Wedges

[Garbanzo62]

I dropped a Dead Ash two weeks ago that the top half snapped off. It took forever to get the thing to fall. I don't have any logging wedges and had to improvise. Anyone have suggestions for the size and number of wedges I should get for the future?

 

[GrumpyDad]

I dropped a Dead Ash two weeks ago that the top half snapped off. It took forever to get the thing to fall. I don't have any logging wedges and had to improvise. Anyone have suggestions for the size and number of wedges I should get for the future?

Ive always just put a splitting axe into the back cut then hammered it with a sledge. Never had a problem, other than my nerves being shot from dropping the tree and the worry that a large branch is going to land on me or worse, the tree is going to buck back with the trunk into my chest.

 

[Nealm66]

Those can be really stubborn. It can help to take a deeper/wider face than normal. I carry 2 mediums and a large for just normal falling but for stobs like what you cut I have a couple big yellows and I’ve even made my own out of large tree limbs or what have you

 

[Nealm66]

If you take too deep of face and didn’t leave enough room to wedge with the bar left in the back cut, only cut half the back cut and get a wedge pounded to hold it, then finish the other side. If your face is shallow and meets when it’s falling it can pull extremely far off of aim

 

[Garbanzo62]

The face cut was about 30%. I know that you are not suppose to cut the hinge, but I ended up taking some away from the sides of the hinge after pounding a homemade wood wedge into the back cut. to get it to fall. Don't ever want to go through that again.

 

[armanidog]

Buy some plastic wedges- get various lengths. You can stack wedges if needed. Start wedging the back cut as soon as you get some depth.

This is a good training video on using wedges.

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[bigealta]

Good video, learned about directional falling and leaving more holding wood on 1 side. Did not know that method.

 

[j7art2]

I have a small harbor freight tool bag that I take with me full of firewood/chainsaw tools. Bar nose grease, chainsaw wrench, chainsaw files, guide file, in addition to a 4lb rubber mallet and 3-4 medium plastic wedges. If I need thicker than what I have, I just stack em. Rubber mallet works fine for me in most cases. I imagine if I was going for a massive tree, i'd need bigger all around, but normally I'm not going after anything over 24" in diameter. Gets real heavy and hard to move rounds after that size. Lol.

 

[spuldup]

Good advice given thus far: Use plastic wedges, carry at least 4, stack as needed.
I hesitate to give advice on cutting stubborn trees, but a 90 degree bore cut from behind the tree (take out heartwood) is safer than reducing the whole wedge thickness.

 

[Nealm66]

I don’t promote bore cuts. I think everyone that does should have to try and work a day on a steep blowdown patch of big hardwoods and then make another video explaining why they sat in the crewbus after about an hour

 

[Nealm66]

Or have them climb up about 50’ and top a big cotton wood with a bore cut. There are better, safer ways

 

[Nealm66]

We used bore cuts on large, heavy leaning old growth simply to eliminate stump pull on high value timber. But beyond that, there’s no good reason and it can create an unsafe environment in my opinion

 

[spuldup]

@Nealm66 Yes arguably it's not the best method. Have to stand behind the ready-to-fall tree and hope it doesn't barber chair. Just pointing out it's better than cutting the hinge in my experience. Every tree is different. If this is considered bad advice I can remove the post. Always learning.

 

[Nealm66]

It’s good to have it brought up actually. So much crap on the internet. In the case where you’re cutting down a big stob with no top , if you don’t make the face cut correctly, cutting the hinge wood can become necessary to get it to release. On large stobs if I don’t have a rope to pull it over and there’s not much lean, make your face with a combination Saginaw/humble to widen and then take another slice at the top to give about an inch or so of depth right at the beginning of the undercut. You should have to knock this out. This prevents closure as it’s picking up and falling. Run in at least 50% or a bit more of diameter. If you’re stacking plastic wedges, throw a little dirt or sawdust in between to keep them from popping out and always keep another wedge or stacked wedge’s pounded in, in the event they still pop out. There a few different methods to keep the wedge from running into your bar if the diameter isn’t big enough that may be necessary and extremely important to determine this ahead of time as if it sets back before you can pick the weight up your in for a struggle

 

[Nealm66]

I should add that when you make a deep under cut you raise the potential of it breaking off over backwards by a lot. Which is why it’s extremely important to have the weight picked up with wedges as your back cutting and extra cautious of stacked wedges popping out

 

[patrickk222]

I dropped a Dead Ash two weeks ago that the top half snapped off. It took forever to get the thing to fall. I don't have any logging wedges and had to improvise. Anyone have suggestions for the size and number of wedges I should get for the future?

Whenever im personally foolin with wood i usually bring all 8 of mine .... but thats primarily cause im pretty nuerotic when it comes to workin round firewood in general and 7 of my wedges i wanna say are between 6 to 10 inches long with last 1 bein 3 inc

 

[Garbanzo62]

Ordered a set on amazon 3 5 1/4 and 3 8 inch for like $17. Any tree that would need a bigger wedge, I'll call my tree guy to drop