If any of you guys are looking to get saws ported, Mastermind and Huskihl are as good as it gets. It’s not just the work they do, but they stand behind their work. There are plenty of clowns out there doing hack jobs and or stealing saws.
Maggie’s The Woodchuck and Firewood Hoarders Thread
- Thread starter bogeybrown
- Start date
I agree and add Tree Monkey to the mix. All top shelf.
Late check in. I’m glad we got past the mud problem 
. Just so you fellas didn’t think I was slacking, I worked another 3 hours this afternoon with Miss Lori’s help to finish up an Oak top. Still walking in the last 300 yards or so to keep from tearing up prime pasture ground (greasy/mud). I have probably 5-7 little piles waiting for load out. Mostly White Oak and Shagbark. Maybe 2 cord on the ground. 2029 will be a good year 
. A little saw porn before walking out. Miss Lori took the pic.
. Just so you fellas didn’t think I was slacking, I worked another 3 hours this afternoon with Miss Lori’s help to finish up an Oak top. Still walking in the last 300 yards or so to keep from tearing up prime pasture ground (greasy/mud). I have probably 5-7 little piles waiting for load out. Mostly White Oak and Shagbark. Maybe 2 cord on the ground. 2029 will be a good year . A little saw porn before walking out. Miss Lori took the pic.I am jealous, we still still have chest deep snow. Looking to still get some good snow machine riding in the mountains behind the house.Late check in. I’m glad we got past the mud problem
View attachment 7831430
Looks like anything outdoors with an engine is a snow machine there.
All day rain rain on Friday drew out the frost. Was able to drive all the way in which is more productive. A few of the piles and a White Oak stem. Bar is 26” if I remember correctly.
Post derecho, tree service guy I worked for came in an took out some good stems to mill. This Shagbark didn’t pass muster as it was bad/hollow down near the base. Wasn’t any too big to mill anyway, so they marked it for me 
. Just noticed it late this afternoon. Started in on the top (Hickory tops are nasty as the branches are very strong/unforgiving). Spent the last tank of gas in the 261 getting started on it.
. Just noticed it late this afternoon. Started in on the top (Hickory tops are nasty as the branches are very strong/unforgiving). Spent the last tank of gas in the 261 getting started on it. Post derecho, tree service guy I worked for came in an took out some good stems to mill. This Shagbark didn’t pass muster as it was bad/hollow down near the base. Wasn’t any too big to mill anyway, so they marked it for me . Just noticed it late this afternoon. Started in on the top (Hickory tops are nasty as the branches are very strong/unforgiving). Spent the last tank of gas in the 261 getting started on it.
. Just noticed it late this afternoon. Started in on the top (Hickory tops are nasty as the branches are very strong/unforgiving). Spent the last tank of gas in the 261 getting started on it.Sir, my names on that one…I will be right over.
That white oak around me is worth $12 a b/f for just 4/4 stuff, gets more expensive the bigger it gets.
Makes such good firewood though. I remember when I was 16 I got into selling firewood, I took all the white oak and set it aside for my parents. We had some HOT fires that year
Plumb jetwing tasmanian sitting pretty on solid original handle.
I learned something today. Always make your back cut, no matter how far or hard the tree leans.
We had a pine that was damaged in the hurricane of 2020 and then further damaged by the ice storm that followed the snow storm of February 2021. Well it died. And I though it prudent to drop the tree before it fell on someone or something.
With a hard lean, I felt a back cut just was not necessary. Further, I though the saw might bind in a back cut. And to complicate things, the tree was about as large as my 16” Stihl could cut. So, I cut away.
The tree broke abut ten feet up, fell on what was left of the crown, and then as it did not fall level, it basically jumped back at me. If I had been stupid and stood by the tree to watch it fall, your’s truly would have a new address, the Louisiana Veteran’s Cemetary in Rayville, Louisiana.
But, again being prudent, I stood back several feet and still the end of the log fell within a couple feet of me. (Jumping back about 4 feet). Lots of fun. First time in my long life, I nearly had an accident dropping a tree.
Looking at the middle of the stand of trees, you can see the large shard that caused the tree to fall crown first.
We had a pine that was damaged in the hurricane of 2020 and then further damaged by the ice storm that followed the snow storm of February 2021. Well it died. And I though it prudent to drop the tree before it fell on someone or something.
With a hard lean, I felt a back cut just was not necessary. Further, I though the saw might bind in a back cut. And to complicate things, the tree was about as large as my 16” Stihl could cut. So, I cut away.
The tree broke abut ten feet up, fell on what was left of the crown, and then as it did not fall level, it basically jumped back at me. If I had been stupid and stood by the tree to watch it fall, your’s truly would have a new address, the Louisiana Veteran’s Cemetary in Rayville, Louisiana.
But, again being prudent, I stood back several feet and still the end of the log fell within a couple feet of me. (Jumping back about 4 feet). Lots of fun. First time in my long life, I nearly had an accident dropping a tree.
Looking at the middle of the stand of trees, you can see the large shard that caused the tree to fall crown first.
My grandfather used to wrap chain around a tree with questionable integrity. As a kid I thought he was nuts, then I saw a 30” oak barber chair and almost kill a guy. (It was a leaner and his notch was shallow. It chaired 5-6” into his back cut)
Needless to say I thought my grandfather was pretty clever after that.
Luckily nobody was hurt!
Nice piece of property...be a pity to get hurt there.
Glad it was just a lesson learned.
We were lucky, prices were not that high to began with and the owner got slighted by the neighbor, so he sold it cheap to a couple that was driving a Ford Escort (even then this was the high “rent” district.) The lot alone has increased more than five times in value over 30 years. Worth more now than what we paid for the lot and what we paid for the home we built on it. Still miss the farm and the woodlot, but not enough to want to go back.
