Just ordered a Smart-Holder log holder on sale

[wetwood]

Found the Smart holder on sale for $49 at Northern Tool+Equipment. Regular price $99. Only difference between it and the one Bailey's sales is red paint and the Remington brand name. Northern says holds a 8" log Bailey's says 9" log but I doubt there is any real difference. At that price I had to get one to try.

Northren Tools smart holder log holder

 

[wendell]

Thanks, looks like it is time to pick one up.

 

[WayneB]

After the second or third time I saw bailey's video of the Smart-Holder I found another video from somewhere in europe that had a good close up of how they worked, so I built one. For the new price, I would have bought one, that's barely over materials, never mind what your time is worth. All that being said, they are nice to use. I hunt for mostly standing dead pine, cut into 4 to 7 foot pieces and load into truck/trailer, once home load into log holder, position wheelbarrow and commence to cutting. Nice tool

 

[CaddyUser]

I've been thinking about getting one of them for awhile now. With the talk of sawbucks, smart holders, etc on the forum, I'm not sure what to consider. I've always been one to buck on the ground, turning the log to keep the saw up out of the ground, but I'm thinking it might be time to consider something else.

Wasajco, do you have pics of yours, and/or a link to the holder design?

 

[WayneB]

I'm not much of a picture person, here is the link to the European vid:

Hope it helps. I changed the design to use thinwall square tube, all one size instead of the what looks like part rectangular and part square. I also used angle for the legs instead of square tube. Identical paint though! Looks like harbor freight orange. Drilling the holes and then jigging for the welding so the pins and holes line up is the only really "hard" part, just takes patience and thinking through the process. Some folks might not enjoy that part of the build. I needed a drill press, and multiple clamps for that part, so it would all fit together. It worked and It can hold a pine log approx 6+' long and over 12"dia. with ease. Dry of course, wet is too heavy to lift anymore, but the design can take it, but I shouldn't, might rupture my other bicep. :shut:

 

[wetwood]

CaddyUser, I Googled "smart-holder firewood holder" looking for the same information when I found northern tool had it on sale. There are several sites with various photo angles of the holder that one can acquire sufficient information to build one. If that does not work I will post some pictures of the smart holder when it gets here.

 

[CaddyUser]

Thanks folks, that's great information. I think I might just take the plunge and make one or purchase one. I know the closest place that I can get one is about $120 plus shipping. For that price, I can probably weld one up anyhow.

Thanks again for the info!

 

[LLigetfa]

Three things I would change in the design as they would annoy me to no end:

1. The pivot pins. I would shorten one of them so that the holes can be aligned one at a time rather than trying to align both at once. You can see in the video the the guy was having problems to get them both aligned.

2. The angle braces. I would double-nut the bolts so that they stay put when the wingnut is removed. A slot rather than a hole would allow disengagement without having to fully remove the wingnut.

3. The top dog. I would make it like a mouse trap so that it could be held open and the log shoved in from the side rather than trying to thread the end in like a needle. One tends to carry a log centred in the middle so with longer logs you are further from the dog and thus a smaller target to hit.

 

[LLigetfa]

Oh, one more thing...

If always used with a pickup as your wood go getter, I would make it to plug into the hitch receiver rather than have it free standing.

 

[YZF1R]

LLigetfa, I have the Remington from Northern. Got it the last time they were on sale for 50 bucks. I have yet to use it, but to answer your valid concerns;

1- One of the pivot pins is shorter than the other so you don't have to line both up at the same time.

2- The angle braces are slotted. The bolts have a spring on them under the wing nuts.

3- Although it won't close by itself if you use it, you can open the jaw and pull it out a little and it will rest on a support piece.

Steve

 

[WoodMann]

And here I went adn built this..............

 

[LLigetfa]

LLigetfa, I have the Remington from Northern. Got it the last time they were on sale for 50 bucks. I have yet to use it, but to answer your valid concerns;

1- One of the pivot pins is shorter than the other so you don't have to line both up at the same time.

2- The angle braces are slotted. The bolts have a spring on them under the wing nuts.

3- Although it won't close by itself if you use it, you can open the jaw and pull it out a little and it will rest on a support piece.

Steve

Sounds like they one-upped the original design. The mousetrap thing would be an easy retrofit. Just need a prop rod that you can bump with the log to trip. The inertia of the fall would probably help set the dog into the wood.

 

[Jabbers]

This seems like a waste of money. If you need a vice I have used my log splitter to hold several pieces of wood at one time.

 

[k3c4forlife]

After seeing this post, buying one is tempting... I would want it to hold a bigger diameter though, maybe up to 12"...

 

[YZF1R]

Just to add a little to its' attributes’:

1- There is a small screw on the outside of each upright about 8 inch's up. They each have a nylon shoulder on them about an 1/8 th inch. When you unfold it to set it up, they raise the angle braces up and out from between the upright frame and bottom frame enough for you to easily grab them to set it up.

