I don't know if felling chubby stubby trees with long horizontal branches like yours would make sense. Thinking about your basic equipment of bow saw and splitting wedges, what I would do is cut all the branches off and buck them, That would leave you with 5 ft. tall trunks. I would make horizontal cuts about 16 inches from the top about to 6 inches deep from the side. By this time I would be exhausted and looking for another muscle to work (No not that one!). Here's where I would take my splitting wedges and chunk off that cut section. I would keep doing this systematically cutting and splitting in about three layers divided from the top branch end to the root base. Think of it as carving the tree away like an ice sculpture. Anyway, hope this helps.
Oh yeah, I bought some chaps and safety equipment and going to borrow a 24” chainsaw from the neighbor.
Oh with a chainsaw that changes a few things. I would cut and buck branches as mentioned before and then I would still divide the standing trunk totem into 3 layers completely cutting off each layer till you have three big logs. While cutting through you may want to use the steel wedges as spacers once you cut past half way through the diameter. You can also use some bark or wood shims as spacers instead and you can add spacers as you get close to exiting the cut.... this is to avoid blade being pinched under the heavy vertical load. Yeah, the chainsaw is a game changer, but I still think felling these gnarly trees in the traditional way would be awkward. That said, I'm not there to see the scene in person so go with what you feel best gets it done.
Please forgive me if I come off like a net Nanny - definitely not my intent! Just hate to see a guy get hurt doing what he loves. If you're not experienced on a chainsaw, please consider trying it out on some horizontal logs first to get a feel for it before going up on a ladder with it or felling a tree. Though if that's not possible, I guess you couldn't ask for a better first run than the short fellas you're dealing with there. Again, certainly not trying to big brother you. It's just that we like ya, and don't want to see you winning a Darwin Award. If you run a chainsaw anyway, disregard the whole post!
No problem, I hear you. I have limited experience with a little electric chain saw on logs that were already down and a little nervous about attacking this project with the gas version. I have been reading up on techniques and safety info. This big(er) one is going to be heavy.
Gotta start somewhere! A little nerves and some healthy respect for the tool and the wood are smart things to hold going into it. Read a lot and practice with the saw before felling, and you'll ace the job. Looking forward to pics of the aftermath!
I tried to cut everything to 32”, so I still have some work to go. That and one trunk left to drop. I don’t think I can split the solid pieces, but it is well seasoned. They said standing dead for three years.
Can you make a cross grained cutting board out of a cookie? Not sure if it would just check into pieces when it dried out or if mineral oil would help. Asking for a friend
they make a special sealant for cookies to prevent them from checking. Not sure what it is called mrfancyplants or if food safe. I made a bunch for my step daughters wedding centerpieces last September (red cedar) Didnt seal them but didnt matter for what they were used for.
I want to see the bowsaw Enjoy your new supply. Guessing it will need to be split to dry correctly even if it has been standing dead. If your into using hand tools look into a Fiskars X27 for your splitting needs.
I ended up using a borrowed stihl chainsaw for the bulk of the work, and I do have a Fiskars splitter, which I’ll give another shot. I might have been trying with the cheap maul I have when it was just busting off chips. I’ll try to get a group shot of all my gear.
Some of those cuts are gorgeous!! There are some talented woodworkers here, I'd ask on here The Sawyer Room Someone else made cutting boards for gifts, found a picture
I got all the cherry chunks split and stacked and mostly out of the rain. Sorry for the terrible nighttime photos. but it is the closer half of the front stack. The rest is a mix of silver maple and yellow poplar. There is still the largest trunk that i’m going to drop in 16” pieces. It should be the most solid of the four. I end up stacking at night because the kids are asleep, I kept having to sniff the wood to make sure I was stacking in the right place. The cherry has a sticky sweet smell with a hint of cinnamon. The poplar just smells off. moresnow you were right about using the fiskar splitter. The cheap maul I picked up at the “depot” is twice as much work, and about a quarter as effective. I still owe you a shot of my gear, but if the ragged tarp is pretty good indicator of my professionalism (not at all).
Looks like your getting it done! Such a satisfying feeling hand splitting. Have you used the car tire method yet?
No, but I did read about it in a “stacking wood: the Scandinavian way” book the my brother in law got me. Sometimes the bark will hold it together for me for a few splits. What should I do with all this bark btw? Maple bark I was chucking behind the tree In the weeds. Cherry bark might be extra Smokey for ribs?
I have not read that book. Yet! My process is to lay a old tire on top of a large round. Occasionally I split in a spot where I don't have a large round available. Grouping 3 or 4 smaller rounds together to make a base works well. I suppose you could lay it on a scrap piece of plywood to keep from contacting dirt etc. Fill the tire with rounds you intend to split. Commence whacking. Your splits will stay inside the tire and it really goes much quicker. Definitely sped up my splitting process. No more picking up splits that fly everywhere. I try to burn my bark in my fire pit.
We are in the market for a fire pit. We were ready to bite on an S.S. Fire pit, but the shipping put it from out of the budget to way out of the budget. Their snuffers make it more than feasible as an outdoor table. I’ve seen a Pinterest of a drum from a dryer as a fire pit that looked pretty cool. All the holes in the drum were pretty with the fire shining through.
My fire ring consists of a old tractor rim with the guts torched out. I also have one at camp that was a truck rim. Easy to acquire and cheap if not free if you ask for a damaged one.
Day shot of the new stack and the backlog looking a lot more manageable, but in need of a raking. I’m going to need a bigger/nicer looking top cover. What was that roll I could pick up at the “depot.”
