Need to shorten some firewood

I have some seasoned wood that was cut for a woodstove that takes lengths around 20 inches. Some of the pieces are as long as 24 inches. My woodstove needs 16 inch lengths.

I plan to sort out the pieces that are too long for my stove and use a chainsaw to make them fit after I get a batch. Has anyone seen an easy and safe way to support the wood while sawing it?

PauF

Yeah, that was me asking for suggestions.

I think Elk came up with the idea of laying the log on a pallet for support while cutting. My buddy volunteered to step on the log and stabilize it while I shortened them with my chainsaw, but I just knew it was going to mean a trip to the local ER. "Hold my beer and watch this".

With no feasible way to shorten the logs (read safe), I ended up burning about half of it in the fire pit at a small outdoor gathering. We had an intense blaze that night!

Don't bother with a sawzaw BTW. It makes a great pruner, but an inefficient log shortener.

Personally, I would use a bandsaw, but that is because I have access to industrial vertical and horizontal saws. Sometimes, being a machinist has its benefits. :coolsmile:

Shoot, just being allowed to use machinist tools once in a while has it's benefits

I have an idea of something easy to make that would help. Take a pallat and attatch a piced of wood to the back end of it so it's a few inches above the palat. put a gate hing on that wood and a 3 or 4 foot section of 2x4 so that it comes toward the front when you lower it. Place the wood under the 2/x4 and step on the 2x4 and cut away. That way your foot isn't anywhere near the wood. Kind of a moot point now that you had your bon fire. but there will always be more wood.

I usually jusput my smaller odd length wood on a few stacked logs and hold it down with my foot but I can definately see a desire for a safer way to use the saw.

I saw this technique somewhere for general purpose wood length cutting: attach 4 vertical 2x4's to a base such as a 2x6, 2x8 etc... such that they will hold the logs in place. Lay the 2x6 on the ground, and attach the 2x4's to the corners so they are vertical. Now drop your logs in between the 2x4's so that the logs are laying on top of the 2x6. Then you can cut down through the stack of logs all at once. the logs will go no where, and if you need to have someone hold the jug, their hands should be a safe distance from the chain.

Warren

Warren,

if the vertical 2x4s are not parallel, but V-shaped, it should be good for variable size logs, they should be wedged in tightly. Off course you no longer can do the batch processing but only one at a time. I'm going to try this.

B

I got a lot of longer wood with my delivery, too. I think combining the ideas may work well--if I rig up a pallet with wooden Vs to hold the split, and place the area I want cut over a gap in the pallet, then I should be able to cut 4" or 8" or whatever off the piece without sticking the saw in the ground or into the wood work surface. Anyone see a good reason not to do it this way?

Everything about firewood is labor intensive.

I like BG's rig. Time tested technology. I don't think there's a safety issue, Dylan. You can set the saw down while it's idling without putting yourself in any danger (contrary to what the chainsaw manual says). If you want to take it to the extreme, you can engage the chain brake before setting it down.

But shortening up firewood, especially after it's been split, is a lot of extra work anyway you slice it.

Zap has a unquie saw buck. do a search something like why i buck...not sure of the rest. basically its a homemade box that is sized for looping off the ends and what ever is in the box is onsize. I have been toying with the notion of making one but ah time isnt on my side.

Holy old thread batman. Did you have a court order to exhume this corpse?

Miter saw works the best in my opinion

eh Im guessing my work out had me all confused and i hit last rather then next....

that work out consists of the 12oz curls

Put it in a splitter the opposite way you would to split it. Run the wedge against it and then saw to whatever size you need.

What the heck is the issue with throwing it on the ground, hold with one foot and cut? I have cut trees like that many many many times and I still have all my hands and feet and never had a "close" call.

Bandsaw, chopsaw, Ginsu knife etc... leave those for what they are made for... not cutting firewood!

I dont think anything is wrong. might dull the chain hitting the ground so much. if you dont have a lonf enough bar that could suck bending over and being off balenced...but hey it only ever takes one time. but I'll do just that cut half way then roll it over to finish it. makes short enough work i guess. only problem i have now is i want o cut all of mine 8-10 inches in length for n/s burning.

Heres mine....works great for me....

http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/66266/

I put 2 large diameter logs on the ground, and place the piece to be trimmed on top of the two with the end hangin over and trim it. just make sure the two large pieces are stable----I place an already-trimmed piece on the ground as a "ruler" to get the correct length. I trimmed everything to 18" If you have some longer pieces, you could just half them

Nate, many of us has cut wood down low but just throwing it on the ground would be a sorry way to cut off lots of these things. Also, not everyone would be able to do this without kissing the ground with the end of the saw so would get lots of practice shrarpening! The ideas of building a jig or even the milk crate idea works much, much better and is a whole lot faster to boot.

loving that. How'd you get a crate for perfect length cutting? you know the milk man?

by the way those shorts on the ground were all I had to burn for quite some time, loved them though was like burning coal.

I use my miter saw but I'm liking wood fanatics milk crate rig