How do y'all deal with a "Y" or a "Crotch" in the wood you're bucking into rounds??? Not a branch; but a definite split into 2 separate trunks. Where do you cut it, how do you cut it, and why do you cut it that way??? Looking for a better way of dealing with these...............if possible. Thanks.
maple tree are famous for this... usually cut y at 16 (top and bottom y) .. and if splitter can't split it holds the brush pile down or gets thrown on top of stack uglies to hold top cover.. only lose 1 round and they split hard.. never stack well!
I've got a lot of questions that I'd like some bucking answers to also! I have cut one side of the wye off as I would if I were limbing the trunk. I have also cut one side of the wye off so it would be square at each end of the piece. Not too often did I ever cut the wye off in a stove sized piece that still included both sides of the trunk. Usually split those anyway.
Some I cut out the "Y" Some I cut to length & split (17") #1 : I decide that by how I think it will split & make a decent full length splits. Shape & size matter too. Hard to explain, After you've split a bunch, you get an idea of what the splits will look like. Also where the cut in the "Y" will be; if it makes 17" & is in the connected part of the "Y", I do that. But if the cut will be into the unconnected part of the "Y", I cut both off, just past the connected part & make the connected "Y" pice a shorty that usually ends up in the "Uglies" stack .
I usually cut the y piece really short and then carve it up with the saw later, or try to split some sections off of it. You can also turn the saw sideways and cut into the y at the center, then cut down through and create two rounds right then and there. Or just cut it regular and throw it in the firepit.
I noodle a big piece with a "Y". Otherwise my splitter groans a bit but manages to nicely halve a "Y". I might end it with some ugly shaped pieces but it all stacks and burns.
"Y"s are not too bad to split Was a thread on one site called "Splitting the crotch" Ole farm boy "Quads" showed how to do it, using his trusted maul. : 1st split, don't split the "Y" at the crotch, make 2 "Y"s from the bottom up to the "Y" Then split the "Y" down the middle
I usually cut tight to the crotch and then restart the firewood lengths and use the little crotch piece as an ugly for the shoulder basket
O yes I forgot I cut up to the bottom of the v then noodle it in half if I can. If it's too big I won't mess with the v.
I cut everything the same length and let the cut land on the mark. Then I split it on the splitter if needed. Any odd balls left after splitting go in the ugly bin. I like having the of shaped pieces at times as they help build out holes in the pile. If I split by hand, noodle that thing
Ma nature usually delivers me whole trees. I don't end up with many Y's, because I usually limb the tree first, and I cut the branches off flush. When I do, I use the technique shown BogyDave's video. There is a plane of weakness aligned through the heart centers of the trunk and both branches. It's usually easier to split with the trunk end up, as shown in the vid.
I usually split a couple pieces off the outside if it won't split easily down the middle. The ugly leftover piece goes in the boiler whole. That is one thing the owb is certainly good for! It eats uglies just as well as "pretties."
