Wedges: Steel vs plastic

[imagineero]

I always put a rope in the top if I have any questions about the lean. There have been a couple of times that I have bit off more than I could chew or the wind has complicated things but for the most part I have never really had an unmanageable piece set down on my saw. I try to cut manageable pieces that I can deal with when chunking. I will make a make a face cut then make the back cut until the chunk is starting to set down on my saw, remove my saw from the kerf and push the chunk off. I cut at or a little above waist level and keep my lanyard level to my saddle. This allows me to stand up in my spikes, get kind of high on the chunk and gives me lots of leverage to push the chunk off.

I was doing a tree a couple of months back where I was having to drop 4' diameter chunks at about 20' off the ground. I had to drop about a 6' long chunk because I was in a knotty part of the tree and I had to come down about 6' on the chunk to get below the knots, notch it and make my cut. On the knotted end the chunk was around 5' diameter. Around a 6000 pound chunk of Oak. I had to get a rope on the top of the chunk and have 5 guys pull it off of me. It had a pretty good back lean. A couple of wedges would have come in real handy in that situation.

For me, the place i need wedges is when topping. It's too hairy to go above my last sling, so i want the leverage, and a small wedge counts for a lot there. When chunking down big fat trees, I'm not too worried about knots, I just cut straight through them. You'd be running a big saw at those diameters, at least 70c and 3'+ bar? I use an 044 for in tree chunking of big trunks, I have a 24" and a 36" bar and that gets me through everything I've ever come up against. I really love my 044, it's just a nice saw to run. Not a high revving saw, but very grunty. I would imaging you'd be running at least a 360 for something like what you are describing.

When chunking down big trunks, I wedge each trunk. The bigger the trunk, the bigger the wedge. when it gets to 4', I'm taking at least a foot in the wedge, probably more. It doesn't take long, and it means I can through cut and still have the chunk sitting on top of the trunk. Then I rock it, twist it, and rotate it to where I want it to drop. It's very controlled.

Shaun

 

[flushcut]

I'd rather have em and not need em then need em and not have em.

 

[voxac30dude]

Wedges? Steel? Plastic? I say leave them wedges on the truck and put a rope in it before you post a video on youtube and people start calling you an idiot.

:agree2: you wouldn't climb a tree without your lanyard right? 2 tie in points when working aloft with a chainsaw, so why not a rope in the tree for added security????

 

[M.D. Vaden]

Here's a question for you folks ...

For those who have either metal or plastic wedges, how many of you have saw chain cut marks on the narrow end?

Just retired mine, but both had cuts on the plastic.

opcorn:

 

[Philbert]

how many of you have saw chain cut marks on the narrow end?

I have loaned some to others while cutting and gotten them back nicked, chewed, gouged, etc. I am sure that I have come very close if I have not cut one myself. But with plastic, I really don't worry about it much. A few moments on the disc/belt sander makes them usable again.

Philbert

 

[Blakesmaster]

Here's a question for you folks ...

For those who have either metal or plastic wedges, how many of you have saw chain cut marks on the narrow end?

Just retired mine, but both had cuts on the plastic.

opcorn:

I get mine fairly regularly and only use plastic. I can see using metal in certain situations but I've never "needed" one. Easy enough to stack two plastics together IMO. Generally, when I pull out the wedges it's do or die time and I don't have a #### to give about nicking the tip of a 3 dollar hunk of plastic. If that summ##### needs to be driven in more and gets a little to close to my saw, so be it.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I get mine fairly regularly and only use plastic. I can see using metal in certain situations but I've never "needed" one. Easy enough to stack two plastics together IMO. Generally, when I pull out the wedges it's do or die time and I don't have a #### to give about nicking the tip of a 3 dollar hunk of plastic. If that summ##### needs to be driven in more and gets a little to close to my saw, so be it.

What he said, the wedge is sacrificial, buy them in bulk. I spend 10 bucks on lunch and don't complain that I'll bee turning it into Milorganite in a few hours.

 

[flushcut]

What he said, the wedge is sacrificial, buy them in bulk. I spend 10 bucks on lunch and don't complain that I'll bee turning it into Milorganite in a few hours.

Milorganite = Milwaukee Organic Nitrogen finding new uses for poo!

 

[gwiley]

I hit mine regularly but I don't even bat an eye. A few orange shavings on the ground, don't even look at the wedge, just keep rolling.

Plastic felling wedges are one of the tools that I use to keep my felling and bucking time reasonable - I consider them consumables.

 

[Joe46]

Here's a question for you folks ...

For those who have either metal or plastic wedges, how many of you have saw chain cut marks on the narrow end?

Just retired mine, but both had cuts on the plastic.

opcorn:

Almost all of mine did. No big deal. They're cheap. Never carried a steel wedge into the woods. I have a couple for splittin firewood however.

 

[7Distel]

...
Got a photo of that? I would like to see what it looks like.

Philbert

http://www.clark-engineering.com/forestry-equipment-shop/detail/332/194/high-lift-wedge

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I still have a small chunk stuck in my leg. Almost 20 years now. Doctor said its nothing to worry about, and no need to cut me open for something that isnt giving me problems. People love it though, I can take a magnet and stick it to my leg.

I bet airports are fun

 

[Dayto]

Out here on the Coast of B.C before they used plastic wedges , they used Steel falling Wedges up to 3FT long custom made by the camp Blacksmith's , These wedges could lift 15FT Through Cedars /Firs like nothing .. A few years back i watched a Veteran Westcoast faller taking down some 1'st growth fir's Biggest was about 10FT through , He pulled out the old Steel wedge and started driving them with a Sledge , I never seen a tree lift so fast!!.

They also carried shorter wedges into the fell and bucked , as a buckin wedge (Anywhere from 12-15" in length , I have a small collection of them)

All I run is plastic Double tapers for the most part , 10"-12" . But Have a old 12" Steely in my box just incase.

 

[Philbert]

Edges on Wedges

I had a plastic wedge that did its job a week or so ago and got chewed up a bit. This one was all 'my fault', as opposed to the ones I referenced in an earlier post.

Cut the end square, and a few seconds on the belt sander brought it back to shape. However, the sanded surface was fairly rough and had a 'porous' feel to it. Because I was in my shop I tried hitting it with a sharp block plane. Smoothed the edge up as flat and smooth as the factory one.

I am sure that this smoother edge would make little difference in use, but suggests that if you have some damaged wedges and don't have access to a belt or disc sander, you could probably clean them up in a few minutes with a sharp block plane.


Philbert

 

[LawnMoore]

They both have there place, i have used both, i have even had to hammer a plastic wedge with my Echo 330 10lbs hammer!

I dont remember if it was windy or what but i needed the wedge and like some said, i have a 4" in my hipit along with a 120' 8oz throw and my cell and smokes.

I havent yet used a hydraulic jack but i have been eager to test it. I seen this used in axe men or one of the shows when the tree was leant towards a road and needed threw in reverse direction.

Interesting i think.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

http://www.chicalo.com/shake_lasqueti/index.htm

I was searching for something else and stumbled onto this site about harvesting cedar for shake blocks. I've seen making shakes from blocks, but not the bucking and blocking.

I imagine they fly the timber out and it is all automated now...

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I am in homework avoidance mode; here is a Flicker series with a steam driven shingle saw.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gallianp/244220643/in/photostream/