Cuttin' Dirty Wood - Tips?

[Like The Woods!]

I am digging pines and shaking the dirt off the roots with my tractor loader.

No matter how you shake it....ut oh ...I digress....

No matter how much I clean the butt off, there is still a lot of dirt left. Especially since I cut as close to the roots as I can. Around 1000 stumps to deal with, so I try to keep them as small as possible.

I am using Baileys Semi-chisel, narrow kerf chain, (Woodsman 20NK), and appropriate bar. It works better than I thought.

So what I have been doing is swiping the butts with a large wire brush, and then cutting. The butt usually has dirt/soil on it all around. Sometimes I cut from the bottom up. Sometimes boring, ( this chain does it quite well). But when I get tired, which is most of the time I just cut from the top down through dirt and all.

So what tricks/tips do you have to offer in regard to cuttin" dirty wood?

 

[Former Saw Builder]

Try a carbide cutter

 

[Like The Woods!]

Try a carbide cutter

Not really a need for carbide. This dinky chain and bar actually hold up pretty well, considering. And they are cheeep to purchase.

Just looking for new - to me - ideas.

 

[CaseyForrest]

Pressure washer, garden hose....

 

[vegaome]

Howdy Like The Woods,

I have been in some dirty wood to latley. What I do is strip the bark off if its looses enough with a six foot spud bar. If its to tight and wont come off I take my hatchet and scrape off the mud or I cut the bark off where I'm going to cut with the saw. If you cant do either I was told to only cut half of the side your standing on and then go to the other side and cut the other half. The fella that told me said it works for him but I cant tell any difference. I guess I need more sperience. I like the wire brush Idea. I supose you could take a garden sprayer with you if you were not close enough to any other pressurized water but I never tried it. Good luck

v/r
Mike

 

[Urbicide]

You are using the right style cutter (semi-chisel) for the job. I use Woodsman Pro chain and it seems to hold up pretty good as long as I don't try to use the saw as a Ditch Witch. What model saw(s) are you using? I am not a big fan of .325 chain. I prefer 3/8ths instead (if your saw can use it). It seems to hold up better and is easier for me to sharpen. The more abrasive junk you can eliminate obviously the longer your chain will cut (brushing, scraping, washing, etc. first). I have heard of using an axe to cut through the bark into clean wood before you set your saw into it. I bore cut a lot and you have to have a sharp chain to do so. No safety chain! I have been using Oregon bars and I have not been real pleased with them. Bore cutting with them is hard on the nose sprocket. You might try some Stihl chain if you want to spend more money. Stihl is said to make the best chain but that comes at a price. I can feel your pain. There is no real magic solution.opcorn:

 

[bwalker]

Bore cut in and then go around the stump such that the dirt isnt getting pulled into the cut. The chain will last much longer.
I know some guys who cut Christmas trees lower their rakers a ton in a effort to cut dirty wood better. Dunno how well it works.

 

[thomas72]

A couple of years ago I cut 4 hickory trees for firewood but they were rolled around in dirt from the track hoes. I found out quick that the bigger the chain the better it is on the cutters. I at first was using a poulan 3700 with 3/8 pitch chain since it was a lighter saw. It was a bad idea since I was sharpening the chain so often. Then I started using my poulan super 72 bow saw with 1/2 pitch chain, and I was able to cut the rest of the trees while only having to touch up the cutters once. I have also found that the 1/2 inch chain has chrome plating that is almost 3 times thicker than newer chain. I have not said anything new on this post, the bigger the chain a saw can handle the less you will sharpen it under most conditions.

 

[Like The Woods!]

You are using the right style cutter (semi-chisel) for the job. I use Woodsman Pro chain and it seems to hold up pretty good as long as I don't try to use the saw as a Ditch Witch. What model saw(s) are you using? I am not a big fan of .325 chain. I prefer 3/8ths instead (if your saw can use it). It seems to hold up better and is easier for me to sharpen. The more abrasive junk you can eliminate obviously the longer your chain will cut (brushing, scraping, washing, etc. first). I have heard of using an axe to cut through the bark into clean wood before you set your saw into it. I bore cut a lot and you have to have a sharp chain to do so. No safety chain! I have been using Oregon bars and I have not been real pleased with them. Bore cutting with them is hard on the nose sprocket. You might try some Stihl chain if you want to spend more money. Stihl is said to make the best chain but that comes at a price. I can feel your pain. There is no real magic solution.opcorn:

I've been using a 034 and a ms260 Pro. I purchased these bars and chains on special from Baileys, last winter/spring. Bar and chain together were under $20. I am looking at them as "consumables". Had I known about larger chain/dirty wood, perhaps I would have done something else. But, as I stated this combo has bettered my expectations, so I'M

I am getting toward the end of this "project", and the chains have been sharpened a number of times, but are still better than half there. The bars on the other hand are on their way out.

