Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Lee192233]

Here's the instruction sheet that came with it. I believe the numbers on the left are the clutch cover part numbers the outer spike fits on and the number on the right is the part number of the inner spike it matches.

 

[LondonNeil]

The Husqvarna axe I been carrying for driving wedges is hard on wedges because of the small poll so I bought a Sthil PA 20 splitting axe from the hardware store that has a bigger poll areaView attachment 994968View attachment 994967Haven't tried it on wedges yet but actually works pretty good for splitting. I do like the handle on the Husqvarna axe much better though.

That stihl axe looks to have a smallish poll too. I'd have thought a nice jersey pattern head would be a great wedge banger

 

[JustPlainJeff]

There's no need to rush to get a garden in, although I am a little late this year.

I never try to be early, it's just more work if there's late cool/cold nights.

SR

We're in the U.P. of Michigan, and we just moved here late last year, so the wife was concerned about having a shorter growing season than we had in IL, so she wanted to get her garden in as soon as possible this year. I don't know if her fears were warranted or not, because gardening is not my thing, and I don't pay attention to how long things take to grow.

 

[JustPlainJeff]

Here's the instruction sheet that came with it. I believe the numbers on the left are the clutch cover part numbers the outer spike fits on and the number on the right is the part number of the inner spike it matches.View attachment 994974

I'm on Stihl's site now, and can't seem to find them yet. I've looked through the "accessory" section, and didn't see them there. Their site is just toooooooooo damned big, and has A LOT of products listed in/on it.

 

[farmer steve]

I didn't even know that Stihl offered better orsecond felling dawgs. I've been wanting a set for my 462 for awhile. When looking on Amazon, I never see any that are specifically mentioned being for the 462's though, and I don't want to ordrer the wrong ones, and then have to send them back. I'll have to go to the Stihl site and see if they offer a set for the 462s now.

I'll try and get you the number for the Stihl outer spike on the 462 Jeff. It's the same size as the inner spike.. Also I think I have the part #s for the nusts and bolts to attach it.

 

[Logger nate]

I'm on Stihl's site now, and can't seem to find them yet. I've looked through the "accessory" section, an didn't see them there. Their site is just toooooooooo damned big, and has A LOT of products listed in/on it.

https://eganperformancesaws.com/products/egan-performance-felling-dawgs-spikes-for-stihl-500

 

[sean donato]

https://eganperformancesaws.com/products/egan-performance-felling-dawgs-spikes-for-stihl-500

Instigator....

 

[JustPlainJeff]

Thank you @Logger nate, @sean donato, and @farmer steve, I appreciate it! I really like Jason Egan's stuff too.

 

[ValleyForge]

It was ANOTHER day I thought I'd be going to the woods, and another day that a little job came up, so I never made it to the woods,

With the garden re-shaped, I leveled it out,

and it's now ready to plant,

Sorry for the "lots of tractor" but no wood... lol

SR

Sexy dirt…..

 

[Lee192233]

'Twas a good night to burn some brush.


Had a visitor.

 

[Kodiak Kid]

I was able to take a little time and mount the outer bumper spike on my MS400.View attachment 994969
Cleaned it up a bit...
View attachment 994970
Put a fresh chain on it, cleaned the bar and reinstalled it. I know, I know the bar is upside down.View attachment 994971
Here's the kit. It comes with the inner and outer spikes. The dealer said it was just a little more than the outer spike alone. I paid $20 for it.
View attachment 994972

Awwww! Aren't those little puppies cute! Let me know when they are wienned! My little girl wants one!

Now brother, This is a team of Dawgs!


Sorry bud! I'm just taking the piss out of ya a bit! I just had to do it!

Cut safe, stay sharp, and be aware!

 

[Kodiak Kid]

I was able to take a little time and mount the outer bumper spike on my MS400.View attachment 994969
Cleaned it up a bit...
View attachment 994970
Put a fresh chain on it, cleaned the bar and reinstalled it. I know, I know the bar is upside down.View attachment 994971
Here's the kit. It comes with the inner and outer spikes. The dealer said it was just a little more than the outer spike alone. I paid $20 for it.
View attachment 994972

I flop my bar every time I take the chain off to be tuned on the grinder. That way the bar rails ware evenly on both sides through out the life of the bar! Half the pictures of my saws probably have the bar on upside down! Pro move my man! Good on ya!

 

[Philbert]

The Husqvarna axe I been carrying for driving wedges is hard on wedges because of the small poll so I bought a Sthil PA 20 splitting axe from the hardware store that has a bigger poll area

I drive splitting wedges with a sledgehammer.

Philbert

 

[JustPlainJeff]

No cutting for me today. I woke up hanging pretty good LOL! Also did some brush hogging to clean the trail around part of our property up a little bit. Then had to start getting ready for my parents to visit tomorrow through Wednesday. They haven't been here since we bought the place last year.

I did take a 3 minute drone video of the trail, and the birch tree that's been waiting for me to buck up and split for quite a few days now. I've got to stop procrastinating and get it done. I zoom in on the tree at around the 1:50 mark in the video. I also added music to the video, but I'm not sure how much I like it. I don't like most of that non-copyrighted music that you can download through YouTube. I'm a rookie drone pilot, so I'm not the smoothest yet. But I'll get there in time. Tell me what you guys think.

 

[Kodiak Kid]

I drive splitting wedges with a sledgehammer.

