Homemade felling wedge idea?

[Rookie1]

Cedarman,my name is also Ross. Here is a thread from a while ago. I was amazed at NDtreehuggers wedges. Enjoy.http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=74686

 

[stihl sawing]

those steel ones are fine untill you hit one with the saw. Plus they won't stack with the mushroomed head to well.

 

[cedarman]

those steel ones are fine untill you hit one with the saw. Plus they won't stack with the mushroomed head to well.

EXACTLY! knowing my luck id hit the steel wedge with my chain, tear my chain up, cause a spark and set the woods on fire:greenchainsaw:

 

[Job Corps Tree]

Home made Felling Wedge Idea

Try Dogwood , cut when green and let Dry, after some time you could split logs with them

 

[slowp]

If you venture to our region, Madsen's usually has a big box of plastic wedges for half price in the middle of an aisle by the stove and coffee area. I think the wedges are seconds. There might be extra plastic where it didn't break off during manufacturing or something else. That's where I get mine. I just use them for bucking. Very rarely do I find pink colored ones in the box.

 

[Gologit]

Why use plastic or wood? I use steel. Lasts longer than either.

(but they don't seem to work very well for some reason.)

LOL...Those are good for night falling. When you hit one with your chain the sparks light up the work area. If you're in dry pitchy wood it might even start a little fire and then you can have some light to change your chain by. When you get the new chain on you can put bandaids on all the cuts from flying chain teeth shrapnel...but change the chain first, that's the important part. Bleeding is free and shouldn't get in the way of getting the wood on the ground.

 

[nhlogga]

Don't hit them?

My wedge of choice is made by either clark or john deere.:greenchainsaw: But seriously, if I make a wedge it is out of oak.

 

[nanuk]

How do you guys make them so they don't bust up, The last ones i made out of oak and i busted all of them up hitting with a small hand sledge. They would take about five hits and that was it. They were fine for bucking where i just had to tap them in the log to keep the kerf from pinching the saw, But for felling where i would hit them pretty hard they would bust.

What I've learned on an ABO site.....

never hit a wooden wedge with a steel maul.

make yourself a wooden mallet from a smaller tree, using the root/stump for the head... Your wedges will last a long time.

I've even heard of guys tempering them.

 

[tawilson]

It's pretty easy to cut them with a chainsaw out of a stump. I've got lot's of stumps.

 

[cedarman]

thanks for all the replys!

 

[Mike Van]

One of those steel wedges uncle M's got pictured looks like a maul head. For anyone reading that doesn't know, don't be driving that with a hammer. The faces being the same hardness, I saw a chunk come out of one once that would have got someone as good as a bullet. Most steel wedges have too much angle, and will tend to bounce back out of a cut. Beech would be a good wood too for making your own.

 

[nanuk]

Great Advice.

One of those steel wedges uncle M's got pictured looks like a maul head. For anyone reading that doesn't know, don't be driving that with a hammer. The faces being the same hardness, I saw a chunk come out of one once that would have got someone as good as a bullet.

Safety First.

Protective eyewear is a must when hitting steel with steel

 

[unclemoustache]

One of those steel wedges uncle M's got pictured looks like a maul head. For anyone reading that doesn't know, don't be driving that with a hammer. The faces being the same hardness, I saw a chunk come out of one once that would have got someone as good as a bullet. Most steel wedges have too much angle, and will tend to bounce back out of a cut. Beech would be a good wood too for making your own.

Well, perhaps I'd better explain myself. I posted those as a joke - It would be foolish to use splitting wedges as felling wedges for the reasons you mentioned (and more).

Don't ever take me seriously. I'm never serious. Really, I'm not. Seriously.


Here's a photo of a good wedgie to use:

 

[stihl sawing]

I might use wooden ones for bucking, Just to hold the kerf open but for felling i'll just keep ordering the plastic ones. Don't need one to bust when it needs to work. The only reason they may be handy for bucking is you can leave them there and not worry about losing them. Usually when i'm bucking they tend to get covered by the rounds being rolled around and saw chips. Have left a couple in the woods before.

 

[Gologit]

Well, perhaps I'd better explain myself. I posted those as a joke - It would be foolish to use splitting wedges as felling wedges for the reasons you mentioned (and more).

Don't ever take me seriously. I'm never serious. Really, I'm not. Seriously.

LOL...Most of us knew you were joking. Well, some of us, anyway. I hope they knew I was joking about the sparks and night falling and all that.

 

[Gologit]

I might use wooden ones for bucking, Just to hold the kerf open but for felling i'll just keep ordering the plastic ones. Don't need one to bust when it needs to work. The only reason they may be handy for bucking is you can leave them there and not worry about losing them. Usually when i'm bucking they tend to get covered by the rounds being rolled around and saw chips. Have left a couple in the woods before.

You know you're in trouble when you've used all your wedges, things still aren't going right, and you have to whittle some wedges really really really fast with your axe. Looks like one of those Ginsu Knife commercials.

 

[stihl sawing]

You know you're in trouble when you've used all your wedges, things still aren't going right, and you have to whittle some wedges really really really fast with your axe. Looks like one of those Ginsu Knife commercials.

LOL, Ain't that the truth.

 

[gwiley]

You know you're in trouble when you've used all your wedges, things still aren't going right, and you have to whittle some wedges really really really fast with your axe. Looks like one of those Ginsu Knife commercials.

yesterday I was taking down a 24" DBH red oak that was 6' from the house with a little backlean toward the house. Got my 3 wedges in and realized that I needed another one - NOW. Reach into the pouch and nada...quick sprint to the gear bag 20' away and alls well.

That was a seriously scary experience - the guy on the pull rope 100' away says "Gee, your face looked kinda red, what was up?" It was his house so I didn't want to tell him that I was thinking about how close we were to an insurance event

Lesson - one the larger trees where proerty is at risk keep extra wedges in every pocket you have.

 

[Trapper_Pete]

I was thinking about this thread yesterday , and while I normally have a few of the poly wedges in my tool bag and use them I thought I would try cutting a few from some ash limb

then for the test , split a large log I had laying around my wood processing area

I had also just cleaned out the back of my truck and found my little backup to my backup saw that lives in the back of the truck a little Poulan 210 that I was given for free because it didn't run, I cleaned it up and it runs decent now , so I gassed that up and cut some wedges from an ash limb that had fallen in my yard and went over and cut some notches in the large log to place the wedges , then beat them in splitting the log I cut another notch and split it the other way , I was beating on the wedges and was surprised they were not coming apart

give it a try when you taking down a tree make the shallowest angle cut you can on a limb then cut it perpendicular then another shallow angle cut then perpendicular and you have some wedges , at least for bucking if not for felling and if you loose them no big deal.

 

[unclemoustache]

I made some felling wedges out of an oak 2x4. They do break into pieces, so I have a few 2x2 size now. I decided it wasn't worth it and bought a few more plastic ones. Maybe making them out of free wood rather than an expensive 2x4 might be a better idea since they are so brittle.