I would like to know if 8" felling wedge is a good size to buy? Do you also use them for bucking as well? Any good websites , do you use them on all trees or just big trees...thanks FHC
I have a range of sizes, no clue on what actual size they are. I just use the one that is long enough I won't hit it. I use them generally on trees over 16 to 18 inches that appear to be relatively straight up and I want a little push to get them moving. Good luck
So you have learned one of woodcuttings foremost mantras. Do not go woodcutting without at least one wedge! And yes i learned this the hard way, at least 3 times.
Buy a couple different sizes. I have 3 different sized ones and each has their place. It really depends in the size of the tree. I use the small and medium ones the most, anywhere from wedging a back cut to give the tree a lottle extra persuasion, to driving em in while bucking to keep the saw from getting pinched. I will cut 3-4, sometimes 8-10 cuts while bucking right down to the pinch point and then on the next one drive a wedge in to be able to cut all the way through. Roll the log and then finish the cuts. Its a little quicker and it keeps the saw out of the dirt more than trying to cut up from the bottom to prevent the pinching.
The longer the wedge the easier and slower the lift on a back leaning tree. Longer ones are easier to cross stack for greater lift. Other than those 2 reasons I see no benefit to longer wedges.
I have 2 sizes, two 8" ones and two 5" wedges. I don't always use them unless I need to persuade a tree to fall in a certain direction but like Sconnie Burner said the size you need really depends on the size of the tree. With a larger, heavier tree it will be easier to drive in a larger wedge because the angle of it is sharper. But with smaller trees you need room to get your bar in without cutting your wedge to pieces, so you use a smaller wedge. I wouldn’t mind having 3 times as many as I have now but they aren’t really that necessary, just nice to have. They are also pretty handy when bucking up larger logs when you aren’t 100% sure where the tension/compression is as you cut through the log. I probably only use wedge 10% of the time when either felling or bucking, but they’re really nice to have when you need it. I’ve also cut wedges out of the face cut before, self-made wooden wedges work just about as good as the plastic ones.
TreeStuff - Felling Wedge Great price, but you probably need to buy at least a handful to make sense with the shipping. Or better yet, find enough other cool stuff on the website to get your total up to $99 for free shipping.
3 times sounds about right. I won't go out without 3 wedges. I find the 8 inch are long enough for most uses but have found times when I got away with 6 inch wedges.
. That poplar took some encouragement to get over. That's how the wedges were when it finally went over.
(A 16" birch is "Big" for here.) I carry a a 5-1/2 inch x 1" flo-orange (findable when on the ground ) one in my shirt pocket. Using it a lot in the straighter stand trees I'm in now & try to drop them toward a cleared opening . I cut a 2" limb about 2' long for my hammer. Now that I've been using it, like said above, I'm liking having it along. Gonna buy a couple more to have on the atv when I cut They are handy, can get you out of a "bind"
I'll second tree stuff. I have bought from them on several occasions. Once was a pair of chaps. They arrived missing straps and buckles on one side. They promptly sent me a replacement pair and said keep the others. I use my wedges for both felling and bucking. Saves pinching a bar.
I was thinking about this today; the fact I don't have any wedges and how do you use them? Do you make the back cut; drive the wedge and then insert the saw back into the cut behind the wedge?
Bore cuts are easy peasy. Just make sure you start the bore with the bottom of your bar to avoid kickback and gradually insert the bar through the tree a little away from the final hinge. Then use the top of the bar to finish the perfect shape on that hinge before you move the bar toward the back of the tree. When the back holding wood is about equal thickness to the hinge, set your wedges and cut the back loose. You will need to make that final cut a half inch or so above the bore cut to avoid destroying the wedges but that doesn't matter at all in terms of what it will take to tip over the tree. It is scary to insert the bar through the tree but it sure beats chasing the back cut to form a proper hinge instead of a "maybe that's close enough" back cut.
