Cutting techniques...

[tungularafishcamp]

Dont know that one Massey and I usually add the saw one to my Sven and Oly jokes.

Rick

 

[LD1]

Storing the wood is a highly debated topic.

Some say outside to let the sun dry it, others say inside (barn/shed) to keep the rain off. Then you have people who tarp it, or only tarp it when it rains, etc.

So I guess there is no right answer. We do both. Inside and outside.

But I will advise of a few things.

1. Stack it on something to hold it off the ground IF possible. This keeps the bottom layer from rotting. Like cement blocks, RR ties, 2x4's, etc.

2. If split, always try to do it bark up if outside. This helps prevent it from soaking up as much moisture every time it rains.

3. If you have to stack more than 1 row, dont stack tight. Leave about 6" to a foot in between rows to help air circulate.

A lot of guys suggest letting wood "season" for 3-4 years, but we burn everything cut over winter-spring, the following year. About May-ish is when the cut-off is for us. After that, what we cut wont be burned that winter, but the following one. But 90% of what we cut is Ash, oak, and maple. They all dry quickly. There are however some species that dont do so well without waiting a few years on. Like ELM (if it wsa green when you cut it), hedge (osage orange), loctus, and I am sure there are a few others.

 

[massey990]

Dont know that one Massey and I usually add the saw one to my Sven and Oly jokes.

Rick

If your not Polish I will PM it to you tomorrow or maybe I will clean it up (PC wise) and post it in the current joke thread...
thanks again for the good timing and the chuckles

 

[Grant1994]

Okay thanks for the advice we have had a real problem with field mice getting into the house since we got the stove and had the wood so I was contemplating building a large open sided shed to stack the wood in but leaving about 12" between rows to make it as uncomfortable for them as possible...also got a few kittens to help try to control the mice!

 

[massey990]

IMO, the point is moot.

It is as simple as....DONT HIT THE DIRT. In MANY years of cutting firewood, downed trees, tops, etc to the tune of 25-30 cord per year, I have NEVER been in a situation where I HAD to go into dirt. There are ways/techniques around that. Hence: why the OP is asking questions. And simple answer is...NO its NOT ok to cut into dirt.

Well, I guess I shouldnt say never, because cutting stumps/roots below ground level is a different story. And even when clearing ALL the dirt possible, you have to change chains VERY frequently.

Fortunatally, we dont cut stumps very often.

curious if you cut all this wood by yourself? even with a tractor and leverage tools cutting that much wood is a lot of work for just one person. Positioning some logs to cut can be a lot more work than sharpening or changing a chain from time to time...

 

[massey990]

Okay thanks for the advice we have had a real problem with field mice getting into the house since we got the stove and had the wood so I was contemplating building a large open sided shed to stack the wood in but leaving about 12" between rows to make it as uncomfortable for them as possible...also got a few kittens to help try to control the mice!

If your bottom rack is off the ground I suggest using something like galvanized wire lathe (stucco type) as a screen to stop snakes trying to get to the mice etc. that make nests in the stacks!

 

[LD1]

curious if you cut all this wood by yourself? even with a tractor and leverage tools cutting that much wood is a lot of work for just one person. Positioning some logs to cut can be a lot more work than sharpening or changing a chain from time to time...

Usually just me and the old man.

And with a tractor, positioning is WAY easier than sharpening.

 

[Grant1994]

Here is our situation... I am 17 years old and I am working with my father to do all of this work so some of the posts are from him and some are from me. Usually we drop one tree at a time and we trade off tree by tree on one I will do all the limbing and positioning an he will buck and then we switch it up on the next one. Up untill this year we were trying to all of this with the ms250 and a 16" bar. Finally we bought the ms290 this year with an 18" bar and we use that for bucking and the 250 for limbing it been a pretty good system so far. We would like to look into getting a small utility tractor but at this point our property can be easily cut with a lawn tractor an besides the wood cutting and minor landscaping tasks we have to use for one so we can't justify it at this point

 

[crazyal]

Okay thanks for the advice we have had a real problem with field mice getting into the house since we got the stove and had the wood so I was contemplating building a large open sided shed to stack the wood in but leaving about 12" between rows to make it as uncomfortable for them as possible...also got a few kittens to help try to control the mice!

I use a shed with one side wide open and the opposite side having the top 2' open. When I stack wood in it I don't tightly stack it so air can blow through it to help it dry.

 

[trailbuilder]

Proper, SAFE and effecive cutting with a chainsaw is difficult to learn from a book...or forum. I sugeest you hire a trained chainsaw pro to give you some hands on lessons.
The tips given are very good but I fell this is a time for hands on with instructor.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

I just took some old metal siding scraps I got and made 2 sides and a top on a pallets and stack the wood there as soon as I split it, keep the exposed ends open to the prevailing winds and it dries pretty well even with all our rain. I just pick the pallet up and put it by the door when it is time to fill the wood box so only handle it 2x or 3 I guess cause when I put it in the stove.

Rick

PS Massey I am of Norweigan ancestry that's why I always tell the norweigan version of ethnic jokes

 

[om21braz]

One more tip - don't forget the PPE (personal protection equipment; helmet, chaps, etc.).

 

[turnkey4099]

I guess there are a few things that can determine HOW you interpret this:

First, I am used to ALWAYS running full chisel. Semi-chisel (semi-round) and chipper (round) chain can tolerate a little dirt.

Second, is how you interpret what "sharp" and "dull" means.

To me, a sharp chain will pull its own self through the wood with NO added pressure from the operator or dawging in and pulling up on the rear handle. And to ME, a dull chain will NO longer pull itself along.

BUT, what I just described as a "dull" chain WILL still cut wood of you put pressure on or dawg in. But that is bad practice as both the chain and bar will NOT last as long. The chain/bar get hotter than normal, which has less than desired results on life expectance.

On the other hand, some people believe that a chain is only dull when it absolutly will no longer cut no matter how much you try to force it. I am NOT one of those people and that is bad practice.

But I can tell you from experience, that once a chisel chain touches dirt, even for a fraction of a second, it will no longer pull itself through the wood.

You did have great advise about slowing down though before you exit the cut. A very slow chain speed when/if hitting dirt wont hurt it, but at WOT, you're done.

And again, this is with chisel. I dont use anything but, so I can only comment as to what I have heard/read. I dont know what the OP is using either, but given the two saws, MS250 and MS290, I am betting it probabally isnt chisel. But it is still good practice to treat dirt like it were steel. And chainsaws DONT cut through steel

I also use chisel (round filed though) and can (and did this summer) have to go to the dirt a couple times and my chains still pulled themselves. My criteria for changing out a chain (I carry a minimum of 3 for each of my 4 saws) is to do it as soon as I ahve to apply pressure.
Note my descritption of how to 'cut dirt'; though. Yes if you run the chain full speed and go more than just a touch or two into the dirt it ain't gonna cut really well.

Anyone who has cut any amount of sizable wood, unless they have a tractor or other means of moving big logs, and says they have never cut dirt are forgetting all the times they had to.
It is jusst something you live with and realize that one will be resharpening or replaceing a chain sooner than planned.

Harry K

Harry K

 

[arrow]

Grant, there are a couple of ways to lessen pinch. Many times the tree will have enough crown to hold itself up after it hits the ground. At this time put 3 or 4" thick branches cut from the crown about every 8 to 10 feet under the stem and in pairs. You'll make your cuts between the pairs. These branches should be 4 to 5' long. The tree usually comes to rest on these after the crown is cut. At the very least you'll need a couple of peaveys. These can easily roll 8 to 10' sections. These sections can now be manipulated and turned so your initial bucking cuts are seldom more than halfway through the log. As someone mentioned, use your wedges (you'll need several) hammered into the cut before you are half way through. Logging is tool intensive to start with. I am not sure of what you consider large trees but even a 24" stem that is 8 to 10' long can be rolled with a peavey and definitely with 2 guys rolling. In logging operations, trees are always skidded to a landing and stem after stem would be piled serving as a platform for supporting trees to be bucked. When we were moving really fast, we used the firewood sized crown cuts as supports that the skidder would drag the stems over. After a while, these would be so densely gathered that you could not step onto bare earth. Perhaps you could sort of do the same by putting the smaller crown cuts from the previous tree spread all over the ground and try to drop the next tree on these. Sort of a very low and messy saw horse but effective.