huge beech

[Pat Demetrius]

Hello out there -

I read that beech makes good firewood and a friend of my neighbor lost a very large beech over the winter and cannot find any takers. I believe they have posted in on craigslist, etc but it looks like quite the bear. Any ideas on how to tackle something like this?

 

[Shawn Curry]

Looks like it might require about a 12 pack, couple of sharp chains, and an axe. Saw it into firewood lengths, if that's still too heavy to load on the truck/trailer, split em.

 

[arbutus]

I've tackled oak and willow that large with a 16 inch saw. Cut into rounds, borrow or rent a log splitter that can be oriented vertically, and go to work.

 

[Z33]

Hello out there -

I read that beech makes good firewood and a friend of my neighbor lost a very large beech over the winter and cannot find any takers. I believe they have posted in on craigslist, etc but it looks like quite the bear. Any ideas on how to tackle something like this?

View attachment 135523 View attachment 135524

Hey man... You have something on your head in those pictures....

All kidding aside it looks like an Oak I tackled a couple years ago. If you dont have a splitter once you get them bucked up just start from the outside and work your way around the log. Or better yet go rent/buy one as someone else mentioned

 

[Woody Stover]

Wedge some supports under the log, back toward the base but leaving enough on the trunk end to counterbalance when you start sawing off the smallest rounds from the other end.

Hey man... You have something on your head in those pictures....

I think that's his buddy...he looks like a real blockhead.

 

[Applesister]

Some young buck whos a professional sawyer could cut that thing up in 20 minutes. Personally I'd pay to have it cut. Call all your local tree service companies. Tell them the tree is curbside and already down it just needs dicing. lol. I bet someone in the vicinity will take a bite. About 150.00 and maybe the homeowner will go 50/50 just to have it gone.

 

[Applesister]

Beech is premium firewood, it would be downright sad to hack that poor monster up in all kinds of weird pieces.

 

[Woody Stover]

Beech is premium firewood, it would be downright sad to hack that poor monster up in all kinds of weird pieces.

It would be hard to get anything but weird pieces out of that yardbird, with all those branches. That's OK, weird pieces have just as many BTUs as 'normal' ones...

 

[HDRock]

What's the diameter ? If under 40" a 20" bar will do, cut rounds , noodle or sledge n wedge , load up ,take home

 

[TreePointer]

If you don't have, say, a Stihl 660 with a 36" bar (or longer!), then you can take your time with a smaller saw. Using a smaller saw on a giant tree can test the skill of even a seasoned sawyer. On the other hand, you can get good experience on that monster.

As mentioned, try to cut rounds at your firewood length. Have multiple plastic wedges handy and something like a splitting maul to hammer them in to keep the kerf from closing on your bar. On the larger end, you can buck as far as you can into the diameter as if you were starting a round, but then "noodle" out pieces of the round as you go. Definitely have multiple chains and/or sharpening kit to address chains when they get dull.

Having a second saw (or a second bar) can be handy if you tend to get bars stuck. However, a wedge or two should be able to get you out of most pinches.

 

[Shawn Curry]

Yeah that tree should provide a good "101" lesson in chainsaw operation. In order to avoid spending 1/2 your time freeing a pinched saw, you need to understand the tension and compression forces on the log. It's always best to start about 1/3 of the way on the compression side, and finish the cut from the tension side.

If the end you're cutting is completely suspended off of the ground, the tension will be at the top. As you complete the cut and the piece starts to fall away, the saw kerf will open from the top. If the end you're cutting is touching the ground, but the location you're cutting is not, the tension is on the bottom. The rest of the log will want to come to rest on the ground, so as you complete the cut , it wants to pinch at the top.

Also, if you decide to split by hand, or you can only gets your hands on a horizontal splitter, the chainsaw can be your best friend for splitting the big unsplittable rounds as well. If its too heavy to load, just cut that puppy in half.

 

[tsquini]

You will need a big saw. The biggest challenge will be where the 2 crotches are. You will need a much bigger saw for that part.

 

[Shawn Curry]

I think it could be done with a smaller saw and some careful carving. Saw into the "V" of the crotch until you can make firewood size chunks from each branch. Like carving the drumsticks off a turkey haha.

 

[tymbee]

Any ideas on how to tackle something like this?

My advice: Just say NO. There's a reason no one else has jumped on this.

 

[tymbee]

Some young buck whos a professional sawyer could cut that thing up in 20 minutes. Personally I'd pay to have it cut. Call all your local tree service companies. Tell them the tree is curbside and already down it just needs dicing. lol. I bet someone in the vicinity will take a bite. About 150.00 and maybe the homeowner will go 50/50 just to have it gone.

