Problem cutting very wet wood

[ruserious2008]

Hey all, scored about 1/2 cord of white birch that is cut into about 3 ft lengths and about 12" in diamter. Its been lying on the ground for a couple of years and while some if it was punky (put a screwdriver into it easily) most of what I got is still solid but soaked. On the one's I've split so far my gloves get soaked just handling the splits- that's how wet it is. So I got the logs up on pallets but figure I better get it cut and split and stacked to get it started on drying out and to keep it from rotting. The problem I have is cutting it with my chainsaw. I'll get maybe 3 or 4 inches into the cut and my saw will bind. I've tried it in my tried and true cutting stand and in other positions and am convinced that its not the wood bending back in on itself that's causing the problem. Could it be the water in the wood causing it to expand as it gets hot from the cut? That's my theory but I'm wondering how to get past this problem? I love burning birch with the bark being a great and easy starting kindling already attached
My saw is a little crummy Ryobi and I'm thinking I just need something with more HP to get thru this stuff? Anyone been down this log road before?
Thanks

 

[nate379]

I have had that happen before when a chain is in really bad shape. It's like it's cutting narrower than the bar. I don't think it's from being wet though. I have cut cottonwood that was so wet it was spraying off the chain as I cut!

 

[bogydave]

From my experience,
If birch has been left on the ground for 2 years, allot is going to be punky & wet.
CSS it might dry & be ok but if it's that wet, it already started to break down & soak in water.
When dry it'll burn but not as good as if it was done 2 years ago. Longer drying time for it too.

 

[Gark]

By any chance, is your bar/chain not cutting straight (cutting a curve instead of straight)? I had an old homelite that cut such a bad curve that the bar would hang on the inner part of the cut and go no further. I did not know how to properly sharpen a chain back then. It can happen if the cutters are dull on one side (hit a rock or nail, etc.).

 

[Dune]

Hey all, scored about 1/2 cord of white birch that is cut into about 3 ft lengths and about 12" in diamter. Its been lying on the ground for a couple of years and while some if it was punky (put a screwdriver into it easily) most of what I got is still solid but soaked. On the one's I've split so far my gloves get soaked just handling the splits- that's how wet it is. So I got the logs up on pallets but figure I better get it cut and split and stacked to get it started on drying out and to keep it from rotting. The problem I have is cutting it with my chainsaw. I'll get maybe 3 or 4 inches into the cut and my saw will bind. I've tried it in my tried and true cutting stand and in other positions and am convinced that its not the wood bending back in on itself that's causing the problem. Could it be the water in the wood causing it to expand as it gets hot from the cut? That's my theory but I'm wondering how to get past this problem? I love burning birch with the bark being a great and easy starting kindling already attached
My saw is a little crummy Ryobi and I'm thinking I just need something with more HP to get thru this stuff? Anyone been down this log road before?
Thanks

You mean a cordless electric?

Probably just doesn't have enough power.
Try splitting them and then cutting.

 

[hobbyheater]

Hey all, scored about 1/2 cord of white birch that is cut into about 3 ft lengths and about 12" in diamter. Its been lying on the ground for a couple of years and while some if it was punky (put a screwdriver into it easily) most of what I got is still solid but soaked. On the one's I've split so far my gloves get soaked just handling the splits- that's how wet it is. So I got the logs up on pallets but figure I better get it cut and split and stacked to get it started on drying out and to keep it from rotting. The problem I have is cutting it with my chainsaw. I'll get maybe 3 or 4 inches into the cut and my saw will bind. I've tried it in my tried and true cutting stand and in other positions and am convinced that its not the wood bending back in on itself that's causing the problem. Could it be the water in the wood causing it to expand as it gets hot from the cut? That's my theory but I'm wondering how to get past this problem? I love burning birch with the bark being a great and easy starting kindling already attached
My saw is a little crummy Ryobi and I'm thinking I just need something with more HP to get thru this stuff? Anyone been down this log road before?
Thanks

Big production saws will also bind when they encounter pitch seams in Western Douglas Fir. A solution is every couple of seconds lift the bar up an inch or so at cutting speed to let the rakers clear the cut. The soggy chips are not clearing and are getting stuck between the bar and the chain. Also have a good hold, saws with shorter bars can kick back.
The above applies if the chain will still not move when removed from the cut.
Allan

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Not sure about where you live but around here if the birch has laid on the ground 2 years it is all punk and not worth getting. In fact, if a birch falls on its own, it is usually completely punk already. When we cut birch, we also get it split very soon else it will rot from the inside out the same as if it were left in the woods. I am speaking totally about white birch.

