm not fussed if they are labelled 'womens' wellies. I won't be in them all day every day and want something that I can easily take off, so don't particularly want lace up boots. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Neither are really a version of Countryfile. Ffermio is a proper TV programme for proper farmers. As for Cefn Gwlad, I don't even know how to begin to describe Dai Jones, Llanilar......

Some strong ties you are using there. Reminds me of the time, when I was sent to go around the farm to get some Hazel ties. I asked the question what width should I be looking to get. I was told "the size of a dick". To this day I still don't know what is the ideal size of a hedge tie.....

A Ford, a Ford, a Ford, A few pieces of tin, With a smoky ole engine in, A Ford, a Ford, a Ford. The 4000 series Ford tractors were renown for having smoky engines that someone wrote that little rhythm about them.

I've got one chainsaw with a 3/8" 1.3mm Picco chain and bar and another chainsaw with 3/8" 1.6mm chain and bar. Would the chain and bar be interchangeable on the saws without the need to change the sprocket?

That is exactly what it is. It is all about spotting potential accidents and injuries before they happen and ensuring better working behaviours. It used to really piss me off hearing people moan about 'elf and safety, that saw it as some kind of form filling exercise. Those same people were quick enough to be filling in forms when there was a bit of compo on offer. I've been one of those people that was responsible for conducting disciplinaries for those breaking h&s rules (lets have a play fight on the side of a main road and stick in on fb. Look at me, I can drive a bobcat on two wheels etc). And I did so gladly, as I was also the one who had to visit the homes of families of employees who now had less fingers and toes.

Who told you that? And were those the examples that they gave?

I'm wondering what you use in the way of hand and face 'protection'? Do you use leather hedging mitts (if you still get them) or other gloves? And a chainsaw helmet with a screen? I'm thinking particularly about when laying thorn hedges.

Where about's are you?

Love that idea. Sometimes the simplest are the best! I was thinking of having the base as a pallet so that it was portable, lift-able (and maybe tip-able). But also along similar lines as yourself with the cut logs falling into something below to save handling again. I was thinking a dumpy bag below, but not sure how I would have it that the pallet was strong enough to lift on pallet forks but with a hole in it big enough for the logs to fall through.

Anybody built anything like this? I was thinking of making something similar but with the base of a half a pallet (which might save a bit of manual handling after they have been cut).

Also had a Zenoah / Komatsu / Red Max saw. I also struggled to get parts for it, but managed to find some pattern parts for it on Aliexpress or DHGate (Chinese wholesale websites). It might help if you can get a parts list for it and then google each individual part number.

I'm with you. I was struggling to understand the point of them when you could cut with a chainsaw or firewood process them just as easy. I can see that they would be very useful in those situations.

Just as an update I gave the new semi-chisel chain the quickest of test run (on semi-seasoned ash) and was quite impressed with how quickly it cut; from my amateur experience I couldn't really tell any difference to a full chisel chain.

I'm struggling to understand how they work as well. Am I right in thinking that whilst a firewood processor would saw down through a long piece such as a branch, this guillotines through the branch?

I've just order a new chain (3/8" .063) and it arrives and I'm like WTF. It seems that it is a semi-chisel chain (didn't know that there was different types of 'chisels' to chains)! I've read that the full chisel cut bigger and faster, but blunts easier (and are maybe harder to sharpen). The semis are better on damp and soiled wood and are easier to sharpen. But is it true and semi chisels are better for hardwood? I will be almost exclusively working with hardwood (mostly ash, oak and alder). But I will mostly be ringing the hardwood up ready for splitting for firewood. As an alternative, is it possible to run the two different chains on the same bar / sprocket?

Several years ago after I struggled to get parts for my Chinese made trail bike (Loncin) I made the conscious decision not to buy Chinese. I started to research a replacement bike and looked at the Spanish Gas-Gas. The motor was made in China. The Austrian KTM also had Chinese parts. I came to the conclusion that the best that you can do now is buy European ASSEMBLIED stuff. Since then I have bought an Italian assembled Case tractor, a German assembled Ford car, farm machinery from Poland. IW trailer from Wales. But as for consumer electronics, forget it. My Korean Samsung TV and phone all made in China. Same with my American Dell laptop. At the start of Covid a mate of was waiting on parts for his JCB. You can guess where they were coming from. I almost pulled the trigger on buying a Rock Venom log splitter until I found out it was mostly Chinese. But here begs the question; do I buy the infinetly better designed Chinese product or buy something like a traditionally designed product just because it is British. Does it help British companies like Oxdale to innovate if we just buy based on where they are built? I'm not an anti-China zealot. I've been lucky enough to spend some time in China and it is a complete and utter eye-opener. Their entrepreneurial spirit and ability to get stuff on a grand scale is just mind-bogling. They work hard too. I rent a house out close to a good University. The Chinese students are up at the crack of dawn, the very same time that the British students are coming home from the night before. At some point the tide might turn. Some of this manufacturing is going to switch to even lower cost countries; Cambodia, Indonesia and heaven knows where. From what I saw the Chinese do like European stuff, particularly if it brings some kudos. The Chinese freeways were full of Mercedes, BMW, VW and the Union Jack seemed to be 'in fashion' over there. There are some things that they aren't (currently) very good at producing, particularly in the food and drink sector. Lamb, beef, cheese, whiskey all spring to mind.

I have to say that I have never thought of alder as anything other than firewood ? I would love to see pictures of your Alder kitchen and floors if you have them ?

If you have a business account you will likely be charged for paying in a cheque or cash. Bank transfer is by far the easiest if it all goes to plan. I sold a 4x4 once and the buyers anti-fraud kicked in and blocked the transfer (on a Friday afternoon), obviously he wasn't going to be driving it away without the guarantee that the money was in my account. Luckily he was relatively local, so didn't have that far to come again. I like @stihl123 suggestion of a transaction made beforehand so the anti-fraud shouldn't kick in. Possibly that £1 transfer also means that a 'contract' for sale has been made between yourselves. I take it was sold on an online auction website? Prepare yourself for non-paying buyers, messers, tyre-kickers - and occasionally some of the nicest, most genuine people you hope to deal with.

This particular chap was working nights driving a snow plough / gritter on some pretty remote roads. These roads are relatively hazardous in themselves, add in a big rig, slippy road conditions, poor visibility, working at nights and having to drive at a set speed, there was the potential for an accident. With this chap it was thought that even he knew that he needed to phone in if he was stopping, but there was an element of 'fudge you' I'm not going to do it and eventually he was (literally) sent down the road. The point that I was making is that it is great that workers are requesting that employers ensure that they have a safe workplace (as much as they 'reasonably' can), but it is then up the employees to ensure that themselves are following those safe practices. If they aren't, they are for the high-jump.....