Philbert

I also use a sledge for driving steel splitting wedges when I'm not using Hydrods. However I may be wrong but I think Nate is referring to his husky axe being hard on plastic felling wedges, because of the narrow poll's small steel foot print. Therefore it sinks into the soft plastic easier than a poll with a wide foot print. Thus over time. It's smashing up and mushrooming felling wedges and waring them out pre maturely. At least I think that's what he's getting at.

 

[Kodiak Kid]

The Husqvarna axe I been carrying for driving wedges is hard on wedges because of the small poll so I bought a Sthil PA 20 splitting axe from the hardware store that has a bigger poll areaView attachment 994968View attachment 994967Haven't tried it on wedges yet but actually works pretty good for splitting. I do like the handle on the Husqvarna axe much better though.

I've always used a Council falling axe they are heavy for there claimed weight and all of them have a nice big flat foot print poll. I like the 4lb with a 28" handle (middle axe) for felling. I use the 3.5 shorty mostly for peeling bark off and chunking up fresh alder for smoking wood. The Mrs. uses it for splitting kindling because she likes to, and it's the only wood she can split! Just kidding. The Five pounder on the right is a great weekend camping with the family or hunting camp axe! For doing everything from chopping down trees and bumping the limbs off for wall tent polls and shelters. To splitting fire wood in camp!
Council's are American made but the steel is soft so the bit is easy to tune with a flat file. The 5 pounder with a 28" is also great for driving wedges when dealing with big leener's! However, if could only pick one for doing it all. It would be the 4 pounder.

Like I said earlier, Council's run a bit heavier (no pun intended) than claimed weight. So for all you guys that want the biggest and the baddest! Council offers a Six pounder with a 36" handle that sits in the wood shed just fine next to an eight pound maul and a six pound maul steps aside for it. It is a brute of an axe and is for men only! Little Sissy La La's need not apply

A six pound Council next to an eight pound maul...
Warning! : You must be eighteen or older and have a serious set of stone's to ride this train! Cut safe, stay sharp, and be aware!

 

[Kodiak Kid]

This evening at 10:40 about an hour before sunset.

 

[LesL]

Well after getting a year's worth of wood delivered in a week , and my 8 hour 50+ barrow-athon to move it out back,
I've been plugging away with the axes virtually 9m³ or a bit shy of 3 cord all CSS. My stack is a couple of rows higher than normal in an effort to fit it all in. Any higher and getting the tarp on top becomes a struggle, plus as it's arb waste and I have so many uglies and shorts the stacks can be less stable than I'd like. I've learnt techniques and could probably build a nice dry stone wall these days, only trouble is things can shift as the splits dry. I hate restacking after a collapse so fingers crossed.
I've also been using the trailer and have shifted 2 face cord to mum's. Another couple of face cord and she'll have almost 2 winters worth. Hopefully I'll find time to run a saw this weekend as my 'ready for splitting' pile is currently gone.... Although I do now have a fairly considerable pile of nasty uglies, which need the mahoosive 8lb Stihl/Oschenkopf cleave hammer. Those that don't yield to that get noodled. So, good progress over the last couple of months and I'm getting there.... Although I nearly forgot the large pile of 'risking a slip disc or hernia to lift' uglies out front still. If someone asks to take them I might just say yes!

I overdid the 8lb maul work on a pile like that and have had a month of sciatica down my leg. I’m using wedges and chainsaw from now on.

 

[LondonNeil]

Ouch! I have to do shortish stints as too much mauling gives me a sort of tennis elbow

 

[Kodiak Kid]

I overdid the 8lb maul work on a pile like that and have had a month of sciatica down my leg. I’m using wedges and chainsaw from now on.

The quarters in the picture of the six pound axe and eight pound maul were split with hydraulics. I only split big rounds by hand if the splitter isn't available. I hate shreding stumps with a saw. Just seems to slow compared to Hydraulics, or even compared with a sledge and steel splitting wedges. I do however split the quarters by hand after breaking them down with Hydrods very often. I and two of my neighbors in my small rural community all went in on a log splitter about nine years ago. I think it was about a $1300 Splitter so it wasn't much more than 400$ per partner. We never bicker over who gets to use it. It's most always available when any particular one of us needs to use it, and if not. It's not long at all until it is available. Definitely the best $433 I ever spent. I feed three different wood stoves on my property and wood is my primary source of heat year round in my house and shop. Then there is the wood fired Banya we light about two to three times a week. So we go through 12 cord a year easily. Up until I wet in partners on this splitter nine years ago. I split wood by hand ever since my old man deamed me to have enough lead in my ass to swing an axe and small sledge. Pretty much since I was ten or twelve. It's a Walmart splitter and on its second engine for a year now. The first was a cheep pice of crap from the start but we Stihl made it last eight years. It's been kept out side all it's life in a harsh wet coastal environment. The only thing I've had to re paint is the toung. I'm pretty impressed with it. Between my neighbors and I. I think we figured between 225 and 250 cords split with this splitter so far and Stihl going strong. I've seen wheelers on this Island that were kept out side rust away in less than eight years in this salty air. I'd recommend this 25 ton MTD splitter to anyone that burns a lot if wood. It's done my neighbors and I well up here in Alaska for nine going on ten years now. Split safe, split sharp, split with Hydraulics! Trust me! Your back will thankyou