Cutting a large log in half.

[kenmbz]

I use a timberjack for smaller trees to about 12" and the tractor with forks for bigger ones. did a few 20 something inchers with the forks and can cut up a 30 foot tree pretty quick. Noodling for the big rounds for me as I only use an 8 pound maul. Have done quite a few cords with that in the last three years.

 

[oldballs]

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

I have a Stihl Farm Boss that came with a 16 inch bar, but I bought a 20 inch bar too. The Boss powers that 20 inch bar just as well.

Thus, I keep chains for both size bars depending on what I'm I doing.

 

[CobyRupert]

The problem is cutting a large log with a short bar that doesn’t reach all the way through.

Example: Say a cut curves to the right a couple inches as you cut through the log, this is doubled when you then go to the other side of the log and are facing the opposite direction. Now that side’s cut will miss the other side by 4” at the bottom.

As others have said, try to use as much of the cut you’ve made as a guide. Yet, sometimes the cuts still don’t meet.
This is where wedges and a hammer are handy to pop the tree apart when cuts didn’t meet.
Check that your saw is cutting straight. Uneven sharpening and/or a bar that is worn uneven on one side (left or right rail) can make cuts curve. Do you unconsciously push the saw so it curves?

Try to cut as much of the log with the saw facing the same direction instead of going to the other side of the log where saw faces opposite direction increasing the chances cuts don’t meet. Try to cut all of log, except what is touching ground, from one side of log. Cut far side from top with saw nearly vertical at times and work back towards yourself.
My 2 cents.

 

[dodge man]

I could go quite a bit bigger on my bar if I went to a skip chain but this last tree is about as big as I ever half to deal with. I just Noodle the big stuff in half and then get it on my splitter. I’m guessing some of this pieces weighed 200 lbs until I noodled then in half.

 

[dodge man]

Coby Rupert, another good idea, when the cuts don’t meet it wouldn’t take much to pop it apart. Instead I keep hacking away with the chain saw. Sometimes the obvious isn’t so obvious.

 

[ericm979]

I would not use steel splitting wedges as felling wedges like that video with the electric chainsaw. It's too easy to get the chain into the wedges.

 

[Diggin It]

Every time I see this thread, I misread the title as Hog. Maybe I'm just hungry?

 

[dodge man]

I have both plastic and steel wedges. The steel ones I use for splitting, the plastic for dropping trees or keeping my saw from being pinched.

 

[dodge man]

Every time I see this thread, I misread the title as Hog. Maybe I'm just hungry?

You could use a chainsaw for that but it might be a little messy.

 

[BrokenTrack]

My son finally killed my 266SE milling poplar logs, and that was with ripping chain.

I kill one of my saws about once every year by driving over them. One of the Husky's I ran over with a bulldozer was no big loss (it was a Husqvarna), but I almost cried when I ran over my MS 461 Stihl. ($1100 saw)

I try to keep the saw up on the skidder instead of putting it down, but every once and awhile, things go sideways and I end up putting a saw under a bulldozer or skidder. It gets me a new saw, but that is an expensive way to get one!