Tutorial on Cutting Firewood

* Cutting Down A Tree

* Removing Branches

* Cutting Tree into Logs

* Moving Logs

* Splitting Wood

Cutting Down A Tree

The best tool for cutting down a tree is a chainsaw. Not all chainsaws are created equal. My favorite is a Stihl chainsaw, model 041 or larger. They are built with quality. My Stihl is over 20 years old and is still cutting like the first day I brought it home.

The first step in cutting down a tree is to determine which direction you wish the tree to fall. Also pick a spot where you will take cover when it falls. (Generally, a tree falls slow enough that at the base, you can easily walk out of the way. The need for a safe area is that sometimes the tree will not fall in the desired direction, sometimes the tree will snap at the hinge and the base of the cut tree can hit you. Also sometimes the branches can snap and strike you on the head.) Generally a safe spot can be another large tree to the rear or the side.

In the direction you wish the tree to fall, cut a wedge. On the opposite side about two or three inches above the wedge, cut a lateral cut. Do not cut all the way through to the wedge. Using a sledgehammer, drive a metal wedge deep into the lateral cut. The tree will crack and begin to fall. Generally the tree will be held to the trunk by a thin piece of wood called a hinge. After the tree cracks, it will begin to fall slowly and then pick up speed. It may take 5 to 10 seconds for a tree to fall. As the tree cracks, check the direction the tree is falling, put the chainsaw down and run to the safe area. Do not run into the path of the fall.

Sometimes it may be necessary to control the fall of a tree. If a tree is near a house and you don’t want to crush the house, then you must have solid control of the fall. The following method is the one I use. In general, it allows me to control the fall to about a 10 degrees arc. For this method you will need two heavy logchains with hooks on each end and a come-along. First pick the direction you wish the tree to fall. Find another large tree (anchor) lined up in that direction. The distance to that tree must be shorter than the combined length of the logchains that you will use. On the tree to be cut down, cut a wedge in the direction of the fall. Using the first heavy logchain, wrap one around the base of a large tree, that will be used as the anchor, a couple times and hook the chain. Wrap the second chain around the tree that is being cut down a minimum of one foot above the spot where you will make the lateral cut. Extend the come-along (cable hoist puller) to its full length. Hook the other end of each chain to form another loop. Connect end chain loop to a come-along. Move the hook down several links until the line of chains and cables are tight. Ratchet the come-along tight until you see the tree begin to bend slightly. Make the lateral cut.

Sometimes you may encounter a tree with imbedded metal, such as barbed wire. In years gone past, some farmers would use trees instead of poles to string barbed wire. They would wrap barbed wire around the tree. As the year went by, the tree would grow and totally encapsulate the barbed wire, except for the wire that would stick out from both ends of the tree. Cutting this wire with a chainsaw will damage the blade and can be unsafe. If you encounter a tree like this, it is better to try and cut above or below the affected area.

Cutting a dead tree is a problem. They have a mind of their own. A tree that is dead, without bark and very rotten is very dangerous to cut down. The tree may not fall in the desired direction. It may also break up into pieces as it falls down.

Sometimes things will go wrong. One common problem occurs during the lateral cut. The tree will shift and pinch off the saw and the chainsaw will come to a stop. In this case, remove the bar and the chain from the chainsaw. If there is room, drive a flat wedge into the lateral cut in order to remove the pressure. Try to move the bar back and forth and remove it if possible. Drive the wedge a little deeper and try to remove the chain. If this doesn’t work, you are left with two alternatives.

* Using heavy logchains, tie one to a large tree in the direction of the fall and the second to the spot above the lateral cut. Connect the other end of each chain to a come-along. Ratchet the come-along tight until enough pressure is relieved so that the bar and chain can be removed. There is some danger involved in this approach. If the lateral cut is deep, you might actually pull the tree over and have it fall on top of you.

* The second alternative is called patience. If the tree has leaves and there is a little wind, the tree will toss slightly with the breeze and may fall down of its own accord. Generally this will occur within 24 hours. If you take this approach, restrict personnel from entering this area.

