Cutting With The Grain

[PIERCE4076]

I had approx 4 cords of logs delivered ranging from 16 to 20 inches long and between 12 and 36 inches in diameter. I've hand split the majority and only have a few large logs left that I can't split.

My question is: is cutting with the grain bad for my chain, is it any more dangerous than cutting "the regular way", will it dull my chain more quickly than cutting the "regular way".

If I can get these logs into 1/2's or 1/4's I'm sure i can split them into firewood size pieces.


Thank you!!!

 

[hokiebob1]

I've never ripped anything but very large Pine logs but it worked ok and didn't damage the chains. There are special chains for this, but in my limited experience with pine, it takes longer and you get smaller chips versus crosscutting (while using the same chain designed for crosscutting).

b

 

[michael j]

Go ahead. I do it all the time, been doin' for years, and I'm not the only one. It's the only way you can get through some of 'em.

Mike

 

[SawTroll]

Nothing wrong with that, I do it often.

Put the "log" on a pallet, with a backstop on the edge closest to you, and use a saw with an inboard clutch, preferably a Stihl.......:yoyo: :yoyo:

Cut at a slight angle, up or down, to make the "curlies" a bit shorter.

 

[charlesfarm]

I cut a bunch of red elm rounds that were about 18" in diameter into quarters with the grain without any difficulty.

The thing that you'll notice is the curlies that come from cutting with the grain -- literally ribbons of wood that can tend to get clogged around the clutch sprocket when you have the saw burried up to the bucking spikes. You can back the saw out a bit to help with flow, but I don't like doing that, I lose some stability and don't feel as much control by not having the spikes in contact with the wood. Just go a little slower to help keep the flow free.

If you do clog ... TURN THE SAW OFF FIRST ... and pull the clog out from around the sprocket. I grab them at the bottom of the saw, pull out a bunch then rotate the chain a bit by hand to make sure it's moving free. Start it up and the rest should flow right on out.

I've noticed my chain seems to stay sharper cutting with the grain than across it.

God bless,
Chris

EDIT: Or do like Troll says and cut at a slight angle to shorten the "curlies"!!! I tell you, I learn something new every time I'm on here!!

 

[XJWoody]

Noodles

Keep an eye out for the shavings ("noodles" ie elongated chips) they sometimes can pack up in behind the clutch cover. This is why Saw Troll advised using a saw with an inboard clutch...these seem to clear the debris out better.

Use caution (shut the saw off) before attempting to clear out the noodles.

 

[John Ellison]

I think it has been mentioned ,but to be sure, it is easier cutting with the bar/chain parallel with the bark instead of at right angles.

 

[SawTroll]

I think it has been mentioned ,but to be sure, it is easier cutting with the bar/chain parallel with the bark instead of at right angles.

Nope, a slight angle is better (10-20 degrees).........

 

[bama]

I do it on the 24" oak that is too heavy to lift to the splitter or knotty elm. I take the curls and use them as multch for my strawberry plants and flower pots. Never had a problem. I always cut with zero angle, but since I do plug up(rarely), I will switch to 10-20 degrees. Thanks Sawtroll.

 

[XJWoody]

Nope, a slight angle is better (10-20 degrees).........

I think John meant that it's easier to cut with the log section laying flat (with the bark laying horizontal) rather than cutting 'down' (as if the log was still a tree)

Like this:
(VVVVbarVVVV)
() log ()


Not like this:
(VVVbarVVV)
( )
| |
| |
| |
( )

 

[SawTroll]

I think John meant that it's easier to cut with the log section laying flat (with the bark laying horizontal) rather than cutting 'down' (as if the log was still a tree)

Like this:
(VVVVbarVVVV)
() log ()


Not like this:
(VVVbarVVV)
( )
| |
| |
| |
( )

I always lay them flat, ripping from the end is much more time-consuming, and require different chains.

 

[Rydaddy]

heck yeah

I had a thread late last year where I cut up a 5'diam x 20' red oak log into firewood. Needless to say I had to quarter the rounds before man-handling them into the vertical splitter. Once the round was cut "free" we made sure it didn't fall over. We used long pry bars to nudge the round away from the log and then I took my 372xp and "ripped" it in half. I found they ripped better that way. And was a great help in trying to get those big b%^tards cut up. I was also using regular full-chisel chain. I've considered buying some ripping chain to help speed up the process, but it wasn't that bad with full-chisel. And ditto to the poster who mentioned making sure you keep the noodles clear that fill up inside the bar cover!

