Need some wedge wisdom

[VW Splitter]

Cutting a back leaner yesterday and needed more lift than what one wedge could lift. When I doubled up with 2 wedges after about 3 hits with a hammer, the double stacked wedges would pop out. Never got it jacked up on the double stack wedge. Sure wouldn’t want to get it jacked up on 2 then have them pop out. Give me some words of wisdom what do you do when 1 wedge isn’t enough. Does anybody make a double tall wedge?

 

[ATH]

A few options here:

Drive them in sideways rather than just on top of each other
Some wedges are made for stacking.
I'll use 4 wedges sometimes...stack 2, then make another stack of 2. This allows for driving them slower (one stack, then the other) so they are less likely to pop out and the other stack is there to hold if one does pop out.
Once you have it wedged up, put another in backwards so the fat side is on the inside of the tree.

will look forward to see what others do

 

[Tetanus]

A few options here:

Drive them in sideways rather than just on top of each other
Some wedges are made for stacking.
I'll use 4 wedges sometimes...stack 2, then make another stack of 2. This allows for driving them slower (one stack, then the other) so they are less likely to pop out and the other stack is there to hold if one does pop out.
Once you have it wedged up, put another in backwards so the fat side is on the inside of the tree.

will look forward to see what others do

Cutting a back leaner yesterday and needed more lift than what one wedge could lift. When I doubled up with 2 wedges after about 3 hits with a hammer, the double stacked wedges would pop out. Never got it jacked up on the double stack wedge. Sure wouldn’t want to get it jacked up on 2 then have them pop out. Give me some words of wisdom what do you do when 1 wedge isn’t enough. Does anybody make a double tall wedge?

Put some man glitter between the wedges and whack them in together, the sawdust will stop wedge from being spat out

 

[Ted Jenkins]

I just do not see this as complicated as it is made out to be. A jack some times seems to be the way to go for some situations and of course a tag line to force a tree where desired. For all others wedges are a very convenient way to go. Good solid Oak limbs or Pine limbs make very good wedges. They can be made in many configurations that can meet any challenge. A few weeks ago I was falling a dead tree that was near a fence. It was leaning exactly over the fence. Then I realized that I did not have any falling tools with me. So I cut a handful of wedges guessing at what angle would be the best. Then I cut a few starting out at about an inch. I put the shallow ones in first and moved the tree some then went to the one inch ones where as the tree started to fall. Thanks

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

Pull with high rope to rigid, balanced high part of tree trace down back and tie off on back above cut and only use wedge as backup and poke it deeper into cut?

 

[rwoods]

Were you trying to drive both wedges at once? If so, that is likely your problem. Drive each separately, a whack or two at a time.

Ron

 

[rwoods]

On the double tall question - you can buy a thick aluminum wedge, but stacking is easier to drive. Also use two rows of wedges if you have room.

This was a challenging red oak. Three double-stack and one triple-stack. A deeper face might have helped with the stacking, but the pounding would have been harder.


Ron

 

[square1]

You know... before there ever were plastic wedges there were nice thick steel wedges. I still have a couple.

 

[Stonewoodiron]

I just do not see this as complicated as it is made out to be. A jack some times seems to be the way to go for some situations and of course a tag line to force a tree where desired. For all others wedges are a very convenient way to go. Good solid Oak limbs or Pine limbs make very good wedges. They can be made in many configurations that can meet any challenge. A few weeks ago I was falling a dead tree that was near a fence. It was leaning exactly over the fence. Then I realized that I did not have any falling tools with me. So I cut a handful of wedges guessing at what angle would be the best. Then I cut a few starting out at about an inch. I put the shallow ones in first and moved the tree some then went to the one inch ones where as the tree started to fall. Thanks

Yes sir! Done the same! Always feels good to field fabricate your tools!!

 

[peteduncan]

Cutting a back leaner yesterday and needed more lift than what one wedge could lift. When I doubled up with 2 wedges after about 3 hits with a hammer, the double stacked wedges would pop out. Never got it jacked up on the double stack wedge. Sure wouldn’t want to get it jacked up on 2 then have them pop out. Give me some words of wisdom what do you do when 1 wedge isn’t enough. Does anybody make a double tall wedge?

I think that stacking two wedges results in a combined angle that is just too steep to stay put. I try to have a few flat spacer (shim) pieces to stack under a wedge, to get more lift when needed. The flat plates that I have are different materials and different thickness, from 1/8" thick to 1/2" thick, and about as wide and long as my wedges. Steel, aluminum, plastic and wood spacers all seem to work, but a wooden piece may compress too much (or even split).

After driving my first wedge in as far as possible, I position a flat spacer plate beside it and start a second wedge sitting on top of the flat plate. The flat spacer gives you more thickness without increasing the wedge angle. When the second wedge is driven in far enough, the cut should have opened enough to re-start the first wedge sitting on a thicker spacer plate (or on two stacked plates). I'm sure that this approach won't work in all situations, but I've done this a couple of times, with good success.

