RandyMac
Stiff Member
ohferchiristsakes!
Quit standing around ya ain't making anything but shade!
Quit standing around ya ain't making anything but shade!
Falling wedges. What's good, what's not, and why?
- Thread starter KiwiBro
- Start date
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8433jeff
Aftermarket connoisseur
And urine poor shade at that...
Urine luck...
RandyMac
Stiff Member
Steve NW WI
Unwanted Riff Raff.
This thread has caused me to fall off the couch laughing more times than I care to admit to, and I ain't even been drinkin today!
$%^&(^ WOLVES! That's the best I can say. They're back roaming the north woods here, and not by popular demand that's for sure. If ya shoot one, make sure you throw it in some hippy's VW bus in case it's radio tracked. Hippies ain't gonna notice the smell of rotting wolf carcass anyhow. The wolves up north of here have killed more pets and livestock than they're worth.
Good choice Bob, them white oaks are heavy, and much easier to load if you're already on the road.
$%^&(^ WOLVES! That's the best I can say. They're back roaming the north woods here, and not by popular demand that's for sure. If ya shoot one, make sure you throw it in some hippy's VW bus in case it's radio tracked. Hippies ain't gonna notice the smell of rotting wolf carcass anyhow. The wolves up north of here have killed more pets and livestock than they're worth.
On a much different subject, one we fade in and out of.I've got a fairly large white oak (36" - 40") to take down. If it goes one way it will crash over a bank and land in the road. If it goes another it will damage a little dogwood that the owner wants to keep. Yet another way and it will mash an ornamental garden. So it has a very narrow landing zone. Would this be the correct time to use the world famous slopping back cut??? :msp_biggrin:
Just sayin.
You can only use the Infamous Slopping Back Cut if you film the entire process and then vigorously defend your choice of technique. You also have to insult and disagree with anyone who doesn't like what you've done. You're also required to use a saw that runs poorly and a very very dull chain.
No butt crack pictures, though. We do have our limits.
Or...you can post pictures of the white oak, get seventy three conflicting opinions on how you should drop it, and then go ahead with what your gut and experience level tell you. Me, I'd pick dropping it in the road.
Good choice Bob, them white oaks are heavy, and much easier to load if you're already on the road.
Ran across another type of felling device based on spreading jaws and a lead screw.
Not clear if this device fell into wide spread use or not considering its weight.
Extracted the following pages from the source (OSU Library Collection).
The entire document is a very intersting read on logging techniques and equipment used back around 1900 and the pdf file is about 5 Mb.
Not clear if this device fell into wide spread use or not considering its weight.
Extracted the following pages from the source (OSU Library Collection).
The entire document is a very intersting read on logging techniques and equipment used back around 1900 and the pdf file is about 5 Mb.
dave k
Addicted to ArboristSite
Be great to see a pic of one in use as it's hard to get a sense of how big it is, I was looking at my porta power hyd kit the other day and was playing with some ideas about how to use it as a "wedge" that said it's only 4 tons pressure so maybe just little tree's !!
Thanks for posting that up.
Thanks for posting that up.
paccity
Addicted to ArboristSite
bob. i call them sabre tooth mountain weasels around here. singley there not bad, but in groups of five or more watch out.
View attachment 192065
Mastermind
Work Saw Specialist
Dang that's mean looking.
Couple of b/w photographs from turn of the century showing actual use of some tools pnw axe man posted about a mile back in this thread. Photographs showing good detail of wedges are not that common.
Fallers and Equipment
Buckers and Equipment
Source credits: Clark County Historical Collection.
Fallers
Source Credit: Sierra Nevada Logging Museum
Fallers and Equipment
Buckers and Equipment
Source credits: Clark County Historical Collection.
Fallers
Source Credit: Sierra Nevada Logging Museum
Mastermind
Work Saw Specialist
Good stuff. Thanks for posting these.
Like my Dad would say. That's when men were men, and women were glad of it!!!!
Back to wedges . . . once again
Because of this thread I ordered a couple of the 'Hard Head Jr' wedges (is 'WAD' associated with 'CAD'?). These have a 1/4" steel insert in the top 2" or so of the head, but not the full steel striking surface that the regular 'Hard Head' wedges do. The steel insert should help to drive the wedge in and to reduce some mushrooming. I am thinking that this may be more of an advantage when used for falling than for bucking.
