Great ideas to keep the firewood the same size

[farmerdoug]

I ordered a couple of things that I thought would make firewood processing more efficient:

Measuring "chainsaws rule":

Wood Dock Log Holder for the smaller stuff:

 

[zogger]

They both look pretty cool for smaller stuff. Do a follow up once you try them out.

 

[labdad]

That looks like a pretty neat contraption but I'm too old to change my ways I just use a stick and a piece of carpenters crayon. I take a minute and lay them out and then cut.

 

[pennsywoodburnr]

It's going to sound funny, but I don't even bother with a measuring stick or anything of that nature. I just eyeball it up and cut away. After it's all said and done I don't lose any sleep if I happened to cut an inch too short, or long.

 

[daleeper]

I use a mingo to mark the big stuff, the bar to measure the small. When I changed to a smaller stove, I had to pay more attention to length. With the big old stove, it would hold about anything under 20 inches, new stove not much more than 16, and with the small box, need every inch of wood, and my eyeballs were not that accurate.

 

[flotek]

Seems unnecessary to me . Are your eyes that bad you can't tell if a cut is too long for your firebox. ? If so you oughta not be using a chainsaw lol

 

[flashhole]

If I were selling firewood I would want them cut to precisely the same length. Cutting for my personal use it really doesn't matter as long as they fit in the fireplace. Looks like a useful tool. Good luck with it.

 

[Whitespider]

Oh boy... have we been here before??
Most of y'all have seen my stacks and how uniform the cuts are... and the only "tool" or "gauge" I use is th saw in my hands. C'mon, your saw has the bar, the handle, body lines, and I-can't-list-it-all... and you need a separate "tool" to make consistent cuts?? Any time I can reduce the number of things I take into the woodlot is a "more better" thing... haulin' additional "stuff" ain't.

But... whatever makes your weiner wiggle...

 

[Photog95]

I really couldnt imagine trying to cut wood with that thing hanging off the side getting caught on everything. I just eyeball it

 

[Circle B MN]

From the end of the rear handle to the forward bar nut on most medium to large Stihl saws is right about 16" were one to need a reference.

 

[ttyR2]

I can mark up a decent size tree in a couple minutes (or less) using a surveyor state (18" long exactly) and one of those downward pointing aerosol cans.

 

[GrassGuerilla]

Ok, I gotta know. How easy does that rig "break away"? I assume it isn't super rigid, no? It just looks... Well, dangerous as all get up. My first thoughts go more to product liability issues.

My stove will take a full 20" without issue. But the living room fireplace works better with some shorter pieces mixed in. Ideally, I try to get a mix of 16" to 20". You fellas and your straight tidy stacks sound OCD(ish). For crying out loud, were going to burn it. Not build furniture.

If your selling it and need consistency, I guess that's different. But if that's the case, wouldn't you be able to simply develop eyeball consistency? Or as said above, use saw as your gauge?

I agree also about trying to minimize the gear needed. I got enough stuff to pack as it is on a firewood run.

 

[jrider]

I sell so precision is key for me. I can easily mark up plenty of wood in no time using a 16" marking stick and sidewalk chalk from my kids endless supply of that stuff. Used to use lumber chalk but it doesn't work well in the rain or when morning dew is still present. The chalk fits in my pocket and the stick is about an inch in diameter. If I lose it just make another out of limb wood and keep going on.

 

[Mastermind]

I use a small top handle saw, and a 20" stick......I mark the log using the stick and the saw......and knock the limbs off as a I go.

 

[kennyl70]

have to agree with some on here. exact isnt a big deal...... i burn it sooooooooooooooo. even selling some isnt an issue here. long and short all equals out in the end.

 

[Whitespider]

Hey... a fella' is gonna' do what works for him, no way 'round it.
But everytime I see someone mention marking sticks, paint, chalk and whatnot I can't help but shake my head. Seriously?? You walk over to your marking tools, set your saw down, pick up the marking "stuff", walk the full length of the log/tree marking it, walk back up the length of the log/tree to retrieve the saw, and then walk the log/tree again cutting it?? And then start the whole process over again?? Really??

I know... I know... it don't take that long, you say. But seconds add up to minutes... minutes add up to hours... hours into days...
And individual steps add up to yards... yards into miles..

I remember some years ago, when my oldest boy was around 7-8 or so, my brother and I decided to take our boys (he had 2) camping in the woods out along the river. We met at the edge of the wood, and it's 'round 300 yards walk to where we wanna' camp on the riverbank. I believe that may be the most laughing I've ever done in a single weekend. My boy and I grabbed our gear from the back of my truck... everything we needed for the whole weekend could be carried in one trip. The laughing started when my brother and his boys opened the hatch to their fancy SUV... Lordy, I never seen so much "stuff". My boy and I had camp set-up, fire started and lines in the water before they were finished haulin' it all. My brother must'a spent a small fortune "preparing" and then spent most of the weekend fiddlin' 'round with all that fancy gear and gadgets (half of which he couldn't make work as advertised). The boys and I caught fish, roasted marshmallows, and whatnot while I taught them a little bit about plants, trees, wildlife and the stars... well... when I wasn't LMAO at my brother that is.

 

[AIM]

I will admit I am terrible at cutting to the same length. I'm just lucky that my OWB can take up to a 40" piece.

 

[Whiskey_Bravo]

I use a small top handle saw, and a 20" stick......I mark the log using the stick and the saw......and knock the limbs off as a I go.

Wow, this is an awesome idea!

Hmmmm, I suddenly feel CAD kicking in. The top handle variant of course....

 

[olyman]

a piece of 2x2. 20 inches long. go to said log, lay 2x2 on top of log,with end of 2x2 and log end meeting. set saw at the opposite end,cut log.repeat as needed..........probably should get a 1/2 inch dowel,,weighs tons less............sheesh.......I stack my wood, in rows. when all the pieces are near dead consistent, the rows DONT tip over, odd lengths and such....first year I have done this....and I WILL keep doing it that way...

 

[labdad]

Well I know I should be better at it and my string and piece of chalk are a lot of equipment to drag along but when I'm loading my stove at five am and there is a piece 1/2" to long and I can't close the door it sucks. I have a big pile of pieces that I burn up at the beginning of the year that are from when buddies come over and help me cut my logs up and I have to trim them down to fit. I probably should quit having them over but all the laughs we have is worth more than the extra work it makes so I just deal with it later.