# Bucking table mostly done



## CaseyForrest (Mar 18, 2017)

I've got a few minor bugs to iron out along the way, and get the working end finished with a stop. But mostly done. Secondary goal was to make it moveable with the tractor and that was accomplished. 

I added some diagonal bracing on the short sides after pulling the log off. It's quite solid now. 























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## Wood Doctor (Mar 18, 2017)

So, you buck cut the log almost all the way through five or six times , then you somehow rotate the log to finish it off? The idea is to get the log off the ground at a comfortable working height? And do you intend to load on several logs at once?

Not sure how you intend to use this.


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 18, 2017)

There will be sacrificial boards on the low end of the stand to cut all the way through the logs.

Yes, more than 1 log at a time. I just wanted to see if I needed to add any bracing, which I did.

I'm toying with the idea of building a separate cutting platform that will sit independent, but attached, of the stand. Its currently at the high end of height for comfortable work for me and adding sacrificial boards will increase the height even more. The platform would be wide enough to accommodate 1 log rolled onto it from the stand and 14' long.


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 18, 2017)

But yeah, Ive got some specifics to work out. Make it work right for me. The idea is to cut all the way through and then set the cut pieces onto my splitting table which sits right next to the splitter. If I can get everyone trained, I can have someone loading the table, someone cutting and transferring to the splitting table while someone splits. Since everything is mobile, I can set up right where the splits get stacked.


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## cantoo (Mar 18, 2017)

Casey,I bought this at an auction sale a few years ago. I've never used it because I bought my OWB and cut most stuff to 32" now. It might give you a few ideas for your table. The owner said it was a real time saver for him as he had some back issues. Main frame is old railway track, height is adjustable and it's easy to move around. He cut smaller stuff that didn't need to be split so he just moved it along his wood stack line and put the cut rounds right onto the stacks.


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## cantoo (Mar 18, 2017)

The vertical log stops pull out to allow the next log in, can cut several logs at a time. Front legs are adjustable in height so you control how easy it is for logs to roll down the rails. The whole cutting area on the end is just bolted on and can come off but I'm not sure why, maybe to travel down the road or just easier to build that way. He also had a hay wagon that was the height of the tongue end but I didn't realize until after it sold that it was also used with this cutting trailer. He loaded the logs lengthwise across the wagon and backed it up to the cutting trailer so he had maybe 50 or 75 logs to do without moving it.


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 18, 2017)

The orange paint marks a row of lag bolts that secure the sacrificial 4" x 6" timbers. Knowing that is important when cutting nubs and such. The last photo shows intermediary supports for short logs. A slope is good but not too much of one, as you do not want the logs to roll on their own against the log your cutting. Once you start using it you will make adjustments to fit how you work.


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 19, 2017)

cantoo said:


> The vertical log stops pull out to allow the next log in, can cut several logs at a time. Front legs are adjustable in height so you control how easy it is for logs to roll down the rails. The whole cutting area on the end is just bolted on and can come off but I'm not sure why, maybe to travel down the road or just easier to build that way. He also had a hay wagon that was the height of the tongue end but I didn't realize until after it sold that it was also used with this cutting trailer. He loaded the logs lengthwise across the wagon and backed it up to the cutting trailer so he had maybe 50 or 75 logs to do without moving it.



That's pretty cool. If I had access to the steel I would have gone that way instead of wood. Woods just easier to work with. 


Sent from a field


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 19, 2017)

After sleeping on it, and staring at the table this morning, I'm going to extend the low side to create a deck for the actual cutting. 


Sent from a field


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 19, 2017)

Sent from a field


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## dave_dj1 (Mar 19, 2017)

Looks good!


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## dave_dj1 (Mar 19, 2017)

cantoo said:


> Casey,I bought this at an auction sale a few years ago. I've never used it because I bought my OWB and cut most stuff to 32" now. It might give you a few ideas for your table. The owner said it was a real time saver for him as he had some back issues. Main frame is old railway track, height is adjustable and it's easy to move around. He cut smaller stuff that didn't need to be split so he just moved it along his wood stack line and put the cut rounds right onto the stacks.
> View attachment 566074
> View attachment 566077
> View attachment 566080
> View attachment 566081


I love that design. If I had a place that was permanent to process wood I would have one just like it.


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 20, 2017)

Looks great!
Be safe...
There is a learning curve with two and three hundred pound logs and gravity.


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 20, 2017)

Tools, and note 4 x 6 on edge as a bump stop. I used to use 2 x material but with the saw cuts logs would break of the top edge. End stop is gapped from front stop to clear chips. Could use bigger gap. Orange paint denotes lag bolts in top.

Lots of chips! The pet crate has since got smashed by a run-a-way log...
Also, this deck has a 2" lip on the front. The height is a trade off between stopping logs and lifting rounds over it. I tried short removable uprights but the pressure against them made them hard to pull out. I clean the build-up on the cut table portion with the edge of a plastic wedge. Crooked logs and nubs put downward pressure on the cut table. The front 4 x 6 is lagged between each 16" cutting notch to stiffen it up (you can see that below) Your table will be a work in progress as you find what works for you. I do not have much "forward tip" on my fork lift, a few degrees at best, therefor the uprights at the rear of the table. I lift logs over, lower, and back out.

When loading the deck I unhook this trailer and rollout out of the way and make sure the saw is on it.



The log deck is a great too, however, I guess I would add a huge caution:

The logs do not always stay on the table. When advancing logs have an exit plan. I always advance logs from the side of the log deck, and not from the front, and make sure there are no trip hazards. For one, there is little room to move, to get out of the way, between the log deck and staging table. Rolling logs towards you is a simply a very bad, bad idea.

What you don't see in my pictures are all the logs that have rolled off the front and sides of the table when loading, or shifting and advancing logs to the front. Keep your saws, gas cans, etc. out of the zone. Especially when loading keep other people away, and facing you. I've had logs roll diagonally off the top of the pile when loading, which makes the 'zone' a fairly large foot print. If a log hits the round staging table, the table can hit the splitter. Think Dominos! (the game...)

Using a cut table, like a chainsaw, is simply dangerous. It sounds like your cutting every day, and well aware of potential hazards.

Tools:
Saws chain break. I use it religiously.
I use a short handled peavy to pry, roll and end shift logs. This is my go to tool.
Small logs, I sometimes use a pulp hook if there is no danger of other logs shifting.
A hook-a-roon is sometimes handy, as is a long handled peavy.
A pitch fork for bark, and scoop shovel for chips. (With a day or two of cutting your table will be 4" shorter in height.)
I have an old pet crate that I set my saw on when staging rounds.
A crate for cut-offs, etc., so the ground is clear of trip hazards.


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 20, 2017)

All good advice Crane. I still need to devise a stop block at the end of the cutting stand. I'll also need to rework how this 4x4 are attached. I may buy a couple more and lag them all together so they are solid, then attach the solid top to the legs. Right now I don't have a lot of confidence in them staying put. 

I am in the process of acquiring a short handled peavey. I have 2 long handled ones already. 


Sent from a field


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 20, 2017)

Oh, and I won't be stacking logs on the deck. Single height. I'm hoping that a single row of logs will be about a nights worth of cutting and splitting. 


Sent from a field


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## Trapper_Pete (Mar 20, 2017)

I was thinking of building something similar all my logs are 8 feet coming out of the woods so I would just build it 8 feet I was thinking of putting the splitter rounds table to the right of the log table so that it wasn't far to move the rounds could be turned 90 and rolled over to it and then proceed to the splitter I am thinking landscaping timbers for the sacrificial table as they are less expensive by about half compared to 4x4 

Can I ask what you use for the cages on the pallets to hold your wood is that like a wrap of chicken wire or some sort of fencing 

my idea to stop or slow down run away was 3/4 black pipe , drill a few holes in timber closest the edge of the table and have a few 14 or so inch pieces of pipe cut to fit in the holes the holes would be in line with the row of lag bolts holding the timbers on.
put them on rope or so that hang out of the way when you don't want them


an old guy down the road a piece said when he had his farm and they were heating with wood his son worked at a saw mill they built up a hay wagon with 4x6 timbers across so that 2 bundles of scabs could be laid length ways across and strapped down his son would pull the wagon home from work , they could cut trough bundle then stack it up the timbers were set up so that the saw went between the timbers and they never cut the trailer.

if I knew where I could get the running gear for a hay wagon cheap I would build something similar up with cutting table off one side


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 20, 2017)

Trapper_Pete said:


> I was thinking of building something similar all my logs are 8 feet coming out of the woods so I would just build it 8 feet I was thinking of putting the splitter rounds table to the right of the log table so that it wasn't far to move the rounds could be turned 90 and rolled over to it and then proceed to the splitter I am thinking landscaping timbers for the sacrificial table as they are less expensive by about half compared to 4x4



I would liked to have used landscape timbers, less than $4 for an 8'er. But all my wood coming in can be up to 14', and I didnt want to have to piece the bed together. I suppose I could by staggering the joints... I may do that when the time comes.

My idea is to have my other staging table right next to the cutting table and the splitter right next to that... We'll see.



Trapper_Pete said:


> Can I ask what you use for the cages on the pallets to hold your wood is that like a wrap of chicken wire or some sort of fencing



3' tall welded wire fence. Seems to hold up well, but Ive had to abandon that idea. As much as I would loved to see it work, it takes up to much space for the amount of wood stored. Winters like the one we just had mean the yard will get torn up moving pallets. 



Trapper_Pete said:


> my idea to stop or slow down run away was 3/4 black pipe , drill a few holes in timber closest the edge of the table and have a few 14 or so inch pieces of pipe cut to fit in the holes the holes would be in line with the row of lag bolts holding the timbers on.
> put them on rope or so that hang out of the way when you don't want them



Thats a good idea.



Trapper_Pete said:


> an old guy down the road a piece said when he had his farm and they were heating with wood his son worked at a saw mill they built up a hay wagon with 4x6 timbers across so that 2 bundles of scabs could be laid length ways across and strapped down his son would pull the wagon home from work , they could cut trough bundle then stack it up the timbers were set up so that the saw went between the timbers and they never cut the trailer.
> 
> if I knew where I could get the running gear for a hay wagon cheap I would build something similar up with cutting table off one side



I toyed with a running gear... But I don't want to put that much money into it and most of the ones around here that are not priced by gold prices need tires or work.


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 20, 2017)

Just realized I know where some decent railroad timbers are. Should be free. I'll have to investigate tomorrow. 


Sent from a field


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## Wood Doctor (Mar 20, 2017)

My solution to bucking might be a little easier. I lay the heavy logs flat about 6" apart. Then I use a cant hook or peavy to lift them up and buck off 18". Then I move the cant hook and buck the next 18".

One other solution for bigger logs is to buck cut five or six lengths part way down and stop before the pinch starts. Then roll the log to complete the buck cuts. Most of the time I can complete at least one buck cut with no pinch and that makes it easy to roll the log(s). Oh, and a simple wedge at the top of the kerf that starts to pinch allows me to complete most buck cuts.

Casey, how are you lifting all those logs onto your new structure? Seems like it would take some really strong power equipment (fork lift?). The ones my logger friend dropped off for me to buck up weigh at least 1000 pounds apiece, maybe more.


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 20, 2017)

Thats when it was new. Its got turf tires on it now and I have pallet forks. Some of the logs Ive brought home are more than it wants, but it lifts them with a little coaxing...


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## Wood Doctor (Mar 20, 2017)

I figured as much. You are lifting up and tossing around really heavy logs onto that log holder.

It would be nice to invent a device that rotates the log after you make about five or six buck cuts within an inch or so of the bottom of the log. Then you could complete the cuts without cutting into your holder with the chain saw. That device might be easier to make than you realize.


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 20, 2017)

Wood Doctor said:


> My solution to bucking might be a little easier. I lay the heavy logs flat about 6" apart. Then I use a cant hook or peavy to lift them up and buck off 18". Then I move the cant hook and buck the next 18".
> 
> One other solution for bigger logs is to buck cut five or six lengths part way down and stop before the pinch starts. Then roll the log to complete the buck cuts. Most of the time I can complete at least one buck cut with no pinch and that makes it easy to roll the log(s). Oh, and a simple wedge at the top of the kerf that starts to pinch allows me to complete most buck cuts.
> 
> Casey, how are you lifting all those logs onto your new structure? Seems like it would take some really strong power equipment (fork lift?). The ones my logger friend dropped off for me to buck up weigh at least 1000 pounds apiece, maybe more.



Ive got to lift them to get them onto the splitter, so it seems to make more sense to lift the logs and do all the work not bent over.

I'm getting to old to work bent over!! That and Ive got a lot of processing to do. Rough math gives me 30+ cords currently onsite.


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 20, 2017)

Wood Doctor said:


> I figured as much. You are lifting up and tossing around really heavy logs onto that log holder.
> 
> It would be nice to invent a device that rotates the log after you make about five or six buck cuts within an inch or so of the bottom of the log. Then you could complete the cuts without cutting into your holder with the chain saw. That device might be easier to make than you realize.



Cutting through is something I need to work out. Conventional thinking is to have a sacrificial board like Crane uses. Ill probably end up doing that since its simple. But I'm toying with trying to set something up that supports the log but leaves a gap for saw clearance. Its an evolving process.


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## Wood Doctor (Mar 20, 2017)

Agreed. Every time I drop a heavy round onto the ground, I curse a little because that means I have to lift it back up to split it on the splitter's beam. I hate running the splitter vertically.

As for the log support, more mass might be the solution. Use a slab about the size of a railroad tie as a sacrificial stop for the log and forget trying to rotate the log. Position it so that only about 2" stops the log and the rest is underneath so that the chainsaw never sees it.


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## Trapper_Pete (Mar 20, 2017)

right now I am working on how I want a table that I can push my splitter up to and start that feeds me rounds , at the moment I have saw horses and planks trying to figure out how I want it 

when I work from the tailgate of the truck I put the splitter next to the tailgate I can slide the rounds right off the back of the tailgate onto the log catcher on the splitter and roll them onto the beam 
I pull the rounds to me with a hookeroon.
but that means I needed to put them into the truck first 

sometimes I work from the trailer into the splitter into the back of the truck the pull the truck up to the wood shed and offload and stack 

but I have a lot more wood cut with more that needs to come down all the time , than I am going to burn at home so we are starting to sell some. which means more production so I am looking at trying to handle the wood less


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 20, 2017)

Bandsaw mills have chain log rollers, but then you might as well do a live deck, log feed and saw mount, or hydraulic saw.

I started out using landscape timbers and found they were too thin and needed replacing often. Crooked logs can bow the center span due to the multiple kerf marks. That is what led me to lag the face beam between each kerf even with 4 x 6's. 

Cutting rounds: The bar will begin to bind on most cuts. Small logs can easily be rolled to finish the cut. When the bar begins to slightly bind, I idle the saw and pull a plastic wedge out of my back pocket. A light tap to set the wedge is all it takes to finish the cut.

I tried using a foot on a Log-Rite cant hook and soon removed it. The soil here is too soft to be effective and would sink more often than not. When the foot did support the load I found myself working on my knees to cut, as I prefer to cut with the dogs against the log and the bar horizontal, from 12 to 6, as opposed to cutting toward myself, 2 to 8, with the tip. With a large saw, the weight of the saw alone does the cutting. 

The main thing I do is use a hatchet to remove bark for the saw kerf if it is loaded with dirt from being on the bottom of the log pile.

A cutting table is not fast. Loading logs takes time, advancing and side shifting them takes time too. Plus, it does not work for everyone. If you get tree service logs then a cut table probably makes no sense at all, and a very different approach is needed. For a lot of stuff it is sweet.


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## unclemoustache (Mar 20, 2017)

Nice.

Sandhill, you have quite the set-up there! Impressive.