 

[Rydaddy]

Opposite

I always lay them flat, ripping from the end is much more time-consuming, and require different chains.

I kept mine on end. For me they seemed to rip a lot easier. But as you will read on this site there are usually 14 ways to do one thing. Right, wrong, and in-between. That's one of the beauties of this site, you can often get real time experience from posters and try different things out and do which one works best for you!

Happy cutting...

 

[rahtreelimbs]

If you feel comfortable do so and if your bar is big enough cut with the spikes several inches from the log, the chips will fall more instaed of clogging the saw!

 

[zemmo]

I kept mine on end. For me they seemed to rip a lot easier. But as you will read on this site there are usually 14 ways to do one thing. Right, wrong, and in-between. That's one of the beauties of this site, you can often get real time experience from posters and try different things out and do which one works best for you!

Happy cutting...

In my wood(s), with my saws and chains, I can definitely cut a log in half faster if I lay it on its side. Also, I like to use the noodles for fire starter. No noodles if the round is on its end, in my experience...

 

[SteveH]

Every year I end up with a couple dozen rounds I cannot split [I do it all by hand] due to odd grain or a passle of knots, etc. I use the chainsaw to quarter these, cutting with the grain like you're talking about. Yes, there are chains you can buy to do this more efficiently [I've been told], but since I only do a little I just use my regular chains. Be careful: I've watched people do this with some unsafe methods of holding the round steady with a foot or leg. Take your time, no need to try to press really hard down on the saw, trying to make it cut thru faster. Like the others said, watch for jamming from the noodles.

 

[BIGBORE577]

I cut a bunch of red elm rounds that were about 18" in diameter into quarters with the grain without any difficulty.

The thing that you'll notice is the curlies that come from cutting with the grain -- literally ribbons of wood that can tend to get clogged around the clutch sprocket when you have the saw burried up to the bucking spikes. You can back the saw out a bit to help with flow, but I don't like doing that, I lose some stability and don't feel as much control by not having the spikes in contact with the wood. Just go a little slower to help keep the flow free.

If you do clog ... TURN THE SAW OFF FIRST ... and pull the clog out from around the sprocket. I grab them at the bottom of the saw, pull out a bunch then rotate the chain a bit by hand to make sure it's moving free. Start it up and the rest should flow right on out.

I've noticed my chain seems to stay sharper cutting with the grain than across it.

God bless,
Chris

EDIT: Or do like Troll says and cut at a slight angle to shorten the "curlies"!!! I tell you, I learn something new every time I'm on here!!

I've done it with some larger Oaks and the chips look like curly fries! I'll have to try the angle thing, it sounds good. Also, I've never noticed any ill effect to the chain.
Jay

 

[Timberhauler]

I think John meant that it's easier to cut with the log section laying flat (with the bark laying horizontal) rather than cutting 'down' (as if the log was still a tree)

Like this:
(VVVVbarVVVV)
() log ()


Not like this:
(VVVbarVVV)
( )
| |
| |
| |
( )

That is what I was gonna suggest...We do alot of cutting like that when we have a big trunk and we can't get a loader to it...That is a good little diagram there Woody

 

[Trigger-Time]

I cut and split wood for my parents they want about 14" length
wood, when the trunk of the tree is up off the ground I split it
first then cross cut and repeat. I use a 16" bar for this, works
very well IMO. Troll was talking about the pallet with stop. I cut
the stump high and when I need to cut the stump with a V in the top
with a small stop. The V keeps the stick of wood from trying to
roll of the stump and the stop from the chain from pulling the
stick off, at you.

 

[tek9tim]

I've heard mention over and over about special rip chain. It actually doesn't work nearly as well for ripping in the fashion spoken of. Think about it though. The cutter is moving in a path parallel to the rings of the tree, just the same way the leading edge of a splitting wedge would be moving. It is able to remove the wood in easily seperable layers. Using full chisel chain keeps the cutting edge in one layer of wood, where as semi chisel type rip chain will not be severing as cleanly on the edge of the kerf due to the rounded cutting corner. I have rip chain, have tried it, and it didn't work nearly as well, with plenty of proof of the ineffeciency of the cutters highly evident in the noodles. Now, when you're cutting at a right angle to the rings of the tree, the rip chain will produce a smoother cut than will the chisel, but it isn't noticably faster or more effecient, in my opinion. (although if you factor in extra planing time and wasted wood, yes, but that's a discussion for the milling forum)