 

[northmanlogging]

Cutting a back leaner yesterday and needed more lift than what one wedge could lift. When I doubled up with 2 wedges after about 3 hits with a hammer, the double stacked wedges would pop out. Never got it jacked up on the double stack wedge. Sure wouldn’t want to get it jacked up on 2 then have them pop out. Give me some words of wisdom what do you do when 1 wedge isn’t enough. Does anybody make a double tall wedge?

couple few options
easiest and quickest is to get some dirt between the wedges, maybe some on the wood too if really wants to pop out.
or you can bore a slot just above or below so there is some wood between the wedges, you have to have room to pull this off though, as you won't be able to bore above an already engaged wedge.
You can try putting a wedge in closer to the hold wood, though you do run the risk of tearing the hold wood and sending the tree sidewards. While I'm thinking of it, the more wedges you stack the more chances of the hold wood failing, so user discretion is advised.
to really stack wedges you have to keep a bunch on hand, and it does work pretty good to get 2 sets going, so at the very least you'll need 3, 4 is better, sink the first one or 2 but leave an inch or so proud start your first stack, the stack the other 2 once they loosen up.
if you find yourself in a pinch and out of wedges you can chop some of the face chunks up and use those to stack on as well.
if you can, always have at least one wedge on standby duty... could be the one that gets you out of a real pickle

You know... before there ever were plastic wedges there were nice thick steel wedges. I still have a couple.

^^ don't ****ing do this^^

unless you like bits of chain stuck in your face

Before plastic wedges there were aluminium/magnesium wedges, before that, we didn't have chainsaws, and steel was safe. Cause the saw only had one cutting side and wasn't ripping around at 13000 rpm

 

[square1]

^^ don't ****ing do this^^

unless you like bits of chain stuck in your face

There is no possibility of a moving chain & steel wedge coming in contact if common sense prevails. I realize that might in short supply.

 

[ZinTrees]

There is no possibility of a moving chain & steel wedge coming in contact if common sense prevails. I realize that might in short supply.

if you have EVER ran a saw you would know, there will most definitely be contact, unless you come from a bottle

 

[square1]

if you have EVER ran a saw you would know, there will most definitely be contact, unless you come from a bottle

BS
Please explain how the steel wedge and the running saw, which are not in the tree at the same time, contact each other? I'll wait.

 

[ZinTrees]

ummm

if you need wedges in it, you arent done cutting (You wouldnt be able to finish the cut since its pinched your saw before your done cutting, hence the wedge keeping the kerf open so you dont pinch the saw)

prove me wrong, ill wait

p.s, rather be a trump supporter than someone who's never ran a saw, or pinched one for that matter

 

[square1]

prove me wrong, ill wait

Try reading comprehension. The OP wasn't asking about keeping the kerf open so as to not pinch the saw:

Cutting a back leaner yesterday and needed more lift than what one wedge could lift

They were done cutting and needed to move the center of gravity past vertical in the direction to be felled.
As I commented, and you proved, common sense is often in short supply.

 

[ZinTrees]

again, back leaner= pinches saw without wedge

 

[NorthernMaverick]

K&H Redhead wedges stack the best of anything I've tried so far. The surface of the material does have something to do with them not flying out, and cheap slippery wedges seem the worst.

 

[northmanlogging]

There is no possibility of a moving chain & steel wedge coming in contact if common sense prevails. I realize that might in short supply.

as stated above, the wedge is meant to keep the kerf open while you finish the cuts, it can then be used to lift the tree over the balance point, but only after the cuts are finished.

if you are stacking wedges, the you will for sure need a wedge in long before you finish cutting enough, the tree will sit back and then you are really hooped.

Should I mention that standard practice is to leave the saw in the cut, until the very last minute, or until the hold wood is sufficiently small enough the any more cutting would be unwise? Personally I cut plastic wedges all the damned time, and occasionally smash them into the saw (a real PITA btw) so if they were steel...

Furthermore, when cutting a hard back leaner, most folks leave more hold wood, so they can get the tree lifted some while they can be sure its not going to pop off the stump, once its stood up you can then nibble at the hold wood and more often then not the compressed wood around the wedges will return some and its enough to tip the tree the rest of the way over.

so if you advocate for using steel wedges, some jack ass is going to try it rip the cutting edges off every link of chain and be in a world of hurt and possibly blind.

Yeah a guy can use a steel wedge when the saw is not in the kerf, but who actually does this? (not any logger that plans on making a living at it) and who in their right mind is going to drag a 7# pound single purpose wedge with them through the woods? (if you say but the truck is only 10' away you can please **** right off).

and no, common sense isn't common, so we should all try and give the correct idea, not the fringe nutter ideas that only work in narrow minded situations.

So I guess there are more then a handful of reasons to leave a saw in the cut, where it could and likely will make contact with any wedge, so not having a steel wedge in the way at all is maybe a good decision?

 

[TheJollyLogger]

BS
Please explain how the steel wedge and the running saw, which are not in the tree at the same time, contact each other? I'll wait.

Because when you are cutting a back leaner you get a wedge in as soon as there is room, to keep the kerf open. I have no problem using a steel splitting wedge for extra lift once the backcut is finished but you will still need a plastic wedge initially. Not to mention they are fu king heavy to cart around all day.