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## cantoo (Mar 21, 2017)

I use my flatbed as a staging table when splitting my 32" long rounds for my owb. I load them using my tractor and tine manure fork bucket.


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 23, 2017)

I've been using my wagon or a trailer to split off of for years,






I honestly can't understand why folks keep struggling to do it any other way?? Especially, those that already have a loader/tractor!

SR


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 23, 2017)

Began cutting parts for a second log deck tonight while listening to thunder rolling in off Lake Michigan. Last Fall I noticed one of my knees getting sore, which I attributed to splitting continuously on just one side of the SuperSplit due to using a staging table. I made a point of lifting my heel when pivoting after that, especially when moving rounds of wood. I also moved the staging table one step further away on purpose, and payed more attention to alternating which way I turned to grab the next round. 
Cutting/staging. 5,800/cord. Staging table to splitter 5,800/cord. Yields one cord. So modern math: one cord of Oak is 11,600 pounds pure and simple. Throw the weight charts out.
I'm hoping a second log deck and staging table on the opposite side of the splitter will help balance things a bit with shoulders/neck/arms, and perhaps avoid further knee issues as well. I'm thinking this should also deter trying to pile the logs as dangerously high on the existing deck as I have been doing. If this were a two man operation, one could still cut at one deck while the other deck is being loaded. I would add that another benefit would be less starting/stopping the forklift, and longer run times for the 60 hp diesel, but with the Posch PackFix there is a lot of starting/stopping anyway changing out pallets.
Rain started... Forecast shows rain the next three days. Hope to be set up and running soon after that, if the mud ain't too deep. 
Sawyer Rob: Your trailer needs a live bottom, to feed the load to you.


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 23, 2017)

I wonder if you could rig a sliding head board with a winch.


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 24, 2017)

Sandhill Crane said:


> Sawyer Rob: Your trailer needs a live bottom, to feed the load to you.


 It already has one, and HE has a name... lol I call him "helper". 

When I'm working alone, I can lift one of the sides off and that get's me access to most of the rounds.






I do have two spreaders and they work pretty good as wood haulers too, and of course, they bring the wood to you, or self unload,






as they have apron chains in them,






I just like having a helper around when I go to the woods or do any of the heavier work, it's just much safer and makes the work go much faster. My wife really enjoys helping with firewood too, so that's works out pretty nice too...

SR


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## cantoo (Mar 24, 2017)

Found these pics online. I like it, I like it a lot. I have a corn silage wagon that already has the drive on it, might just have to take the box off and it's ready to go.


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## cantoo (Mar 24, 2017)

If you look close at the pics it looks like he can tow the whole thing down the road together too. The processor is 3 pth and the wagon's tongue is offset so it pulls behind inline with the tractor and even facing the working way. It's all for sale in Ontario on Kijiji under "wood processor" if you are interested in it.


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 24, 2017)

Thats pretty slick.


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 24, 2017)

Ditto... I want two.


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 24, 2017)

Is this hand built? Or is there a firewood manufacturer making these?
I see the processor says Japa.


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## cantoo (Mar 25, 2017)

I'm not trying to be an azz and I think the thing is great but if you look at the welds on the last picture I posted I would assume it's hand built. Welds are a little cold, no penetration and full welds, not stitched like production places would do. Everything on it looks over built too. Looks like a Horst running gear. We have lots of Amish welding places around here and they can build almost anything you want. Look at his truck and trailer in the back ground, this guy doesn't fool around. The processor is a Japa, the same as the one I bought last summer and is still sitting in my yard 
It's actually a pretty simple set up and wouldn't be hard to build after looking at these pics.
If you google Kijiji in Ontario the ad comes up and you could give the guy a call. At the price he is asking it should sell quick.
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-heavy-equipm...er/1247883796?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 25, 2017)

Thanks for sharing the website.
I am building another bucking table for the opposite side of the SuperSplit. 
Which has me rethinking how I do things. Over thinking might be closer to the truth. 

However, here's the thought. 
1.) Last year... I cut 1/3 to 1/2 cord of rounds and stage on a table next to the splitter. Then switched to splitting mode, filling the PackFix drums about twice, until the staging table is empty. 

In full cords that is handling 5,800 pounds of green Oak twice per cord. Rounds to staging table, rounds to splitter.

2.) Alternative. 

Eliminate staging table, which means letting splitter and conveyor run while cutting rounds. Cut six rounds/split six rounds, cut six rounds/split six rounds... Run time would be 1/4 cord cycles, until the PackFix drum is full, then wrap and move the pallet. 
I already shut the saw off quite often when moving rounds to the staging table and advancing another log forward and against end stop. Cut six rounds/split six rounds, cut six rounds/split six... It would cut out lifting 5,800 pounds per cord. 

Faster...probably not. A little more fuel perhaps for the Honda 160 on the conveyor, and the 6.5 hp Subaru on the SS. But... 5,800 pounds is 5,800 pounds. If I could do two cords in a day, it adds up quick.

The only draw back I can think of is if a log rolls off the front of the cut table, it could hit the splitter or conveyor. So perhaps some 3/4" black pipe stops that can lift out after loading logs. The new deck is 4' longer so I don't pile so high, which in the past made for extra work. I figured rolling the logs a little further may be easier than fighting with them in a pile on the deck.

It is going to be three years before I can swing a processor, if then. Assuming 100 cords this year, eliminating one handling means eliminating 5,800 pounds x 100 = 580,000 pounds. Hmm. Adding a scissors lift to the truck would eliminate another 5,800 pounds per cord during delivery. I think that just bumped to the top of the 'to do' list.


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 25, 2017)

Just keep the cost down. It appears I'm copying your process and it's starting to get expensive. I don't sell wood to recoup any of my costs. 


Sent from a field


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## dave_dj1 (Mar 25, 2017)

CaseyForrest said:


> Just keep the cost down. It appears I'm copying your process and it's starting to get expensive. I don't sell wood to recoup any of my costs.
> 
> 
> Sent from a field



I had to chuckle, our hobbies are never cheap...lol


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## T. Mainus (Mar 25, 2017)

I think everyones process is going to be different depending on equipment available, how much room they have and how fast they are trying to get the job completed. To me the cutting table seems like an unnecessary/extra step but that all depends what your trying to accomplish. For a homeowner its probably fine if their just splitting for themselves, but I would think for anybody selling, trying to make money it would take more time and energy then its worth. Im probably on the same scale as Sandhill, maybe a little smaller. Here is our process which works for us, may not work for anyone else but it is what it is. When we split, that is all we do is split. When we are bucking rounds, we buck rounds for 8 hours. We bring the logs over to the splitting area, splitter and conveyor are put away, and we cut our rounds. Keep dropping logs on the pile and cut right on the pile. Push the pile up every so often with the tractor so it doesn't get to large. Do that all day. Never handle a round until you put it on the splitter. If I cut for 8 hours that is usually enough rounds for me to split for 2 days straight at least. Usually about 4-5 cords depending on how hard I go at it. Then get the splitter and conveyor out and go to town. We switched over to the bags at the end of the season this year so we only stop to switch out a bag. Can usually split 6-8 bags a day once again depending on how things go. I would think the starting and stopping with the cut table and moving them to the splitter would take some time and un-needed labor. I think anytime you can save yourself a step or a couple of minutes in the process, it adds up because of the repetition of firewood production.


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 26, 2017)

CaseyForrest said:


> it's starting to get expensive.



The lift mechanism is the most expensive part.
I think Cantoo has it figured out...


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 26, 2017)

I agree. That's the most expensive part of my operation. 


Sent from a field


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 26, 2017)

T. Mainus:
Very nice simple set up.

I looked up the firewood bags in your photo.
Do they really hold 1/3 cord stacked?
How many times can they be reused?
Do you like them, as far as ease of use?