2- Also, the pins that the jaw pivots on are two different diameters so you can't get the jaw on backwards. (The teeth are angled to bite best in one direction.)

3- The jaw also has 4 different sets of holes so that the teeth will be properly set in the size branch/log you are holding.

Steve

 

[precaud]

Thx for the heads-up on this, wetwood. At that price I can't resist!

 

[Gator eye]

What a absolute waiste of time. If you have to bend and pick the log up to put it in that POS you would be better off just bending over with the saw in hand and cutting it on the ground.

It would take me 2 years to cut one years worth of wood with that thing.

 

[precaud]

At 6'5" and late 50's I don't want to be constantly bending over to do ANYTHING. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[WayneB]

Re: Bending
The way I figured it, I can go into the woods, cut 4~7' logs, one bend to cut, one bend to pick up, toss in truck or trailer. Get home, then either leisurely unload into smart-holder, and cut into wheelbarrow and stack/split, or toss onto pile, then pick up ONCE, insert into holder, and do previous. Or I could bendover and cut, bendover and cut, bendover and cut the same 4~7 foot log, then bendover and pick up, etc. and load into pickup and then stack/split. I do believe I will be bending over a lot less often. Plus, I can bendover in a nice flat gravel areas where I process the wood, v.s. whatever is under the snow, like the other day when I stepped on a hidden branch, and did my usual graceful fall with chainsaw, bending chain, and looking foolish. BTW, after using awhile, you get an eye for what opening to use, and you pick similar sized logs for inserting. you put in a slight upward angle, pushing until the top of the log engages the top dog teeth, then lower and the weight locks it very well. The last cut has that portion falling down behind the holder, the only one that misses the wheelbarrow. Mine will take over 12", but they get a little heavy then.

 

[billb3]

I use a saw horse for the light stuff, too, when I can't cut right on the falled tree.
Or th whole tree is light stuff.

The one advantage to that is probably cutting that last piece. Especially with really small stuff.



My back isn't getting any younger and my log cuts on the ground are getting done with one knee on the ground.
Course, those logs wouldn't fit in that metal thing and they would crush my sawbuck.

 

[YZF1R]

What a absolute waiste of time. If you have to bend and pick the log up to put it in that POS you would be better off just bending over with the saw in hand and cutting it on the ground.

It would take me 2 years to cut one years worth of wood with that thing.

I don't really think it is ment for "logs". It's just an easier way to cut larger branches without trying to hold the branch in place on the ground with your foot while bending over with the saw to cut it and hoping the saw doesn't bounce over into your foot because you're using the end of the bar to cut it. Yes, a homemade saw buck will probably do fine. For fifty bucks I figure do it either way. Materials and $10 per hr. for you to build one or buy the metal one.

Steve

 

[precaud]

Got my Smart Holder yesterday. Fit and finish is very good. It will be a month or two before I'll use it. It turns out the $49 isn't really a "sale", but is the new price for it. Look on Remington's website and they list it as $49.99 .

I don’t really think it is ment for “logs”.

I guess it depends on where you live and the size of trees you have access to. Looking out at my four unprocessed stacks, I'd say 80-85% of the logs will fit nicely in this holder. From now on I'll stack the larger logs at waist-high level so I won't have to bend over bucking them either. There are easy workarounds for most problems...

 

[YZF1R]

Let us know how it works out for you. As I said earlier, I have yet to use mine. I don't have my own woods, so most all of my wood are logs bucked to length and brought home on my trailer to be split. My wife saw it in the Northern catalog and said I should get me one of those. I don't hear that very often. When she says I can get something I get it and I'll worry about what it is later when it arrives.

Steve

 

[wetwood]

Have not been able to use mine yet either. It is well made and looks like it will fit my needs. here is the pics.

 

[precaud]

An interesting bit of info on the SH18A. Mine came without a manual, so just for the halibut I emailed Northern and asked for one. They didn't have one and gave me the manufacturer's phone number. I called it and got a recorded message that DESA declared bankruptcy in December 2008 and there was no product or warranty support available.

The DESA website is almost empty: http://www.desatech.com/

The SH18A is on Remington's website: http://www.remingtonpowertools.com/products.cgi?cat=9

Since both Remington's and DESA's name is on the product packaging, it's hard to tell what's going on here. But then I saw this:

http://www.remingtonpowertools.com/product_reg.cgi

So it appears that the Remington brand name, and some products in the line, were bought by the new owners (MTD Southwest) from DESA in May 2009, and this was one of the products they took.

They certainly will sell a lot more of them at $50 than they did at $100. But there is no way they can profitably continue to produce and sell them at this price. When they sell out of current inventory (acquired from DESA) I'll bet the price goes back up. So if you've been thinking of getting one of these, I'd do it soon...