Entangled trees can also make cutting down a tree difficult. Vines can grow onto the trees and these can form a net connecting the tops of several trees together. When the tree begins to fall, the vines can act like log-chains, pulling the tree in directions, other than the direction you wish the tree to fall. Sometimes you can completely cut through the hinge and the tree will remain upright. Probably the best approach is to back off and let the tree fall when it’s ready. Generally this will take around an hour. If you can safely cut some of the vines with a machete, this will accelerate the process. Restrict the area from personnel, until it falls.

Removing Branches

The best device for removing large branches from a felled tree, is a chainsaw.

The best device for removing small branches from a felled tree, is a machete. The machete should be sharp. A bench grinder will put a sharp edge quickly on a machete. It is a good idea to wear gloves, otherwise expect blisters.

Cutting Tree into Logs

Rule #1. When using a chainsaw, do not cut into leaves, earth or water. They will quickly dull your blade. The best way to avoid this problem is to raise one end of the log in the air while you are cutting it into pieces. This can be done in 4 ways.

* Use a logrest/timberjack to raise the log.

* If the log is light enough to lift, raise one side of the log by hand and place it on a log for cutting.

* Roll the log onto other short log and then cut.

* Make several cuts ¾’s the way down, without touching leaves or the ground, then roll the log over and finish the cut from the other side of the log.

Some of the knowledge that I will impart to you is from the school of hard knocks. When I first started cutting firewood, I had no lessons and I made many mistakes. My first try at cutting up a log was a disaster. After 5 or 6 cuts, the blade became dull and the saw began to smoke. I took the chainsaw to town and had the blade professionally sharpened. Thirty minutes later and $5.00 less in my pocket, I went back home with a sharp blade. I repeated the process with the same result. (Why you might ask. It is because I didn’t know about Rule #1) This process went on for several month, and I was beginning to come to the conclusion that I would never make a good logger. I experimented with a do-it-yourself sharpening approach using a small circular file. But I could never get the angles right and I was always dissatisfied with the sharpness. After a couple years, life started to look up. First, I learned Rule #1. Second, I stumbled onto a small electric chain saw sharpener. This was a hand held electric rotary grinder with a grinding stone sized for the teeth of the chain. This little device worked miracles. Some models run off A/C. Others can plug into the cigarette lighter in a car. I have used this method for the past 20 years and I have always been happy with the sharpness of the chainsaw teeth.

Moving Logs

If the logs are close to the road, the task is a simple. Just move the pickup truck next to the logs and load the truck. If the logs are in the rough and you have a 4 wheel drive pickup truck, you may be able to move the truck to the logs and load. A normal truck can get hung up in the rough and sometimes it takes more work to free the truck than the time required for the logging operation. Tractors can sometimes operate in the rough. If the logs are uphill and there is a good pickup area below, consider rolling the logs down the hill, like a snowball. Wagons such as Garden Way carts, small metal or wooden wagons are useful for moving cut up logs. My favorite is the Big Red Mule which is capable of hauling ¾ tons.

Splitting Wood

A gasoline powered hydraulic log splitter is the easiest way to split wood. The greater the rated tonnage, the better the log splitter will be able to split the more difficult woods (stringy woods, logs with knots, ironwood). I recommend a rated 20-ton log splitter or better. Another desired feature in a log splitter is one that can split wood in both the horizontal and vertical position. In the horizontal position, the log splitter is very stable to transport. In the vertical position, the logs can easily be positioned onto the log splitter without breaking your back.

Wood can be split by hand, but it requires elbow grease. This is accomplished using a sledge hammer and wedge. They make a rubber protector for the handle near the head of a sledgehammer. These protectors will minimize the damage to the handle when you miss the log. Also there is a log splitting tool that has worked well for me. It is called the Chopper 1. (Another view). The tool is a combination sledge hammer and steel wedge but it has one other advantage, the tool can convert the downward striking force into a horizontal splitting force. This makes log splitting easier. The tool has a plastic fiber core handle that withstands accidental damage)

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