Stumping and Bucking

[deadred]

Hello all,
I was wondering what you guys use or recommend to flush cut stumps and buck logs up to 34" in diameter? I have numerous large Red Oaks on my property that I have began to cut down. Most of which are dead or dying, or are infected with grubs.
I am currently using a Sthil 038 with a 20" bar and chain. Talk about work, I have rented a Stihl 460M w/ 28" bar and chain and that was a step in the right direction. I am now leaning toward a Stihl 660M with 32" bar and chain.
Most of it gets cut to firewood length and then split by hand. Some gets "donated" to a hobbyist in the area with a portable mill. I burn the brush and tips.
Any advice or suggestions would be welcome.

 

[Newfie]

A 20" bar should be plenty long enough.

 

[woodshop]

My Husky 365 with a 28" bar goes through 32 inch scarlet oak real sweet, and you can get away with less than $600 to your door. Most of these guys will tell you to bump up to the 372 though.

Dave

 

[Justin Garrison]

32 inch seems a little on the high side for a 65cc saw. Is it modified?

 

[oakman]

660 is a 92cc saw. i got a 066 with modded muffler and it will pull a 32'' easily, and then some. i have the most fun bucking up fuelwood with a 18'' on it. it will block up a log very fast. most of my buddies who aren't quite as saw savvy as myself are blown away by the speed. course if your chain ain't razor sharp, it won't matter how much horsepower ya got. i'd also like to thank all you guys who converted me from grinding to filing. i am now getting better performance from all my saws, old and new, than ever. i also file for all my friends, just for practice, and i like to see their reactions when even a cheap old plastic mac or poulan will slice and dice with the best. well, almost. to most of them, a sharp chain is an amazing thing.

 

[Bill G]

Hello all,
I am now leaning toward a Stihl 660M with 32" bar and chain.
....... Any advice or suggestions would be welcome.

You are about 3 hours away from me. If you decide to go with a 066 I have them used. You can drive down and run a 038, 046, and 066 and compare them all at the same time.

Bill

 

[turnkey4099]

Hello all,
I was wondering what you guys use or recommend to flush cut stumps and buck logs up to 34" in diameter? I have numerous large Red Oaks on my property that I have began to cut down. Most of which are dead or dying, or are infected with grubs.
I am currently using a Sthil 038 with a 20" bar and chain. Talk about work, I have rented a Stihl 460M w/ 28" bar and chain and that was a step in the right direction. I am now leaning toward a Stihl 660M with 32" bar and chain.
Most of it gets cut to firewood length and then split by hand. Some gets "donated" to a hobbyist in the area with a portable mill. I burn the brush and tips.
Any advice or suggestions would be welcome.

An 038 with 20" bar should make easy work of the logs if the chain is sharp. That saw should also be able to take a 24" bar. I agree that a long bar is nice for flush cutting but it isn't needed. I find that a long bar is actually a drawback in bucking if it exceeds the log diameter by much.

Harry K

 

[Stihlman15]

A 20" bar should be plenty long enough.

if he's workin on 34" diameter stuff, why would he want a 20" bar?

 

[Newfie]

With a 20" bar he should be able to buck up 40" logs. 99% of the time when bucking firewood, the log is on the ground and requires two cuts per block anyways to keep the bar out of the dirt. Sure he could get a 36" bar. It would be unecessarily heavy and unwieldly and more likely to end up in the dirt. Then it would be dull and take longer to sharpen.

But that's just my opinion.

 

[woodshop]

32 inch seems a little on the high side for a 65cc saw. Is it modified?

No, saw is stock, and yes, I guess 32" of oak is a little much for the saw. I buck stuff that large with my 395xp when I'm not too lazy to yank it off my mill, but usually I am so I grab the 365. My point was that for less than 600 bucks you could get a fairly large saw that was adequate, assuming you were not a logger bucking dozens of that size all day long. And newfie is right of course, a 20" bar would work fine on that size log, mine came with 28" and bunch of spare chains, so it stays a 28 for now.

 

[Newfie]

And newfie is right of course

Well not of course but thanks for the vote of confidence. :blush:

 

[turnkey4099]

When it comes down to bar length, I do prefer one that will reach through the log. Then comes the question of 'do I want a saw that will reach through a 34" log when most of the time I am cutting 24" and less logs?
For me, the answer is no for the few times I would actually use it. Cutting from two sides with a 20" bar works quite well and doesn't take that much longer.

Now as to the original 'flush cutting' - Yep, that is a PIA and a bar big enough to do it one pass is a blessing.

With money to spare I would add a larger saw to my small stable (16" through 24") to get one with about a 30" (or more bar) but I would only use it maybe twice a year for a few cuts.

Harry K

 

[njforestfire]

If it can be dine with a 24 or 28" bar then you should be able to do everything you need to do (bucking and flush cutting), For the FEW over 36" trees here in northern NJ, I use an 046 Magnum with a 36" bar with RC chain...it pulls it with no problem. Everything else is and can be done with a Husky 365 with a 24"er on it. Even my 036 with a 20" can do almost everything like that too - up to 36" with no real problems.

 

[Pacific]

In this area 46s use 28"s and 66s use 32"s anything shorter than 28" on a 46 is a waste of saw even 44s people run 28s on. Personally I think you could pretty much do all your work with a 46 unless you are doing production falling a 66 is a overkill saw. If you were falling 6-7 hours a day cutting down big stuff then go for a 66.

How much is it to rent a saw if you only need a big saw for some of the work it maybe a cheaper option is to rent.

 

[caryr]

 

[njforestfire]

Good point Cary and that's a good and proven method for using a shorter bar. I can tell you from experience that it does work very well.

 

[turnkey4099]

Harry,

If you use the right technique you don't need one nearly that long. Where's Gypo when you need him? He's the king of short bars . For the record it is possible using a 20” or 24” bar, but they are too short to do it easily in a single pass (a 24” bar is on the edge). It is easy with a 28” bar by cutting the back out of the log with the saw mostly vertical until the bar tip starts to disappear and then pulling it over the top and down the front. You should have at least an inch or two to spare.

Cary

Yep, that's my technique whether the bar will reach all the way through or not, Tip the front down as far as I can without hitting dirt and then pivot on the front pulling (rather letting the saw pull itself) down. Around 90% of my cutting is done with a 20" bar.

Harry K