# My new sawbuck. Whatcha tink?



## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 5, 2006)

I've got a bunch of smaller wood I need to buck, lots from a local tree guy, and some from trees on my property. I see no sense in splitting large pieces down to kindling size, while throwing away kindling sized branches!  

Besides, a bunch of the tree guy's stuff is 5 - 8" diameter. Easy to pick up, and a pain to buck on the ground.

So, I built a sawbuck that would handle multiple small pieces at one time. Stack 'em in there, strap 'em down, and cut! I tried it out today, and it works great. 

I made it to fold up so it's easier to store, or transport.

Take a look (click the photo to open a bigger image):





This was just a test run with a few small logs. See the chains at the bottom? They run from an eye at the back to a hook on the front. This allows me to vary the spread of the legs.

Here's an end view:






Here's what happens to the wood when it's cut:





Sometimes it falls, sometimes it doesn't. I make each cut just to the RIGHT of the 2x4. They are spaced so that I get a neat 16" log with each cut. No marking, no thinking about it. I just load and cut.

Here's a run with a bunch of pine branches from a dead one I felled today. Great for starting a fire of good oak logs. The nice thing is that it accomodates wood that isn't very straight.





I'm not sure the strap is really needed. I did tht first batch of logs and one run of pine without it, and the pine branches were a bit more trouble with things shifting, but really not too bad. The logs were no hassle at all.

It wasn't hard to build, and I think it's going to save save a lot of hassle. No more bending over to buck small stuff. The only critical part was getting the holes & bolts lined up. They have to be in a straight line to act as a hinge without binding. I used some 3 1/2" 5/16" carriage bolts I had. I would have preferred half inch, but I had these already. Two 1 1/4" fender washers between each pair of legs to act as a bearing. All the bolts face the same way so that the nut and excess thread is AWAY from the cutting side.






Well, folks, what do you think?


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## 04ultra (Aug 5, 2006)

Now that looks real nice Mark..Now its time for a new Stihl...You already have the hat...


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## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 5, 2006)

Yeah, I was wearing it today, when I wasn't cutting. Of course, when I'm running my John Deere saw, I wear my GB helmet and my Husky saw chaps!


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## THALL10326 (Aug 5, 2006)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> I've got a bunch of smaller wood I need to buck, lots from a local tree guy, and some from trees on my property. I see no sense in splitting large pieces down to kindling size, while throwing away kindling sized branches!
> 
> Besides, a bunch of the tree guy's stuff is 5 - 8" diameter. Easy to pick up, and a pain to buck on the ground.
> 
> ...



I think thats a right neat get up there. Will do the trick. Now lets see, you got a Stihl knife, a Stihl cap, a Stihl banner, hmmmmmmmmmm. Uhhhhhh Mark I just order some new 441's today, hint hint hint................


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## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 5, 2006)

Thanks, Dan. That's the idea. Safer, faster, less stooping. I looked at Bailey's chainsaw buddy, and while I'm sure it works as advertised.... All that stooping! Oh my aching back!


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## 04ultra (Aug 5, 2006)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> That's the idea. Safer, faster, less stooping. I looked at Bailey's chainsaw buddy, and while I'm sure it works as advertised.... All that stooping! Oh my aching back!




Mark its tough to get old...:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:


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## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 5, 2006)

THALL10326 said:


> I think thats a right neat get up there. Will do the trick. Now lets see, you got a Stihl knife, a Stihl cap, a Stihl banner, hmmmmmmmmmm. Uhhhhhh Mark I just order some new 441's today, hint hint hint................



Yeah, I've been looking at that one in a nice new catalogue I got somewhere....

But I need a splitter first!


And I don't have money for either one! :bang:


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## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 5, 2006)

04ultra said:


> Mark its tough to get old...:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:




Ahhhhhhhh..... SHADDAP!


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## sawinredneck (Aug 6, 2006)

Nicely done Mark!!! I built one simialer to that, just used different spacing, one is 24", one is 18" and one is 16", trying to appease those finicky customers!!
Andy


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## turnkey4099 (Aug 6, 2006)

Very nice. I built one on the same idea about 20 years ago. Used "U" shape angle iron stanchions mounted on 2x6. It would fold to the thickness of a double 2x6 for hanging on the shed wall out of the way. Quit using it many years ago as I cut everything up in the wood patch now and don't really make firewood out of small stuff anymore. Anything under about 6" goes on the fire pile. I cut limbs to 16" lengths before cutting them free from the log so most of it is done clear of the ground. 

