Wood Jack?

[Wolves-Lower]

Does anybody use these?
http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com/default.php?cPath=36_307_465

All my firewood comes from trees that are down. With the logs on the ground I am looking for a way to turn them for better cuts.

Any ideas?

Gray

 

[carpniels]

Hi Wolves,

I have one and I use it. It keeps the logs of the ground and prevents you from getting dirt in the chain. They are also really handy for rolling logs.

Just make your cuts on the upper side, then roll the log and finish the cuts. Works well

Carpniels

 

[Eric Johnson]

Just be careful you don't hit the metal parts with your saw. It's easy to lose track of their location when you're deep into woodcutting bliss.

I find it easier to cut most of the way through the log and then roll it over and finish up on the bottom, but Niels makes some good points.

 

[velvetfoot]

Mine worked well. I got it at the hardware store.

Edit: Mine is a cant hook.

 

[woodconvert]

I regularly use a cant hook. Very useful tool. It's amazing what you can roll with a big enough lever arm!. That said, i've never used a timber jack but it almost looks like you could one as a cant hook as well....two birds with one stone.

 

[Eric Johnson]

You can use one as a cant hook, but the metal base adds substantially to the weight and bulk, making it less than ideal for simply rolling logs.

Maybe it's just me, but too many tools and gadgets cramp my style. I try to figure out ways to make do with what I have, and then work at perfecting them. You can do a lot with a straight cant hook or peavey. For example, you can roll bigger logs onto a smaller one with your cant hook if you want to get the end up off the ground.

 

[wahoowad]

Maybe it’s just me, but too many tools and gadgets cramp my style. I try to figure out ways to make do with what I have, and then work at perfecting them.

Eric, that's gotta make the old man smile.

 

[woodconvert]

"I try to figure out ways to make do with what I have, and then work at perfecting them."

I agree...but at the same time when you've got a big ole oak laying there, limbed and just waiting to be chunked....I don't like to screw around. I wanna make some dust. On more than one occasion i've forgot my cant hook when i've dumped a tree just too big to roll. It's frustrating to me to have to go home and get it.

As a rule of thumb I usually have saw, gas, bar oil and cant hook and a big tow strap. That's about all I need. (I use the tow strap to turn logs or pull down a tree that I managed to get hooked up on another tree...i'm not into the widow maker thing).

 

[Eric Johnson]

wahoo: Actually, he carries more crap around with him in the woods than I do, but at least he's got Mom to help keep track of it all.

Aside from my safety gear, I'm down to a scrench, a couple of wedges and a saw. And a cell phone, of course.

One of those bucking hooks isn't going to do you much good with a very big logs, especially on soft ground.

On the big ones, there are ways around going back home for a hook. One thing you can do is cut a sapling and use it as a prybar. A variation on that would be to bore out a hole in the trunk big enough to poke the end of a sapling into, and then crank it over. What I usually try to do in those cases is find a spot along the ground where it dips down enough so that you can cut all the way through. Then you've got two smaller logs to roll around, and you might be able to do it by hand.

Obviously, everybody's got their preferences and I've got nothing against having the right tool for the job. I've just never had much luck with tools that try to do too much, or promise more than they can deliver under actual battlefield conditions.

 

[woodconvert]

"And a cell phone, of course."

That brings up a question i've never asked....but I ONLY cut alone. I don't want anyone around. It's more that i've got to think about. People tell me all the time "you shouldn't cut alone, what if something happens". Am I the only one like this??. I do keep my cell phone on me though.

 

[Eric Johnson]

I agree. I have enough trouble keeping one idiot--me--out of trouble.

My theory is that while the chances of getting seriously hurt are less if you work alone, the chances of surviving a serious accident are less as well. So take your pick.

Couple things my dad taught me include making sure the truck is pointed in the right direction (towards home) and with the keys in the ignition. Another one is to make sure somebody who cares knows when and where you're working, and is expecting you to arrive somewhere (home, the bar, wherever) at a specified time. One more thing you can do is to flag a route into where you're working with plastic surveyor's ribbon so that they can find you when you (or your designated watchdog) calls 911. If your work location has a 911 address, that's a good thing to know and share as well.

Finally, don't work when you're tired, pissed off or otherwise distracted.

 

[woodconvert]

"I have enough trouble keeping one idiot--me--out of trouble."

Exactly. I figure if i'm dumb enough to get myself in trouble I sure as hell don't need anyone else tangled up with me.

 

[Wolves-Lower]

Finally, don’t work when you’re tired, pissed off or otherwise distracted

Oh oh...Looks like I will never get work done now!

Man I am pissed about this statement!

hahah :coolsmile: