alderman
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Cutting wood
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Little Al
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Bit of a faff to winch the log down could have been cut on the pile + saw wants tuning sounds " Rich,"& chain wants a sharpen He's a lad for his "Toys but if he's is happy keep up the good work Hope hes not trying to make money ? If yes I fear a bit of sorting is required
Little Al
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As a mere mortal who " guestimates his log lenth's by eye what is that Green coloured "Toy" I presume a measuring device but how does it work? Length of GRP rod & small magnet epoxied to it serves as a length calculator if not sure I'm afraid I embrace the KISS principle but what kit I do use I like it to perform properly & to the best it & I can make it, being a fixer rather than a buy a new one has shaped my take to mechanical kit.
I would have tied chokers to several logs and pulled them over all at once. Little Al, I agree with the rod for setting length, I have my two firewood saws set up this way. I do like the device on the hitch to support the log while cutting - as long as the log is not too large. One could get injured lifting it.
I tend to do things on a bigger scale, but I like gadgets and new tools, especially if they work like they are advertised to. I was lucky, to my way of thinking, and grew up in the tree business. A lot of my tools are just super sized versions of aldermans. I've thought of getting one of those spray markers, and since most of what I cut is logs 20" or bigger, it should work well, but the 18" piece of Oak stick I cut several years ago won't get lost.
On the very rare occasion when someone wants me to buck firewood to a certain length, like rarefish, I cut a stick that rides in one hand to guide me on length. But inevitably about 5 minutes into it, I chuck the stick and do it by eye like every other day. If I'm cutting 17", one piece is 18.5" and the next is 16", but they all go in the stove. Especially for small dia. wood like that guy is cutting, it's easy to get close. On large dia. wood where the scale of it can mislead you, I merely lay the bar against the wood, and let the bar tell me where to cut. Long ago I took a file and marked 17" from the end of the bar, and now I don't even need the mark I just know where it is on my current bar.
Using the OP's green spray paint thingy is nifty if you need exact, but it's an extra step that I don't have time or patience for. Same with the mounted device to hold the wood. I find a way to either get the wood I'm cutting on top of a neighboring piece, or cut mostly through and then roll the wood to nip the last bit. Once he's been doing it for many years, I bet the OP's fancy gadgets lay in a dusty corner while he gets work done.
Sorry if this comes off as negative--I don't mean it that way. Like Little Al, I like the KISS method.
I do have a portable winch like this guy that gets used when skidding with a pickup isn't practical.
Nice toys. That dia size logs I just cut them on my buzz saw that has a stop to set the length of piece. I am lucky and have a skid loader with a grapple for handling logs.
alderman
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Just cutting for the exercise and trying out some new gadgets. Time isn't an issue with me as I'm about 5 years ahead on my own supply and sell the odd cord when somebody gets desperate for some wood.
First try with the marker and for what I'm doing it seems to help keeping them at 16".
The saw was indeed running too rich, but I left my screwdriver in the shop. Put a tach on it when I got home and leaned it out some to get the RPMs up to specs.
The log cradle may get some use with the smaller stuff as it puts the wood at a comfortable height.
Certainly not going to make money at this speed but it's something I enjoy doing and gives me a chance to get out in the woodlot now that I'm retired.
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First try with the marker and for what I'm doing it seems to help keeping them at 16".
The saw was indeed running too rich, but I left my screwdriver in the shop. Put a tach on it when I got home and leaned it out some to get the RPMs up to specs.
The log cradle may get some use with the smaller stuff as it puts the wood at a comfortable height.
Certainly not going to make money at this speed but it's something I enjoy doing and gives me a chance to get out in the woodlot now that I'm retired.
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I liked seeing the capstan winch in action. Often had a use for one but was not sure how well they worked.
A friend of mine bought a PCW5000 and was more than pleased , he later picked up the larger drum for it to increase pulling speed https://www.portablewinch.com/ca_en/accessories/spare-parts/pca-1100/ .
The paint thingy is the Mingo Firewood Marker. Seems like a waste of money to me, but I don't have much money to waste, so I use a stick when I need one. I only use the stick on firewood that I sell for bundles. Everything else is eyeballed.
I did once make a PVC pipe marker - that worked all right, didn't cost hardly anything, and was easy to use. https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/tap-and-cut-firewood-marker.259758/
I always try and bring one of my kids along whenever possible, and they are great for marking firewood. Even a 4 year old can do that with a stick and a piece of chalk.