Sadly, they are not available in blue unless one special orders many dozens of them. Not sure when I will have an opportunity to use them in order to give a performance report, but here are my 'first impressions' comments:
HEAVY! - it should be obvious that steel weighs more than plastic, but I did not think of it until they arrived. I don't have an exact model without an insert to compare them to but these weighed in at 12.5 ounces (352g) on a postal scale - about 2 to 3 ounces (20 - 33%) more than some other plastic wedges I have of comparable size. 2 ounces should not seem like a lot, but they feel much heavier side by side, even when compared to a larger, heavier wedge! Must be something to do with density? Anyway, this is where the 'Wedge Thread' links up with the 'Suspenders Thread'!
Size - Manufacturer lists these at 7.5", but my tape measure says 8-3/8" X 3"
Lift - most of my plastic wedges are 1" thick at the butt. These are 1-1/4" so they have a bit more lift.
Overall, they appear to be well made of a hard, yellow plastic that is textured on both sides.
Philbert
Because of this thread I ordered a couple of the 'Hard Head Jr' wedges (is 'WAD' associated with 'CAD'?). These have a 1/4" steel insert in the top 2" or so of the head, but not the full steel striking surface that the regular 'Hard Head' wedges do. The steel insert should help to drive the wedge in and to reduce some mushrooming. I am thinking that this may be more of an advantage when used for falling than for bucking.
Sadly, they are not available in blue unless one special orders many dozens of them. Not sure when I will have an opportunity to use them in order to give a performance report, but here are my 'first impressions' comments:
HEAVY! - it should be obvious that steel weighs more than plastic, but I did not think of it until they arrived. I don't have an exact model without an insert to compare them to but these weighed in at 12.5 ounces (352g) on a postal scale - about 2 to 3 ounces (20 - 33%) more than some other plastic wedges I have of comparable size. 2 ounces should not seem like a lot, but they feel much heavier side by side, even when compared to a larger, heavier wedge! Must be something to do with density? Anyway, this is where the 'Wedge Thread' links up with the 'Suspenders Thread'!
Size - Manufacturer lists these at 7.5", but my tape measure says 8-3/8" X 3"
Lift - most of my plastic wedges are 1" thick at the butt. These are 1-1/4" so they have a bit more lift.
Overall, they appear to be well made of a hard, yellow plastic that is textured on both sides.
Philbert
Greystoke
Tarzan
I tried bein hard headed and it never worked for me...Neither did those wedges I tried both types of those and always lost either the steel plate,or the insert, when the wedge still had lots of life in it. I prefer K&H for best driving power in bigger timber, but always had the generic madsens as secondaries. Also always liked the 15" banana wedges.
I tried both types of those and always lost either the steel plate,or the insert, when the wedge still had lots of life in it. I prefer K&H for best driving power in bigger timber, but always had the generic madsens as secondaries. Also always liked the 15" banana wedges.That's interesting to hear about the metal caps and inserts.
I'm game - what's a 'banana wedge'? Sounds appealing.
Philbert
HILLBILLYREDNEC
Addicted to ArboristSite
I decied to do some testing on wedge hardness today falling some trees for fire wood. Compared the 6" wedges of Stihl and the K&H brand. The K&h takes one #### of a amount of pounding with out any deformation, the Stihl takes very little hits before they deform.
I'll be interested to see how the hard heads do. I've been using the k&h and they seem to do good. I might order some madsens brand next order I get from them.
I know there's metal banana wedges that ii've used at work to spread flanges apart. They were curved with the end where you drive is straight for a couple inches.
I know there's metal banana wedges that ii've used at work to spread flanges apart. They were curved with the end where you drive is straight for a couple inches.
What are you hitting them with HBRN?
They talk about the different plastics used also with respect to temperatures. The softer ones are less likely to chip/crack/shatter in sub-freezing weather, so there might be some logic in having 'summer' and 'winter' wedges, depending upon what type of work you do.
I am surprised that we don't see glass-filled wedges which should take more abuse. Maybe that's a case of overkill as the current ones hold up well enough?
Philbert
Working the regular (summer) wedges in cold (5-15 F degree above) they seem more prone to fracturing. And few that blew back out into shins/knee got a hard cussing at.
Maybe the soft ones are blue to remind you they are for cold or more gentle pounding....
Maybe the soft ones are blue to remind you they are for cold or more gentle pounding....
HILLBILLYREDNEC
Addicted to ArboristSite
I was using a 4 pound axe. I hit things like a violated ape, mean and very violently. I am brutal on mauls and sledges 
People can not believe watching me hand split wood with a maul, I go at it like a drugged orangutang, doctor said no more so got to figure a way to make a younger guy do it :msp_thumbup:
People can not believe watching me hand split wood with a maul, I go at it like a drugged orangutang, doctor said no more so got to figure a way to make a younger guy do it :msp_thumbup:
