What do you do with splits that are too long?

petehouk said:

I have some splits that are just too long. I guess I could probably shoe-horn them into my stove on a crazy angle, but that makes it really tough to fit other pieces in at the same time. And there's no way to load the stove up for night time with one wedged in at an angle.

So I am thinking about cutting some of the longest pieces. A hand saw sounds tedious. A chain saw would be faster, but how to hold the piece while cutting?

Any ideas?

Thanks

Pete

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A chopsaw is what a lot of guys on here use. I prefer my chainsaw and two saw horses.

If I have a number of them to shorten a bit, I'll use my hydraulic splitter as a "vise" to hold the splits sideways across the beam, them trim them down with a chain saw. Rick

Give them to my father-in-law.

fv

Make a saw buck.


Not mine..I borrowed the pic.

know many are going to say its not safe, but i put my foot on it to hold it while cutting it in half with my chain saw. been doing it for years. or, i'lll sometimes set it on the chopping block. just have to be very very careful.

cass

^^a lot of folks ,including Me do just that . If I have more than a few it's off to the chop saw with them .

Sounds like a great time to measure your firebox and cut accordingly for a N/S burn.

fossil..im trying to picture what u are saying..it has me intrigued ....maybe a picture would help

HotCoals said:

Make a saw buck.

Not mine..I borrowed the pic.

Click to expand...

Thats cool...I need to make one!

I don't have any splits that are too long. After I did the short stroke mod on my splitter, if the round is too long it won't fit in the splitter so no worries that it won't fit in the stove.

That said, I once got 3 cord of split seasoned Ash for free and had to cut 4 inches off every split so it would fit in my stove. My two sons were still living with us at the time so I grabbed the Sawzall and put them to work. I tried my 10" chop saw but most of the splits were too thick for the depth of cut. A 12" prolly would have worked.

I built something similar to the one in this thread https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/81502/. I made it about an inch shorter than perfect for a little breathing room. Works really well.

Been discussed quite a bit. Try a search.

I've stacked a big pile and ran the chain saw thru then.

I set aside for campfire wood.

Oregon Bigfoot.

I haul them to Gary_602z and he doesn't even charge me to take them there! You really should try him out! :lol:

Gary

steeltowninwv said:

fossil..im trying to picture what u are saying..it has me intrigued ....maybe a picture would help

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Well, here's the basic concept.

Does anyone sell sawbucks? I need one seems like a handy must have commodity,along with all the other woodburning paraphernalia.

Lots of places sell metal ones but I hate to see metal anywhere near a chainsaw. You should see all the saw marks on my sawbuck. Most folk just make their own out of wood.

fossil thanks..thats pretty nice idea...i have an electric splitter that wont stay forward like that....sure wish it would though

I have a mark on my sprocket cover that is 20 inches from the tip of the saw. My stove is 22 inches wide. I eyeball every cut before I make it using the chainsaw as a guideline.
So, all my splits are really close to the same, and desired length. My buddy help me cut up a downed oak one time and nearly everything he cut was three or four inches too long so I had to cut them down when I got them home. I don't have a saw buck. I just (very carefully) put one end of the round over another split on the ground and cut off those extra inches. Then I throw the chunks in a pile to be burned also.

HotCoals said:

Make a saw buck.

Not mine..I borrowed the pic.

Click to expand...

That's pretty cool. Any plans or can I purchase somewhere?

firecracker_77 said:

HotCoals said:

Make a saw buck.

Not mine..I borrowed the pic.

Click to expand...

That's pretty cool. Any plans or can I purchase somewhere?

Click to expand...

use two pallets and strip two ot three slats off of each side at one end, lean them up against each other drill holes through both and insert carriage bolts

xman23 said:

I've stacked a big pile and ran the chain saw thru then.

Click to expand...

I do this as well - it has worked okay for me. If I have just a couple of pieces that are too long then it's for the campfire.

I also use my foot to hold a piece in place - just be careful and wear steel toe boots!

What do you do with splits that are too long?

Click to expand...

Um, cut them shorter...

I made this box for cutting wood shorter. It works like a giant miter box.
Just fill it up and run the chainsaw down the middle. Works great.

I have a chainsaw buddy (got it from Baileys) It works best for cutting long smaller branches.
Some splits may be a bit too big for it.