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Thread: My new Free Chainsaw bucking and ripping station

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Wittmann, AZ
    Posts
    2,503

    My new Free Chainsaw bucking and ripping station

    Chainsawing at ground level or just above has been a major pain in my back , so a couple months ago I asked my trimmer friends to cut me a big, tall log the next time they took out a big palm tree. Well they took one out yesterday and I picked it up today after work. This thing is big, almost 3' diameter, and it is Heavy (it dwarfs my big mesquite root stump)! I was able to drag it off the trailer and when the base hit the ground it was still leaning on the trailer (keeping the tongue in the air), so I was able to hang off the tongue and lever the log into an upright position. I never would have been able to move it if it had fallen on it's side.
    In the next few days I get the chainsaw out and cut a shallow v notch in the center to keep the logs I cut stable. The top of the log is at about hip level to me, so no more bending over which my back will appreciate and which should be much safer too.
    Best of all it was free!
    2012-03-06_18-37-5.jpg
    "If it is wood, I will turn it."
    vor-tex: any activity, situation, or way of life regarded as irresistibly engulfing.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Vadnais Heights, MN
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    1,607
    C'mon Kathy, core some bowls from it!
    Doug Swanson

    Where are John Keeton and Steve Schlumpf anyway?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Elk Mound,WI.
    Posts
    423
    Gee lady it's like you're feeding a furnace there!
    Half way between the north pole and the equator!
    Half way between Steve Schlumpf and John Keeton!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Fort Collins, CO
    Posts
    946
    That's a nice hunk of wood! I bet it will see a lot of action over the years - if you can keep it off the lathe!
    Man advances just in proportion that he mingles thought with his labor. - Ingersoll

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Chandler, AZ
    Posts
    456
    That poor trailer of yours! Pretty cool though.

    JP

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    lufkin tx
    Posts
    2,054
    Neat chuck of wood? i think you should do a hollow form on it - video the whole thing and we'll get rich yeah!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Tucson
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    Very nice. Being that big around should make a soild base for chopping up blanks. How much swing is your lathe? I want to see what the grain looks like in the Mesquite root behind it.
    What you listen to is your business....what you hear is ours.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Northwestern Wisconsin
    Posts
    436
    Wow Kathy that should be solid enough. I had to make a saw buck to get things up off the ground. I'm sure you are going to use that a lot.

    Steve

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Front Royal, Va.
    Posts
    1,480
    Ah, but now you must lift your logs up to hip level. That's the reason I've kept mine low to the ground.
    Tony

    "Soldier On"

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Intl Falls, MN.
    Posts
    141
    Sweet Kathy,,,,, Let er buck!!!!!
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    Show them how, and you too, will learn
    Sole proprietor, Up North Burls
    Secretary, Rainy River Area Woodworkers
    Journeyman Steamfitter, Local 589

  11. #11
    Kathy,

    Curious. You mention that you asked your tree cutters to let you know the next time they cut a large palm. Is there a particular reason you wanted Palm for your chainsawing stump?

    And of course, here in Ohio, there ain't no palm trees and I'm more that a little envious of your weather that permits them in your area.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Harvey, Michigan
    Posts
    20,801
    I hope it works out for you! I'm with Tony on this... now you have to lift those heavy logs into place. I just leave mine very low on the ground and roll into place for cutting. Makes the blanks a heck of a lot easier to lift once they are cut to a manageable size.
    Steve

    “You never know what you got til it's gone!”
    Please don’t let that happen!
    Become a financial Contributor today!

  13. Tony and Steve mirrored my concern.........Kathy, here is what you need now.......construct yourself a gantry crane, then you won't have to lift........somewhere on the turners forum there was a guy who made one out of pressure treated lumber with wheels and all he has to do is lift the blank after putting a strap around it to bring it up to proper height.
    Remember, in a moments time, everything can change!

    Vision - not just seeing what is, but seeing what can be!




  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Green Valley, Az.
    Posts
    1,202
    Kathy, do yourself a favor. Use your chain saw to cut a V into the top the block. It will be a big help in holding logs as you saw them down the middle.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Wittmann, AZ
    Posts
    2,503
    Well, when I got home today I cut a V on the top, grabbed a log that was about 9" diameter and very quickly turned it into 4 blanks. The V held the log very steady and my back was very happy! It's just a hair taller than perfect, so I'll cut it down about 4 - 6". Cutting out the V was like a hot knife through butter, so taking a little off the top should take all of about 20 seconds.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Wyko View Post
    Very nice. Being that big around should make a soild base for chopping up blanks. How much swing is your lathe? I want to see what the grain looks like in the Mesquite root behind it.
    Bill, my lathe is just a 12" swing. I've turned a few pieces of the mesquite root and it's nice, a little harder than the tree wood, tighter grained and darker. It's also more stable. I turned one closed bowl form, side grain using the whole diameter of the log, with the pith running right through sides at the widest point, and even months later there isn't even a hint of a crack in the pith. I really need to get that stump cut up.

    Quote Originally Posted by Dale Miner View Post
    Kathy,

    Curious. You mention that you asked your tree cutters to let you know the next time they cut a large palm. Is there a particular reason you wanted Palm for your chainsawing stump?

    And of course, here in Ohio, there ain't no palm trees and I'm more that a little envious of your weather that permits them in your area.
    Dale, I knew I would never be tempted to turn my chainsaw block if it was palm, the same can't be said if I'd used a hardwood log. I also knew I'd have a better chance of getting a large diameter palm log than a tree log. I also won't have to worry about the palm log cracking or splitting.
    We had a cold front move in today, got down to the low 60's brrrrrrrrr! It's been in the mid 80's and should get back up there this weekend.

    Tony, Steve and Roger, lifting up the logs doesn't bother me so much, but bending over for any length of time is a killer. When I've got a big log, I can always cut it into sections on the ground so I have more manageable sized pieces to lift up.

    I think it's going to work out well and hopefully I'll be better about getting my logs cut into blanks.
    "If it is wood, I will turn it."
    vor-tex: any activity, situation, or way of life regarded as irresistibly engulfing.

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