I like your idea much better than the one I built and will do it that way if I ever build anohter one.

Harry K


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## mga (Aug 6, 2006)

sure beats bending over....must be alot easier on the back.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 6, 2006)

It's downright sweet for the back! I debated with myself about the height. If it were lower I could use it for bigger logs. But those aren't that hard to do on the ground anyway, so I went for something that would have the wood at about waist height. It's 30" from the bottom end of the 2x4s to the hinge bolts. The actual height depends a bit on how far apart the legs are.


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## elektrobot (Aug 6, 2006)

*Nice Idea*

Thanks for posting this on the forum. I built a rack to trim wood to length a few months back, but it does not work well for anything that needs more than 12 inches cut off, or small stuff. This looks like just the trick to get the small diameter stuff cut to length efficiently.


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## clearance (Aug 6, 2006)

mga said:


> sure beats bending over....must be alot easier on the back.


I buck with a 371 that has a 28" bar, I don't bend over, I only handle the wood once, to get in in my truck. Nothing wrong with Marks setup, whatever one is comfortable with.


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## Leebo (Aug 7, 2006)

Nice sawbuck, Mark. Now you just need a small skid steer with a grapple to load it.


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## Leebo (Aug 7, 2006)

turnkey4099 said:


> Quit using it many years ago as I cut everything up in the wood patch now and don't really make firewood out of small stuff anymore. Anything under about 6" goes on the fire pile.
> Harry K



Just curious. Why are you throwing anything under 6" on the fire pile?


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## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 7, 2006)

Leebo said:


> Nice sawbuck, Mark. Now you just need a small skid steer with a grapple to load it.




Yeah, I wish! I was moving 12-18" logs around last week and this weekend, 5-6 footers. By hand! Where's Ekka's Kanga when I need it?


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## Pcoz88 (Aug 7, 2006)

*Great idea*

That is a great idea BlueRidgeMark.Did you have a drawing for that sawbuck?


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## turnkey4099 (Aug 7, 2006)

Leebo said:


> Just curious. Why are you throwing anything under 6" on the fire pile?



I need to cut that size down. I was just unloading and I found I am hauling a few chunks of 4" which is about my minimum. It just becomes more work than it is worth to fool around with small size sticks.

Sitting here under the AC after finishing unloading with the temps building into the 95 degree range. If wood sweats the way I do in the heat it should dry to powder by days end.

Harry K


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## computeruser (Aug 7, 2006)

Thanks for posting the pics. That looks like a good design. I can see how that makes life a lot easier for cutting up limbs and smaller stuff.

And best of all, now I know exactly what to do with the stack of 3-5' end-pieces of old 2x4s that has been hanging around my garage!


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## BlueRidgeMark (Oct 27, 2006)

Pcoz88 said:


> That is a great idea BlueRidgeMark.Did you have a drawing for that sawbuck?




Ooops! I abandoned this thread too soon! DIdn't mean to ignore you.


No, no plans. Just drew it up in my head, then on paper. I made the plans up in Excel - I use it often for a poor man's AutoCad. At least it lets me make neat drawings. I can email the file if anyone is interested. It's Excel 97 for Windoze.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Oct 27, 2006)

*Update*

Well, now that I've used it a bit, I like it. I've quit being careful about loading - I just pile it on and cut. A few pieces hang out too far and wind up too long, so they just get tossed on the next round. I found I was spending too much time lining everything up on one end. Now I handle a few pieces twice and go much faster overall.

This was well worth my time to make.

BTW, I don't bother strapping things down anymore. Just load and cut. Once in a while something gets grabbed by the chain and tossed out of the rack. Care in how I approach the wood takes care of that.



If you are one of those who tosses anything under 6", this wouldn't make sense for you.


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## johnha (Oct 27, 2006)

To quote my buddy when he saw my wood piles a few years back:

"I think you have a problem."  

Its nice to know that others have the same problem as me.


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## jerseydevil (Nov 17, 2006)

*nice buck mark*

I pretty much copied your plan and built one out of 2x4s I had laying around. It is a work in progress but is fully functional as is. It is a bit large since I havn't cut the 8 foot 2x4s down yet. I'll post a pic of it asap.
It saves so much time and is much safer than my old way of cutting branches. I plan to make 1 or 2 more for other areas. I can move it around but why bother. Thanks Mark!!


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## Leebo (Nov 17, 2006)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> If you are one of those who tosses anything under 6", this wouldn't make sense for you.



<1-1/2" is my cut off. Why throw away good wood? The rest goes into a pile for bonfires.


