Think I Scored One From Sandy: Cut from Top or Bottom?

[Mass. Wine Guy]

Hmm. Well, I'm not going to spend more time hauling any more than I have home. I'll clean up the site, stack the wood by the road and someone is sure to take it. I realize this makes me a bad person, but I can live with that.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Thanks, everybody. I'll see if I can split the suspicious rounds on site, where I can then haul the slash to a burn pile. I was quite pleased with how easy it was cutting up a tree lying on the ground. One deep cut, hammer in a wedge, then finish the same cut. It helped save my chain, for sure.

This I do not understand. If the log is on the ground and you drive a wedge in so you can finish the cut, when you finish your chain is touching good ole Mother Earth. Best way I know of to dull a chain. Leave the wedge in your pocket and roll that log before finishing the cut and you won't have to sharpen so often which will make the chain last a lot longer too.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I dont understand. Is poplar softwood? I thought it was hardwood.

It is commonly referred to as softwood. Technically, any tree that drops leaf is a hardwood.

 

[Mass. Wine Guy]

This I do not understand. If the log is on the ground and you drive a wedge in so you can finish the cut, when you finish your chain is touching good ole Mother Earth. Best way I know of to dull a chain. Leave the wedge in your pocket and roll that log before finishing the cut and you won't have to sharpen so often which will make the chain last a lot longer too.

Savage, I understand your confusion. But when I first started cutting up the trees it was impossible for me to roll them over in order to make cuts on both sides. I don't think my chain went into the dirt, but maybe it did.

 

[firefighterjake]

I dont understand. Is poplar softwood? I thought it was hardwood.

As my father used to tell me . . . "Poplar is a soft hardwood . . . and hemlock is a hard softwood."

Softwood typically refers to conifers (evergreens) . . . hardwoods typically refer to the deciduous (leaf bearing) trees . . . not so much the density of the wood.

 

[firefighterjake]

Hmm. Well, I'm not going to spend more time hauling any more than I have home. I'll clean up the site, stack the wood by the road and someone is sure to take it. I realize this makes me a bad person, but I can live with that.

Personally I would take it . . . sure it may not be the best wood to burn for an overnight burn in middle of January . . . but it seasons relatively quickly and makes a great shoulder season fire or a fire for when you're home in the evening or nights. Think of it as a good karma building exercise . . . plus as noted . . . taking some of this now and cleaning it all up may result in future (better) scores if the person recommends you to others.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Savage, I understand your confusion. But when I first started cutting up the trees it was impossible for me to roll them over in order to make cuts on both sides. I don't think my chain went into the dirt, but maybe it did.

Ya, it is pretty hard to not touch the ground with the chain and that dulls it fast. I was reminded of this just today. I had to cut a couple trees (small ones) and the darned chain was really dull. Then I remembered that I had dug up a big root when we found some stuff growing up in the garden and I simply cut them with the chain saw. So, a quick filing and all was good.