this year's firewood project

[chuckwood]

I've got around 6 big blowdowns, four of them blocking the road into my woods. I've started with the biggest and most challenging one first. Things are starting to get dicey now, the trunk is elevated and I'm bucking rounds off the end of it. It seems to still be very well attached to what's left of the stump. At this point, I'm considering hacking on the stump end of the trunk with a pole saw and then pulling it off the stump with my tractor, getting it on the ground before doing any more bucking. I don't want to take chances this trunk could roll if its not as well attached at the splintered up base as I'm assuming.

 

[svk]

Quite a bit of wood in that one!

I'd agree with your observation. Better safe than sorry.

 

[user 122190]

Nice. Love bucking elevated logs. Be up slope, and it looks like you've plenty of space to back away if things move wrong.

 

[NGaMountains]

Nice. Love bucking elevated logs. Be up slope, and it looks like you've plenty of space to back away if things move wrong.

Agreed, so much easier to buck off the end while hanging in the air, vs trying to do it on the ground and keep the chain out of the dirt, roll over once one side is done, etc. If there is an "uphill" side where cutting can still be done safely if it breaks away, I'd take every piece I could get with it still in the air. Not sure from your photo how high it is, though. If it gets to require cutting above chest height or so as you get closer to the break that'd be a different story. Be safe and good luck.

 

[DrewUth]

I think you're fine to keep bucking as you have been. Think of how heavy that log is- if the stump can hold it up, its plenty well attached still. But as others have mentioned, me mindfull of what will happen when the round you are bucking comes free of the log!

 

[chuckwood]

I think you're fine to keep bucking as you have been. Think of how heavy that log is- if the stump can hold it up, its plenty well attached still. But as others have mentioned, me mindfull of what will happen when the round you are bucking comes free of the log!

I'm messing with the log right now. I've got a 50 ton bottle jack that I'm using to raise it a bit, then pulling the support pieces out from under it and lowering it as far as the bottle jack can go. Then repeating the process till I get it as low as I can. At the base, the bottom of the log is around four feet from the ground. At some point I'll chain what's left to the tractor and try pulling it off the stump.

 

[cantoo]

I'm not there but it sounds like using a bottle jack under it might be more dangerous than just cutting it off at the stump and being fairly sure it isn't going anywhere. I think I would throw a decent sized branch under it and cut it off a foot from the stump. Again sitting here behind my keyboard it's pretty easy to say what you should do. Also nothing wrong with putting a heavy tie down strap on it to hold it where you want it.

 

[chuckwood]

I'm not there but it sounds like using a bottle jack under it might be more dangerous than just cutting it off at the stump and being fairly sure it isn't going anywhere. I think I would throw a decent sized branch under it and cut it off a foot from the stump. Again sitting here behind my keyboard it's pretty easy to say what you should do. Also nothing wrong with putting a heavy tie down strap on it to hold it where you want it.

Cutting it off at the stump wasn't much of an option for me, it's just a splintered crazy mess there, with a lot of bent fibers under high tension. As luck would have it, the entire remaining trunk section was completely split in half horizontally. That enabled me to buck off the top half of the thing, lightening the log up considerably. I was careful and nervous during the bottle jacking procedures, trying to stay out of the way if the log moved. But I didn't expect it to, it's pretty solidly attached to the trunk via all the bent over remaining wood that didn't break. I'm not a pro at this, and maybe I'm not as safe as I could be, but it is what it is. I enjoy these challenges of applied physics. Here's what it looked like at the end of the day today.

 

[cantoo]

Looks good now. Still going to be an interesting cut job though. Stay safe and take your time, no need to be in a hurry to get hurt.

 

[svk]

Glad to see it's coming along. You'll have lots of nice pre-made kindling when you get to the hinge.

 

[Marine5068]

What kind of tree is it?

 

[chuckwood]

What kind of tree is it?

oak

 

[chuckwood]

Looks good now. Still going to be an interesting cut job though. Stay safe and take your time, no need to be in a hurry to get hurt.

The worst is over with the bucking process, and now the remaining section of trunk is off the road. I can leave it there for the time being and cut the rest of the trees out of the roadway. Gotta do that if I wanna get the four wheeler access to the woods again. The last thing to do that has a pucker factor is this big rootball attached to an oak tree blowdown. I'm thinking of trying to knock all the dirt off the thing first with a front end loader, if the stuff is loose enough. Another idea to lighten up the ball might be to cut some of the exposed roots off with a junk chain on a junk saw. Otherwise I gotta deal with the possibility of the root ball coming down suddenly when I'm not ready for it. There's a lot of weight on it right now.

 

[farmer steve]

The worst is over with the bucking process, and now the remaining section of trunk is off the road. I can leave it there for the time being and cut the rest of the trees out of the roadway. Gotta do that if I wanna get the four wheeler access to the woods again. The last thing to do that has a pucker factor is this big rootball attached to an oak tree blowdown. I'm thinking of trying to knock all the dirt off the thing first with a front end loader, if the stuff is loose enough. Another idea to lighten up the ball might be to cut some of the exposed roots off with a junk chain on a junk saw. Otherwise I gotta deal with the possibility of the root ball coming down suddenly when I'm not ready for it. There's a lot of weight on it right now.

View attachment 566846

i'd saw that off about 4 feet out from the root ball. i like to try and make a small under cut before i come down from the top to help prevent pinching. a couple of blocks up the trunk will help prevent pinching too.the root should fall back to it's original position. these are dangerous so proceed with caution .my dad taught me to saw downed trees from the bottom up so that the limbs will help hold up the log as you cut. BE CAREFUL Chuck.

 

[cantoo]

I doubt you will be able to get enough weight off the rootball to make any difference, I think I would just cut it expecting that it will flop back down at any second. It might even take the tree back up with it when it doesn't start to go. Small cuts and take your time.

 

[Dieseldash]

Boy that oak snapped like a tooth pick. Think of the force needed for that to snap like that? Usually on those uprooted trees the root ball falls right back in the hole. Make sure nobody is down under the root ball when you're cutting it. They look worse than they really are. Wedges on the top side of the cut to prevent pinching too. Looks like some primo fire wood! Mega btu's