When do you noodle?

[groundup]

I get a lot of heavy oak rounds and noodle anything that is difficult to lift. Say 2 foot in diameter or larger. Do you think that is too time consuming or should I be using the splitter, which can go vertical?

 

[shutup-n-cut]

I would most likely noodle something that size. Although my splitter also goes vertical sometimes it can still be hard to get them quatered up useing just the splitter.
Myself ; Cut into quaters then split from there. Might take a little longer but to me it makes the job easier.

 

[XSKIER]

If you can lift the round, the splitter is faster and less messy. If not, well then you pretty much have the answer.

 

[Mastermind]

We noodle larger rounds in the woods as we buck them up......I wanna save my back all the heavy lifting I can.

 

[Homelite410]

We noodle larger rounds in the woods as we buck them up......I wanna save my back all the heavy lifting I can.

I agree with Randy, and it sure is fun noodling with a ported 2186 and a 24".

That's just plain fun right there.

 

[Mastermind]

I broke my back several years ago, so I have to be careful. When noodling large rounds I get usually down on one knee. The older I get, the smarter I try to work.

 

[Preston]

I broke my back several years ago, so I have to be careful. When noodling large rounds I get usually down on one knee. The older I get, the smarter I try to work.

That's why I used to logging dog to hook a large round to put on the splitter. I hook a chain on my front end loader for the dogs, hook on either end of the round and set it on the splitter. I will not attempt to lift the heavy stuff again. At one time in my lift I use to walk with 300 lbs. But a back problem and hernia operation, those days are history. I never put on a "strong man" show. Like you say, I work smart. Period.

 

[jrider]

I use a 2x8 to roll big ones up on the splitter - provided there aren't too many big knots. I have found this to be the most time efficient way for me to get them split up.

 

[zogger]

I noodle crotches and larger elm and sweetgum.

Big rounds unless over around 300 lbs I can flop/roll into the tractor tote box and get them home fairly easy, if I can't flop them or roll them they get noodled or split into quarters right there where they are in the woods.

If I am using the trailer and have to lift them, have to get them down to under 100 lbs or so or I don't feel like lifting them up. 50 lbs is more reasonable.

Depends on how my back is doing. Wearing my brace today...

 

[groundup]

Sounds like everyone is in the same boat as me. I just don't want to bust my back just to save a little bit of time.

 

[Mastermind]

Everyone thinks that noodling is hard on the saw........seems like no problem to me.

 

[Homelite410]

Everyone thinks that noodling is hard on the saw........seems like no problem to me.

Its no different than bucking large rounds. 1 to 3 min in the cut at a time. But most time its 30 sec or less!

 

[groundup]

Everyone thinks that noodling is hard on the saw........seems like no problem to me.

Yeah I agree. I usually use my 90cc saws with a 20 or 24" bar and they cut through them pretty efficiently.

 

[Homelite410]

Yeah I agree. I usually use my 90cc saws with a 20 or 24" bar and they cut through them pretty efficiently.

It sure is fun to see the bar cover plug up and the noodles carry over and the saw doesn't even slow down!

 

[Whitespider]

Oak?? I just sort'a hook/jerk/roll 2-ft, even 2½-ft rounds onto the splitter... but my beam is only about a foot or so off the ground.
When they get up around 3-ft I'll halve them... usually noodling about a ¼ way, setting a wedge, and whackin' it hard with the maul... then I roll the splitter right up next to 'em and they flop onto the beam without much effort.
Big rounds... say 40 inches and larger... I quarter... first by halving 'em in the above way, and quartering with the maul... and finish with the splitter as above.

I don't much pick anything "up" until it's been split to stackin' size... and I don't do much of that either. Normally I have one of the family grabbin' the splits as they come off the wedge, and tossin' 'em into the trailer (the 5-year-old loves to help)... that way I can concentrate on feeding the splitter just as fast as I can.

 

[FLHX Storm]

I only noodle the difficult pieces like a crotch or something that is heavily knotted. Usually it's the black birch crotches n knots I have trouble with and occasionally oak. Otherwise for large rounds, I'll use my splitting axe to bring them down to more manageable pieces.

 

[FLHX Storm]

I broke my back several years ago, so I have to be careful. When noodling large rounds I get usually down on one knee. The older I get, the smarter I try to work.

I broke my back in a motorcycle wreck a few years back and now have enough hardware in it to open a small hardware store. While it has slowed me a bit, I still split the rounds with my x27. So sometimes it takes more than a few whacks to crack it, but I get er done. If I do need to noodle a chunk, I'm down on both knees. (getting back up is the hard part since I have little to no feeling in my legs n feet)

 

[Ironworker]

Ever since I started using a ported saw I find myself doing a bit more noodling

 

[Mastermind]

Video Time!!!!!

 

[FLHX Storm]

This is a 4 foot round of oak about 18 to 24 inches across (I forget which) n for poops n giggles I used the x27 on it. Those rounds in the lower right hand corner were my steps to get up high enough to whack the snot out of that round!