 

[billb3]

My saw is a little crummy Ryobi and I'm thinking I just need something with more HP to get thru this stuff? Anyone been down this log road before?
Thanks

Yup, and not with just birch. It's like the wood is a sponge and is relaxing and pinching the bar and gets worse as you get deeper and deeper into the cut. ( or like trying to shovel mud ). I keep lifting the saw back out to recut the expanding walls and clear out fibers.
I don't cut leaners or dead trees to lie on the ground for months because of it. It's worse with a two man hand saw. We would leave those for after a long dry spell, or just leave them or roll the log and start a new cut a few times to get through without fighting it. Really slows you down.

 

[Wood Duck]

Try splitting it first, then cutting later. I think you should be able to split 3 ft sections of birch by hand. Stand them on the ground then hit 'em.

 

[ruserious2008]

Thanks guys for the replies.
Its a gas powered saw btw.
The couple of pieces I did split are still hard with no signs of punkyness so maybe they have not been down for 2 years.
I'll check my saws bar and see if it has a curve in it. That could be my problem as this saw overall in the year I've had it seems to be getting worse and worse.
I was also going to change the spark plug to see if that gets me anymore "umph". I tried splitting them as 3 ft sections but was not getting anywhere doing that. Probably the limits of my back swinging the axe on that issue. Well thanks for the ideas and I'll post again if I figure something out.

 

[ruserious2008]

Well final note on this problem- at least it motivated me to give my saw a good maintenance once over. Changed the plug. Found and cleaned the air filter for the first time and it was very dirty. Checked the bar and it is not curved or bent. Sharpened the chain, Cleaned everything up and went back to the wet birch and same problem. I tried an oak chunk the same diameter and it cut thru that without binding so I'm going with my theory that the water heats up and the wood expands and binds the saw. I tried the method several suggested lifting the bar up and down but it would be bound enough where it was nearly impossible to do that. I muscled my way thru most of them. I tried again to split them with my Fiskars as 3 foot logs and finally managed to split some of them. The ones with knots in the middle would not split. So after some major sweating, swearing and taking breaks I gave up with just five 3 ft pieces left and decided that I'm going to leave them on a pallet for the winter and see how they cut next spring or summer when they dry out. Or if they don't its off to the dumpster with them Or maybe Santa will bring me that new saw I want and that might give me the edge I need to conquer these suckers in 2012- that is if the world doesn't end of course

 

[hobbyheater]

ruserious 2008
Instead of lifting the bar up ,trying moving the bar back and forth in the cut at cutting speed much like the motion of using a hand saw , this another method of getting the soggy chips out of the cutting path.

Allan

 

[hobbyheater]

[quote author="ruserious2008" date="1322531745"]Well final note on this problem- at least it motivated me to give my saw a good maintenance once over

When the saw binds in the cut , does it remained bound when removed from the cut?

If it remains bound, chips are getting stuck between the bar and chain.
1 - remove bar and clean the grove that the chain runs in.
2- move the bar back and forth in the cut while cutting ( like using a hand saw) this will also aid in chip removal.

Saw is binding in the cut, but moves again when free of the cut.
Is the cut running side ways?
1 - worn bar. Take the bar off and turn it over. Grove on the other side may be more even. I have a tendency to sharpen one side of the chain better than the other and over time this puts more pressure on one side of the bar than the other, to the point that even a brand new chain will run in the cut a bit! Solution is to every now and again turn the bar over.

2-Rakers too high. If the raker are too high even a sharp chain has trouble cutting and produces sawdust consistent with that of a flower mill.

3- dull chain or improperly filed chain will also cause binding.

The pictures show the proper height of the raker. One on a brand new chain and one that is worn, also a raker depth gauge and file.

There is a danger in filing the raker to low = more danger of kick backs. The type where the saw flies over your head and hits you in the back.

On the lighter side, Santa is very understanding. Several years ago my Stihl 076 had blown up and the Husky 380 was tired. Both saws were 30+ years old. Christmas morning, there was a new Husky 570 under the tree.
Could not resist adding the picture of our splitter in operation!

Allan