ripping wood?

[treeman82]

I just bid on a job where I'd have to remove 3 large norway spruces, along with a few sugar maples, and 2 smaller norway spruce. To the best of my knowledge, norway spruce has no value as far as timber goes. What do you guys recommend then for techniques to rip down those logs so that they can be chipped by a 254XP or 1890? The largest of the 3 is 38" DBH.

 

[treeseer]

unless you really want the chips, it should at least have pulp value:

"The Norway Spruce is a very useful timber tree as well.

Two of the trade names for this leading world timber are "Whitewood" and "White Deal". It is used for boxes, packing cases, building, joinery, paper pulp and chipboard."

Older uses of Norway spruce included its use for fuel, charcoal, potash, Burgundy Pitch for medicinal plasters, tanning, scaffolding poles, ladders, spars, oars, masts for boats, flooring, musical instruments, lining parts of furniture, packing cases, fencing, roofing for agricultural buildings.

The inner bark was at one time used to make baskets and canoes. The shoots were made into spruce beer."

 

[juststumps]

what we do, is cut the stick into 4-6 inch wafers... if they are still to big,,we bust them in half with a maul...we do this all the time with our bb 250's...works well if you don't feel like humping huge ckunks of wood into the truck...you don't get good chips,, more like big splinters... but who cares!!!

 

[juststumps]

unless you really want the chips, it should at least have pulp value:

"The Norway Spruce is a very useful timber tree as well.

Two of the trade names for this leading world timber are "Whitewood" and "White Deal". It is used for boxes, packing cases, building, joinery, paper pulp and chipboard."

Older uses of Norway spruce included its use for fuel, charcoal, potash, Burgundy Pitch for medicinal plasters, tanning, scaffolding poles, ladders, spars, oars, masts for boats, flooring, musical instruments, lining parts of furniture, packing cases, fencing, roofing for agricultural buildings.

The inner bark was at one time used to make baskets and canoes. The shoots were made into spruce beer."

might be worth money for pulp,, if you have trailer loads of it,, and the trucks to hual it,, and a way to load it,, and a place to take it.... other than that ,, its a waste of time...

cut it smaller,, and chip....

 

[beaverb01]

I did a job like that about 6 months ago with a bunch of dead pines. Largest was about 30-36" Ripped into smaller pieces and fed the chipper (Vermeer BC1230) Took some time, but sure as hell beat hauling logs 30 miles each way for the price of pulp! Used a Stihl 361 with a good sharp chain to do the job. Chaps are a really good idea when doing this and don't forget to throttle down when nearing the end of the cut or risk walking the chain off the bar as the piece comes loose.

Beaver :greenchainsaw:

 

[treeman82]

What I kind of meant though was... do you guys rip them down at 8' long? 4'? 2'? 1'? Do you use a chainsaw, or a maul / splitter?

 

[juststumps]

What I kind of meant though was... do you guys rip them down at 8' long? 4'? 2'? 1'? Do you use a chainsaw, or a maul / splitter?

unless you have a chain made to do rip cuts,, a regular chain jams the sprocket,, been there,, do it on smaller pieces,,,works better on large stuff to cut it into disks,, just my opion...

 

[SilentElk]

What I kind of meant though was... do you guys rip them down at 8' long? 4'? 2'? 1'? Do you use a chainsaw, or a maul / splitter?

Cut them in blocks about 6" shorter than the length of your chainsaw bar. You want the tip of the bar to be sticking out a bit of the other end. If you are right to the tip it will be much tougher as the sawdust will want to clog the top too.

Firewood is a good length. Then rip with the grain using a skip tooth style chain. It will still clog but you will get the hang of it. I have done this alot to rip the real big stuff so I can get the splitter to pop it open for firewood. Works good. Much over 20" and it will clog you very often. I dont even like ripping stuff with my 088 with a 47" longer than 30" as it clogs alot. The sawdust will come out as strings. Sometimes as long as 7" or so. Maybe more. the secret is to rip a little off from inline with the grain, say 5 degrees off so the chips are shorter and closer to 2 and 3" in length.