That log holder in the back is awfully handy. I'd never buy one, but there's nothing like cutting wood at a comfortable height like that.
But setting the wood in the back like it's grandma's fine china - no way. Chuck it, buddy! It's firewood! Destined to burn anyway. And if you're worried about your truck, then you don't know what a truck is for.
I did once make a PVC pipe marker - that worked all right, didn't cost hardly anything, and was easy to use. https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/tap-and-cut-firewood-marker.259758/
I always try and bring one of my kids along whenever possible, and they are great for marking firewood. Even a 4 year old can do that with a stick and a piece of chalk.
That log holder in the back is awfully handy. I'd never buy one, but there's nothing like cutting wood at a comfortable height like that.
But setting the wood in the back like it's grandma's fine china - no way. Chuck it, buddy! It's firewood! Destined to burn anyway. And if you're worried about your truck, then you don't know what a truck is for.
alderman
Addicted to ArboristSite
The paint thingy is the Mingo Firewood Marker. Seems like a waste of money to me, but I don't have much money to waste, so I use a stick when I need one. I only use the stick on firewood that I sell for bundles. Everything else is eyeballed.
I did once make a PVC pipe marker - that worked all right, didn't cost hardly anything, and was easy to use. https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/tap-and-cut-firewood-marker.259758/
I always try and bring one of my kids along whenever possible, and they are great for marking firewood. Even a 4 year old can do that with a stick and a piece of chalk.
That log holder in the back is awfully handy. I'd never buy one, but there's nothing like cutting wood at a comfortable height like that.
But setting the wood in the back like it's grandma's fine china - no way. Chuck it, buddy! It's firewood! Destined to burn anyway. And if you're worried about your truck, then you don't know what a truck is for.
Maybe but the Mingo marker is a lot cheaper than making a kid to use to mark firewood. Spend some money as it sure as heck isn’t going with you when you die.
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Nick Kent
ArboristSite Member
Yeah. I mark my bar with sharpie. I use 14” pieces so I buck my logs into 56” lengths.
Little Al
Addicted to ArboristSite
Was in no way having a go just that neighbors SIL was running a saw rich & wasn't convinced it was so after I tuned his saw & fitted him a worn but sharp chain his world of wood cutting was transformed he literally could n't believe it & every time I see him he brings up the subject just a case of a lack of knowledge & being demonstrated what a up together bit of kit will do I guess he thinks I can walk on water **** it"s tough being a super being
Alderman: Thanks for posting the video. Your way ahead of me right there.
We all work different, and a big part of it is trial and error. I have two kinds of unused sharpeners sitting on the shelf, next to a Mingo that I'll never use again. Sometimes you have to try stuff to see if it fits. Bought several things sight unseen after folks here talked about them, or I saw it on YouTube. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it just doesn't fit or seems to make more work. With the Mingo I got orange paint on everything in my chainsaw kit, on the quad, on me... I used it for a month in the woods on larger stuff and it worked good.
Now like the winch you bought, I'm guessing you never used one before. And that's a bit of money to get set up, so good for you to give it a try. Looks like it will be safer, and well worth it, as opposed to cutting in that pile. Probably as much money as the LogRite fetching arch I bought years ago sight unseen, and that was a great buy.
We all work different, and a big part of it is trial and error. I have two kinds of unused sharpeners sitting on the shelf, next to a Mingo that I'll never use again. Sometimes you have to try stuff to see if it fits. Bought several things sight unseen after folks here talked about them, or I saw it on YouTube. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it just doesn't fit or seems to make more work. With the Mingo I got orange paint on everything in my chainsaw kit, on the quad, on me... I used it for a month in the woods on larger stuff and it worked good.
Now like the winch you bought, I'm guessing you never used one before. And that's a bit of money to get set up, so good for you to give it a try. Looks like it will be safer, and well worth it, as opposed to cutting in that pile. Probably as much money as the LogRite fetching arch I bought years ago sight unseen, and that was a great buy.
Big_Al
ArboristSite Guru
I use the mingo on stuff I'm selling, customers usually like everything cut the same length. Once the logs are limbed up the markers are pretty quick & easy. For my stuff I just eyeball it.
Some negative, some positive, it averages out. That's a problem when you have homeowners mixed with pro's, casual ambiance burners mixed with folks that only have wood heat. If some one has tried something and it didn't work as expected, I'd like to know. Some times you just have to put your big boy boots on and wade through the crap, on the other side you may find "something of value".
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