Black Locust I saw 2-3000 bd ft for one customer a year for decking and framing lumber so I end up with a lot of slabwood for the furnace nice find
The weekly score, three car hoards full. Hopefully I can get back there for a couple more this weekend. I just cut off one big round to make sure I could do it. The saw got pinched almost through the big round off the trunk, but I had a couple wedges and was able to hammer them in and free up the round and the saw.
Looking good sir! If the kerf is going to pinch, cut about half way in and slip a wedge in to prevent the pinch. You can buy plastic felling wedges or make your own like i do out of ordinary framing 2 by lumber. The saw can nick them without worry of dulling and if they get lost or damaged no big deal. Ill make several at a time.
Thanks buZZsaw BRAD and good tip. Hey maybe you have some more advice. The big trunk splits into two. I got that bigger round off the section in the air. The one one the ground is a more manageable size, but’s really stuffed there in the ground. Looks like the previous cutter got almost all the way through but didn’t want to hit the ground with their saw. The only thing I can figure is count down by 16”s until I can see some daylight under there, then roll it over to finish off the cuts? Also, when it joins back together it’s going to be a lot more than my 16” bar can handle. Think I can noodle from the end and cut off some 16” chunks? I won’t ask if I need a bigger saw. Prob won’t get there before hitting the road for the holidays. The biggish round split pretty easy by hand.. just had to find a seam with the ole fiskars.
Yup. Cut your 16's and when you can slice all the way thru without hitting the ground do it then roll log and complete the cuts. If its real close try digging under the through cut area with a crow bar or something rigid. Slide a piece of plywood/OSB, board. Ive used bark chunks, limbs etc. This will minimize any dirt that gets hit. Also slow the chain speed down when nearing the end too. Watch end of bar too. Ill watch chip color and watch kerf to see if cut all the way. Sometimes its inevitable that dirt gets hit when doing this and you almost have to make the "supreme sacrifice" of the cutting edge. Save that for the last cut if you can. Bring a file with you/extra chain. Have you field sharpened before? I did it FIVE times with both saws two weeks ago on on this huge sugar maple i was bucking. Too impacted and big too roll and complete cut to roll. Major PITA! Seems i spent more time sharpening that day than cutting! bucked log cut 90% though prior to rolling with peavey. last bucked log before a rootball on a recent cutting. Had to nick some dirt to finish it.
A 16" bar cuts 14" so it can cut a 28" round. Can be a bit tricky but can be done. Believe it or not, up until February of last year i only had used a saw with a 16" bar! Post pics if you need more advice. Be safe and hoard on. Wish i could find more locust!
The staging stack grows... I stack them here because it is at the top of a little hill that is a pain to get the wheel barrow up. I’ll dump these around back and then split and stack. I might need to burn up some inventory to make room for the locust. I think i’m At around a 1/2 cord here? 27x in there for scale.
buZZsaw BRAD , wish you were closer; it be worth splitting some of these btus with you. I’m a rookie with the saw and got some longs here I think. I’m just using the 16” bar for reference. I got my friends ms250 working. The spark plug wire is real short, but I managed to whittle off some plastic and twist the wire around the springy thingy with out the boot. I gave the cutters a light sharpening and was going to run a tank, but I figured out why the saw cut so bad. I don’t think the rakers had ever been taken down, except by me when I borrowed it before. I left the file at home, so my (free) trusty ry3716 did the work.
buZZsaw BRAD there is still a lot left, but that said I will be taking a break at least through the new year. I probably could squeeze off another five rounds with my saw, but I need to split and stack what I have so far, preferably not in the front yard. There are some “spoken for” rounds and branches, and the big main stem, but I have it cut back to off of the parking lot at this point. And, a cabin trip with the boys planned for this weekend. I’ll post some picks of the ancient wood stove that is in the cabin.. the cabin is part of the Appalachian trail cabin association in our region.
I finished hacking up the locust yesterday, but still have some stacking to do. The locust splits pretty darn easy between the fiskars x27, and the isocore for any stubborn pieces. I do want to go back for a bit more soon, but waiting to hear back from my contact.
excellent work sir! How much locust do you have? Did i ask how you like the isocore? The more i work with the stuff the more i like it. Im dying to hit my score again. I stopped yesterday at one area where theres some locust. Not as much as i thought and hard to retrieve. May hit my other score for an hour.
I think I have just north of a cord of locust now. And the isocore is working out well. It is a bit more strain to use, so I save it for the stubborn pieces. I have a couple rounds of knotted up white oak, however that I was able to get a couple pieces off, but they are hanging together even against the isocore. I’ll put them in the fire-pit for next (infrequent) usage.
Wedges are also super easy to make out of branches while out cutting. For keeping your bar from getting pinched a simple tapered cookie off a 2-3" branch is quick, easy, and free. Plus you don't care if you lose them.
