Cutting Fire wood Today

It was a beautiful day here at Clinton Camp Farm in Central NY. I lit out this morning to cut wood with my Kubota 2150 and splitter, and chain saw, about 9:30. Blocked up a couple of small stacks of Dead & Dieing trees that I drug to piles along woods roads last winter.
Over the past few years I have seen mannnny posts about sharpening saws and how to cut all the blocks and limbs at the same lenght. This my easy to use and durable length gage to maintain block length, within an inch. The plastic 3/8 PEX pipe is 18" long ( the length I need) and clamped on the handlebar with two tielocks and a peice of tape to keep it from sliding. The PEX has memory, so you can kink it or whatever and it will return to form. I normally block logs from L to R, but if going the other way simply place the bar against the cut edge and eyeball where the end of the tubing is. Fast and easy!
As far as sharpening a saw chain, I rarely do it. The edge lasts a long time if you don't rin the tip in the dirt. When I do sharpen I eyeball it on site, without a file guide or even a handle on my file. (My Dad taught me well at an early age) I touched up this chain before I cut this maple log which was about 3" biger in diamiter than the length of my bar. All I had to do to block this log was to squeeze the triger and guide the saw with my left hand. Just let the weight of the saw cut down, no prying against the on the crowd teeth on the saw. The only time they are necessary is when felling a tree.
Anyway here is my days acomplishment. Even took a few breaks with a barley pop, and watched the squirrels play in the leaves.
Loren, the Acg.

Dang! After all those years cutting wood, NOW someone comes up with an easy to mark your cut. Think I will go out and buy me a new wood stove just to justify cutting again! NOT! Loren, that is neat! Glad to see you have a good start on your wood supply. I really do miss the old wood stove. My daughter mentioned it just recently. Seriously thinking of doing something, but you have to be more careful in a double wide.

I did the same thing today, cut dead wood from my woods, its been so nice out, and i keep the wood shed full,,,I'm oil free so far this year! What size saw is that? Looks like my ms180! Weather is gonna change they say this coming week!

Jay,
Yup it's a 180 MiniBoss. Great little saw. Light weight and lotts of power. It cuts through big logs nearly as fast as the bigger saws that I have.
Try my little gauge tool, you will like it.
Loren, the Acg.

I agree my ms 180 is a few years old, and pretty beat, I can't tell you how much wood I cut with that thing, I wanna get another one, one of these days! Thanks for the pex pipe tip, I'm gonna try that!

Neat gauge Loren, I have a built in gauge, I wear size 14's and my stove takes 23" logs. Two boot links makes a log. I'd like to get one of those lighter saws one of these days, I have an 029 and a ms310 that are both great saws.

ACG, do you have other pictures of that log splitter? I think I see some ideas there I'd like to <strike>steal</strike> incorporate into my splitter.

Really nice setup. Its Sunday morning and I just got done reading your post,and your name reminded me to go down stairs and get some of your v8 recipe for breakfast,Everytime I drink it I think Thank You Adr Case Guy and Mrs Adr Case girl ,,, have a nice day.... Larry

Do not let anyone talk you out of the B2150 . Have sold KUBOTA,s for 28 years and that 2150 is one of the best. The THREE speed transmission and additional weight just make it a nice tractor. Is you wood splitter valve separate on the splitter or do you use the tractor valve? Nice looking set up either way. I think I have the same saw. Mine has the easy start deal which I am not certain will last.

Boy oh boy! you think like I do...lol

Fawteen,
The wood splitter is a 1970s "American Spliter" built in Black River NY. It's on the fourth motor, other than that I have done nothing to it, except modify the wheel location, made it 3pt mtd, and welded the trays and extensions on the sides and end of it.Originally it was one that you were on your hands and knees to operate. First I raised it up to a reasonable height, and put the seat on it. (had an older relative who loved to be out in the woods with us. He became our official lever operator). Most of the time now I have to cut and split alone, so I added the 3pt. so I didn't have to strugle to move it, and best of all I welded the trays, and rails on the sides and end. The trays keep the peices from falling off the sides, and having to pick them off the ground again to make another split. If someone is helping me split, the split wood is at waist level, not on the ground and can be tossed into the trailer without bending over. When I'm alone split peices just push off the back and build a pile 3' high. When spliting I have the 3pt fully raised, so I'm not bent over.
Loren, the Acg.

ACG,
I see your gage is on the left side of your your saw. Just wondering are you left handed? Mine is out the right side of the saw, I'm right handed. The way you are cutting left to right on a log, I find hard to do, I work the opposite way. I have a friend that is a tree trimmer so I rarely touch a saw now.

I like yours and everyone elses woodlots pics. Growing landscape trees, I try to move everything by the time it is 3" diameter. Leftovers meet the dozer or backhoe. Then I replant those rows over again.

Nice! Thanks, Loren.

I have an American as well, 3PH mount with a PTO-driven pump. Never a nickle's worth of trouble with it. I've split around 8 cord a year with it for 15 years or more.

Biggest advantage to a 3ph unit (other than not having another motor to maintain) is the adjustable height. I can lift it to a convenient working height, or if I have a really BIG round, set it right down on the ground and roll it up on the beam.

I like the seat idea, as well as the takeoff tables. I've saved that picture for future reference.

That's odd...I'm left handed and I have mine set up like yours, and cut from right to left on the log, standing on the left side of the saw.

My triger finger is on my right hand, and my left mearly guides the saw. I don't see how you would deal with the "length gauge" sticking out the RH side of the saw when felling trees. I never drop a tree with the motor side (LH) down. I thought that is why the LH handle wraps to the base of the saw. My gauge is always on the saw, even when felling. Perhaps you only have your gauge on when blocking??
Loren, the Acg.

I have noticed that having the guide sticking out the other side DOES get in the way when dropping a tree.

I don't often drop trees (I get my firewood delivered tree length) but when I do it's a matter of a couple of minutes to take the guide off and put the original nut back on.

I've used this type of setup for years but I have always used black poly pipe. I do have some PEX now so I may have to update.One of my stoves takes 22" and the other 25" so I have marks on the inner pipe so I can simply adjust for whichever stove I'm cutting for. Mine is on the same side as yours but on the lower part of the saw handle, closer to the log. I rarely take it off because I am usely cutting dead wood which needs little limbing.
When I have to do a lot of limbing, I take it off; it's held on with just one heater hose clamp.
My brother always made fun of it but I like my wood cut at the maximum length possible so I get the maximum output from each load.
Unlike some of others, I always fell trees with the bar side of the saw down. I like to fell the tree one firewood length up from the ground and go back and cut the last piece as close to the ground as possible. Stumps left in the woods look like a waste to me.

Fawteen,
Thats a neat stand you have there. When I first raised the splitter frame up, with the leg extensions, and front caster, I had a removable hitch pole, so it could be moved with a wheeler or garden tractor. still have the pole, but don't use it. The wheels are real handy when I want to put the spliter in the garage or barn for storage. It rolls pretty easy on the rubber tires.

I was out there myself. Had a walnut tree that was hit by lightning this spring and only about 15 ft of trunk was left. Tree is only about 60 yards from the house - that's too close for me.

It was fun. The rounds were 18-22" and the weather was perfect. Close to 60 in December!

ACG,
Yes I only have the guide on when cutting. Probably been 15 years since I actually felled a tree. I do have a 28" ash that I will be dropping at my dads this winter.

I use my right hand as my trigger finger too. Cutting right to left on a log, it seems I am a little further away from the bar, as I stand to the left of the saw with my left foot a little closer.

My gauge made from plastic tube slides over a little bolt I clamped on. It will pull off if it gets pinched by something.

Rick