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## jerseydevil (Nov 17, 2006)

My sentaments exactley Leebo. I also fill a few trash cans full of kindling. Enough to get through the winter. 1/4 to 2 inches. Small stuff in one can, bigger stuff in another. I have about 2 achers of woods to keep clean so like you say why waste it.


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## Indiana John (Nov 18, 2006)

*RAS or chop saw?*

I've been thinking about an easy way to cut up stuff from 1" to 2" diameter to use for kindling. It just seems so awkward to do stuff this small with a chainsaw. I've been thinking about getting an old radial arm saw or miter saw to cut it up. A used cheapy 8" or 10" model with a course crosscut blade would work fine. No bending over required, and you could even work inside when it's cold or wet out!


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## Haywire Haywood (Nov 18, 2006)

Indiana John said:


> I've been thinking about an easy way to cut up stuff from 1" to 2" diameter to use for kindling.



How about one of those oversize hatchets with the 24" handle and the 1.5lb head. Cut yourself a 3-4' tall "chopping block" to avoid the bending and just lop off those really small branches to length. Sounds like fun actually.

Ian


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## jerseydevil (Nov 18, 2006)

Why not get a pair of leather gloves and a tube of elbow grease for the small stuff and cut the bigger kindling with the loppers and or hatchet? I am guessing you are healthy enough for this approach but if you are not, I recommend you try a scaled down version of Marks sawbuck.


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## pyromaniac guy (Apr 25, 2007)

i know this is an old thread, i just wanted to say kudos to mark for the design...


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## jerseydevil (Apr 25, 2007)

Me too, it saves me so much time. I used to collect branches and small trunks and cut them up weekly, so as not to fall behind. Now I have a large sawbuck that I just pile stuff on (safely) and when it is full, I cut it all up in a matter of minutes. I had seen bucks before, but Marks is by far he best. 
I am actually considering building a small version, to cut down logs to fit in my stove. Peco was nice enough to take down a dying tree for us and leave the rounds for firewood, but they cut them a bit too long.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Apr 25, 2007)

Glad you like it, gentlemen! More importantly, you found it helpful! 


Check out kevinj's new sawbuck. He made his purrrrty!

Looks a whole lot better than mine! 


http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=47715


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## jerseydevil (Apr 25, 2007)

Well, if you are like me, and move it from place to place, I'd take yours anyday Mark. Mine is probably bigger than yours, but it is made mostly with 2x4s so it is pretty light. Let's hear it for us!


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## pyromaniac guy (Apr 25, 2007)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> Glad you like it, gentlemen! More importantly, you found it helpful!
> 
> 
> Check out kevinj's new sawbuck. He made his purrrrty!
> ...



that's how i found your thread :rockn:


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## BlueRidgeMark (Nov 12, 2007)

Well, looks like my picture hosting service canceled me or something, so all my purty pictoors are gone! I've gotten a few emails lately about this sawbuck, so I'm trying again with a different hosting service. Here are some pictures:

http://server6.theimagehosting.com/album.php?album=30321

Now that I've used it a couple of seasons, I would probably do one thing different - I'd make the back about a foot shorter. I like having it taller than the front, but what I've got is more than needed, and is just extra weight. I'm glad I made it out of treated 2x4s, though.

Have fun, folks!


Mark


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## Turbocaster (Nov 12, 2007)

*Thanks for reposting the pictures!*

Mark,

Your sawbuck is simple, yet very functional. I hope to build one like it next weekend. I never thought of making the back taller than the front. Great idea.

Thanks again for reposting the pictures.

Jon


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## BlueRidgeMark (Nov 13, 2007)

Turbocaster said:


> Mark,
> 
> Your sawbuck is simple, yet very functional.




Rather like my brain.... 





> I hope to build one like it next weekend. I never thought of making the back taller than the front. Great idea.



Yes, it makes loading easier, and also lets me pile higher in back. It's worked out well.



> Thanks again for reposting the pictures.
> 
> Jon



Youse welcome! 

I now return to hibernation...


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## PRMorris (Feb 14, 2013)

*I would love to see your saw buck *

Mark, I cannot see the photographs you are referring to, have they been removed?


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## stihl sawing (Feb 15, 2013)

PRMorris said:


> Mark, I cannot see the photographs you are referring to, have they been removed?


Haven't seem mark around in a while, Hopefully he will post. Those pics were probably from photobucket or another offsite source and he has deleted them from there. They will dissappear from here as well.