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## cantoo (Mar 26, 2017)

Sandhill, I only use my loader and the flatbed for the bigger logs, 32" x 14" or bigger usually. The smaller stuff I push into piles with my loader and just set them on the splitter by hand. Unless I've been a bad boy and my back is bad then I take the extra time and use the loader and flatbed. When I bring my logs home form the bush I sort them into three different piles to make it quicker splitting. One is limbs, another is 6" to 14" stuff and the next pile is anything bigger than 14". I usually have my two log trailers in the bush and load them separately too. Anything to save handling and speed things up later. I do plan on a staging table with hydraulic lift that is 30' long for rounds in the near future. I have everything I need except the time. 3 more auction sales coming up the next 2 weeks, it's the busy season for me.
I also agree with T.Maintus and cut a bunch of rounds (maybe 100 logs worth) then start splitting. I think he also has lots of room to work to though. I have 10 acres so lots of room to work.


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## T. Mainus (Mar 26, 2017)

Sandhill,

I haven't checked the bags yet. I have a bunch of wood stacked up in face cord racks so I have to fill one of the bags from the rack and see how close it is. The bags are basically 40"x40"x60". So doing the math they should be 1/3 of a cord but I have to test it first. Its amazing how strong the bags are. I am hoping to get 3 years out of them. If I do that would only be $7 extra per cord over the three years. Some of our wood was getting stacked and the rest we were just piling off the conveyor. The bags should save me almost 3 hours on a cord of stacked wood and 45minutes to an hour on a cord of wood we were just hand loading from the piles. Takes me an hour and a half to stack a cord in our racks and 45 minutes to hand load a cord of wood from the pile to the dump trailer. As I get older the value of my time and how bad my back hurts makes the cost of the bags a small part of the equation. The bags are easy to use. We just hang them from the forks to fill them, then set them on a pallet where we store the wood. Always using the top straps to move the bag. Haven't had any tip over yet. They seem to hold there shape pretty good. Well see how it goes this summer once they start drying out. These bags also have bottom straps as well. The plan is to just set them in the dump trailer and then empty them using the bottom straps and tip the bag over.





Cantoo,

I don't have that much room to work with. Basically just the room around the barn. Maybe an acre. The big plan this year is to put gravel down where we work to try to stay out of the mud. This winter was so mild around here we were always dealing with mud. The bags are stacked on our lawn so at least I don't have to mow as much grass this year. We haven't bought any loads of logs yet for next year because of this. Need to get the gravel down before we bring in more wood.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Mar 26, 2017)

Where did you get the bags? Do they make large ones, like maybe 5ftx5f5x5ft?


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## T. Mainus (Mar 26, 2017)

ValleyFirewood said:


> Where did you get the bags? Do they make large ones, like maybe 5ftx5f5x5ft?



Of all the places I shopped for the bags, that size seemed to be the most common. Some smaller but I never found any that were bigger. I bought mine from Woodland Mills in Canada. There is a guy on the east coast that delivers in half cord bags. Not sure where he gets them or if he has them made just for him. Heres a you-tube link for him. He has a ton of videos on there.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Mar 26, 2017)

T. Mainus said:


> Of all the places I shopped for the bags, that size seemed to be the most common. Some smaller but I never found any that were bigger. I bought mine from Woodland Mills in Canada. There is a guy on the east coast that delivers in half cord bags. Not sure where he gets them or if he has them made just for him. Heres a you-tube link for him. He has a ton of videos on there.




I was thinking for doing bundles. I do them in the shop, so could just haul bags inside. I have super sacks, but they don't breathe. And they are used and many rip the handles off just with 500 ish lbs of sawdust.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Mar 26, 2017)

As for using it for bulk wood, I don't see it working. Too much labor, plus would need to have a crane hoist on the truck and charge $40-45 a cord just for the bags.


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## reddogrunner (Mar 27, 2017)

T. Mainus said:


> Sandhill,
> 
> I haven't checked the bags yet. I have a bunch of wood stacked up in face cord racks so I have to fill one of the bags from the rack and see how close it is. The bags are basically 40"x40"x60". So doing the math they should be 1/3 of a cord but I have to test it first. Its amazing how strong the bags are. I am hoping to get 3 years out of them.
> 
> I have gotten 3 years out of mine, but they have to be kept out of the SUN, which is counter productive to drying.


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 27, 2017)

Built a bucking table, and refurbished the old one. One hassle with the one I've been using is moving it. I did a temporary fix for that. Surprisingly the old table has held up well for several years (and moves), so I copied what worked, and made some changes to hopefully improve upon it.
The base is narrower on the new one, and I can lift it from the sides with 6' fork extensions. The new one is longer, 12' total length, so no more stacking three logs high (or more). I added 1 1/4" through holes on both ends for the tip of the peavy, to push or pull a log to the end stop, gapped the cutting table to reduce chip (especially at the front edge), and added an extra 4"x6" to its depth. Sometimes rounds at either end would roll back and drop off the table. Previous holes for the peavy were much smaller and filled making them useless. Bigger logs can be difficult to move end-o if there isn't anything for the peavy tip to grab. If there is then it is easy.


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 28, 2017)

Looks expensive!

Nice job.


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 28, 2017)

It is affordable for now, compared to the other options. Cantoo has me thinking I'm going to have to start going to auctions.

Time to get set up and start cutting.


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 28, 2017)




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## CaseyForrest (Mar 28, 2017)

I still cant walk across the yard without leaving a mark.....


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 29, 2017)

CaseyForrest said:


> I still cant walk across the yard without leaving a mark.....



Maybe you can find snowshoes on sale this time of year. 
You might need them. 
Ten day forecast, seven days of rain... eight, if you count tonight, as it just started a bit ago.


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## T. Mainus (Mar 29, 2017)

I just put all of our stuff away today for the season. Won't get it out again until January next year. The last month has been a mud fest around here as well. This has to be one of our warmest and driest winters in a while.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Mar 29, 2017)

T. Mainus said:


> I just put all of our stuff away today for the season. Won't get it out again until January next year. The last month has been a mud fest around here as well. This has to be one of our warmest and driest winters in a while.



Put it away? Summer is a bit slower for me, though many 5+ cord orders.


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## T. Mainus (Mar 30, 2017)

You have to realize that firewood is not my main business. Our main business is custom built home storage sheds for peoples backyards. We build sheds from now until were done, which is usually the first of the year. We do firewood in the 3 months of winter when we are caught up on sheds. I will build 150 storage sheds in the next 9 months. Were trying to get the firewood business built up to the point where I can have my employees working on that in the wintertime, that way I can keep them off of welfare for 3 months and it is easier to hire quality guys when you can guarantee them year round work. I'll get a couple of calls for campers needing firewood because our stuff is certified from the state of WI for statewide travel. But otherwise I won't get a call for a firewood sale until the end of September this year. People around here wait until the last minute to get wood. All of our wood is delivered from the day after labor day up until Thanksgiving. After that it gets pretty hit and miss depending on how cold it gets. We had a real mild winter again so people probably did not burn as often as they usually do so sales might be a bit light next year.


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 30, 2017)

Snowshoes we have. Probably wont help climbing purlins to set truss carriers.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Mar 30, 2017)

T. Mainus said:


> You have to realize that firewood is not my main business. Our main business is custom built home storage sheds for peoples backyards. We build sheds from now until were done, which is usually the first of the year. We do firewood in the 3 months of winter when we are caught up on sheds. I will build 150 storage sheds in the next 9 months. Were trying to get the firewood business built up to the point where I can have my employees working on that in the wintertime, that way I can keep them off of welfare for 3 months and it is easier to hire quality guys when you can guarantee them year round work. I'll get a couple of calls for campers needing firewood because our stuff is certified from the state of WI for statewide travel. But otherwise I won't get a call for a firewood sale until the end of September this year. People around here wait until the last minute to get wood. All of our wood is delivered from the day after labor day up until Thanksgiving. After that it gets pretty hit and miss depending on how cold it gets. We had a real mild winter again so people probably did not burn as often as they usually do so sales might be a bit light next year.



Interesting.

I'm very busy from August to March. April to July is orders mostly for people that plan ahead and campers.

Have plenty of "last second" ones too. Last week I even had a guy call me at 8pm and got quite upset that I couldn't deliver a cord that evening.


