Need Clarification On "Noodling" & Splitting Da Tuff Stuff!

[benp]

My experiences with noodling......and I noodle a lot. My main splitting mechanisms are A fiskars and noodling.

Get said round to be noodled up off of the ground. I always get them up on something.

Be mindful of your saws discharge and noodle accumulation at your feet. Stop and clear as needed.

If your saw gets clogged with noodles it will bind everything up in the same way chainsaw chaps work.

For big rounds that are longer than bar or dead even, I will go in at a slight angle for a bit before laying in straight horizontal. Also in the cut, I will raise the bar up a bit to get everything cleaned out then drop back in.

Rounds that are shorter than the bar, I just drop right in.

My Dolmar's disharge to noodles better than the 394 and I just figure that as inboard vs outboard clutch.

 

[Dalmatian90]

Saw position for noodling v. ripping:

http://ohjustducky.blogspot.com/2011/10/noodling.html

 

[mga]

[QUOTE="CTYank, post: 5023481, member: 53405"}

(Killing government officials? Really?)[/QUOTE]

click on the kurt hofmann name and you'll see what that's all about before making a judgment. i'm a firm believer in the 2nd amendment.

 

[CTYank]

[QUOTE="CTYank, post: 5023481, member: 53405"}

(Killing government officials? Really?)

click on the kurt hofmann name and you'll see what that's all about before making a judgment. i'm a firm believer in the 2nd amendment.[/QUOTE]

Can I pass on the paranoia? The notion of a snap judgement (judge & jury thing) on killing someone thus, is "mental" IMHO. Some should count to a large number often, learn to relax and maybe let go of some of their self-importance. In my judgement.

"Power flows from the barrel of a gun." Mao Tse-Tung in his little red book.

 

[woodchuck357]

Cutting into the side of a round with the lower tip of the bar works fine, no clogging and works no matter how long the round is in relation to the bar. And you can stand comfortably while cutting.

 

[VW Splitter]

I modified a spare clutch cover for my ported 372xp and may have made the perfict noodeling machine. It never clogs up. If you get the angle right, the noodles will pile up 8' behind you instead of at your feet.

 

[ttyR2]

The noodles also make *excellent* fire starter.

 

[rarefish383]

Beat me by 25 minutes. Yes, the noodles make great fire starter. You can put them in a paper lunch bag, or long skinny paper pop corn bag. Place under logs, rip top of bag open, light paper bag, and instant fire, Joe.

 

[Natster]

If you aren't making noodles, you are noodling wrong. Unless, cutting through knots.
N

 

[Mustang71]

I ask the same question a few months ago. My rounds were much bigger. I noodled some a bit. The sledge hammer and 2 wedges made great work of the rounds. Your size logs would split easy if they are straight grained. The top cut would help split them but noodling was way faster if I had to. It depends on the height and width. Top cut is slower but if its straight grained the log will pop easily with a wedge. Noodeling is easier cutting but makes a mess. But works good with a wedge on much larger diameter rounds.

 

[alleyyooper]

For get the noddleing ripping argument and get some good steel wedges and use them and a sledge.

Wedges are not all made alike. Some are longer and slimer good for starting the wedge and split, some are fatter and shorter start and blunt GAWD AWFUL to try to start a split but once cracked .

Rather than use the chain saw to work up a crotch that a wedge won't work on just cut it into cookies they still burn good.

Al

 

[LAH]

Some rounds must be split to get them in the truck & because of a bad shoulder I noodle anything that remotely looks hard to split.

 

[SWI Don]

As far as clogging when noodling. My experience is that saws with inboard clutches seem to have more room for the noodles to clear. You still have to be cognizant of your saw to be sure you don't clog it up.

Noodling is a good way to make a huge round into manageable pieces.

 

[muddstopper]

I might noodle a round if its in the woods and I have to load it on my truck. I can say honestly, if that large round is close to my splitter, I use my splitter mounted crane and lift the round on the splitter and push it thru my 24in tall wedge and let one half fall on the ground while I work the other half into little splits. I have split 40in whiteoak rounds on the splitter, it doesn't take hardly any time at all and not much effort. Without the crane, I might would have to noodle, but as long as the little winch on the crane will lift the round, I wont be making a pile of wood chips to make firewood.

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

Looks like we have fixed the issue of noodling vs ripping.

I'm torn between using steel wedges and a sledge to crack big rounds and noodling. On one hand, the wedges save wood, don't produce a bunch of noodles I have to figure out what to do with, and don't use gas/oil, but on the other hand, it's way more fun making noodles.

I do both...just depends on how I'm feeling that day.

I just dropped off some 32" red oak rounds in the back yard. I'll try to crack them with the maul...but most likely I'll be noodling or wedging them open. Either way, it'll be fun!

 

[Harley1550]

I learned back a few blue moons ago that when confronting stubborn hard to split rounds, it's better to grab the chainsaw and either cut completely through or part way to establish a split line to make the splitting easier.

Then I hear this term "noodling" and became confused because I was told to cut "across the face", when in actuality I was seeing them cut down the side to the half way point or center of the round.

To me the term "face" is the ends or exposed cut part with the rings showing. That there's only 2 sides of a round of wood, the cut ends and the bark side. Am I correct, that the "face" is as I described?

Then when I noodle, the round is standing up-right with the "face" up and I cut partial the way through so that when I grab the maul and split, the line is established and the hard part is already done.

And from what I've seen others tell me or show me, they cut it when the round is laying on it's side, bark touching the ground and cut to the center. I've seen this way and it does work good. I cut from the top while I've seen others do it from the side.

So, is noodling really defined as cutting from the bark side rather than the end side? And which one is better for you?

I also bring this up because a 14" diameter round that is 20" long is quicker to cut from the end side(14") rather than the entire length.(20")

I love splitting wood when I have the energy left and time. Nothing like it to "relax". LOL! Would love to hear y'all's thoughts on what you do and to clarify what I asked.

Thanks!

StihlRockin'