Firewood Measuring Sticks

[Yarz]

Thanks for the ideas! I made a few of these this winter, based on some of the ones pictured in this thread.

• The rod is a fiberglass driveway marker (you can get 2 rods from 1 marker - one with reflectors and one without)
• That is epoxied into a bullet casing. I used 9mm because that's what I had the most of, but I found one 5.56 that actually fit the rod better (after cutting off the inward belled end)
• Then, to be more secure, I drilled and pinned through the casing, epoxied and peened the pin
• A cup magnet with a screw hole through the center is then screwed onto the base
• I made them 24" because that's the largest I need, and I plan to put colored electrical tape at different lengths for when I cut for/with friends

I haven't had a chance to use one yet, though. Hopefully they hold up to the use and abuse.

 

[Philbert]

Looks good! Let us know how they work out for you!

Philbert

 

[Ted Jenkins]

90% of what i cut is 18" so two hand widths make 18''. Right hand or left hand still make 18"' Some times I can be more accurate with my hands than a tape because of curvature or uneven wood. The stick works too just have not found and easy way to carry one away from the saw. Light chalk or drywall works pretty well. I have not figured a reasonable way to handle 14'' and 16''. I hate doing really short stove wood so much that I am considering telling my stove customers to buy a real stove or buy from some body else. Thanks

 

[Little Al]

I knew I should have patented my DIY one I made years back Broken off extending auto aerial pull out to max length you will require trim off at thick end with dremel cut off wheel purchase rare earth magnet & epoxy to the thick end open close to required length

 

[Huskybill]

Looks great, seen it before but never gave it much thought. I would call it speed bucking. Time is money.

 

[Canyon Angler]

Maybe I'm just a prodigy, but I can eyeball the correct length for our woodstove to within +/- 3/8" ... probably 99 logs out of 100 fit just fine with maybe 1% too long ... can't imagine the hassle of screwing around with measuring sticks...if anything I would Magic Marker a line on the bar...

 

[Ted Jenkins]

"Looks great, seen it before but never gave it much thought. I would call it speed bucking. Time is money."

I enjoy going to my project area to cut and load. I spend up to three weeks completely away from civilization, but when I start a saw I need to make something happen. One of the things that consumes time is marking wood to cut. If the log is pretty linear then get the chalk and mark. Then there are logs that have curves and yes I realize that they should all grow straight, but some did not get the memo. So with tape or measuring device in hand they have to be marked some how. No matter how you cut it it will either be too long or short. This all depends on a judgement of how to cut it so the device needs to be stored on ones self and be ready to go at a moment. A strip on fabric with some velcro works and a combination of hands with the measuring seems to meet most needs. Thanks

 

[muddstopper]

My stove will take 32in wood. I like sawing around 20 in. Anything 24in or less will fit on my splitter and in my stove. I burn anything from 6in chunks to 32in limbs. Dont see how a measureing stick will help me much. Eye ball is close enough.

 

[Philbert]

Only a issue for guys who need / what very uniform firewood: selling; fixed size stove; OCD; etc.

Not a problem for burning random lengths, where appearance is secondary, etc.

IF you measure firewood, this is just one method/ option. I find it very convenient.

Philbert

 

[Big_Eddy]

Maybe I'm just a prodigy, but I can eyeball the correct length for our woodstove to within +/- 3/8" ... probably 99 logs out of 100 fit just fine with maybe 1% too long ... can't imagine the hassle of screwing around with measuring sticks...if anything I would Magic Marker a line on the bar...

Magic marker, paint, etc. will be gone within 5 minutes.
I used an engraving pen and scored a vertical line on both sides of my bar 16" from the tip.
I'm not overly fussy about length, but my furnace maximum is 18" so it's nice to spot check every once in a while. I find my block length is pretty consistent, but it tends to drift longer on both small limbs and very large logs.

 

[Philbert]

(BUMP)

I still use my sticks whenever I have a bunch of limbs to cut up.

The Ott stick (started me on this whole thread!) is currently on sale at Bailey's for $29.99

Philbert

 

[Canyon Angler]

Magic marker, paint, etc. will be gone within 5 minutes.

You must be a fast wood cutter or cut some abrasive wood! I cut several cords a year, and the Magic Marker lasts multiple years. Can you cut several cords in 5 minutes?

NB: It helps to wipe off the bar oil before applying the Magic Marker.

 

[Philbert]

Bump!

Philbert

 

[Huskybill]

In the firewood business I eyeball 16” to 18” more like 17”. Unless they special order.

 

[Yarz]

Looks good! Let us know how they work out for you!

I totally forgot to update on how my homemade ones work, my apologies!
Short answer is they work great!
There are a couple cautions though.

1. You've got to be careful if you need to take a limb off that you don't catch the rod and knock it off the bar.
2. I don't usually fully buck with them on anymore because I've had them get pushed up into the chain. The chain tosses them pretty well though! So now I typically just make layout marks and then remove the marker, and finish bucking. It's nice when there are 2 or more of us cutting too. One can layout and strip limbs as they go, while another one or two can just buck behind them.
3. The magnets seem to get weaker with use. I assume from the heat of the muffler. It's a slow change, though. I recently grabbed a newer one and it stuck to the bar with much more force than my older go-to.

I really like having uniform length wood. We typically cut 18" because that's what fits in my brother's burner. Having them all be pretty uniform allows me to fit them onto my trailer nicer, as well as to stack 3 rows on a pallet, allowing the outside rows to overhang. This technically lets me get a higher cord to pallet ratio stacked on the same number of pallets.
You can see that on the right side of this image:

 

[Ted Jenkins]

My hand twice plus one inch has been reliable. I have yet to forget my measurer, but any thing could happen. Two hands plus an inch 18'' or two hands minus an inch 16'' Thanks

 

[Philbert]

Handy!

Philbert

 

[svk]

I have my measuring stick from philbert stuck to the side of my grinder to keep the magnet strong.

I remember a few times when it wiggled up on the bar, caught the chain and WHING into the woods. Good thing it was brightly colored LOL!

 

[Ted Jenkins]

I have cut many thousands of cords of wood, but still do not know how to cut Oak really nice. Oak here is not straight. There are always curves and knots. So I have to average out about what I am aiming for. Cutting Pine which is pretty straight is not so easy either unless the tree is small. Cutting Pine needs a measuring device of some kind so that there are about five or six marks to hit to make the round consistent. Other wise the round will be seventeen on one side with the other approaching twenty inches. Not so good. Thanks

 

[fields_mj]

I made one of these a few years ago using 24" of PVC pipe, a cap, 1-1/2" rare earth magnet, and a flat head screw. I used a green sharpie to mark and label 16", 18", 20", and 22". I leave my firewood in 7' logs until I'm ready to bring it in the house. Use my loader with forks to keep about a cord worth of logs close to the house along with my splitter. When I'm burning, I cut about once a week and bring a week's worth into the basement via an old coal chute. How long I cut my firewood depends on how cold it's going to be. My add on wood furnace will take a 26" log, but 24" is really as long as you want to go with it. If the weather is warmer, I may cut rounds as short as 16". If it's going to be in the low teens to below zero, I'll cut everything to 24". This allows me to burn up into the 40s without giving the house so hot that my wife complains while also keeping my flu temps up to minimize the creosote buildup in warmer weather.