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 1, 2017)

First cuts. 







I pulled the uprights as I realized they only support the log in 2 places which doesn't help when the cuts are past them. Had a 14' 2x12 from my dump trailer I wasn't using so I bolted that on the front. Should also serve to stiffen everything up and tie the top into the legs. 






I think it's all done. I'll need to add holes for sliding logs along its length to get an end lined up for cutting, but that should be it. 


Sent from a field


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## Sandhill Crane (Apr 1, 2017)

When you add an end stop you may want to keep it a couple inches from the front stop so chips do not build up as quick. Then for lay out for cuts the kerf will be cumulative. If you cut a gage stick, say 16 1/2", should leave a 16 1/4" piece. If you measure 16, 32, 48, etc. you will be 2" short, or a 14" round, at the sixth cut due to the 1/4"-5/16" kerf. The 2 x 12 will work for a bit. However, the sections between kerfs will crack and split off, but you should get a season out of it. That's why I switched to a 4 x 6.
Didn't get to try mine out today. Had a chance to run a Dyna 16 firewood processor and couldn't pass it up.


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 1, 2017)

I'm not going to add an end stop. That way I can load the table and line up with the closest cut line. I drilled a couple 1" holes in the middle timber roughly 4" apart to stick the point of the peavey into... I can adjust from either side and line up either way with the closest mark. I marked the top edge of the 2x12 every 20". Bucked sections range between 19.5 and 20". That will work perfect for the stoves and for stacking. As long as I'm under 21" and preferably over 19, anything in-between is right on.

I can see making a couple changes when its time to replace the cutting bed....


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 1, 2017)

You can see in the top picture, the 2 sections in the background.. Thats the amount of difference in cut length from one piece to another.


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 1, 2017)

Sandhill Crane said:


> View attachment 568461



Are you using the plywood as a means of securing the horizontal timbers to the legs?


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## cantoo (Apr 1, 2017)

Fellas, I built this a couple of years ago and then set it aside to play with later. Later never seems to come though. I think it might be the next step in what you guys are trying to do. Saw is just mounted on using a big T strap hinge. It actually worked pretty good and I should have played with it more but I started on my 36" splitter build and that took a lot of my time. The logs actually moved too easy on the rollers so fewer rollers would not be an issue. I should have made it so I run the saw with my right hand but I thought maybe my stronger right hand should be used to hold the logs. A hand operated grab bar would be nicer and solider to hold the log. I was planning to drop the bigger rounds onto my conveyor and up onto a pile or onto a rounds staging wagon to be split later. It's sitting on my fenceline now with 100 other projects.


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## Sandhill Crane (Apr 2, 2017)

I would love to try that but couldn't figure out how to mount the saw so it would be a solid mount, yet easy to remove to fuel/adjust chain. I've seen mounts that use the bar studs, but that doesn't sound easy unless longer studs were used.
I think a hydraulic clamp, chain log advance and a 5 hp Honda.


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## Sandhill Crane (Apr 2, 2017)

3/4" treated, with 190 fender washers and 2 1/2" screws. Kind of like truss plates with the a million little fingers that look like they would not hold anything, but they work. The top piece is some scrape 1/2" and probably will not survive long. I was going to use a 4 x 4 but the plywood is lower, so I thought I would try it. The 4 x 6's on the table hit the tire when moving it so they are not fastened. 
Tomorrow a guys coming to dig out my 20' mud hole and build it back up, haul off a couple dug up stumps I'm tired of looking at, and level off where these decks are set up. So they are getting moved again today.
Yesterday was gorgeous. I spent most of it helping a guy that rented a Dyna SC-16 firewood processor. That was an education. They were splitting for outdoor boilers and the splits were huge. It was also a lot of work when a log would not move in the feed trough, or jammed on the six way. We soon learned what works and doesn't work. For the most part it went pretty smooth and rotated two dump trailers under the conveyor. There were four of us, which was a good number, as the splits were going to another farm.


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 2, 2017)

Ok. I was curious because I didn't see any top down fasteners. 


Sent from a field


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## Sandhill Crane (Apr 2, 2017)

Yes there are top down lag bolts and carriage bolts for the cut table on both units. The rebuilt table has orange strips painted where the fasteners are. Just have not painted the other deck yet. I trim the logs knobs on the deck so it's good to have a reminder where the steel is. I also countersunk the lags, but only because they were a bit too short otherwise. Worked good on the larger table because the tire hit the two inboard timbers when picking it up to move. The front bump stop has all-thread connecting it to the first 4 x 6 layed flat, and that piece is carriage bolted down from the top to the top rails. The front stop gets some good hits rolling logs around, or pushing them forward with the forklift when loading the table. If you don't stack logs on the deck, then not so much of an issue. I will be moving the splitter when loading the decks.


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## Sandhill Crane (Apr 2, 2017)

Cantoo: I enlarged your photos and see the saw is bolted through the front and rear handles to a nicely cut/shaped plate. How do you fuel/bar oil the saw?


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 2, 2017)

Sandhill Crane said:


> Yes there are top down lag bolts and carriage bolts for the cut table on both units. The rebuilt table has orange strips painted where the fasteners are. Just have not painted the other deck yet. I trim the logs knobs on the deck so it's good to have a reminder where the steel is. I also countersunk the lags, but only because they were a bit too short otherwise. Worked good on the larger table because the tire hit the two inboard timbers when picking it up to move. The front bump stop has all-thread connecting it to the first 4 x 6 layed flat, and that piece is carriage bolted down from the top to the top rails. The front stop gets some good hits rolling logs around, or pushing them forward with the forklift when loading the table. If you don't stack logs on the deck, then not so much of an issue. I will be moving the splitter when loading the decks.View attachment 570008



I see the 4x4 bolted down to the 4x6... It was the 4x6 that I didn't see bolted to the legs. I assumed you were using the plywood as a means of attachment. Just looking at the log deck. Not the cutting platform, those are obvious.


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## Sandhill Crane (Apr 2, 2017)

Your right. 4 x 4's wrap the lower legs. Cutting table connects the top 4 x 6 rails. Lagging end grain on my wood racks often caused rot, and holds poorly anyway, so I did not do that. If I were to add anything, it would be a 4 x 4 cross tie above the rear legs, or a bolted 2 x 12 cross tie at the top foot of the rear legs like the old one had. (I did not have any 2 x 12 or I would have done it.) There is plywood there already, but there is a lot of racking pressure with 3,000 lbs of logs.


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## cantoo (Apr 2, 2017)

Sandhill, if I was to use it I would replace the hinge pin with a bolt with a small hole in it and a wire for a cotter key. Quick and easy to refuel. There is also a hose clamp over the front dog to keep the saw real tight as I didn't want to break an expensive saw. I've seen the ones using the bar nuts and I don't think they are very handy to fuel.


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## Sandhill Crane (Apr 2, 2017)

With the old deck, the legs are 6' a part, front to back, and 8' of plywood. The plywood gives support from both sided of the legs, front to back. The new deck the legs are 8' front to back, and 8' plywood. 10' plywood was an option, but the cost of 8' treated was $29. and 10' treated was $60. I got the 8'.


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## dave_dj1 (Apr 3, 2017)

cantoo said:


> Sandhill, if I was to use it I would replace the hinge pin with a bolt with a small hole in it and a wire for a cotter key. Quick and easy to refuel. There is also a hose clamp over the front dog to keep the saw real tight as I didn't want to break an expensive saw. I've seen the ones using the bar nuts and I don't think they are very handy to fuel.
> View attachment 570047
> View attachment 570048
> View attachment 570049



I have a similar set up that pins on to my log splitter making it into a processor of sorts. What I did was make my own hinge and plate exactly like you described, I used 3 pieces of 1/2 black iron pipe with a 1/2" rod going through and a bowtie pin or whatever you call it pin. It makes it a breeze to pull it off to refuel and oil. One of these days I'm going to set it up and take some pictures of it. OP, sorry to derail your thread. I like your table.