Glad you didn’t get chaired (Barber Chair). Our rural mail carrier got Barber Chaired a few years back. Busted pelvis, leg, ribs, etc...
I’ve chained a few over the years @300zx_tt for safety reasons. Your Grandfather was a smart man.
This afternoons work. Shagbark Hickory is ready for haul out. Weather was comfortable temp wise for cutting, however, 25-40mph wind with intermittent snow/sleet squalls took some of the fun out of it. Oh well. Good BTU’s for several years down the road. Brush pile to the right is the top.
I’ll get a pic in a bit. Typical usage is 2 cord per winter and I’d say that will hold true this year as well.
This is good to know, being pretty much self taught, I have never seen this technique but will use it not forget it
Depends on the type of tree, how much lean, and desired felling direction.
But usually a form of a Dutchman or a veneer cut.
Here’s a back bore released by a trigger.
Cut up and split a 24 inch red oak trunk this morning.
Here’s a pic of a veneer cut, used on black walnut mostly. I used a bigger saw for the cut. 034 super with 20” bar is just for reference in size.
It’s a must for heavy leaners.
Big wedge, bore in, cut up to your holding wood, then bore out to the back leaving enough wood for the trigger. Always cut your trigger from underneath the bore cut.
Another firewood save. This one was a cherry that went down about 10 years ago. Got the tree for free if I removed it. Sacrificed a saw blade if I remember correctly to a nail, lol.
This one is turning into a hall bench to hold up asses for the next 100 years or so.
Burned 3 short courses so far as they butt up to the short and ugly box. A third of the way into the fourth course.
bet there were some beautiful rifle stocks in the tree.
Yes I did, you need to leave some holding wood otherwise you’ll pinch.
I thought that is what was going on.
Thanks for the post, another tool in the arsenal.
A lot of people cut firewood in my area. Quite a few injuries and some deaths from guys felling trees that don’t have the knowledge they should’ve. A wedge and back cut is necessary every time. And stay away from the sloping back cut, keep it horizontal.
Thanks. It’s my least favorite part of firewood processing.
Similar situation here as well. Seems like every fall you hear about guys getting hurt or squished.
When something is falling that weighs up to several tons, it always makes sense to back off a ways . When you see the tree starting to break over and fall, get out of the way, backwards.
Holding up big asses requires heavy duty joinery. The tenons are 1 1/4” tall x 2 7/8” wide x 3/4” thick.
First haul out of the season. Froze the top the last 2 nights, but the main lane (hilly and steep) stayed in the shade all day offering good bite. Didn’t take a pic of the tractor/wagon combo, but I had the tractor weighted up good and it pulled out just fine. What’s not to like about 1 ton pulling 3 
. Unloaded and split it will be a solid cord of mostly White Oak with a smattering of Shagbark limb wood. At least 2 more loads to haul out then back to cutting. Today’s load out...
. Unloaded and split it will be a solid cord of mostly White Oak with a smattering of Shagbark limb wood. At least 2 more loads to haul out then back to cutting. Today’s load out...
Just finished re handling the double bit axe I got from my dad's dad. Been wanting to do it for at least 4 years. The old handle had a shallow wedge slot that cracked, loose wedge, and the shoulders were split out.
Had to make the wedge since the one that came with the handle wouldn't fill the eye. Why would you send a wedge 2.25" wide with a 2.875" wide handle? Made it out of 3"x1/4" walnut that I had around. Could've used purpleheart but if was 3/4" thick and wasn't sure how it would do as a wedge. Used the wedge they sent me to set the angle of the walnut in my bench vise and used a hand plane to cut the angle.
At some point in time before I had it somebody used a checkered face hammer on the top of the axe. Cleaned up some.
Shaped the handle (blank is from House Handle) to fit the eye with my Work Sharp Ken Onion belt sander with an 80 grit belt. The eye has ridges on the inside like I have mentioned previously. 2 on each side not spaced the same. Used my foredom to cut the grooves in the handle.
Need to clean the handle with some sandpaper and then linseed it. All I have is hardware store BLO but could change it up some. Probably start on it sometime next week. Basically advice requested. Going to do my stirrup shaped hoe handle at the same time.
Sorry no in process pics. Long day today. Did it after I changed out the condenser fan motor on our '10 Rav4 which involves removing the radiator.
Had to make the wedge since the one that came with the handle wouldn't fill the eye. Why would you send a wedge 2.25" wide with a 2.875" wide handle? Made it out of 3"x1/4" walnut that I had around. Could've used purpleheart but if was 3/4" thick and wasn't sure how it would do as a wedge. Used the wedge they sent me to set the angle of the walnut in my bench vise and used a hand plane to cut the angle.
At some point in time before I had it somebody used a checkered face hammer on the top of the axe. Cleaned up some.
Shaped the handle (blank is from House Handle) to fit the eye with my Work Sharp Ken Onion belt sander with an 80 grit belt. The eye has ridges on the inside like I have mentioned previously. 2 on each side not spaced the same. Used my foredom to cut the grooves in the handle.
Need to clean the handle with some sandpaper and then linseed it. All I have is hardware store BLO but could change it up some. Probably start on it sometime next week. Basically advice requested. Going to do my stirrup shaped hoe handle at the same time.
Sorry no in process pics. Long day today. Did it after I changed out the condenser fan motor on our '10 Rav4 which involves removing the radiator.
I love it, an organized wood pile.
I hate seeing buildings with shit strewn everywhere.
