Any Suggestions for Home Made Felling Wedges

[Tzed250]

I posted this in the firewood not sure what the Etiquette is but here you go

When done soak in bar and chain oil for a minute or 2 don't let them dry out

keep them oil and slick

You might want to check the slack on that chain...




.

 

[Lakeside53]

These are REAL wedges

about 18lb each... 4340 (I think) steel....

I have a few

 

[stihl sawing]

Them are some heavy wedges, Would it be safe to hit them with a sledgehammer though.

 

[NDtreehugger]

Yup it's a workout

for the chain when cutting wedges from ash


:agree2:

 

[Lakeside53]

yep.. they are still annealed, and tough stuff. They are saw off-cuts from a big slab.

I probably won't use them as tree wedges though - way too expensive... Of couse.. knowing where they are will make it tempting..

 

[stihl sawing]

yep.. they are still annealed, and tough stuff. They are saw off-cuts from a big slab.

I probably won't use them as tree wedges though - way too expensive... Of couse.. knowing where they are will make it tempting..

LOL, I would be scared to put one of them in a big round to hold the cut open. It might fall down after the round opened up and The pure weight of it might cut the chain into. I can see where they might make good splitting wedges if they don't shatter when you hit em.

 

[HolmenTree]

Anybody having the steel caps breaking off their Hardhead wedges? I have lost 4 this summer already, only using a 3 1/2 lb axe, hitting them square and not too hard. I think there should be a recall on these wedges. Reinforce them a little better. I am sure Baileys sells lots of them. Performance wise they are the best driving wedge I've ever used.

 

[Tzed250]

LOL, I would be scared to put one of them in a big round to hold the cut open. It might fall down after the round opened up and The pure weight of it might cut the chain into. I can see where they might make good splitting wedges if they don't shatter when you hit em.

The last thing annealed 4340 is going to do is shatter...mean stuff it is...

 

[Lakeside53]

I also have some 17-4ph and 15-5ph in annealed state... but it would be sacrilege ($$$) to use that for wedges:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Tzed250]

I also have some 17-4ph and 15-5ph in annealed state... but it would be sacrilege ($$$) to use that for wedges:hmm3grin2orange:

Isn't a turbine blade a kind of wedge???....

 

[Lakeside53]

hmmm... Good point.... Could make a whole set of wedges from one 777 blade, and there are a zillion in each motor:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[windthrown]

Hummm. I felled 16 or so trees today. I was falling a 20" or so DBH Monterey pine and drove a wedge all the way into the cut and it would not budge. Hung up on another tree limb. So I went to the previous pine stump and cut a wedge out of that, and drove it in. Fat one, and it held really well, green pine no less. In went the wedge, and over the tree went. No Kubota to tip tree over with down here, so I had to improvise. But pine into pine worked pretty well. Suprised me, but it worked. I would have used madrone to make the next wedge if it had failed.

 

[pgg]

don't hit steel wedges with steel hammers/axes!! use a proper wooden maul with steel wedges. Steel wedges are for splitting wood not dropping trees, plastic wedges are a dime a dozen and use a proper nylon-head wedge hammer. With plastic wedges you'll always end up clipping them with the chain sooner or later.. but greenhorns destroy their wedges like they're goin' out of fashion lol...

 

[SawTroll]

.......
You can put a new edge on or re-shape plastic wedges with a horseshoer's
rasp. The rasp leaves a rough finish on the wedge that a lot of people like.

Excellent post, I use a rasp as well, it works great. ......

So do I, but not sure it is a horseshoers one........:biggrinbounce2:

 

[Mike Van]

Beech is a good tough wood to make wedges or mallet heads out of, if you have it.