Good stuff. Keep it comming.

 

[Brushwacker]

I've tried the narrow kerf chain and it didn't seem to hold up very well for me. I do'nt like putting my chain on anything I see dirt on especially if it is imbedded in the bark. If I am going to cut it there I normally take the axe to it and remove the bark where the cut is also. Baileys has that carbide impregnated chain at a modest price. Has anybody tried it?

 

[SmokinDodge]

I don't have a solution but I admire you problem. Why do you have to cut so low if you have pulled them out?

 

[Justsaws]

Chipper chain. Less aggressive top angle and side angles on any chain. Slower saw.

Leave the stumps out to get rained on awhile.

Shake harder and longer.

Put stumps in neighbors yard.

Dig big hole and bury stumps.

Put stumps on roof, out of sight out of mind.

 

[B_Turner]

Too many to pressure wash.

Wire brush is good idea.

Often I will use an adze to whack away some dirty bark.

 

[Like The Woods!]

I don't have a solution but I admire you problem. Why do you have to cut so low if you have pulled them out?

I cut so low because of the vol. of stumps I will be left with. Cutting further up the stump could easily almost double the volume of the stump. The trees will be chipped this winter, but the stumps, I have been piling, and will have to deal with later. I started out trying to scatter them in the woods. Not practical with the amt. I am doing, somewhere around 1000.

Also with this many I never seriously considered washing, using axe etc. As shown there is not too much dirt left on the stump, but shaking and lifting/dropping still leaves a lot of soil on the first couple feet of the log.

Here is a pic. of one of the larger ones. The green wedge is 12", I think. On smaller dia. I cut closer to the roots than shown on this log.

I guess that I did not state my question correctly in my initial post. I was just looking for other peoples solutions to cutting dirty wood. Not necessarily concerning this project only, (although the ideas presented could certainly be applied to other cutting). Seems that, at times, I get cutting some dirty wood when cuttin' logs/firewood etc.

All the comments are certainly appreciated Thanks, Al

 

[scottr]

Masonry Hammer

Al , this subject came up a few years back and member glens said that he used a masonry hammer to chip the bark in the dirty area . In this part of the country it's called a brick hammer .

 

[mini kahuna]

I deal with dirty log and branch sections all the time,we finally just gave up on trying to figure out ways to save the chain,if it is really bad we use a skidder with grapple and get it off the ground and let it rain on it.
working on stumps is murder on chains and bars.
if you don't sharpen your own chains I suggest you get yourself a bench grinder and do you own,save alot of time and money that way.

 

[pinus]

if the tractor has air compressor you can clean stumps with compressed air cleaning gun

 

[Like The Woods!]

mini kahuna

I do sharpen myself. I touch up these chains as needed. Never did a count, but I'm thinking probably every 20-40 stumps on average.

pinus

The air compresser is an idea that has merit IMHO. If it weren't for the fact that I am about done with this, I would look into it. I think, some snowy day I will do some research. Either that or take a nap...(Gee, I guess there is no sleeping smiley....)

 

[pinus]

mini kahuna

I do sharpen myself. I touch up these chains as needed. Never did a count, but I'm thinking probably every 20-40 stumps on average.

pinus

The air compresser is an idea that has merit IMHO. If it weren't for the fact that I am about done with this, I would look into it. I think, some snowy day I will do some research. Either that or take a nap...(Gee, I guess there is no sleeping smiley....)

The compressed air is a very nice adjudant, like electricity.
If there is compressor you may need to make the air output, and you will have moving compressor:rockn:

 

[1953greg]

like,
i have removed many logs from bulldozed piles but certainly not hundreds!! i just knock off the worse w/ a hatchet or spud bar and leter rip. seems to me you might be expecting a little much from your chains as far as staying sharp goes. 20-40 trees and a chain needs sharpening!! sometimes its more like 5-10 for me. also, from what i can tell from the pic they dont look bad dirty at all. have cut many much dirtier than that. maybe the photo is a cleaner one.

not much help but i think you may be expecting too much.
let us know if you find any secrets

good luck n good day