20 minutes? I assume you're joking- or at the very least greatly exaggerating.

I also really doubt a tree service would have any interest either or would want more $$ than it's worth. Also, given the proximity of the tree to nearby houses who knows what kind of material you'd find embedded in the wood to trash your chainsaw chains.

 

[Pat Demetrius]

Thanks for all the replies. I kind of asked the question rhetorically as this beast would tear up my 18 in Echo and my back. Maybe if it was next door but its about a 30 minute drive one way. my dad does have a nice vertical splitter that just happens to be in my shed but I think I'll have to pass. I agree with tymbee.

By the way, the dude in the picture is the owner and I'm sure he wouldn't want me posting his picture all over the web..

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

20 minutes? I assume you're joking- or at the very least greatly exaggerating.

I also really doubt a tree service would have any interest either or would want more $$ than it's worth. Also, given the proximity of the tree to nearby houses who knows what kind of material you'd find embedded in the wood to trash your chainsaw chains.

I kinda disagree, I had my local tree co take down and cut up my maple in under an hour, someone that knows what they are doing can do it quickly and cheaply, I paid $150 for that job, they had a cherry picker and a crew standing around watching. I bet that could be done in under a half hour, I'd pay 50-70 bucks for someone else to do it..... You got to know your limitations when you playing with a chainsaw with that size of diameter.....that's great wood there.....

 

[STIHLY DAN]

That looks like fun. Get a big saw and watch it practically cut itself.

 

[kjahnz]

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Big saws make short work of big wood. Splitting is a different story.

 

[Coog]

Ya that is one fat beech. I couldn't resist.

 

[tymbee]

Hi Ram,

Was your maple anywhere near the size of this beech and did it have the kind of massive limb structure this thing has? By "take down and cut up" I assume you mean just cut to firewood length, not split? Even just cutting it up would likely require one to roll the sections over to complete the cut not to mention stand them up and position/reposition to split. And as others have pointed out, even then much of this thing is simply unsplittable and would have to be sliced/diced with a saw-- cutting cross grain. Not fun.

I'm not saying it couldn't be done-- I've cut many a tree around this size myself, like "street trees" that the local town workers will gladly dump off. I've got saws ranging from a Sthil 076 with 36 inch bar and 404 chain (a real beast), to a Stihl 056, a Husky 576 XP, etc. and even then I'd just haul those unsplittable pieces to the burn pile.

Having been a foreman & estimator for a tree company for several years, if I sent a crew with a cherry picker out to cut this thing up for $150-- I'd likely be looking for another job.

I kinda disagree, I had my local tree co take down and cut up my maple in under an hour, someone that knows what they are doing can do it quickly and cheaply, I paid $150 for that job, they had a cherry picker and a crew standing around watching. I bet that could be done in under a half hour, I'd pay 50-70 bucks for someone else to do it..... You got to know your limitations when you playing with a chainsaw with that size of diameter.....that's great wood there.....

 

[HDRock]

Doesn't look complicated to me ,no brush or spring poles, out in the open ,just a lot of work, divide and conquer

 

[Andy S.]

I'm looking forward to the "after" pictures.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Hi Ram,

Was your maple anywhere near the size of this beech and did it have the kind of massive limb structure this thing has? By "take down and cut up" I assume you mean just cut to firewood length, not split? Even just cutting it up would likely require one to roll the sections over to complete the cut not to mention stand them up and position/reposition to split. And as others have pointed out, even then much of this thing is simply unsplittable and would have to be sliced/diced with a saw-- cutting cross grain. Not fun.

I'm not saying it couldn't be done-- I've cut many a tree around this size myself, like "street trees" that the local town workers will gladly dump off. I've got saws ranging from a Sthil 076 with 36 inch bar and 404 chain (a real beast), to a Stihl 056, a Husky 576 XP, etc. and even then I'd just haul those unsplittable pieces to the burn pile.

Having been a foreman & estimator for a tree company for several years, if I sent a crew with a cherry picker out to cut this thing up for $150-- I'd likely be looking for another job.

Hi, my maple was way too big for me to take down by myself so I got several quotes to slice it up for me, you would be amazed at the different prices, just need to shop around. Anyways I was saying what I would do if I had a chance at that wood, get it down to manageable pieces for me. There are guys out there that can tackle that quicker than you think and not charge you a crazy price, that's all I was sayin....

 

[Jags]

I would disassemble that sucker like a giant lego's puzzle.