Any good ideas on measuring out the length of a round? Mingo, Marking your bar, ect

[Ductape]

I take a black magic marker and mark the bars on my saws. Make a cut, turn the saw sideways , eyeball my next cut and so on. Years ago I also tried the plastic rods that go on the bar stud, but they broke so easily. There are times I've been tempted to try a mingo, but since they don't make a wheel for 20" wood..........

 

[Vibes]

All good ideas I've read here. I envy the guys that can get stacks of logs that lend themselves to measuring, but around here the wood thats around is usually stuff left from the right away gangs and you get what they leave and at the lenght they leave it. So you end up with lots of differant lenghths. I just cut it to fit in the firebox and don't worry about what the stack looks like.

Even the guys that I know that sell wood have been selling it by the backhoe bucket. Stacking and measuring is money out of their pocket. That is unless the customer is paying the premium for a perfect stack.

 

[Jules083]

Like a few others I just measure off the bar. The little saw is 18", big one 20", so I'm in the ballpark at least. When I have my little 14" stihl I just measure the bar and add a bit. My phone is 4", so I imagine my phone hanging off the.end of the bar.

If they are big, meaning over 20" across, I cut them a bit shorter just to make them easier to handle. Maybe 14 or so long. I have 2 woodpiles and split from the center, good long stuff gets tossed to one aide and the short gets tossed to the other. The girlfriend has to deal with stacking, so its not my problem after that.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

 

[VTWoodchuck]

I just eyeball em and end up with pretty consistent lengths +/- an inch or 2. If I know I want to split it then I cut em a little shorter but usually 18" or so. It really doesn't matter since my fire box is 3 feet long. I'm glad I don't need to measure, seems like a PIA.

 

[D&B Mack]

I usually mark out the whole tree with a Spencer tape and log marking paint or a lumber crayon. If I'm free handing firewood rounds they tend to get longer as the day goes on.

I typically use a spencer tap as well. I marked the 16" intervals with a paint marker. I have the Mingo and it is fine when the trees have a thick softer bark. However, I think they are a real PITA on logs with thin hard bark.

 

[Laroo]

I typically use a spencer tap as well. I marked the 16" intervals with a paint marker. I have the Mingo and it is fine when the trees have a thick softer bark. However, I think they are a real PITA on logs with thin hard bark.

Nuther vote for the Spencer log tape, clips on a belt loop and stays there till I'm done for the day. Mark my way to one end of the tree, cut my way back.

 

[El Quachito]

16" stick in my back pocket and I mark with timber marking chalk or my axe. It seems like a PITA but once you make a habit the few minutes spent marking does not matter much at the end of the day.

I would even say that it may save some time too. I can cut as fast as I can move when the rounds are marked whereas I would otherwise be thinking about where to cut.

Don't think, just measure and cut fast.

 

[jerrycmorrow]

i use a tape measure and sidewalk chalk. i cut my logs at 8' in the woods and drag them to my processing area. then measure at 16" intervals before bucking. quick, simple, efficient. plus, i can mark it in different colors, ha.

 

[mga]

probably after you cut a few hundred trees up, you get a sense of the size you want.

which is why i really don't like having people cut my firewood. i tell them 18 to 20 inches and they cut little 12 inch rounds.

when i have a tree down, i start at the base and make slight cuts all the way up to the end eyeballing the sizes, then go back and cut thru.

18 to 20 inches keeps me from getting too anal about the size of the round.

 

[Evanrude]

I mainly use the Mingo. My dad and I have it down pretty good when we're cutting together. I'll drop the tree and start trimming off the brush. He grabs the Mingo and goes up the truck from the base. About the time he's done, I'm ready to cut sticks.

 

[Arbonaut]

You have to find straight wood w/o much branches to have that luxury. Cutting around the branches/knots I'll just do varying lengths. If you got wood that straight, set up some heavy rollers with a stop, kind of a processor where you ultimately make the cut by hand. Do it at the yard instead of dragging around a can of paint or a marking tool.

 

[nixon]

I use an inverted paint marking wand with a 16" piece of all thread on it . Got the idea from someone here . Had the wand already , so why not use it ?

 

[Dalmatian90]

I was using a tape measure + chalk last year.

First tree this year I realized I bucked up on the loooonnnng side. That's OK, my stove can take up to 22".

So I made a mental note to try and cut 16"...just went and measured a few logs from the last batch I cut which I eye-balled and two were 15" and one 15-3/4". Which is perfectly fine for my usage. But I guess I should mark some logs again just to dial in my muscle memory a little better.

I like a mix of 16" and 20", 20" especially for overnight midwinter. 22" are surprisingly noticeably harder to handle when I load them in the stove.

 

[idahohay]

I've used every method at one time or other and very occasionally use a story pole with bands of tape at whatever size I am cutting. I just lay it in front of the log or behind it and line up by eye. A 1x2 about 8' long works.

Another method is a Harbor Freight telescoping magnetic pick up tool. Stick the magnet on your bar and extend out the telescoping part the desired length then mark a log with scoring cuts.

 

[Icehouse]

Your should be getting roof on your new shop instead of checking out AS. Want to borrow my magnet? See you for coffee

 

[darkbyrd]

[video=youtube;qrPyt5STtFw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrPyt5STtFw[/video]

 

[ShaneLogs]

I tend to guess all of my rounds where to make the cuts at. I usually get it really close but sometimes I get a small one.

 

[memory]

How many of you have used the tap and cut? Do you like this method better than others? I would imagine it probably works best on limbed logs but how does it work regular trees?

Although it looks simple enough to build, does anybody have the instructions for this? What do you fill it with(I assume chalk powder) and how do you fill it? What keeps the chalk from coming out when not in use? I might make me one because logs already limbed is all I have been dealing with lately.

 

[Hedgerow]

You have to find straight wood w/o much branches to have that luxury. Cutting around the branches/knots I'll just do varying lengths. If you got wood that straight, set up some heavy rollers with a stop, kind of a processor where you ultimately make the cut by hand. Do it at the yard instead of dragging around a can of paint or a marking tool.

I just use "THE FORCE", Luke...
Generally accurate to within a fly's gonad...
:matrix:

 

[ShaneLogs]

I just use "THE FORCE", Luke...
Generally accurate to within a fly's gonad...
:matrix:

Oh yeah... Works good.