Ripping stright down the tree is a lesson in futility. Slow. Isnt to bad intially is the saw is razor sharp but it will dull very fast. If the wood is extremely knotty, I would do as an earlier poster suggested and cut to thin slabs.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

unless you have a chain made to do rip cuts,, a regular chain jams the sprocket,, been there,, do it on smaller pieces,,,works better on large stuff to cut it into disks,, just my opion...

What he said, get a ripping chain for your biggest saw, then rip down to slabs or cants that will chip and can be picked up.

It is faster, easier on the saw and the sawyer.

Once and a while you can get a few extra bucks from the customer because they will want to use the slabs as benches around a fire pit or the like.

I've done it with half log slabs chocked with quarters.

 

[beaverb01]

I cut into sections 2-3 Ft long, then ripped. I did this to about 15 dead pines and only used two chains, which I later sharpened and continued to use on other jobs.

Beaver

 

[juststumps]

What he said, get a ripping chain for your biggest saw, then rip down to slabs or cants that will chip and can be picked up.

It is faster, easier on the saw and the sawyer.

Once and a while you can get a few extra bucks from the customer because they will want to use the slabs as benches around a fire pit or the like.

I've done it with half log slabs chocked with quarters.

i'd rather disk than rip.. don' have to chage chains,,, a 24" pice of oak 1 foot thick,, comes in around a little less than 200 lbs... 4' long is 800 lbs,,rip it in half 400,, it will fit into a 12' chipper,, quarter it it's 200... thats a lot to carry out of a back yard....disk it,, you get 40-50 lb pieces,, smack it in half,,you can get a lot of wood in a wheelbarrow that way, and not kill you back..... just my opinion

 

[rbtree]

Chipping wood really bulks up in the chip truck. I have a trash truck come and load up junk wood.....$450 for a 40 yard load.

 

[treeman82]

Around here a 40 yard container (if you can even get one) is around $1,000. The 30 yarders are about $800 with a weight limit... then of course you need to get a machine in to load the darn thing.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Around here a 40 yard container (if you can even get one) is around $1,000. The 30 yarders are about $800 with a weight limit... then of course you need to get a machine in to load the darn thing.

You are in a high rent district in WC from all I've heard.

Here you can find a cheap 20 yard for a few hundred. A lot of that is the tipping fee, so if you have a yard they can dump it in it is even cheaper.

 

[juststumps]

Around here a 40 yard container (if you can even get one) is around $1,000. The 30 yarders are about $800 with a weight limit... then of course you need to get a machine in to load the darn thing.

we have a place here to dump chips for free,,, brush and or logs is $8:00 per yard,, as long as it fits in the tub grinder....if its larger,, they hit you a few bucks more....10yds= $80,, 30 = $240,,, i don't think the $560 extra to get a dumpster is worth it vs. sending a guy to dump the truck......

but i think the post is straying a bit....

A: you might not be able to get a SKID STEER,, LOADER,, or a CRANE to the wood...

B: poster might not have access to above...

C: might not be in the budget,, to bring the job home...

D: who wants a dumpster in thier front yard, for a few days ???

 

[juststumps]

Chipping wood really bulks up in the chip truck. I have a trash truck come and load up junk wood.....$450 for a 40 yard load.

i though that was what chip trucks were made for ???
why have a 12 inch or better chipper,, if you're not going to fill the the truck ??? we have a 14 yd chip box on one of the trucks,,, get what you can put into a 40 yd dumpster,, in less than 2 loads chipped... and it doesn't cost $450.....

 

[treeman82]

Everything can be accessed by a loader, but just getting the loader to the site is a project.

A dumpster is in the budget if need be.

Round trip to the dump ($15 per yard) is about an hour depending on traffic and how many other people are dumping.

It's a "construction site" anyways, so I don't think that a dumpster sitting there for a few days would bother anybody.

we have a place here to dump chips for free,,, brush and or logs is $8:00 per yard,, as long as it fits in the tub grinder....if its larger,, they hit you a few bucks more....10yds= $80,, 30 = $240,,, i don't think the $560 extra to get a dumpster is worth it vs. sending a guy to dump the truck......

but i think the post is straying a bit....

A: you might not be able to get a SKID STEER,, LOADER,, or a CRANE to the wood...