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## DSW (Apr 4, 2017)

cantoo said:


> View attachment 569811
> View attachment 569812
> View attachment 569813
> View attachment 569814
> View attachment 569815



That's a pretty slick setup.


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## cantoo (Apr 4, 2017)

DSW, yup and it's a darn shame it's sitting on my fence line doing nothing. I gotta quit "improving" things and just work with what I build. Whole bunch of roller conveyors at the auction on Thursday, I'll likely add some more to my fence line. I'm hoping there is another bandsaw mill there this year, I'm not letting another one go past. I wanna mill some lumber.


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 7, 2017)

Production line started this evening. 

And an unintended byproduct is everything is at the right height that I don't have to lift a round or log. Roll them off the deck onto the table and from the table they slide right onto the table of the SS.


















Sent from a field


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## Sandhill Crane (Apr 7, 2017)

Chips build up fast don't they.


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 7, 2017)

Yes they do... Which is OK. This will eventually be placed into a wood chipped area designated specifically for processing firewood. It just needs to dry out.....


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 7, 2017)

Oh... My wife was looking at the BIP I was going to use as the upright stops... She asked why I don't lay them across the cutting deck to elevate the logs so as to limit saw contact.... I had thought about doing something similar with some 2x material leaving a 4" or so gap in the cut zone. I may go ahead and give that a shot. I think it would work and would give me 1.5" between the bottom of the log and the timbers on the deck.


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## cantoo (Apr 7, 2017)

Looks good Casey, nice when things work out. If I ever get done all these "little" jobs that she wants done around home I might actually get some time to fabricate again. I never bought any conveyors at the sale but they did have some nice ones that would have worked good for a setup like yours. Even rollers work but a conveyor would be nice to get the splits up and out of the way.


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 7, 2017)

To be honest, I like splitting into a tote. It breaks up the monotony of the process. My son is becoming trustworthy enough that I can also get a second tote going so that he and his sister can take a full one and get it stacked.


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 8, 2017)

Took about 8 minutes to fill this tote. 







Sent from a field


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## Sandhill Crane (Apr 8, 2017)

Casey: 
There's no hope for you now. 
You know that don't you?
Don't say anything... Just bob your head up and down, like a nod.
The splitter. The trailer. The tractor. The cutting table... 
It just doesn't stop without intervention, of some sort. 
Your kids may be at risk as well. Kind of like, second hand smoke...

Edit: Maybe it's this web site...


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 8, 2017)

I think its more OCD.. But this forum certainly doesn't help.

It gives my wife something to needle me about with our friends, so there's that.


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## rarefish383 (Apr 9, 2017)

CaseyForrest said:


> Production line started this evening.
> 
> And an unintended byproduct is everything is at the right height that I don't have to lift a round or log. Roll them off the deck onto the table and from the table they slide right onto the table of the SS.
> 
> ...


Are you floating that load of logs across that lake on a pontoon boat? Joe.


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## Sandhill Crane (Apr 9, 2017)

They do float on their own... most of the time.
I have heard of guys salvaging premium logs from the bottom of Lake Superior on the west end. The state (don't remember which one) was getting a huge salvage tax on the recovered old growth logs, upward of 40% of resale.


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 9, 2017)

rarefish383 said:


> Are you floating that load of logs across that lake on a pontoon boat? Joe.



The joys of a county drain that runs across our property that hasn't been maintained. 


Sent from a field


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## Sandhill Crane (Apr 10, 2017)

I had a twenty foot long mud hole where ai turn off the drive to the wood lot. Had it dug out Friday, backfilled with sand and topped crushed concrete. Raised it a foot and a half. We are having a thunderstorm move through right now. We'll see what it looks like in the morning. For now, it is coming down hard, steady, and a bit sideways. Full moon or not.


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 11, 2017)

Howd it hold up? Probably going to be mushy till the concrete set up unless you put some bigger material down. We normally lay a foot of 1-3 and then topdress with 3/4 minus. 


Sent from a field


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## Sandhill Crane (Apr 11, 2017)

Above: low tide...

I think the mud hole is fixed. Tired of driving through it. Driving around just made it bigger, and still tracked chunks of mud up the drive and in the garage from the quad and splitter. Now the water stands at the end of the log pile for a bit, but that's fine. Before it would take two to three weeks to dry out, and that's if it didn't rain again. 
He dug the slop out down to sand, sand backfill so it should be good. If it was clay then stone would certainly be a better way to go. The top soil was keeping it from draining through to the sand. Further north towards the wood lot there was a deep layer of chips in the drive from when I cleared the lot and chipped the small tops. That was holding surface water too and beginning to pump around the log deck. Skimmed it off and hauled it out. Just makes for a mess, so it is gone, done deal.


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 11, 2017)

I forgot you're mostly sand on that side. 


Sent from a field


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## Sandhill Crane (Apr 12, 2017)

Bucking tables:


8:30 last night. Yesterday evening was the first run this Spring. Eliminated the staging table. Cut two logs, one on each table. Shut the saw off and split. Splitter and conveyor run full time until drum is full, 1/4 cord. So far it is pretty smooth, and I like it. Eliminated lifting rounds one time, from cut table to staging table. Trade off is a little more money for gas. Tongue of splitter is removed and slipped into forklift tube so I don't trip over it. Four wheel splitter: Throw all the saw stuff and tools in blue tub and set on splitter table with chainsaw, and tow it to the house. Long deck or short deck is a trade off. Piling logs get tangled and can be dangerous. The longer deck is fine for most stuff. If it's an odd log or big, it takes a peavy to roll it. Not hard, just slow either way.

Delivery this morning to do in a bit.

Anxious to see how the changes effect doing a larger amount, and how tired I am at the end of the day. I think eliminating the staging table is going to make a huge difference as it cuts lifting in half. Doing a cord of wood now means lifting 5,800 pounds. Before it was twice that. I need to clean up a pile of logs so I have room for two more truck loads side by side.


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## CaseyForrest (Apr 13, 2017)

Looks good. Not having to physically pick up rounds made a huge difference in productivity here. Even better was not getting so worn out for a given amount of wood. 


Sent from a field


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## Wowzer (Oct 21, 2017)

I have been thinking about making a table I cut everything 10ft to drop into my dump trailer and have been hauling it to a spot. I have used a buzz saw Cantoo let me borrow and will continue to use one for the smaller stuff but I think a bucking table like this is my next step in making life easier for a one man operation. 

What would you change if you could in making your next one or would you even make one again and do something else?


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## CaseyForrest (Oct 21, 2017)

Im content with the stand and cutting table. The table the rounds sit on needs more capacity, so Ill likely improve that. I originally wanted everything portable, but in the long run, I can see a benefit to having the set-up permanent. I have the space to do it so when this needs to be rebuilt, it may become a permanent structure.


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## Sandhill Crane (Oct 21, 2017)

Wowzer: Two things. One is to double stack the 4" x 6" sacrificial table. Then the top could be more easily replaces each year. Second, design it to be picked up with forks or moved in some fashion to clean out under it several times a year. Bark and dirt builds quickly with a month or two of use. I like movable because things can change year to year, and I also need to move them to get trucks out through that area when they deliver logs. 
For large logs, I'm thinking of a deck with a box store vertical splitter sitting on top of it at one end just to quarter the rounds for the SS HD.
What do you think?


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## Wood Doctor (Oct 21, 2017)

Lots of work here. A logger with 25 years of buck cutting under his belt told me that one of the reasons he still uses saws with a 36" bar is because he doesn't have to lean over any further to make the cut. He also hates getting on his knees.

I cut over a half cord of wood from small branches yesterday. It did require knee work. LOML says that my jeans have soil stains that cannot be removed anymore by wash chemicals. That's the price of progress. There are some things you cannot do while standing up.

A tree removal owner told me that they spend nearly a grand a year replacing or servicing sharpening knives and the engine breakdowns on their big chipper/shredder, not to mention its fuel. So, I keep saving what I can for firewood and they welcome my efforts. For some stupid reason, I never remember to bring my cross buck to the tree removal job site. My error.


