# log wizard works great



## woodshop (Feb 6, 2008)

After sitting on the fence for a while, milling a rather muddy set of maple logs last month spurred me into getting a log wizard. Spent a good 20 minutes with a hand ax trying to whack a clear mud free path for my csm on several logs and still never got all the mud off down to clear wood. It doesn't take much mud/dirt to dull a chain. When I'm milling, I want to mill wood. I don't like putzing around fixing stuff, cleaning/tweaking equipment that I should have done in the shop the night before, and I want to change out chain on the csm as little as possible. Pull saw from csm and swap out a chain 4-5 times over the coarse of a milling session and you shot the better part of an hour of milling daylight. 

Wanted a dedicated saw, but didn't want to "waste" a good pro saw just for that, so bought a Husky 350. $320, 40cc... it's not the low end of the non-pro saws and for the amount of hours I'll run it, I think it will do fine. I didn't have to drop half a grand or more, and I didn't want to go used saw route since I wanted something light (read: plastic) in the 10-11 lb range. A used pro saw like an 036 would be heavier and when using the saw with a log wizard every pound counts. 

Simple to setup, took all of 15 minutes start to finish. Hold the Wizard on the saw to mark where to drill holes, drill them, bolt the thing on, tighten the chain and start playing. 

WOW... wish I had gotten this thing couple years ago. After a few minutes you get the hang of how to hold it for the desired result. I was hoping it would be easier to handle going down the SIDE or even reaching under a log, but it's not. Works best when you are on top of the log or say third of the way down the side. Any more than that and it gets tiring to hold steady in that position where it's biting into the bark. As others have said, this thing throws out a LOT of bark chips and really makes a mess quickly. 

Bottom line, as others on here have said, it works like a charm, and will make short work of cleaning up logs for milling, saving time by saving having to swap out chain as often.


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## redprospector (Feb 6, 2008)

Good deal woodshop,
I got one last fall, and it went on a 350 as well. You have described it to a tee.
I had to laugh. Last fall we couldn't talk anyone into peeling log's for our local lumberjack competition so I knew the job would fall to me. So I got the log wizard. When I got it out and started working, I suddenly had more volunteer's than I knew what to do with. Kinda reminded me of Tom Sawyer, and that white washed fence. 

Andy


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## GeeVee (Feb 6, 2008)

Good call on the Wizard. 

Do you think you could have used a disposable saw with the same results?


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Feb 6, 2008)

GeeVee said:


> Good call on the Wizard.
> 
> Do you think you could have used a disposable saw with the same results?



He did.


Seriously... I'm about to pull the trigger on one myself. Many of the construction site logs I get are full of dirt and have no chance of coming clean. The last pecan I milled I had to change chains after every cut which wasted hours. It seems to me that the wizard is a worthy investment.

Woodshop- where did you get it?


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## BIG JAKE (Feb 7, 2008)

Woodshop how fast is that device and would it be good for shaping logs?


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## woodshop (Feb 7, 2008)

GeeVee said:


> Good call on the Wizard.
> Do you think you could have used a disposable saw with the same results?



I was seriously thinking (but talked myself out of) grabbing a true disposable, like one of them buck and a quarter Homelites or such. Those are designed to run only 50 hours or so though... and I figure I'd eventually get more than that with all the milling I do. Thus the (sortof) step up to the Husky 350, which I think will last longer than that. I have to say the biggest reason I got the 350 was that since it's got the plastic case, it was a few pounds lighter for the power it puts out than a used 50-60cc pro saw. 

Aggie I got my wizard from Baileys, tacked it on to a roll of chain. You can get them cheaper if you wanna go the Ebay store route, but I like supporting the AS sponsors for one thing, and then there's the hassle of ebay.. etc. 

Jake, how fast is it? ...compared to what? You can peel bark about as fast as you can walk down the log if that helps. According to some of the vids I've seen online, you can indeed shape logs with it. Not sure exactly what you're asking it to do... putting a point of the end of a pole would be a piece of cake. Havn't used it much at all yet, but from my little experience, I'd say how fast it will dig through a log depends on the wood. Last night when I was playing, it went through cherry faster than it did one of my osage orange logs, but then osage is pretty hard stuff. That soft maple quarter you see in the third pic went pretty easy, almost as easy as the cherry.


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## peter nap (Feb 7, 2008)

Thanks for posting that.
I have a Hud=son copy that seems about the same thing. Just been too lazy to mount it. I also have the same Husky to put it on.

I think I need to get a loop of chain 2" longer or a bar 2" shorter:monkey: .

From the videos, it seems good to notch logs too.


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## BIG JAKE (Feb 7, 2008)

Jake, how fast is it? ...compared to what? You can peel bark about as fast as you can walk down the log if that helps. According to some of the vids I've seen online, you can indeed shape logs with it. Not sure exactly what you're asking it to do... putting a point of the end of a pole would be a piece of cake. Havn't used it much at all yet, but from my little experience, I'd say how fast it will dig through a log depends on the wood. Last night when I was playing, it went through cherry faster than it did one of my osage orange logs, but then osage is pretty hard stuff. That soft maple quarter you see in the third pic went pretty easy, almost as easy as the cherry.[/QUOTE]

That's what I was looking for-some idea as to how fast it'll hog the bark off. The last cabin I built we peeled the logs with an axe. So I had the thought if I do one again this device might be usable for shaping notches. Just info is all as long as we're on the subject. Thanks


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## gunnarfan (Feb 7, 2008)

i've seen one of these rigs at a local saw shop and had to wonder if an electric saw might be useful for winter work in the barn. i saw a good used one for 7 dollars at a junk shop... i guess cleaning the chips and wrangling the cord would be the compromise there.. but indoor work with less fire risk is a plus.

looking into some sort of piston/ram for pounding dust into log form like i saw on one of those "how its done" shows...that may be an option for shop waste for sure.

a "prazi" style adapter to a worm drive saw may be in order.. but then again. when does it just become a planer for dirty work


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## woodshop (Feb 7, 2008)

gunnarfan said:


> i've seen one of these rigs at a local saw shop and had to wonder if an electric saw might be useful for winter work in the barn. i saw a good used one for 7 dollars at a junk shop...


