Chainsaw bar length for split wood

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J

JKKDev

New Member
Jul 2, 2019
1
Slovenia
I'm making a box to saw 1m split wood in half. Due to certain aspects of the build, I'm limited to access the box from one side only.

The longest chainsaw bar that I currently own is 18 inches long however I'd like to build a box that's deeper than that.

Is it easier for a chainsaw to cut through stacked split wood than cutting through a log? Is it even remotely possible to run a 25'' bar on a saw that I'd guess is made for 18'' bar?

Thank you for any help and advice :)

Have a nice day.
 
If you are going to have multiple pieces in the box you will need away to lock them down, other than that you are just doing a variation of a beam/ pallet saw. 25" bar going to need something close to 60cc power head wise ( maybe 50 might work) anything under that cc wise is going to have a tough time pulling the chain. My concern here is that if a piece shifts that the bar will get pinched or the chain coming off the bar worst case is if the chain should break.
 
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I ran a 25" bar on a Stihl 360 (60 cc) with a skip tooth blade in pine and cedar. It was ok but far from ideal. I think it would be a waste of time with a 50 cc saw.
 
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What do you mean by splitting 1m wood in half? Are you talking about a log with a 1m diameter that needs to be split into firewood? If so just noodle it from the side, no box needed.
 
op has splits apx 35" long wishes to cut in half ( cross cut) but a bundle at a time not one piece at a time.
 
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It sounds like you’re looking to do what I did below, cutting a whole bunch of wood (in my case, 30 full cords) to a shorter length. In my case, I built a rack 24” wide and used a 28” bar on an 85cc saw. Learned quickly that you need to have a big ratchet strap around the bundle, so the splits on top don’t just roll and fly toward you. I also learned to use ZERO metal (nails & screws) anywhere near the front end of this rig, as after a dozen cords the saw will definitely find them. Everything on the rev.2 rig was glued and dowled. Since I used 10 cords/year, I made a new one of these each fall for the three years I spent working thru that 30 cords, it only took me maybe 30 minutes to build the rig.

What model is your saw? As has already been stated, your primary limit will be the oiler on the saw, this isn’t particularly difficult sawing, it’s not solid wood, and it’s already dry. So you don’t need enormous displacement, but you do need a lot of oil for a big bar.

One thing worth mentioning is that a 25” bar might be a little less than you want, here. My rig was 24” ID, which with the guide bars made it 27”. The tip of the 28” bar was just between the guide bars when the saw was level, and if I rocked at all, it was easy to see how I could end up with the tip hitting the far guide rails. A definite recipe for kickback, so I was careful to be sure the saw was always fully-engaged in the rig. With a 25” bar, you’d really only be able to build your rig to maybe 18” ID.

How many cords do you have to process? I tend to think big, but maybe you’re talking only a few cords, here?

cea26ecdabc5376a0fda887d3b19d527.jpg
 
Ashful said:
It sounds like you’re looking to do what I did below, cutting a whole bunch of wood (in my case, 30 full cords) to a shorter length. In my case, I built a rack 24” wide and used a 28” bar on an 85cc saw. Learned quickly that you need to have a big ratchet strap around the bundle, so the splits on top don’t just roll and fly toward you. I also learned to use ZERO metal (nails & screws) anywhere near the front end of this rig, as after a dozen cords the saw will definitely find them. Everything on the rev.2 rig was glued and dowled. Since I used 10 cords/year, I made a new one of these each fall for the three years I spent working thru that 30 cords, it only took me maybe 30 minutes to build the rig.

What model is your saw? As has already been stated, your primary limit will be the oiler on the saw, this isn’t particularly difficult sawing, it’s not solid wood, and it’s already dry. So you don’t need enormous displacement, but you do need a lot of oil for a big bar.

One thing worth mentioning is that a 25” bar might be a little less than you want, here. My rig was 24” ID, which with the guide bars made it 27”. The tip of the 28” bar was just between the guide bars when the saw was level, and if I rocked at all, it was easy to see how I could end up with the tip hitting the far guide rails. A definite recipe for kickback, so I was careful to be sure the saw was always fully-engaged in the rig. With a 25” bar, you’d really only be able to build your rig to maybe 18” ID.

How many cords do you have to process? I tend to think big, but maybe you’re talking only a few cords, here?

View attachment 246120
Click to expand...

Did this happen when you changed from the Jotuls to the BKs?
 
SpaceBus said:
Did this happen when you changed from the Jotuls to the BKs?
Click to expand...

Exactly. Those old Jotuls were monsters, they could take 24” wood. This was one of the factors that held me up on switching away from them, for a period.

Back when my wood was all 22”, I never had a single stack of seasoning firewood topple. Now, cutting 18” for the BK’s, I lose at least one or two stacks every year. It happens because my stacks tend to shrink in height by at least half a foot, during the course of the seasoning process, whether it be due to shrinkage or ground settling.
 
Last edited:
Ashful said:
Exactly. Those old Jotuls were monsters, they could take 24” wood. This was one of the factors that held me up on switching away from them, for a period.

Back when my wood was all 22”, I never had a single stack topple. Now, cutting 18” for the BK’s, I lose at least one or two stacks every year.
Click to expand...

My firewood is 18" nominal and I have to fight my stacks as well. Nice jig, by the way. If I find myself in a similar situation I can see my self doing the same thing. Probably with deck screws so I could take it back apart.
 
SpaceBus said:
My firewood is 18" nominal and I have to fight my stacks as well. Nice jig, by the way. If I find myself in a similar situation I can see my self doing the same thing. Probably with deck screws so I could take it back apart.
Click to expand...
Mine used drilled dowels in the front, because those guide rails get so chewed up that your saw will eventually find any metal fastener you use. I used a framing nailer for the back half. This thing would get so chewed up over the course of a burning season, doing 10 cords per year, that I’d just toss it in the fire pit each spring. I could throw a new one together the following fall, in about 30 minutes.

I would re-cut each cord of wood from 22” down to 18” at the time I moved it from my wood lot to the house. It would increase the time it took me to move a cord of wood from an hour or two, to maybe 4 hours. A major hassle, but I couldn’t find any economical way to do it faster.
 
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