Depends on how new or old the wood shark is. I don't like the clutch setup on the new ones. a big lump of plastic surrounds the clutch disk. If you not careful you heat it up too much when it gets plugged up and not oiling right. now it starts to melt the plastic and lock up the clutch drum. My early 2000 model does not have this type of clutch setup and I have cut a many of stumps out with it. The is nothing harder on saws than cutting stumps out in and tic tac toe pattern and popping them out with a sludge hammer. Mine still runs and looks like new, and cuts pretty good also, nothing like my 345, but I only gave 69 bucks new at wally world for my 14"er

Back to the initial question: Just speculating on the age, there appears to be 13 or 14 growth "rings", each represents a new leaf - so depending on how quickly it grows, say 3-4 leaves per year in a decent environment, or 5-6 if growing conditions are perfect, you can guess that the plant is maybe about 3-4 years old from the time the trunk begins to form, I think it takes about 2 years to begin forming a trunk so my guess is this bottle is about 6 years old, +/- 18 months. I acquired a bottle palm in early June, a new spear was just starting to show. I repotted the plant, and despite the transplant shock that new frond is now opening up, it grows about an inch a day, more or less. I water it generously, 4 times a day if I'm home. They like lots of water.

Hi All, I have been reading these flooring issues and feeling your pain. Truly. I have spent HOURS reading about how to get the film off of my dark laminate flooring. So pretty when it's clean but oh so not pretty once anyone walks on it or the dogs leave paw prints when they come in front outside (I have two shih tzu's so we are not talking large dogs here). It was to the point where I wanted no one on the floors after they were cleaned so they would look nice. Ummmm... not very realistic or practical. Trust me when I tell you that I have tried everything, and purchased everything, that worked for others. I will tell you what finally worked for me- FINALLY. I bought some Windex with vinegar in it. I sprayed it on the floor and let it sit for five minutes. You have to do this in small sections so it takes a long time to complete. Once it's been on that section for five minutes you need to get down on your hands and knees and clean it with a soft rag (I used a flour dishtowel) with as much pressure you have in you. Then you need to dry it immediately. It seriously did remove the film. You might have to do this more than once if you have thicker film on your floors from products you have used. I was so nervous to walk on it after about a half hour of doing this, but guess what? No prints! Nothing. It looked just like it did before it was installed and before I used multiple products on it. I have the same flooring in the lower level and tried to take a shortcut, so I sprayed the Windex with vinegar on it, let it sit for five minutes, and mopped it off. I mean- this takes a lot less time and elbow grease. But, it didn't work. Shucks. I still have the lower level floor to do so I will take a before and after picture of it and post it. It worked on my family room floor beautifully. This lower level floors gets a lot more traffic so this should be interesting. However, getting that film off is key. That is what is leaving all of the footprints and dog prints and everything else. I could literally draw on my floors through the film. It was disgusting. Try it- you have nothing to lose but about $3.50 for the bottle of Windex with vinegar and some time and effort. I'm so happy it worked on at least one of the floors!! From now on I plan to clean these floors with a clean fiber cloth mop and the Windex and vinegar spray. This will not leave a film. If I have problems with that (I haven't tried it yet) I will use plain water. No more products on the floors- lesson learned (the hard way!). Patricia

I don't know how hard it is to retrofit a house for a central vacuum, but you might look into it. This and the recirculating hot water pump are two of my favorite things about the house we built in 2000. Newer systems have a Hide-A-Hose feature -- probably harder to retrofit. I am so spoiled! I'm not pushing around an awkward, heavy, noisy, diminishing-suction machine with a short warranty. I don't fill and replace expensive bags frequently or need to hold my breath while dumping a canister after each use. My system cost $1000 upfront -- all tools and installation with four outlets. I needed a new motor ($200) after 16 years. There's just a mild 'swooshing' noise where I'm using it; the motor is in the basement. DH changes the $7 bag 3 - 4 times a year. We have hardwood and orientals that this cleans with suction only. (Heads with beater bars are available for heavy carpets.) The suction is strong enough to capture a fly from six inches away, but I can reduce suction with a twist of a lever to vacuum a bathroom rug without pulling the rug off the floor. I don't know what I might have paid to replace vacuums and buy bags absent this. I'm out $1200 + $400 for bags -- around $80/year, and *total satisfaction* for all of it. I think this should be a plus for anyone buying our house -- certainly for anyone who is already used to the benefits.