I'm thinking maybe the electric chainsaw might not have the umph needed to run this. It doesn't seem to take much power, I'd bet a 33cc saw would be OK, but those little electrics bog down pretty fast when the going gets tough. Sticking it on an electric saw might get a little frustrating.


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## woodshop (Feb 7, 2008)

BIG JAKE said:


> ...The last cabin I built we peeled the logs with an axe. So I had the thought if I do one again this device might be usable for shaping notches...



If I was building a cabin, I'd think I'd have plenty of use for something like this. I think it would save you a lot of time. Like a lot of things... you're trading money for time.


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## poleframer (Feb 8, 2008)

Bet ya knew I'd chime in on this one. Since you put it on a dedicated saw, and probably have other saws at hand, put a cutterless chain on it-you'll never have to replace it. You will feel a lot safer moving around with it. Tho it goes on a saw, you'll find you move around a log differently with it. I usually trim branches close with one saw, then use the log wizard to debark. I'm sure I've hit rocks with mine, never changed the blades.


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## user 19670 (Feb 8, 2008)

Hmm, a 'Wild Thing' fitted with a 'Log Wizard'. . . :jawdrop:


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## curdy (Feb 8, 2008)

poleframer said:


> Bet ya knew I'd chime in on this one. Since you put it on a dedicated saw, and probably have other saws at hand, put a cutterless chain on it-you'll never have to replace it. You will feel a lot safer moving around with it. Tho it goes on a saw, you'll find you move around a log differently with it. I usually trim branches close with one saw, then use the log wizard to debark. I'm sure I've hit rocks with mine, never changed the blades.



I always wondered why they don't promote using a chain without teeth on it. I would totally agree that I'd feel WAY safer using a dedicated chain like you mention. I remember watching the video of the install the first time on their website a while back and thinking whoa, what's up with that? I guess most people don't have a cutterless chain lying around and wouldn't bother with making one for it.


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## curdy (Feb 8, 2008)

woodshop said:


> ...Not sure exactly what you're asking it to do... putting a point of the end of a pole would be a piece of cake...



Hmmm, I may have to borrow that and make some pikes Braveheart style to keep the deer away from my wife's garden.:hmm3grin2orange:


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## MotorSeven (Feb 8, 2008)

Dirt & gravel is why i use a small trailer instead of dragging my logs. I guess i'm lucky with the cedar, if i wait a few months, i can blow all the bark off the logs with a 3000 psi pressure washer...it's messy but quick!
RD


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## redprospector (Feb 8, 2008)

poleframer said:


> Bet ya knew I'd chime in on this one. Since you put it on a dedicated saw, and probably have other saws at hand, put a cutterless chain on it-you'll never have to replace it. You will feel a lot safer moving around with it. Tho it goes on a saw, you'll find you move around a log differently with it. I usually trim branches close with one saw, then use the log wizard to debark. I'm sure I've hit rocks with mine, never changed the blades.



My chain still has teeth on it, but I'm wearing one way down on my 372 right now so I can grind the teeth and raker's off.

Andy


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## poleframer (Feb 9, 2008)

You can buy cutterless chain. Its a little more, but you wont need to replace it. If you change bar length just add or remove some links. Theres no wear on the bar and chain with the LW.


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## jbeall (Mar 29, 2009)

*Any reason I can't use a shorter bar for the log wizard?*

Lots of good info on the Log Wizard; glad it's working well for those that have it.

I'm thinking of putting the Log Wizard on a Shindaiwa 446s. I'd like to get a separate bar for this, and I see Bailey's has a little 12" bar on close out:

http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=BCC 12 EP50

Any reason that wouldn't work? Then I'd need a 14" chain, which at .325" pitch (and 0.050" gauge) should work out to 60 links of this, right?

It would be nice to have a dedicate saw for this, but I don't have the money right now, so the best I can do is a dedicate bar. I'll put this 12" bar w/ the wizard on my saw when I need to use the log wizard, and then I'll go back to my regular bars when I need to go back to cutting.

-Josh


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## jbeall (Mar 30, 2009)

*Looks like that bar has a 0.365" pitch sprocket, but my saw is 0.325"*

That 12" bar has a 0.365" sprocket, I believe--but my saw's drive sprocket is for a 0.325" pitch chain.

But it seems like that shouldn't matter, since the 14" chain I'm going to put on this bar is not actually going to touch the bar sprocket--instead, it's going to go around the Log Wizard sprocket, and the Log Wizard "comes complete with universal spline/sprocket system, which accommodates all pitches of saw chain."

Now I wouldn't be able to take the log wizard off and put a 12" chain on that bar without replacing the sprocket... but for $8, I figure I can afford to have a bar that's exclusively for the Log Wizard.

Am I missing anything?

-Josh


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## jbeall (Mar 30, 2009)

*Suppose I might as well get a 14" bar*

I suppose I might as well get this 14" bar. Then I can get a 16" chain, and the chain will work on my regular 16" bar *or* to power the log wizard. That way I can multipurpose the chain.


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