Ripping a big oak?

[Ducksnuff870]

I'm no where near a lumberjack but I have a big oak that a guy wants ripped in 2 pieces. They are gonna cut it on a portable mill I think. I have a dolmar 7300 and I own a 36" bar. I know I know not enough saw. Any suggestions,tips, or hints on ripping this log? We have a 20 ton crane to pick it with. View attachment 291061. View attachment 291062

 

[Ducksnuff870]

ive never ripped a log lengthwise. Ive split firewood logs with a chainsaw that were to big to pick up by hand. Jus wondering who all has done this and what their experience with it was

 

[DavdH]

Sharpen up a chain a go after it. Run a board of a chalk line to keep sorta on track. By ripping it if sawn correctly he can get a lot more 1/4 sawn. If you 1/4 it then saw it cutting from the sawn edges in you get 1/4 sawn lumber.

 

[Ducksnuff870]

Thanks. Any chain recommendations? I think all i have is a couple skiptooth semichisel chains and maybe a couple regular semi chisel chains. I'm probably gonna have to find a bigger saw as well.

 

[DavdH]

I use .404 full skip chisel, you can sharpen it special to rip if ya want. File the cutters at 90* to the bar. I wouldn't bother unless I were going to mill a bunch. You just need a sharp chain and a 5 gal can of gas. Did I mention the chain needs to be sharp. Give your saw a chance to cool occasionally, they don't usually run a full tank at full throttle. We rip them down to 60" to go into the mill. We lose about 1/3 of the volume to rip a log.

 

[Ducksnuff870]

Cool and thanks.

 

[RandyMac]

Is it too heavy to move?

 

[DavdH]

No That is not a big one. Maybe to much for a small heli. It is really relative anymore, no more off highway rigs, The yarders and loaders we have out there today can load around 20k lbs. I haven't seen a 1 log load in a few years, used to be not that uncommon.

 

[woodchuck357]

Try this

MY LIFE IN THE PHILIPPINES VOL.14 LUMBER CUT BY CHAIN SAW - YouTube

Or you could use wedges and gluts to split it in half or quarters.

 

[northmanlogging]

ancient sckool method was to use a shaped charge on a special wedge thingy (can't remember the name) and just blow the bastard in half.

or just do a decent job of sharpening yer chain and get after it, plan on being there awhile.

 

[rwoods]

I believe I know how by Dad would do it and it wouldn't involve any chainsaws. He'd say, "Boys, you see that big crack in the end? Go get the sledge hammer, the John Henry and the wedges." Then he would find himself a spot in the shade and say, "Go to it." Ron

 

[Ducksnuff870]

I believe I know how by Dad would do it and it wouldn't involve any chainsaws. He'd say, "Boys, you see that big crack in the end? Go get the sledge hammer, the John Henry and the wedges." Then he would find himself a spot in the shade and say, "Go to it." Ron

Will sledge and wedge do the trick? Seems like i would jus end up getting a bunch of wedges stuck.

 

[woodchuck357]

Steel wedges to start then gluts(wooden wedges, usually cut from large limbs ) to complete. You might be surprised how few will take.

 

[Ducksnuff870]

I see i see. I kinda wanna tackle this project jus to say I did it

 

[rwoods]

Will sledge and wedge do the trick? Seems like i would jus end up getting a bunch of wedges stuck.

I would bet so given enough wedges and stamina, however, I don't know for sure as I have never tackled one that size. But I know red oak will split easily and I know my Dad. He would have put us boys on it. I don't recall seeing him split much but he had dozens of well worn wedges from his logging days (I have no idea what he was splitting as we weren't permitted anywhere near a logging operation - two oldest brothers were until the younger of the two tried to outrun a falling tree - he escaped unharmed but that ended sons in the woods). Later in life my Dad showed my closest brother and I how to start them and alternate your swings so two could work together splitting locust posts. He obliviously knew what he was doing and had done a lot of it at some point in his life. Ron