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## philoshop (Feb 15, 2013)

Found the pics on post 35 at the bottom of the quote. Worked for me. 
Nice carpentry work there, by the way. I put mine together with screws. Pull the screws out and reuse 'em. The rest becomes kindling.
I've become a no-nail guy in my old age. Still have a little light, let me get pics.


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## philoshop (Feb 15, 2013)

The little one on the left is 16" long. The one on the right is for propping up longer logs. Don't have a logjack yet.:msp_sad:
Scrap lumber and screws. Really easy to take apart. I've got several of the "longlegs" that I paint orange and leave in the woods.
New b&c on the 260:msp_biggrin:


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## GM_DaddyMac (Feb 15, 2013)

Here is mine with my oldest giving it a try. I used ideas from Mark and Philbert (I think). I tapered the tops of cross pieces to allow a little more capacity and to keep the rounds snug while cutting. I kept the distances between the uprights such that even with the kerf of the chain I could get uniform 16's each cut. 

As it is set up in the photo -- my first cut is on the far outside left, far outside right, then to the right of the remaining two uprights. To avoid too much waste, I created a memory stick about 4" longer than the total sawbuck length -- so the outside cuts are barely discs -- which you can see under the far left. It works great with the smaller diameter wood -- say 8" and under. Mine is certainly more weathered at this point, but it is holding up well after two years. I think I still have the sketch with measurements around here somewhere.


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## ETpilot (Feb 15, 2013)

I wanted something that would hold those limbs with branches running everywhich way. I use them for kindling. They are difficult to cut on the ground. So I made this handy little holder. It holds them pretty much at waist level and cutting is easy. Suprisingly it also holds some good size limbs. I have had some 6-7" diameter and it holds them good. Depending on the limbs I can hold 3-4 and gang cut them. You can see this in the picture. It even has held some long limb that curve down to the ground. I just work my way up. It has made cutting limbs pretty easy for me. The really large pieces I cut on my FEL forks. The distance between the 2 outside faces of the vertical rails is 18inches. If I question the length of a piece I can check it along the top. The swing arm is adjustable for larger limbs. I have only used it in its present position. Sometimes the limbs angle up above waist level but not a problem for cutting. I saw something similar on youtube and I went from there. I have added wheels, since these pictures, to move the unit easily around my wood pile. Pretty neat, works for me.


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## Philbert (Feb 15, 2013)

GM_DaddyMac said:


> I used ideas from Mark and Philbert (I think).



Looks very nice, but I think that is *kevinj*'s design.

I made mine out of scrap plywood and 2-by-4's to be simple, rigid, and foldable for portability and storage.

Philbert


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## Foxfire (Feb 15, 2013)

ETpilot said:


> I wanted something that would hold those limbs with branches running everywhich way. I use them for kindling. They are difficult to cut on the ground. So I made this handy little holder. It holds them pretty much at waist level and cutting is easy. Suprisingly it also holds some good size limbs. I have had some 6-7" diameter and it holds them good. Depending on the limbs I can hold 3-4 and gang cut them. You can see this in the picture. It even has held some long limb that curve down to the ground. I just work my way up. It has made cutting limbs pretty easy for me. The really large pieces I cut on my FEL forks. The distance between the 2 outside faces of the vertical rails is 18inches. If I question the length of a piece I can check it along the top. The swing arm is adjustable for larger limbs. I have only used it in its present position. Sometimes the limbs angle up above waist level but not a problem for cutting. I saw something similar on youtube and I went from there. I have added wheels, since these pictures, to move the unit easily around my wood pile. Pretty neat, works for me.




I hope to be building one of these tomorrow...thanks for the inspiration.


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## KiwiBro (Feb 15, 2013)

Scraggly toothpicks + tractor =


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## Philbert (Feb 15, 2013)

Foxfire said:


> I hope to be building one of these tomorrow...thanks for the inspiration.



Wood version of this: Bailey's - Smart-Holder Firewood Holder

Philbert


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## Foxfire (Feb 15, 2013)

Philbert said:


> Wood version of this: Bailey's - Smart-Holder Firewood Holder
> 
> Philbert



Pretty much, it'll probably end up costing abut that much by the time I get done with it knowing me...


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## Philbert (Feb 17, 2013)

ETpilot said:


> I wanted something that would hold those limbs with branches running everywhich way. . . . .The distance between the 2 outside faces of the vertical rails is 18inches. . . I have added wheels, since these pictures, to move the unit easily around my wood pile.



Very nice.

Can you share the other dimensions with us, in case someone is interested in making something similar?

Also, any photos with the wheels?

Thanks.

Philbert


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