Question about cutting trees for firewood.

[Deleted member 83629]

standing or on the ground i cut it.

 

[madhatte]

You can ask for one more thing, which they did, and that is, when something is questionable or doesn't seem quite right, stop cutting and get "the forester" (where's that coffee cup emoticon?) out on the ground. They did, and saved themselves down time and fines and all the unpleasant stuff. In other words, they were good to work with.

'Round here, we call that "professionalism", and it's what keeps an outfit in business. Gotta hold on to the good ones!

As for using wedges: even if you never touch it with the poll of your axe, it's good habit to palm one in there in case the stem sits back on your bar. It's cheap, easy insurance against bad luck, and gives you lots more options operationally. It's not like it takes time or energy to just slap a wedge in there for a second before the tree tips. Plus, if you need it? Already there.

 

[hdp]

wow just because someone is new on this forum ,they don't know what they are doing? ok paul bunyon

 

[Mapcinq]

I only got my first chain saw 3 years ago, and started maintaining my families properties around then. So far, I have not had to cut down a single tree. All the tress I cut up are already down, if they are rotten I just leave em where they are. I dont see my self having to cut down a tree for many years.

 

[greendohn]

A self taught firewood hack had never heard of wedges,,that's me!!
Have not used 'em to drop a tree, cause I hardly ever drop 'em.
They are great for cutting rounds off a log which are elevated and want to pinch your bar as you cut,,I use them for that kinda' stuff.

 

[Metals406]

It's all dangerous work!! You're always inches away from a spinning meat grinder, just waiting to find tissue. Nobody has mentioned the **** storm that awaits the newbie bucking loaded timber or limbs.

It doesn't have to be vertical to mess you up or kill you. Learn about the geometry & physics of loading. The end results are no broken equipment or bones.

The very best thing someone can do, is seek out someone locally to get first hand instruction. Doesn't really matter if it's the old logger down the way, or a GOL course.

And now I'll give you the same advice I give my boys. . . 'Be a time traveler." How do you do that you ask? Easy, be a forward thinker. Think ahead always, be five or ten steps ahead mentally -- it can and will save yer butt.

 

[Hedgerow]

It's all dangerous work!! You're always inches away from a spinning meat grinder, just waiting to find tissue. Nobody has mentioned the **** storm that awaits the newbie bucking loaded timber or limbs.

It doesn't have to be vertical to mess you up or kill you. Learn about the geometry & physics of loading. The end results are no broken equipment or bones.

The very best thing someone can do, is seek out someone locally to get first hand instruction. Doesn't really matter if it's the old logger down the way, or a GOL course.

And now I'll give you the same advice I give my boys. . . 'Be a time traveler." How do you do that you ask? Easy, be a forward thinker. Think ahead always, be five or ten steps ahead mentally -- it can and will save yer butt.

So we can use "The Force"?
Excellent!!

 

[slowp]

wow just because someone is new on this forum ,they don't know what they are doing? ok paul bunyon

When a newbie posts something dangerous, like never using wedges, they don't know what they are doing.
Metals, I've been knocked backwards on my butt when I misjudged a small tree that was down across a road. The saw got knocked up over my head. I had to sit on the log and think a bit afterwards, and got a lot more careful about pondering things before putting the saw to it. After that, if I had to do a death crawl up a cutbank in order to stableize the tree, that's what I did.

Blowdown is like a game of Jenga. You try to remove things and keep it controlled.

 

[Nuzzy]

wow just because someone is new on this forum ,they don't know what they are doing? ok paul bunyon

 

[Gologit]

wow just because someone is new on this forum ,they don't know what they are doing? ok paul bunyon

Sometimes we get new members who's advice is good. Sometimes we don't. In this case the advice was bad.

A lot of people post here and don't have any real experience. They're good at re-phrasing what somebody else said and making it seem like their own hard won knowledge but it soon becomes apparent that they don't know what they're talking about.

Most of us have heard that "I've been cutting wood for a zillion years and I know what I'm talking about" speech too many times. Bad advice is dangerous advice in this business. We won't put up with it.

 

[svk]

Sometimes we get new members who's advice is good. Sometimes we don't. In this case the advice was bad.

A lot of people post here and don't have any real experience. They're good at re-phrasing what somebody else said and making it seem like their own hard won knowledge but it soon becomes apparent that they don't know what they're talking about.

Most of us have heard that "I've been cutting wood for a zillion years and I know what I'm talking about" speech too many times. Bad advice is dangerous advice in this business. We won't put up with it.

Right on!

Just because some one has experience running a saw doesn't mean anything. If someone cuts 15 cords of pulpwood from a pile each year they get lots of trigger time but not much real world experience compared to someone who drops trees in a skilled manner on an ongoing basis.

