Stacking wedges

[TheTreeSpyder]

The Saw is the Hinge Force's Transmission

Slow and careful with the saw is thepower gear in the gearbox in a well made hinge. This gearbox takes the power of the lean + line + wedge that is forced/delivered on the hinge; and puts it in granny -slow power; or in high speed/weak power of a fast closing hinge. Just like a transmission on a car, sprockets on a bike. The input force is finite. The saw does this by setting the time frame.

If you are looking for a powerful hinge of control and softer landing; you can load the hinge all ya want with wedge etc. work yourself to death, and cut faster than another that didn't pound as hard; but cut slower! They are using the forces more powerfully. 2 people seeming to do the exact same thing, even the harder worker can't achieve the softer landing loading the hinge more, without the proper gearing in the final touch before output!

But slow also, loads the hinge less, by not invoking the speed multiplier as much. So the support is more and the load less.

Direction is very important, don’t push towards the lean. With good hinge leveraging in healthy wood (tapered hinge favored), unimpeded face push and pull forward let the leverage of the hinge fight the imbalance, this will be powered by the lean; that means it will be self adjusting and take away some of the fall force. If hinge thin, bad wood etc. push/pull directly working on imbalance and brining forward, but not straight forward, some of your pull addresses countering the lean. If the hinge force multiplier is sound, I try to use it, and not pull or push in respect to the lean, but the target.

Another plus to that tapered hinge is to get the same pattern you can come kind across or into with the direction of the saw, affecting the pulling direction of release as a force. Once again, with confidently leveraging good hinge, I think it is more powerful to end right in seconds before hinging coming across and not to target. That once again I am throwing/rebounding(off a wall) off the hinge angle, using it’s leverage, trusting that I am loading in that direction, and in a second that high leverage force is gonna break through inertia, and take my side sweep and more powerfully throw forward. Direction is elemental to movement, there can not be movement without a direction; in fact I can’t conceive of force without direction!

Whenever I can either pull/push with my force or leverage it then let that machine push/ pull against something 1000x my size; I get lazy real quick!

Plus anyone can get fast drop, increasing the dynamic range and understanding like a race car comes from tuning the fine end I think; Then maybe have something when ya need it, no when to allow slop in the machine, and when to scream stop!

Fine hairs of getting a balance to tip ever so softly and gracefully, can’t always do it, but can polish it often, increase control; take lessons into the tree, where wedges fall out; another reason climber’s like line more I guess!!

Without hinge leveraging pushing forward can be inefficient; with hinge leveraging pushing forward is more efficient i think; against SideLean.

 

[treeman82]

A client / friend gave me these 2 guys a couple years ago. I don't use them for most things. However when dealing with larger wood, the big black one REALLY helps to bust things apart.

 

[a_lopa]

erik is right so much can be acheived with wedging.plastic wedges a waste of time maybe to chok the chipper

 

[NeTree]

Steel is for splitting, or if you run out of plastic wedges.

The plastic wedges have several advantages:

1) They won't wreck your chain if you happen to nick them.

2) They have a narrower taper.

3) Since they have less mass, more of the impact force from the sledge goes into actually driving it, as opposed to being absorbed.

 

[wiley_p]

Steel falling wedges have their place, they are almost a must for big stems, Probably Redwood fallers still use them. I use Maggies in the winter in froszen wood and on bigger Firs here in town, but again they will thrash your chain, Actually havnt had a real Magneseium wedge in a while the people that make them make like six a week or something, but the saw shops have the aluminum ones that are similar, and you can drive plastic wedges on smaller stuff.

 

[John Ellison]

Maggies

As Burnam mentioned mag wedges are good for serious wedging. Same taper as the plastic ones and they wont hurt your chain too bad. You can still drive them when the plastic has come to a stop.

John

 

[treeman82]

The bulk of the times that I have used the big black wedge have been when working on a big stump cut that the saw won't go through. I put that in the cut and it finishes it off quite nicely. Couple times I have used it for helping big timber to go over. Not that often though. That is never in the wood if the saw is cutting.

 

[a_lopa]

Originally posted by netree
Steel is for splitting, or if you run out of plastic wedges.

The plastic wedges have several advantages:

1) They won't wreck your chain if you happen to nick them.

2) They have a narrower taper.

3) Since they have less mass, more of the impact force from the sledge goes into actually driving it, as opposed to being absorbed.

i never use plastics,stihl alloy wedges plastics can spit out to easy

 

[Husky372]

not if you do it right plus plastic wont ruin chains. rather pick up spit out wedge than buy a new chain.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Plastic rules.

 

[a_lopa]

i wouldnt use a plastic wedge to chok the chipper,alloy ones to little chain damage and give more lift.i cant beleive you guys are serious, plastic wedges suck period

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

Narrower taper, is more power in the ramp length divided by rise (input to output ratio of all leveraging) to give power , then minus the friction that had to be overcome sliding in to work. For the same length, a lower rise is a more dramatic-powerful ratio.

So unless the standard fat steels i've seen are so much more slippery than the plastics to make up the differance, the smaller plastics would be better i think for power as well as not dulling saw, and throwing bright streamer when you are that far. Strategically to let you know you hit the wedge, but also judge depth into cut.

Making, Burnham's introduction of the slippery magnesium and same ramp/same rise ratio as the more leveraging plastic, then less friction to overcome to yield work performed a very powerful suggestion IMLHO. But whatever power you put in, ya got to re-lease it right; that point of first bending sets the max strength for all the force that has been leveraged into it on the forward axis. From here you can make it go slow or fast, strong or weak, from how fast you allow the fall. The extra loading beyond the tree's own lean (that system wil try to match, we just need to allow it to) of wedge and line fortward are to fake out nature to match to a higher strength in hinge, then once motion starts, remove the fake out. So hinge is prepped for a heavier load than it carries

Once ya force the strength, unload the hinge, don't make it carry the extra load, don't pull it faster(unless stall) give it time to self work and cutter to clear i think. Unless you force so much strength; you must muscle down all the way. Or if on the occasion ya need the speed to power through obstachles or ride a dutch step up.




i think that the trees that need the most extra force are the balanced and shallow leaners (setting rear leaners aside). But not just to pull them forward. i think at first folding, where the strength of the hinge is set, a shallow leaner has very little natural force, setting the strength of the hinge. As a tree falls, the leveraged load on the hinge rises fast,the hinge has to have the free travel, strength and flexability to carry that ever increasing leveraged load. A shallow leaner foces the weakest hinge, it's loading per degree of movement as it starts to fall is at the highest range, working as seperate events burning opposite ends of the candle. And has the most distance to travel on the weakened hinge. So i think the forcing with line and wedge should be done with direction and hinge strength in mind.

If leverage power in the hinge, push/pull forward, addressing C.o.B. indirectly, running through leveraged multiplier. If weak, thin hinge push pulls more on the addressing the C.o.B. steering directly i think. This carries the weight/load of steering, doesn't force the strength of the hinge in doing so, nor does it depend on the leveraging of the suspect hinge.

Or something like that
:alien: