Chunking down big wood?

[Bermie]

Kudos Clearance, one handing can bite!

My mantra is, as always, "What will happen if this goes wrong?"
If the saw will fall, or kickback, and not cut you or your ropes then cautious one handing has its applications. I do occasionally one hand out on the ends of branches cutting down and away from me and my ropes, but NEVER when reaching over or under or around the saw and the KB zone and never when chunking.

I watched my friend who has a bucket truck that I use, I had done the high stuff and was cutting logs on the ground, he went back up in the bucket to lop off some small stuff, I watched him cut one handed and push chunks, it was scary! His armpit was in the firing line, bits were twisting and pinching, he got it done and I asked his permission to give him some advice...the usual was dispensed, he actually said he could feel the saw getting stuck and jerking back a bit and he is not a trained saw operator!

 

[rahtreelimbs]

If I am not mistaken I believe RBtree talked about using small chunks of dial rod placed in the kerf to roll the chunk off the spar..............anyone here try that???

 

[Mitchell]

rolling chunks

If I am not mistaken I believe RBtree talked about using small chunks of dial rod placed in the kerf to roll the chunk off the spar..............anyone here try that???

I have not used a roller to get the wood to slide. I was however experimenting a couple weeks ago with angling the cut to get the larger chunks to slide with little or no pushing.
No doubt due my background in falling, one of the first things I did was to drill a wedge for a 3' string line, seems natural to have a wedge.
I found with larger blocks [such as 2.5' D + by 4' to 6' blocks] I could get away with having a 5% to 15% angled cut and a 660 cutting slide the block off. The wedge seemed to break the coefficient of friction allowing the block to slide away when the cut was done.
The only problem I for saw with this method was, as the lean was away from the block target and cut angle direction, to tall a block or steep a cut angle could allow the block start sliding but fall backwards.

 

[ropensaddle]

I have not used a roller to get the wood to slide. I was however experimenting a couple weeks ago with angling the cut to get the larger chunks to slide with little or no pushing.
No doubt due my background in falling, one of the first things I did was to drill a wedge for a 3' string line, seems natural to have a wedge.
I found with larger blocks [such as 2.5' D + by 4' to 6' blocks] I could get away with having a 5% to 15% angled cut and a 660 cutting slide the block off. The wedge seemed to break the coefficient of friction allowing the block to slide away when the cut was done.
The only problem I for saw with this method was, as the lean was away from the block target and cut angle direction, to tall a block or steep a cut angle could allow the block start sliding but fall backwards.

Fast cutting is not how I would do blocking a severe headache could
be the result.

 

[clearance]

I have not used a roller to get the wood to slide. I was however experimenting a couple weeks ago with angling the cut to get the larger chunks to slide with little or no pushing.
No doubt due my background in falling, one of the first things I did was to drill a wedge for a 3' string line, seems natural to have a wedge.
I found with larger blocks [such as 2.5' D + by 4' to 6' blocks] I could get away with having a 5% to 15% angled cut and a 660 cutting slide the block off. The wedge seemed to break the coefficient of friction allowing the block to slide away when the cut was done.
The only problem I for saw with this method was, as the lean was away from the block target and cut angle direction, to tall a block or steep a cut angle could allow the block start sliding but fall backwards.

Like I have said earlier, I use undercut/backcut for logs, even small ones like you speak of, thats not much of an angle but all control is lost once you cut through. Rope may be right, you could get tagged pretty good. Firewood, just blow right through it with your 660.

 

[Mitchell]

how to tip a big chunk

Like I have said earlier, I use undercut/backcut for logs, even small ones like you speak of, thats not much of an angle but all control is lost once you cut through. Rope may be right, you could get tagged pretty good. Firewood, just blow right through it with your 660.

Do you folks think the ends don't justify the means. Not being defensive, just trying to learn. I will choose safety over speed so I am intersted in your feedback. A good number of the rounds I was "sliding" were in the 500 to 1000 pounds weight class, even over 50' up. I was trying to speed the process up a bit [well still staying safe of course]. I had a 50' by 50' landing zone to the slight off lean side.
- Time to effort wise it seemed like undercutting & pulling every round over with a rope was over kill.
- cutting thinner rounds seemed to promise a life time of cutting as well.

I have seen pictures of guys using 6' wrecking bars to pry the bigger rounds, I have not tried it.
For sure, the round cutting method I was using left little room for error, but the rounds seemed to react predictably.

 

[ropensaddle]

Do you folks think the ends don't justify the means. Not being defensive, just trying to learn. I will choose safety over speed so I am intersted in your feedback. A good number of the rounds I was "sliding" were in the 500 to 1000 pounds weight class, even over 50' up. I was trying to speed the process up a bit [well still staying safe of course]. I had a 50' by 50' landing zone to the slight off lean side.
- Time to effort wise it seemed like undercutting & pulling every round over with a rope was over kill.
- cutting thinner rounds seemed to promise a life time of cutting as well.

I have seen pictures of guys using 6' wrecking bars to pry the bigger rounds, I have not tried it.
For sure, the round cutting method I was using left little room for error, but the rounds seemed to react predictably.

It is not the predictable
that get you even though they can bite, it is the one that decides to go
to the side or straight back that can make you lame! The snap cut
is one way but any thing that can't be easily pushed, should be pulled
by a groundsman to make sure it go's away from climber. One way to
speed this is have a long rope and tie bowlines on both ends one on the chunk about to be pulled the other with you then put bowline over stub
come down for next cut and retrieve other end this makes you not have
to wait on the ground man. Or have four ropes to do the same idea
I use the first idea but most times I just firewood it down!