 

[Deleted member 83629]

I should use wedges but I use a rope under tension or I just cut heavy leaners the direction they are leaning it isn't safe or do I recommend it, but I have not lost my head yet lol

 

[muddstopper]

I have cut wood for a Zillion years, and I dont carry a wedge in my back pocket. Doesnt mean I dont have one or two in the truck and i aint afraid to walk back and get one when I need it. Cutting blowdowns I seldom have need for a wedge. Trees are either already down or leaning way over and are only going to fall one way no matter how many wedges you use. Biggest danger I see with blowdowns are limbs under pressure. I will start at the top and work my way toward the butt end of the log if I can. If there is one big limb on the bottom side of the tree holding the tree up, I save trimming it for last. Pinching and hangups while bucking can be advoided by simple careful observation of what the log will do once cut. If log is hanging in the air, then you know the end is going to fall down. Undercut the log to start and then finish the cut from the top. If the log is suspended on each end, then you know the middle where your cutting is going to go down. Start your cut on the top and finish by undercutting from the bottom up. I have started from the top and cut down to bottom thru one side and then watching the log for movement cut across the topside and finish the cut by coming up from the bottom. And sometimes I screw up and stick the bar, but this is rare and why I keep two saws with me when I'm cutting wood. Wedges are great for falling trees where you want them to go, but looking at the lean of the tree and making proper wedge cuts and back cuts will put every thing but the most stubborn tree on the ground where you intended for it to fall.

 

[slowp]

I have cut wood for a Zillion years, and I dont carry a wedge in my back pocket. Doesnt mean I dont have one or two in the truck and i aint afraid to walk back and get one when I need it. Cutting blowdowns I seldom have need for a wedge. Trees are either already down or leaning way over and are only going to fall one way no matter how many wedges you use. Biggest danger I see with blowdowns are limbs under pressure. I will start at the top and work my way toward the butt end of the log if I can. If there is one big limb on the bottom side of the tree holding the tree up, I save trimming it for last. Pinching and hangups while bucking can be advoided by simple careful observation of what the log will do once cut. If log is hanging in the air, then you know the end is going to fall down. Undercut the log to start and then finish the cut from the top. If the log is suspended on each end, then you know the middle where your cutting is going to go down. Start your cut on the top and finish by undercutting from the bottom up. I have started from the top and cut down to bottom thru one side and then watching the log for movement cut across the topside and finish the cut by coming up from the bottom. And sometimes I screw up and stick the bar, but this is rare and why I keep two saws with me when I'm cutting wood. Wedges are great for falling trees where you want them to go, but looking at the lean of the tree and making proper wedge cuts and back cuts will put every thing but the most stubborn tree on the ground where you intended for it to fall.

So, you've never cut one with two binds? Or where you wanted to be sure to pop the chunk up, which you can by using a wedge? A wedge is a piece of equipment that I don't go out without.

There is no biggest danger from what I've seen. There are lots of dangers--blowdowns barberchair, stand back up, rootwads and chunks will roll downhill, springpoles, etc.
An old logger told me that bucking is actually as hazardous or more hazardous than falling . Blowdown can be extreme because you didn't put the tree in a good lay, nature threw it down. When a tree hits the ground so hard it lies in a big dent, would you use a wedge on that first cut? Do you know the cut that will slow things down?
There's a few more tricks out there than 3 ways of bucking. I'm still learning. When we stop learning, we are dead or should be.

 

[muddstopper]

Heres some good viewing to help everybody that intends to use a chainsaw.

I never said I dont use a wedge, I just dont carry one in my pocket. Not ever situation requires wedges. Knowing when you need to use a wedge and when your in over your head doesnt have to come from the school of hard knocks or trial by error. All I am saying is be observant, size up the situation, before you crank up the chainsaw.

I also agree with your old logger. A down tree can still contain tons of stored energy. Limbs holding it off the ground, laying across another tree, spanning a ditch or gulley, twisted by falling between other trees. There is more to bucking a tree than just cutting the log to length. Eliminateing the sources of stored energy before bucking is all part of the bucking process. This might mean limbing the entire tree before making the first buck. It might mean cutting the second or third log out of the tree before cutting off the first log length. It might mean starting at the tip and working your way toward the butt. Every situation is different, and you must take the time to look the situation over before you make that first cut.

 

[vanhalenps4]

The original poster is probably a professional by now but for anyone in a similar situation who's reading this looking for advice.

I'm not sure where the OP is from, but the easiest source of good firewood around here in PA is locust trees that are sitting on the forest floor, sometimes for years and years.. No bark on them, some light moss and they look like junk but you cut into them and there is no rot at all. You will carry out heavy high btu wood without felling anything. Most of them still have roots sticking out, hard as a rock. You can burn those too. Its amazing how long the wood lasts. That's the first thing I look for when working on any other trees. 2nd uproots and blow downs. Then there are the ash trees. if there's any damage to the bark, or piles of bark on the ground around it, the tree is most likely full of ash borer beetles and will die soon. Cut these trees out before they are junk next year... Then there are cherry trees that rot at the base. If you can pull the bark off easily at any place, or the center is hollow you can cut these down, as they're living on borrowed time as it is. better to direct where they fall.

The best strategy is to go out in the late fall or winter where you can see the entire tree. Look for damage or disease at the tops and mark the trees that you want to cut.. It's very difficult to do a full inspection from the ground when everything has leaves on it blocking the view. Dead trees can appear alive because of the leaves around them. Another thing, if a tree has a lot of small branches at spots around the trunk, but the branches at the top are bare of leaves, cut it down.
Get a good pair of binoculars to inspect the tops of the trees.

It's also a good time to go through and cut vines that are pulling your trees over, blocking light, adding weight to the trees, and making future hangups.. Avoid it now. Cut the vines at the bottom but don't pull them out. It will break branches. They will fall out later once they're dried out and weathered.