I used my 10 inch wedges yesterday when falling and bucking. I didn't find them to be too big....although I wonder about their durability long term. Now that I have them, I wouldn't be without them.
Wedges are a consumable item. I busted 2 yesterday myself. I'll just order more next time I'm ordering stuff from Madsens. I buy a dozen at a time for the savings.
I make mine out of UHMW plastic and beat the living tar out of them. They hold up until the chain gets em. I have also made some out of Delrin and Teflon, but I like the UHMW ones better.
Hey, just FYI... Dont try to burn that Delrin...Some nasty stuff....But hey at least its self lubricating as it goes into the wood. Can you take some pictures? Im interested in it.
10-4 on the no burning. I'm not a fan of burning any plastic. We sort out most of it in the garbage before it goes to the burn barrel. I'll get a picture for you in a little bit.
Do you get it in round stock or sheets? I get them in round and take a slice and turn it crooked in an engine lathe to get the wedge and then cut it to square with a table saw. If you have scrap, I recommend making them. They are pretty durable. If you turn them in a lathe, I recommend a quicker turning speed for a slightly rough finish. The finish will add a grip that keeps the wedge in the wood better. Or a straight saw cut finish on one side will do the trick also. I've made these things in a few different sizes. I use the bigger ones for felling and smaller ones for bucking. I really do like these better than the Oregon wedge that I got initially. If you need better pictures, I can take a few more. I took these when I first started making them.
Yea, I don't do that type of plastics. We are injection molders, we get delrin in a smaller proportion (than a mouse turd) we melt it, squeeze it, and inject it a mold to make a part. But, I've got some sources that I might look at for it though. Thanks. Good Idea.
Yeah, that makes it a bit harder. If your sources dont pan out, I know there is a plastics company (the name escapes me) that has an online store that you can buy smaller quantities of the stuff. IMHO, Delrin is good but UHMW is more forgiving against a sledge or butt of an axe. Delrin is tough but tends to be more brittle. Also, UHMW is easier to machine and cut with a deburrer.
I make my own normally from hickory and/or hophornbeam/ironwood.Start to finish is 3 to 4 minutes each,including a quick spray of fluorescent orange paint.Used to use a steel splitting wedge as a pattern,but now its a pair of straightedges instead.Last bunch I did in June was from scrap piece of a 7.5 x 7.5 white oak beam.Didn't bother painting them.Normal sizes are 3" or so wide x 7" long,up to 4.5 wide x 12" long,max thickness from 1.25 to around 2 inches. Helps to have a good heavy duty bandsaw,I cant see spending $5+ for them when I can make them for free so quickly.They take all kinds of abuse,when finally split or chewed up from the saw,in the kindling box or weber kettle they go.........:firepit:
I agree. Outside of felling, they're great when bucking wood in a pile or on the ground to keep the kerf open. I use a pair from northern tool, one long and one that's pretty short/small. The short one is good for bucking because it doesn't get in the way too much. I've nicked it a couple times but it's still in good shape
