Cutting a large log in half.

[oosik]

Back in the day - I fell and cut my big 'ol Ponderosa pines for firewood. Some are up to 40" on the butt. I had a MONSTER Stihl with a 28" bar. All notching had to be done from two sides. I'd measure the fallen tree for each cut. Cut the tree into 10' sections. Cut as far down as possible - rotate the section with the tractor - find the cut slot - complete the cut.

After doing this for a couple years - I fell back to the 16" to 24" trees. A whole lot less bother. A whole lot easier to fell.

 

[ericm979]

With experience you will become adept as recognizing the forces in the logs as to when to pull the saw out before it binds and wether to cut up or down. .

Watch the kerf as you cut. You can see it getting narrower (or wider) before it pinches the bar.

I bought a good peavy (actually a combination cant hook/peavy). It makes working with logs and big rounds so much easier.

 

[Egon]

Either get a longer bar or refine your cutting methods. Think about what you are doing.

 

[Motorboatin]

 

[Motorboatin]

 

[dodge man]

Either get a longer bar or refine your cutting methods. Think about what you are doing.

I think I’m doing it the right way, you said it when you said think about what you are doing. It’s easy to zone out some times.

 

[Captain Dirty]

Some that I just cut up were about 30 in diameter. I did some noodling on some of the big pieces and had more problems when doing that. I have a hydraulic splitter but it is a horizontal unit only.

Having a horizontal-only splitter myself I have come up with some work-arounds. My slitter is "T" shaped; the axle is under the motor and the ram moves along a beam that is the "towbar". Some splitters have the beam over the axle so the wheels can get in the way. If you have space beside the beam, cut logs as long as the beam is high and place them on end to form "tables" on either side of the beam. Manhandling logs onto the tables is far easier than directly onto the beam.

A 30" diameter log is big and heavy. A linear foot of dry, seasoned pine (32#/cuft) would weigh around 160 lbs. Green hardwood could go 3X as heavy. My recommendation is to split the firebox length log into manageable pieces using splitting wedges and maul. Frozen wood splits more easily, and "wood warms you twice". Wait til Winter. You may balk at the cost of 3 wedges and a maul for the amount of wood you use. They are useful tools. If the splitter fails to cleanly cleave a log, a well placed blow from the maul may be less work than handling the piece back onto the splitter. Also, the tools will probably last generations (I'm using my grandfather's). Besides, how did you rationalize the cost of the splitter?

 

[BrokenTrack]

I realize this is not worth it for you, as the cost is greater than what your need is, but for others:

I use my log loader to lift my wood to waist height. What I found is, not only is this better for my back, prevents dulling my saw, and eliminates bar pinching, it is incredibly fast. I can cut up wood in 1/3 the time over having it on the ground. Having it at waist height makes all the difference.

This is not the best photo because I am moving softwood logs, but people can see how it is a small log loader, but can lift logs for fast cutting without hurting your back, dulling your saw, or pinching your bar.

 

[dodge man]

This is my splitter. It does have room for tables made out of logs on the sides. This is a really good idea. They offered extensions for my splitter at one time that would have made a table but they no longer make the same model. Bending over to pick up large chunks that need split again is a pain. I could fab something but don’t want to mess with it.

Getting them on the splitter isn’t an issue. The big stuff I cut in half, noodling. I then use my end loader to lift them to the splitter. It’s a little awkward but works. I do have steel wedges and a splitting maul. For straight grained stuff that would work but there always seem to be knots and twisted grain that makes manual splitting hard.

 

[Captain Dirty]

<snip> I do have steel wedges and a splitting maul. For straight grained stuff that would work but there always seem to be knots and twisted grain that makes manual splitting hard.

Cousin Murphy hangs out in my woodpile too. Gnarly grain determines if it is stove wood, fireplace wood, or burn pit material.

I haven't tried noodling in years; as you mentioned earlier, it is problematic. My son finally killed my 266SE milling poplar logs, and that was with ripping chain.