I use one of those mingo rollers containing spray marker paint. Just roll it down the log and it leaves a red dot @ what ever size block you want. Quick, simple and easy.
Yours looks very similar to mine, magnet on the end and mine has a small piece of threaded rod with marks at different lengths so I can cut whatever size I need. It's a great idea for consistency.
Nice ideas guys. I'm lazy and don't want something popping off the end of the bar or something to get caught.... I can go up to 22" long for my stove if I go cross ways, but only 16" deep if I go north and south. So I run a 16" bar on my 550, make a cut, use the bar as a measuring device. the larger saws I measure i mark somewhere on the saw and use it for reference.
Used my eyeballs, now they're failing Used a tape, now have several short pieces & nicked tapes, (need bigger numbers too) Used a marked stick after about 4 got broken or cut, didn't need more kindling Used a 17" mark on the bar, was usually within 1", hard to lay the saw sideways & be accurate , + new bar didn't have the mark. Used several marker, had to walk down the log either way to mark with all the different ways of marking Now I walk down the log, mark 17" saw is running, in my hands, ready to start cutting anywhere/time along the log Can pop it off easy after marking 3 , 6 or 19 , can put on either side fits in the 5 gallon bucket on the atv or my pocket Good to read how others do it. I thought I was one of the few who isn't gifted in estimating length without some way to measure I'm within 3" usually The stove & I just like the wood to be 17" Lots of good methods out there.
These are all great ideas. I had no idea how many of you actually take the time to mark. I just assumed you all were like me and eyeballed it only to find out a lot of the time the cut is too long or too short. Next year I'm going to try some of this.
I had the ornery one marking for me the last few days. Just have to teach her yet not to mark in the middle of a knot.
I prefer cutting knots in half. Makes splitting much easier if half the knot is at the bottom of a round vs the whole knot being in the middle
That is true but why cut through a knot? Better to have the knot on the end of the log rather than half of it on one and the other half on the next one. It just does not make sense to me to be cutting through a knot if you have a choice. But, from time to time it does happen. I did one today. The knot was on the bottom and I had not seen it. I wondered why the cutting got a bit slower as I cut through....
You are right about cutting it flush with the tree. But I'd still rather not cut through at that spot. I'll make some shorter or longer to get around it.
My theory is if I need 17" length splits & & cut a 30" one in half , I now have 2 pieces the wrong length. So if cutting to avoid a knot & not 17", I'd have more wrong size splits Also, permit says have to take 5" & above, if I cut the knots out, would be wasting wood. I start marking from the butt end to the top, the last 17" round is usually 4" diameter, so if theirs a short piece left , it's no problem.