 

[Mitchell]

rope doubled over...

Is a clever idea, I will give it a try for sure. It' not that often [only couple times] I had to take blocks that were still 3 to 4 feet @ 50 +_feet up. Seems like the cutting will never end and anything safe to speed it up I'm willing to try.

 

[ropensaddle]

Is a clever idea, I will give it a try for sure. It' not that often [only couple times] I had to take blocks that were still 3 to 4 feet @ 50 +_feet up. Seems like the cutting will never end and anything safe to speed it up I'm willing to try.

Ok just make sure it is long enough to get
man pulling clear I did say long rope 200 foot will usually do!

 

[ropensaddle]

Another good idea would be to have four or five fifty foot ropes with
loop on one end place them on the way up and groundy can snap
or tie in to the loop on each one at a time with an extension rope
I have not been well off enough to afford the cost of that many ropes
for blocking but it would be fast and you would not have to retrieve the
other end groundy just unsnaps & resnaps in to the next one.

 

[booboo]

?

Not trying to be rude, just wondering...if I read this right, you're 50' up and have a 50' x 50' LZ, so why are you chunking it down? WAY safer and faster to get it down to the size that will fit the LZ, then just drop the spar. I'll take 1 cut from the ground over 20 cuts in the air any time I can.

As for taking the big chunks off, as everyone else has said, a small felling wedge will keep the saw from binding and a rope on the chunk will pull it off in a nice, controlled fashion. Leaving the running bowline and loop in the end of the rope will save you re-tying the knot for each cut. Just loop it over the top of the stub, drop down, and make your next cut.

My .02

Safety first, even when it 93 degrees (that does seem to make evrything harder though, doesn't it )

Cheers...

 

[alloutdoorsboy]

big wood

if you are blocking down big wood one trick that I find usefull is to make my cut on an angle with the slope pointing towards where you want it to go. Its hard pushing a 200# block off of a flat cut, if it slopes enough it will slide off. Only downside is all the firewood is cut funny.

 

[Mitchell]

not quite 50'

Not trying to be rude, just wondering...if I read this right, you're 50' up and have a 50' x 50' LZ, so why are you chunking it down? WAY safer and faster to get it down to the size that will fit the LZ, then just drop the spar. I'll take 1 cut from the ground over 20 cuts in the air any time I can.

As for taking the big chunks off, as everyone else has said, a small felling wedge will keep the saw from binding and a rope on the chunk will pull it off in a nice, controlled fashion. Leaving the running bowline and loop in the end of the rope will save you re-tying the knot for each cut. Just loop it over the top of the stub, drop down, and make your next cut.

My .02

Safety first, even when it 93 degrees (that does seem to make evrything harder though, doesn't it )

Cheers...

Ha ha, that does sound funny; chunking when a spar can be felled. I had 50' to the house and a paved drive way on the opposite side [leaning that way]. I really only had 20' to 25' that could take a direct hit. I did pull over the last twenty five feet against the lean by cutting in a pie more then half way throught the tree [big pita as it was just under 6' d 7 feet up] and having the lads pull it.

Another point I was curious for input on is as follows: I was trying to take the biggest chunks possible [which is why i had to angle cut them to get them to move] as I figured the less rounds coming down the less chance of a bad bounce into the side of the house. Also I found the bigger the better; the 1000 pounders did not seem to have any tendency to bounce like firewooders.

sorry about my atrocious spelling but my comupter blocks the spell checker!

 

[Mitchell]

if you are blocking down big wood one trick that I find usefull is to make my cut on an angle with the slope pointing towards where you want it to go. Its hard pushing a 200# block off of a flat cut, if it slopes enough it will slide off. Only downside is all the firewood is cut funny.

That is what I was doing but I was gettting the angle to the point where I could get the blocks to slide off as the cut finished. And it was a pain to try and roll the bucked rounds around with angles on them. It was easer to chop them into pieces and dolly them. The bigest Fir rounds even with out sharp angles were so fricken heavy they had to be chopped up as well. Lesson learned; I really underestimeated how long it would take 4 guys and three boys to move that stuff around! I had to come back on a sunday and put in 6more hours with a couple guys and my sons.

 

[booboo]

Ha ha, that does sound funny; chunking when a spar can be felled. I had 50' to the house and a paved drive way on the opposite side [leaning that way]. I really only had 20' to 25' that could take a direct hit. I did pull over the last twenty five feet against the lean by cutting in a pie more then half way throught the tree [big pita as it was just under 6' d 7 feet up] and having the lads pull it.

Another point I was curious for input on is as follows: I was trying to take the biggest chunks possible [which is why i had to angle cut them to get them to move] as I figured the less rounds coming down the less chance of a bad bounce into the side of the house. Also I found the bigger the better; the 1000 pounders did not seem to have any tendency to bounce like firewooders.

sorry about my atrocious spelling but my comupter blocks the spell checker!

I'm in full agreement on taking the biggest piece possible, as long as it is safe. The fewer cuts I have to make on the spar, the better. In the situation you're describing, I prefer to take log length pieces out, with a tag line on them so the groundies can pull them over. Best control that way. Get the backcut close, shut the saw off, hang it up, make sure I'm in the safest possible position, then pull the log off.

As for the bounce, it all depends on how the piece lands and how soft the ground is. Naturally big pieces will sink in further but when they do bounce, it's a whole lot more weight out of control. Landing wood flat is always best, IMHO. Less damage and bounce.

Once again, cheers...