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## CaseyForrest (Oct 22, 2017)

Sandhill Crane said:


> For large logs, I'm thinking of a deck with a box store vertical splitter sitting on top of it at one end just to quarter the rounds for the SS HD.
> What do you think?



Pseudo processor.... I think having the wedge on the ram in that set-up is still going to require you to handle the wood to often. A wedge on the beam where the halves/quarters can be pushed off towards the SS would function more efficiently.

Perhaps keeping the TW would have been a good idea.


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## Sandhill Crane (Oct 22, 2017)

Yesterday I cleared another twenty five foot strip along my seasoning area, mostly to square it up as that side tapered in quite a bit on the working end.
I could certainly have used the DR chipper I sold too as most of the stuff cleared was 2 1/2" and smaller. I drug them in the woods and scattered them. Dropped one tall 10" pine I used the log arch on. I'm keeping that arch for sure.


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## Wowzer (Oct 23, 2017)

i have been thinking about a vertical splitter option for a bucking table(something like below). but i think i will just start with something you have Casey and then move from there, i can make it out of metal as i have the space and means to move it around but i think i will make it out of Wood see how i like it and then see about a vertical splitter someday for the end of it. 

I am only cutting about 8 to 10 cord (4'x4'x8') a year and i have been thinking about maybe selling some but don't want to get too ahead of myself just yet.


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## CaseyForrest (Oct 23, 2017)

Wood is a better idea if you're going to be running a saw on it....

Is that your splitter?


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## Wowzer (Oct 23, 2017)

CaseyForrest said:


> Wood is a better idea if you're going to be running a saw on it....
> 
> Is that your splitter?



I ment like the frame out of metal, and then i would just have some sacrificial wood on top. 

No that's the one i'm thinking about building for the end of the bucking table. I have almost all the parts for it, now just need the time haha


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## Pcoz88 (Oct 24, 2017)

Lots of good ideas.I've been trying to come with a portable bucking
table. A design to use my gas powered rope winch to pull logs up on to it and buck the logs and slide pieces into truck.
Theres a you tube video of a big tall bucking table can remember the name of video.


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## Pcoz88 (Oct 28, 2017)

bump


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## Sandhill Crane (Oct 28, 2017)

Photo is a bit blurry but you get the idea for large dia. 8' logs. Possibly a gantry crane with tongs to tip up really heavy rounds and move horizontally to splitter.


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## Sandhill Crane (Oct 28, 2017)

Pcoz88: In the past I have used a pickup with a lift-gate for loading several big rounds at a time. Makes pretty easy work of it and lots of other uses too. There are used ones out there. Mine came off an old Pepsi truck.


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## Pcoz88 (Oct 28, 2017)

Sandhill Crane I bought a used lift gate for my truck. Just need to get it installed one of these days. Kind of want to make a bucking table kind of like a Wallenstein wx835 processor. it winches logs up and you use your own chain saw.


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## Pcoz88 (Nov 2, 2017)

I was thinking today about using a farm wagon wheel assembly as a platform . Have a trough made to winch logs up on to a deck(kind of like the badger processor) ,buck the log up . Pieces would be right height to throw into truck or have splitter there and split from that. What do you guys think?


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## Pcoz88 (Nov 13, 2017)

bump


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## Sandhill Crane (Nov 13, 2017)

Give it a try. It will evolve from there, based on what works and doesn't work for you.
I started with two saw horses and a cutting platform on one edge, loading it by lifting one end of the log up at a time. Obviously they were small logs. I've tried dumping the conveyor into scaffolding as a staging platform/bin for stacking splits, and tried various types of wood racks. I am now thinking of an excavator and Lasco cone for splitting large wood that tree services give away, verses paying for log loads as I am now. Ideas start as seed thoughts, and grow or die from there depending on many factors. (I'm quite sure this last thought of using an excavator will succumb to lack of funding. But it does address the cost of six semi loads of logs, at $2,100. each.)
Check out entry level processors for ideas. Some have log lift arms, some have live decks that tip down to the ground and bracket extensions on the chains to lift the log up the live deck. Never been a fan of dragging logs prior to cutting with a chainsaw.
Best of luck, and keep posting.


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## Pcoz88 (Nov 13, 2017)

Thanks sandhill crane.That come splitter you're talking about, saw one down at Paul Bunyan show! It was AWESOME could sit there and just watch it. I need to find a used but not abused farm wagon with good running gear. I have some good ideas. Thanks again.


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## Sandhill Crane (Nov 13, 2017)

Pcoz88 said:


> saw one down at Paul Bunyan show! It was AWESOME


I've only seen the cone splitters on YouTube, but I'll be checking them out at the Paul Bunyan Show next fall, along with kilns.


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## nwmo_aggie (Nov 26, 2017)

Pcoz88 said:


> Thanks sandhill crane.That come splitter you're talking about, saw one down at Paul Bunyan show! It was AWESOME could sit there and just watch it. I need to find a used but not abused farm wagon with good running gear. I have some good ideas. Thanks again.




If you have a tractor, even better. Find a wagon with a hoist under it.


I made an attempt at building onto the back of this wagon something I could cut off of, I have a lot of smaller trees that need to be thinned, so thought I could load them cross ways, tilt the bed, cut them and not have to handle them much. Couldn't get my poles to feed onto my cutting platform right and gave up.


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## Pcoz88 (Feb 14, 2018)

bump


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 11, 2018)

@Sandhill Crane 

II saw these at the local depot this morning.


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## Sandhill Crane (Mar 13, 2018)

Looks like dunnage off a semi truck that you set a load on so you can fork lift it on and off. Low grade hardwood, usually bowed, bent, twisted and possibly seriously stresses. They may be cheap but they are not good for much except dunnage and fire pits. Cribbing maybe if cut short. Never seen them for sale in a box store before.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Mar 14, 2018)

That's quite expensive if the timbers are not "A" grade. We sell a rough cut 8ft 4x6 for about $18... a straight usable one!


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 14, 2018)

Sandhill Crane said:


> Looks like dunnage off a semi truck that you set a load on so you can fork lift it on and off. Low grade hardwood, usually bowed, bent, twisted and possibly seriously stresses. They may be cheap but they are not good for much except dunnage and fire pits. Cribbing maybe if cut short. Never seen them for sale in a box store before.



Cheaper than a sacrificial PT 4x6.


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## husqvarna257 (Jul 30, 2018)

bump

this is the ideas I am looking for. Good to see what works and potential trouble spots.


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## Wowzer (Jan 7, 2019)

Here is some food for thought. for 750 with no wood on top that's not too too bad. when you consider the price of the metal, blasting and powder coat. i think the metal would give it a bit stiffer frame and just replace the wood as they rot out on top, or get eaten up on top by the chainsaw.

Almost thinking one of the Mennonites around me could make a frame sorta like it and throw would ontop of it too, and maybe my compact tractor could lift it maybe 

https://wolferidgemfg.com/wolfe-ridge-mfg-professional-grade-firewood-splitters/cutting-tables/


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## Sandhill Crane (Jan 7, 2019)

Post number 7 shows a log deck/bench I built several years ago out of wood.
The top has been redone a couple times, each with a few improvements.
The sides are 4"x 6" sheeted with 3/4" treated, fastened with #10 or #12 screws and fender washers.
Cross ties are bolted 2" x 12"s.
The feet need to sit on a board because of the weight when loaded, which is about a quarter cord.
What I would do different is make it 3 1/2" shorter in height. Then double the thickness of the cutting bench, double 4" x 6", and add filler on the rest to make the deck even.
The deck slopes slightly, but not much.
Also the cutting bench is cantilevered so the frame is not in the way of feet.
When cutting the top gets cut up pretty deep and becomes more flimsy than I like when there is bigger stuff on it. Doubling would make replacing the top easier and stretch out the need for replacements much longer.
You do need a way of moving it to clean out bark and dirt from underneath. I clean mine a couple times a year, usually if I have to move it to get a log truck in.
If you know someone with a saw mill it could be built a lot cheaper.
Some photos ( all repeats)







Takes about four hours to do a cord (four pallets) from the log pile to covering and staging pallets.
Edit: Decking over the smaller one makes it more difficult to roll logs at times. I have to keep it clear of loose bark.


