Barb wire in trees

[ikessky]

I was scrounging some wood today and ran into a small problem. I was cutting in a small grove of trees that grew up between two fields that used to be used as cow pastures but now are used or Christmas trees. Anyway, I found a decent white ash that has been laying for a couple years and started to cut it at the base. All of a sudden, I start to see a couple sparks come from the chain. I stopped the saw and looked at the chain. It seemed OK, so I moved up around a foot or so. Cut half way in and sparks again. This time I rolled the log over and found that the tree had grown with some strands of barbed wire through it. Well, the chain was dull after cutting through the second piece of barbed wire, but I figured I could get another tree down before I head home. I spotted a standing dead maple and went to cut it. There was a pile of brush up against the backside of it, but I really didn't think anything of it. Started the cut and got almost all the way through it and then realized that the brush was hiding the barbed wire in this tree also! Well, needless to say, the chain is now toast. There are actual chunks out of the cutters. Good reason to get rid of the safety chain, but also a lesson learned. Take a better look at the stumps before I go cutting.

 

[LLigetfa]

Always leave the first 4 feet of stump on old fence lines unless you have a metal detector.

 

[Gooserider]

It may be possible to salvage the chain w/ a grinder - or save it just for use on this kind of suspect wood...

Gooserider

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I was scrounging some wood today and ran into a small problem. I was cutting in a small grove of trees that grew up between two fields that used to be used as cow pastures but now are used or Christmas trees. Anyway, I found a decent white ash that has been laying for a couple years and started to cut it at the base. All of a sudden, I start to see a couple sparks come from the chain. I stopped the saw and looked at the chain. It seemed OK, so I moved up around a foot or so. Cut half way in and sparks again. This time I rolled the log over and found that the tree had grown with some strands of barbed wire through it. Well, the chain was dull after cutting through the second piece of barbed wire, but I figured I could get another tree down before I head home. I spotted a standing dead maple and went to cut it. There was a pile of brush up against the backside of it, but I really didn't think anything of it. Started the cut and got almost all the way through it and then realized that the brush was hiding the barbed wire in this tree also! Well, needless to say, the chain is now toast. There are actual chunks out of the cutters. Good reason to get rid of the safety chain, but also a lesson learned. Take a better look at the stumps before I go cutting.

I've only been running a chain saw for 20 years or so. I occasionally hit nails or barb wire or the like and it never ceases to amaze me that whenever I see sparks I always say, "Did I just see sparks?. . . naaahh. . . " and try again. Sure enough, every time I thought I saw sparks I was right.

 

[madrone]

I went through a bunch of maple with barbed wire fence in it this year. It's amazing how far into a tree it'll go.

 

[flyingcow]

Always leave the first 4 feet of stump on old fence lines unless you have a metal detector.

Cutting trees off rock walls/line fences is so nice to do because of the easy access, but before the days done, swearing will be a part of that day. :cheese: :vampire: :exclaim:

 

[savageactor7]

ikessky...around here we call them 'hedge row' trees and yeah...barbed wire and those ceramic electric fence insulators are always a possible hazard.

You can avoid it by following LLigetfa's advice. Anyone that's been cutting for a few years will have a few events like that under their belt...

...for some reason it mostly happens after you put on a brand new chain.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That is why, when I was sawing lumber we would not buy any logs that came from a fence row or along a ditch. It doesn't take long to ruin a good saw with that stuff. Leaving 4' at the stump is a good idea. Sometimes if the wire isn't too deeply grown in you can tell where it is and cut beside it but where there is one wire their is usually 2 or more. You'll see 2 strands of barbed wire, or 3 strands and up to 5.

 

[Ncountry]

I've only been running a chain saw for 20 years or so. I occasionally hit nails or barb wire or the like and it never ceases to amaze me that whenever I see sparks I always say, "Did I just see sparks?. . . naaahh. . . " and try again. Sure enough, every time I thought I saw sparks I was right.[/quote]

LOL Haaahaa. I feel better .I always do the same thing ,really hard on chains. I once bought all of the butt logs off of a sugar bush logging job and those old cast taps buried 1' inside were hard on a chain too. That was some of the best/worst wood I ever cut.

 

[Cutter]

I feel your pain. All of the wood that I cut is in fence/hedge rows. It kills me to look back down the line and see tons of stumps standing there just teasing me. I have considered buying a carbide tipped chain just for this purpose. I know they cost a fortune. But there is alot of easy pickens there. Has anyone here used these chains and if so do they work well?
Brad

 

[smokinj]

I feel your pain. All of the wood that I cut is in fence/hedge rows. It kills me to look back down the line and see tons of stumps standing there just teasing me. I have considered buying a carbide tipped chain just for this purpose. I know they cost a fortune. But there is alot of easy pickens there. Has anyone here used these chains and if so do they work well?
Brad

I use a carbide inject a chain from baileys that works pretty good still needs to be sharpen with a grinder after hitting metal much cheaper than the full carbide