Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[Runner]

I like the method. It is especially useful to me on smaller trees because there is a clear path for the wedge. It won't bottom out on the hinge. Try it on a 6,7, or 8 inch tree someday and see. On big trees when the cutter makes a bore cut from the front he is often trying to cut out the center wood before the tree goes over to prevent fiber pull which would reduce the value of a good log.

gg

OK, I see it now. Ol Skool doesn't actually bore all the way through like you do. Yes, he is mostly cutting walnut trees for lumber, so I see what you mean about preserving the wood.

I really like the idea of getting wedges in there early. On small trees, you don't even have enough room to put them in sideways after starting the back cut.

 

[BackRoad]

That's a good video on the plunge cut Mr. Gordon. I use wedges the traditional way. Looking forward to trying it with the plunge cut, and the 2 side cuts look pretty easy to make. Assuming you keep the hinge width as normal?

I generally view all YouTube playback on double speed...that makes you the spryest and fastest logger on YouTube!!!

 

[Gordon Gould]

That's a good video on the plunge cut Mr. Gordon. I use wedges the traditional way. Looking forward to trying it with the plunge cut, and the 2 side cuts look pretty easy to make. Assuming you keep the hinge width as normal?

I generally view all YouTube playback on double speed...that makes you the spryest and fastest logger on YouTube!!!

Double time gets me up to about normal for most folks

I just don't want anybody to miss something by moving to fast.

gg

 

[Gordon Gould]

Assuming you keep the hinge width as normal?

Exactly - and don't cut to deep over the wedge. You need solid wood over the wedge to lift the tree when you drive the wedge. Even if you have a sliver of uncut wood where you didn't quite overlap the wedge bore cut it will split right out and not cause a problem. You can see where that happened on the picture of the stump a couple posts back.

gg

 

[ning]

Excellent explanation and even better demonstration, now I understand perfectly!

Much of my land burned 45 years ago so most of the trees I manage are pretty small, but some are the size to make use of that tactic (a very few are much larger, and it's rare that I want to take them out).

 

[John_Mc]

What Gordon is describing is basically the technique I was shown in one of the Game of Logging classes for overcoming back lean in trees where the diameter is too small to drive a wedge without having it bottom out against the back of the hinge before it has provided enough lift to tip the tree over.

It's faster than roping up a tree to pull it over, and especially useful when you are out working without the benefit of other equipment which might be brought to bear on the problem.

 

[arrow]

It's a method I use a lot. I use wedges for directional felling. Most of the fir I cut are not large so getting a wedge into the backcut before the tree can tip back is iffy. Also the butt wood is of questionable integrity because of but rot. So I like to get a wedge in right off. I make the face cuts to form the notch then bore straight back so the bar exits the back of the tree. It gives me a place to set a wedge and allows me to feel what the wood is like. I set the wedge then cut the two sides.

View attachment 2088134


Here is a 10 minute video where I used that method if you would like to see.

gg

Nice video Gordon. Couldn't tell exactly but that looks at least a 24 inch bar on your saw. That must come in handy for limbing. Is that a 455 or 460 husky?

 

[Gordon Gould]

Used a lot of methods to cut down trees when I was logging. Sort of like this but never this one exactly so thanks for that heads up. Skidders with winches, one didn't mess with trick cutting much. Couldn't tell exactly but that looks at least a 24 inch bar on your saw. That must come in handy for limbing. Is that a 455 or 460 husky?

It is indeed a 24" bar. The saw is a 359 with 3/8" skip chain. I like the balance and feel of it and not to heavy.

gg

 

[WinterDeere]

I guess this is supposed to be a photo thread, but since the site still blocks most images taken on newer phones ("file too large"), I always have to wait until I can be at a computer to convert and resize them.

Here's a few from this past weekend. Moved more up to the house on Friday, then split a little over a cord between Saturday and Sunday, a little more than half of which was red oak, the remainder mostly ash, with a little walnut.



Pro tip: label your stock for easier FIFO rotation. I put a stake in the ground in front of each log pile, telling me what year the logs were harvested, as my "backlog" (pun?) can stretch 2 - 3 years. Then when I split and stack it into a shed, I hang a tag above the crib with the year and season it was split and stacked, where it usually sits and dries 3 - 4 years before burning:



And on the bark up vs bark down debate, I don't really care much which way mine faces, when stacking under a roof and sitting 3-4 years. But you will notice I always try to place the bottom row as bark down, when the pieces came from rounds small enough to actually have bark on each split:



Other than you guys out west burning softwoods, or someone burning exclusively ash, you should really try to get at least 3 summers of drying on all wood, after splitting. Wood does not dry in log form, I can split logs that have been stacked off the ground for 2+ years, and they're still wet inside. Only count time once split, and don't believe any wood seller who tells you the wood was "seasoned in log form". It just can't properly dry anywhere near what a modern stove requires, in log form.

 

[John_Mc]

I guess this is supposed to be a photo thread, but since the site still blocks most images taken on newer phones ("file too large"), I always have to wait until I can be at a computer to convert and resize them.

You know that if your phone does not already include the ability to resize pictures, you can get a smartphone app for that.