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Please get some sort of leg protection, particularly if you've never had any training in chainsaw use. Thick jeans were mentioned above but they will offer no leg protection other than keeping you warm and stopping your legs getting dirty! The cheapest option is usually chaps. Upper body...

If this is for regular sharpening of turning tools then it's a bad idea. You need to sharpen regularly and often part way through a turning. If you're part way through a turning project with something mounted on the lathe you will have to remove it before you can sharpen. You'll soon get...

They're all carving gouges. You regularly get carving gouges and standard wood chisels, even screw drivers sometimes (!) sold as turning tools on ebay.

Whilst the Exocet may work well (I've never tried it) I've always been put off by the complex cutting part. If it ever needs replacing it's liely to be expensive because it doesn't look straightforward to manufacture. I have the Munro hollower and the cutters are fairly basic HSS or carbide cups...

We have one at work. It's ok and does what we need it too but a couple of issues for us: there isn't much room in the enclosed back - I think you can get a couple of brushcutters in and that's about it, mainly an issue with the length of the back. We had to trim the handles of the grass rakes we...

Yes, that's the point of having different profiles. If they all behaved the same then we'd all be using pretty much the same profiles. The trickiest areas are usually the transition between the steep walls and base which most beginners automatically seem to go far (feeling that they need to...

We use a 660 with a 30" bar. It performs well but it would be good to have more power for the wider boards. And yes, the saw is useful sometimes when not planking as well. Our oiler is set to max and it would be good to have a higher flow. I think there was a version specifically for milling...

If the tennon is good enough to turn the rim enough to fit onto cole jaws then it should be good enough to turn a dovetail recess in the centre, and that saves bothering with cole jaws. It can get a bit tricky with certain deep bowls which make it hard to operate the chuck key, but if the chuck...

Mount on faceplate, turn the outside with a dovetail. Make it a bit bigger than normal to allow for a bit of warping. Mount in the chuck and turn the inside, leaving to approx 10% of diameter. Take of lathe and leave to dry Mount in chuck. The dovetail will have warped but you should be able to...

I'd say Oak as well. From the bark and grain. Definitely not yew, cherry, chestnut (no scales on the bark)

The problem with wood that's been dried for firewood is that no care has been taken to make sure it doesn't split during drying. Then it's split into sizes which are convenient for fires and stoves, which limits the suitability for turning. You might find some which is suitable but you're likely...

It's what we've always used. I was discussing making them with the bloke who checks our boxes and that's what he has always used as well. He's a member of the British Trust for Ornithology so would trust his judgement. You could make them from untreated timber but they'd only last a few years...

For bird boxes at work (at a Wildlife Trust) we use regular treated fencing boards.

Looks like you've worked it out!

It would appear as though your blog autamatically resizes images. All you need to do is then create a link to the blog photo, such as

Forgot to say - if it's the electric Lidl saw then I have one and it's performed well for 2 or maybe 3 years. Not the best made saw but it does the job when I don't want to disturb my neighbours or don't want to transport one of the larger petrol saws. As long as you know its limitations...

Lidl usually have a good warranty - does your friend have the receipt? If the piece has broken after only one tree I'd say that it isn't for for purpose and you're entitled to a refund or replacement (unlikely as they usually only have limited stock). Is it worth paying £15 for something that...

Also consider a Wivamac (available from Toolpost). I upgraded from a Nova DVR and it's a much, much better machine, although obviously more expensive. No idea how often they come up second hand or what they go for.

I don't have any photos, but I made a diy oiler from an old drink bottle and plastic tap designed for garden water butts. It dripped oil directly onto the chain at the tip and seemed to work quite well. Useful on wide oak planks. Once you've taken a plank consider running your saw without a load...

Agreed - that was awfully slow. Ripping needs a powerful saw and a sharp chain (possibly several). We usually take 4 with us and swap during the day rather than sharpening in the wood - buy spares from http://www.northernarbsupplies.co.uk/58 ... hain-loops as they're around 1/3 the price of...