B: poster might not have access to above...

C: might not be in the budget,, to bring the job home...

D: who wants a dumpster in thier front yard, for a few days ???

 

[juststumps]

Everything can be accessed by a loader, but just getting the loader to the site is a project.

A dumpster is in the budget if need be.

Round trip to the dump ($15 per yard) is about an hour depending on traffic and how many other people are dumping.

It's a "construction site" anyways, so I don't think that a dumpster sitting there for a few days would bother anybody.

1: bro, i don't know what neighbor hood your working in,,,,i work in places you can't get a wheel barrow to... so the loader is out

2: what do you need a dumpster for??? any thing you can put into a dumpster,,, you can get into a chip truck !!!

3: four places with in 10 miles to dump... 1 free chips,, pay for wood....2 free chips and leaves and wood under 4"... 3 pay for chips and wood.. 4 pay for chips and wood... nothing close to $15 dollars per yard....place 3 and 4 are $20 per load of chips.....OOPS!!! forgot about place 5,, the new place... bring the guy a beer or soda,, free... ( got to lovbe those hill billies) never a line to dump at any of the places.....

4: its not a construction site,,, its some bodies house... most people in my area want the tree to disappear.. no dumpster,, no wood laying on the ground,, they want it gone by the time they come home!!!! nine times out of ten,, the landscaper is planting the next day...

 

[treeman82]

1) I've got a few places like that... wheelbarrows don't work too well.

2) To dump wood with a chip truck is an hour round trip, depending on how much traffic and what not. If I was to chip the wood, I'd only have enough dumping grounds for about 60 yards TOPS. Gonna be a LOT more than that, seeing as how there's 5 spruce (2 little guys, 3 monsters) and then 3 sugar maples.

3) I've got a few places to dump... 3 to dump good wood (they're all full for the year) and 2 to dump clean chips at... combined is maybe 60 yards. For junk wood and chips there's 2 options. 1) $15 per yard. 2) $100 per ton. I've got other places to dump good wood, but it's a project to get to them from this jobsite.

4) It's an investment property. The new owners are having the trees cut down, the house gutted and probably an addition, all kinds of work. There's been a dumpster sitting in front of the place for about a week now anyways... just cleaning crap out of the barn I think???

 

[juststumps]

1) I've got a few places like that... wheelbarrows don't work too well.

2) To dump wood with a chip truck is an hour round trip, depending on how much traffic and what not. If I was to chip the wood, I'd only have enough dumping grounds for about 60 yards TOPS. Gonna be a LOT more than that, seeing as how there's 5 spruce (2 little guys, 3 monsters) and then 3 sugar maples.

3) I've got a few places to dump... 3 to dump good wood (they're all full for the year) and 2 to dump clean chips at... combined is maybe 60 yards. For junk wood and chips there's 2 options. 1) $15 per yard. 2) $100 per ton. I've got other places to dump good wood, but it's a project to get to them from this jobsite.

4) It's an investment property. The new owners are having the trees cut down, the house gutted and probably an addition, all kinds of work. There's been a dumpster sitting in front of the place for about a week now anyways... just cleaning crap out of the barn I think???

1: i have a lot more than a few... hell, we have a complex here that built the houses around trees... you have to go in and out the front door,, thru the hallway,, out another door to get to the tree.....little cute court yard,, surrounded by 4 walls!!!! 1 climber,, 1 guy on the roof,, and a ground guy,, to stop anything from going thru a sliding glass door the wrong way... IE til the thing gets cut down to the eaves.. if the roof guy drops something...

2: 1 hr. round trip is cheaper than a dumpster....we also have a lot of people who want the chips,, dump locally....if its easier, closer...

3: the places we dump at are mulch plants,, they never run out of room... mountians of stuff in the fall... summer its all gone... ( the one place may hold 6 million yards,, they load 53 ' walking floor trailers in 2 scoops )

4: we get a lot of tear downs here,, someone buys an old ranch for $750,000 ,then knocks it down.. or you get the 3 million house,, that gets gutted for another mil... either way,, 9 out of 10 people wouldn't want a dumpster in thier front yard for a few days for tree work...