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## Sandhill Crane (Jan 7, 2019)

Comments on the WolfRidge video and pictures.
They are showing ideal conditions with pole straight logs. 
Anything other than straight and the saw binds in the kerf. Keep your noggin back, and place a plastic felling wedge in the kerf. 
First thing I notice in the video is the log deck needs to be turned 90º so he is not walking so much. 
The obvious one is a round rolling on the ground because there is no lip.
In the photos the logs ends are all nicely lined up. In real life that doesn't happen unless they are pushed or pulled with muscle or a peavy.
They show double stacked. Right. Looks productive but again, the reality is screwing around to place logs that way, and then saw binding in the cut, and possible kickbacks.
This is why I reposted the photos post #128.


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## panolo (Jan 8, 2019)

Agree with you Sandhill. Mine is similar to yours with the only difference being I don't use a 4x6 on the end. I use a 2x10. I don't use a production table so my bucked pieces sit on the ground until I am ready to split them. Mine is a tich high so this spring I will lower it about 10". 

I never have perfect logs. They are never 8' on the nuts and they aren't round. This load we were lazy and have way to many knobs where I didn't cut branches flush enough so it is more of a pain. rolling them. I'll get a picture when I can get out in the daylight.


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## Sandhill Crane (Jan 8, 2019)

panolo said:


> the only difference being I don't use a 4x6 on the end. I use a 2x10.


I did that also but after somewhat short use, the 16" sections between saw cuts split off from rolling logs against them. Sometimes I get a log roll off the front when loading with the forklift. Have to make sure the saw is clear from front and sides when loading deck. For what it is it works pretty good.
This photo shows a 2" x 10" across the front of the table with short 2" x 4" vertical supports. I would cut half a cord of rounds and then split.


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## CaseyForrest (Feb 20, 2021)

T. Mainus said:


> I think everyones process is going to be different depending on equipment available, how much room they have and how fast they are trying to get the job completed. To me the cutting table seems like an unnecessary/extra step but that all depends what your trying to accomplish. For a homeowner its probably fine if their just splitting for themselves, but I would think for anybody selling, trying to make money it would take more time and energy then its worth. Im probably on the same scale as Sandhill, maybe a little smaller. Here is our process which works for us, may not work for anyone else but it is what it is. When we split, that is all we do is split. When we are bucking rounds, we buck rounds for 8 hours. We bring the logs over to the splitting area, splitter and conveyor are put away, and we cut our rounds. Keep dropping logs on the pile and cut right on the pile. Push the pile up every so often with the tractor so it doesn't get to large. Do that all day. Never handle a round until you put it on the splitter. If I cut for 8 hours that is usually enough rounds for me to split for 2 days straight at least. Usually about 4-5 cords depending on how hard I go at it. Then get the splitter and conveyor out and go to town. We switched over to the bags at the end of the season this year so we only stop to switch out a bag. Can usually split 6-8 bags a day once again depending on how things go. I would think the starting and stopping with the cut table and moving them to the splitter would take some time and un-needed labor. I think anytime you can save yourself a step or a couple of minutes in the process, it adds up because of the repetition of firewood production.
> 
> View attachment 567805
> View attachment 567806
> View attachment 567807



Curious... How much splitter trash do you find ends up in the bags? Does the grate at the end of the splitter sift out a good bit of it?


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## Sandhill Crane (Feb 21, 2021)

Nice old photos. Ellianna is no longer a young pup. Yep same log deck, modified a time or two. Decked it over and eliminated staging rounds. Cut two logs, one on each deck, and split. I added a second row of holes for the point of the peavey to move larger logs endways by push or pull, to the bump end stop.
T.Mainus is correct, loading the log deck does take time. The log deck does a couple things for me that may save time in other ways. 
First, everything is cut pretty much 16". The logs I buy are 100" so my deck is indexed at 16 1/2". There's that. I don't have to "lift" the rounds from the ground. This save a lot of bending over and lifting, which over time is a lot. A cord of green oak is approximately 5,800 pounds times whatever amount of wood you cut/split in a day, or week, etc. From the ground to 30" high is a lot of strong back work. For a young buck, maybe up to fifty years old, that's fine. That's seventeen years in the rear view mirror for me, and there's a 120 cord in the wood lot cut/split. Green, that's almost 350 ton. What's the formula for work, lifting something 30" high? So there's that. 
Then there is breaking up the routine. It's like working a line in a factory these days. Every hour people rotate to a different spot. Companies do this for profit, because people work more efficiently (although working on a moving line the line speed doesn't change) but people are happier, miss less work, are more pleasant to work with, etc. 
I could split,split, split, because I like it. But my body, muscles and joints, enjoys the break up and rotation of doing the other stuff that is part of the flow. I used to not like some parts. I used to not like dealing with customers for one. Or stacking. I like everything about the same now. I alway have had (past tense) some difficulty saying no. No I don't stack wood when I deliver. Last week I could have sold a total of 14 cord. I've learned to say no without feeling bad, and that's really good feeling. 
I have copd, no sales for over a year and no sales until I get both vaccines. If they don't get that then that's okay too. I've learned a long time ago in construction, safety is ultimately up to each person. It's cost me two jobs along the way, and last week $4,000. is sales. Does it make sense to every one? I don't expect it to. But the log deck is all part of that for me. Saving my back, because previously I strained it a few times, and then thought, you idiot, you know better. You know your beard is down to your pockets, that's carrying a few years since retiring. Prior to that, like most, it was a hard honest living. So although the log deck does take a bit of time to load, for me it seems easier. Especially since eliminating the round staging, and go straight to splitting. But it shifts strong back work to shoulder work, starting the chainsaw every two logs. So far not an issue with my everyday saw, a 562 xp. When I have used the ms661 day after day, my shoulder feels it.


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## rarefish383 (Feb 21, 2021)

I'm like you, I have to break it up. I have two dump trailers. I cut my wood 18". If I put the 5' drive on ramp down, and put two 18" logs under the corners, it makes a deck. I can split off the deck onto the other trailer, or split and stack. But, after one deck load my back has had it, so I'll stack another load on the deck. I also have a hernia almost the size of my fist above my belly button. If I lift too much sometimes it will pop out, and I have to push it back in, then that's sore the rest of the day.


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## AlterEgo (Feb 21, 2021)

The size of your fist  WOW!

I guess I won't mention mine then...


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## rarefish383 (Feb 21, 2021)

AlterEgo said:


> The size of your fist  WOW!
> 
> I guess I won't mention mine then...


It's bigger than a que ball, smaller than my fist. I can take two fingers and it pops back in. Doctor says I need to loose weight before they will operate. When I had both knees replaced I gained 40 pounds. I've been able to shed 10 since New Years, but it's hard.


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## rarefish383 (Feb 21, 2021)

CaseyForrest said:


> Curious... How much splitter trash do you find ends up in the bags? Does the grate at the end of the splitter sift out a good bit of it?


Hey Casey, haven't seen you post in a while, always good to see you!


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## CaseyForrest (Feb 21, 2021)

rarefish383 said:


> Hey Casey, haven't seen you post in a while, always good to see you!


Thank you!

Lots of changes here as well as some other developments have deterred me from posting and sharing information here.

I feel for your hernia situation. Ive had 2 inguinal hernias before I was 23. The first one I had for quite a while before I even knew what it was. Getting that repaired hurt like hell. The second one I knew right when it happened and had it fixed within a couple weeks.


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## Sandhill Crane (Feb 21, 2021)

Been there, got it fixed. In fact that was just before my SuperSplit was shipped. And why I made forklift tubes for it, and a bit later, the four wheel mod. 
They can be very serious, so don't give up rarefish383.
You have quite a load of rounds on that trailer.


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