Best time to cut wood?

[Mingara]

Hi all

just thought I would ask a question about cutting firewood from green and dead trees. Perhaps I should know but I am brand new to chainsaws. Is it better for my Dolmar 120si to cut trees as soon as they are felled or wait until the tree has been down a while. The reason I ask this is because I have a lot of dead trees (gum trees in Oz) that I want to saw into firewood. Does dead timber blunt the chain moreso than freshly felled timber.

Also as a left handed saw user, are there any safety rules for left handers out there?

Cheers all

 

[njforestfire]

Best to cut when felled so the air can dry out the wood a bit quicker than if left in log lengths. Regarding dead and green timber 'blunting' or dulling the chain...no difference IMO but if you hit anything (nails, wire, horseshoes, bolts, ect., ect., ect.) all bets are off.

Learn how to use the saw from BOTH left and right sides...you will need to know that eventually anyway.

 

[Bills Oak]

Best Time to Cut Wood

I agree, cut it green, stack & or split/ keep it off the ground & keep it covered but not touching the top of the wood allowing it to dry naturally. Less chance of bugs, worms, etc. being in wood. Oak splits much easier wet than dry!..BILL---PS--I always put a row of camphor on the bottom to keep bugs from coming up through the stack--bugs hate it!!

 

[Lobo]

It is always a good time to cut wood as far as I am concerned.

For firewood one of the best times is during the winter before the sap moves back up in to the trees when it thaws. Buck it immediately when cut.

Unless dirty or you hit foreign objects, dry or green make little difference except perhaps wood chips will normally be smaller in dry woods.

Green wood smeels nice however.

 

[Mange]

I can not explain this very good, but when the tree is cut in 3m lengths, pull the logs together like this image shows, seen from strait above.
If the logs lie like this the can be there for a long time, without harm.
cut them just when the leafs burst not too late, since the tree fills with water again.

 

[SawTroll]

I usually cut liveing birch for firewood. There are several good ways to do it, but the best is probably to fell the trees at the time Lobo suggested. Then you have two good choises:
1.) Leave the trees alone until the leaves have turned green, and than died. This way the leaves will pull a lot of moisture from the wood. Cut to firewood length (not logs) and split ASAP after that.
2.) Immidiately cut to firewood length, and split. This method is normally not practical with large amounts of trees (capasity problem).

About the worst thing to do is bucking into logs right after falling, and leave the logs on the ground.

Where I live, dead trees (hardwood) is always rotten too, so they are just cut down and left to richen the soil.

 

[Lobo]

I should have mentioned once bucked, transport and stack of course.

 

[bwalker]

If you cut trees in the middle of the summer with the leaves on them, dont buck them untill the leaves have died and fell off. This will suck most of the moisture out of the tree and when you split it it will be totaly seasoned in a very short period.

 

[Locoweed]

I don't do much in the summer when it is hot. I would rather do the work when it is cooler and let the stuff dry when it is hot.

 

[bwalker]

Thats why i prefer to cut everyhting in the winter, early spring or late fall.

 

[Lobo]

I don't do much in the summer when it is hot. I would rather do the work when it is cooler and let the stuff dry when it is hot.

DITTO

 

[bvaught]

I do lots of cutting in the summer. Thats when all the heat intolerant folk leave the good oak and hickory alone. I scoop up what I want then and dont have to fight for the good stuff as much during the winter.

 

[Bills Oak]

Best time to cut

I'm not sure if I'm lucky or unfortunate at this point in the conversation. Here in Florida I try to cut, split & stack as much as I can between November 1st & May 1st. This is our cooler time of the year & easier on the saws & my old body!--We have so much humidity & heat I cannot let any logs sit for more than a month or they will get rotten very quick, especially if they are touching the ground. They might look Ok on the outside but they get soft real quick internally. Cutting & splitting in 95 degree heat with 90 percent humidity is very hard especially from June through September.nuff said..BILL

 

[Lobo]

I'm not sure if I'm lucky or unfortunate at this point in the conversation. Here in Florida I try to cut, split & stack as much as I can between November 1st & May 1st. This is our cooler time of the year & easier on the saws & my old body!--We have so much humidity & heat I cannot let any logs sit for more than a month or they will get rotten very quick, especially if they are touching the ground. They might look Ok on the outside but they get soft real quick internally. Cutting & splitting in 95 degree heat with 90 percent humidity is very hard especially from June through September.nuff said..BILL

Its also hard on the heart for most people of 55 and over.

 

[DanMan1]

I do lots of cutting in the summer. Thats when all the heat intolerant folk leave the good oak and hickory alone. I scoop up what I want then and dont have to fight for the good stuff as much during the winter.

I guess I'm slow tonight. I don't understand what you just said.
What do you mean? Are you in competition on the same tract of land or what?

 

[Lobo]

I guess I'm slow tonight. I don't understand what you just said.
What do you mean? Are you in competition on the same tract of land or what?

Hi Dan,

It just a ''smart ass'' remark from a ROOKIE.

 

[Mingara]

It is always a good time to cut wood as far as I am concerned.

For firewood one of the best times is during the winter before the sap moves back up in to the trees when it thaws. Buck it immediately when cut.

Unless dirty or you hit foreign objects, dry or green make little difference except perhaps wood chips will normally be smaller in dry woods.

Green wood smeels nice however.

Thanks for the good information from everyone. It makes good sense to me that timber is best to cut early to let it dry out in firewood size, and I appreciate that I can cut dead timber without abusing my chainsaw as I thought timber would be much harder, particularly eucalyptus if left for a period.

Sorry to have to ask this but can you explain the term "Buck" to me. I have noticed it used by a few members in this discussion. Am I right in thinking it means to remove the bark from the tree?

 

[Lobo]

Sorry to have to ask this but can you explain the term "Buck" to me. QUOTE]

Buck or bucking means cutting your firewood to the required length, 12'', 16'', 18'' 24'',

 

[Mingara]

Sorry to have to ask this but can you explain the term "Buck" to me. QUOTE]

Buck or bucking means cutting your firewood to the required length, 12'', 16'', 18'' 24'',

Lobo

thanks for the reply and information. I feel a little embarrassed at not knowing, but it is a term (meaning firewood sizes), not used where I live that I know of.

 

[Lobo]

No sweat, every area in the world has its on lingo.

If you come across the term blocking it is the same as bucking also.