Best method for bucking 8-cord logpile?

[roahboah]

Hey, folks. Thanks for the good info last season re: sharpeners and stuff. It's appreciated!
I've searched pretty thoroughly before asking this, and didn't find anything - so please accept my apologies if it's already been covered.
I got a nice pile for year-after-next's firewood, and I'm bucking a bunch of it this weekend. This is the first time I'm bucking logs in a big pile like this - I've felled my own stuff thus far and have never had to deal with such a HUGE pile of wood (relatively speaking). I'd like to hear your thoughts on the best way to do this. Do you climb up on top of the pile and start bucking from the top, or cant hook a couple-three logs out and buck them? I'm conscious of the dangers that are hiding here with the possibility of these 20' logs rolling down toward me, etc. Anyway, thanks for any info/opinions/thoughts you might have.

roah

 

[ericjeeper]

Piles are dangerous

I would knock them down to safe heights.. Be it with a loader on a tractor,. or hook a chain to one and pull it out with a truck.. something to get it down to below waist height.

 

[ben14826]

You have a few options here depending on what tools you have at your disposal.
1. cut the logs from the ends inward.
2. spread the logs out with a loader or grapple.
3. pull the logs off the deck one at a time with a winch and use a timberjack.

If you do decide to cut them on the pile, avoid climbing on the pile as much as possible. Cut a few pieces off and move them away. As you remove pieces new areas will open up for you to cut, but by far the safest way to do it is to spread them out and cut them individually on the ground. I have cut hundreds of face cords in piles, but it is much harder work and much more dangerous than doing them individually. Good luck and happy cutting.:chainsawguy:

 

[roahboah]

Thanks, folks. I reckon I'll do a combination of cutting the ends and then getting the logs down to a safe level as they open up.

 

[Husky137]

Stay off the pile.


If you have access to machinery knock the pile down as has been suggested. If not, get a canthook/peavey/TJ and roll the logs off from one end one at a time until you feel the pile is stable enough to work around without worrying about a 12" oak log hitting you in the back.

Always keep an escape route open as you cut.


If the guy unloading did a good job he should have set the pile on some sleeper logs. Use the first couple of logs to extend you "sleepers", and then you can roll the logs out more easily to a working area and keep 90% of your cuts off the ground.

 

[Kingsley]

Let's see a pic. I'd like to see it anyway. That way I can be even more envious.

 

[turnkey4099]

Let's see a pic. I'd like to see it anyway. That way I can be even more envious.

Ditto. I would be interested in the price also if you don't mind.

Harry K

 

[PLAYINWOOD]

Always keep an escape route open as you cut.


If the guy unloading did a good job he should have set the pile on some sleeper logs. Use the first couple of logs to extend you "sleepers", and then you can roll the logs out more easily to a working area and keep 90% of your cuts off the ground.

Always lots of good advice here and I think this is some of the best.
Also,try cutting from the left side of the pile as high and as far in as you can go.With your bar on the right side of the saw you can usually knock a couple blocks off in a swath.Throw the cut pieces out of your way and do another swath. In 20 foot lengths the pile shouldn't be overly high.
With the 8 footers I get the pile can be 12 or 14 feet high so I cut the top 4 feet or so and then move down and do the next 4 feet.This can be a little tricky with the threat of logs falling but just becareful and you'll be all right.

 

[redprospector]

I used to be pretty fast on my feet. I promise you that you can't out run a log when it's rolling off a pile. In my opinion (and my left knee's opinion) you should stay off the logs, and spread them out a little.

Andy

 

[Big Woody]

I'd get a super long bar and just make vertical cuts 16" apart. Quick and dirty.

 

[Gologit]

Just stay off the pile. Anybody that would climb up on a deck with a saw when he didn't have is a moron. I speak from experience...want to see the scars? Pull your logs down and stage them on a brow log if you want. No reaching way up into the pile to cut either. With the saw extended and above your normal level you have no real control over it. If you're just a firewood cutter and a high level of production isn't a priority why take stupid chances.

 

[roahboah]

Hey folks -
I got about 1/2 of the pile done, and will try to get a pic before I polish the rest off. I played it safe - cut ends, etc. until the logs became more manageable, then used cant hook to pull down one or two logs at a time onto the base logs (sleepers as referred to above) where I could buck them easily.
As far as price - this was back in Jan-Feb., but it was 750.00 for the pile, which looking closer to 9+ than 8+! I guess he guaranteed 8, but if he went over, no biggie!

 

[roahboah]

Hey - here are some pics! Sorry - a little image-heavy..
roah

And just wanted to show one brushpile that's gonna burn like CRAZY!!

 

[redprospector]

Glad you're playing it safe. Remember one careless mistake can last a lifetime.

Andy

 

[Ductape]

Nice pile o'sticks !

 

[ciscoguy01]

Wowzah

That my friend is one nice little pile of wood ya got there. Were it me, I'd just grab my can't hook and start rollin'em out from the bottom. Sometime I put them close together and cut'em 2 at a time... Works for me, either way, I'd keep someone close by in case something does happen... Rock on brotha...

 

[roahboah]

Thank you, sir!
With a name like Ciscoguy, I had a feeling you were a network engineer! That's my line as well. It's funny - I wonder why I like cuttin' and choppin' wood so much more than configuring BGP? hahah...
later!

 

[Oldtoolsnewproblems]

Figured I'd bump this rather than start a fresh thread. Got a grapple load delivered and started bucking for the first time. It's dang fun compared to what I used to do (scavenge while driving around etc) and I'm already 2-³ cords split and stacked, but I still got a lot of pile to go thru. Anyone got any more good points? The driver put sleepers under the pile thank goodness, and they split anything bigger than ~24" prior to delivery, so it's not a bad pile, getting a bigger bar was unnecessary turns out. Last weekend I was alternating between bucking and splitting since I'll need some of this wood next spring, but now I can focus on just bucking the whole pile

What I did was square up the pile,ie cut back any logs sticking past the end of the rest of them, so I don't get caught in the shin by surprise. I then cut the lowest log on the end of the pile if I can safely, then cut whatever I can reach 3/4 thru for the rest that are reachable below shoulder height, which is usually 1 or 2 logs. Then I get behind the like with my single bar and try to knock the first few logs down and out so they're stable and spread out. Now I finish all the cuts and get the rounds out from under foot.
Lather rinse repeat.
I also rake up the sawdust every now and then so I'm not walking around in a soft shifting cloud.

 

[Wood shed]

Piles are dangerous

I would knock them down to safe heights.. Be it with a loader on a tractor,. or hook a chain to one and pull it out with a truck.. something to get it down to below waist height.

Good advise, safety first, remember Murphy's Law when you have a chainsaw in your hands. This is my helper.