Too Many Wedge Choices!

r0ck1r0ck2

TreeHouser
Joined
Mar 16, 2014
Messages
310
Location
SE Wisconsin
For the last few years Ive gone from stihl or consumer grade wedges to k&m red heads and now, after studying the always great beranek Im looking at expanding my selection from a few 8and 5.5 to some 10 and 12double tapers.

Im in se Wisconsin, I do removals from 12 to heeeeheehuge maples and other eastern trees..

Double Taper makes a ton of different wedges
Eg: http://www.baileysonline.com/PDF/pillar_plastics.pdf

Smooth, textured, barbed, double lift...

Do the double lift wedges stack well with each other or flats?

Please discuss,
 
I've never used the double tapers but the 10" and 12" k&h are good wedges and stack nicely. Interested to hear about the double tapers though.
 
Nice guy Dave explained that double tapers are good in second growth fir logging. Slender taper to start, more lift toward the end, when the tree is tipped, but not committed.

Plastic cutting boards, cut to size, a la Stig, gives a flat surface for stacked spacers to accompany one wedge, more lift height capacity than any two wedges.
 
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  • #5
a183a4b0fa5b3c416cf65c635e4d9428.jpg


Here one can see my poor out classed 8inch k&ms.

This is a large silver maple and is representative of my werk.

I?m not doing any west coast timber, not that many conifers in fact.
 
I mostly use the K&H red and white ones because they are readily available. I have a couple hard head wedges which are yellow with a steel head which I like for stump cuts because they slide back out easily after I finish my cut.
 
Ive tried em all. K+H are the best hands down. 10s and 12s, mostly 10s.

Hard heads are ok, but they dont drive as good imo, and are heavy if your packing em all day.
 
I usually buy the budget wedges Baileys sells. Mostly 8" and have 10"-12". Keeping them dressed and square helps. I use a farriers file works great.
 
I usually buy the budget wedges Baileys sells. Mostly 8" and have 10"-12". Keeping them dressed and square helps. I use a farriers file works great.

If they are in a kerf, you can use your chainsaw, going from tip toward the butt, to shave off mushrooming.
 
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  • #11
I use my axe to shave off the mushrooms, but I?ll have to talk to my pop who has been a farrier for 40+ yrs about some of his old files..

I think he would like that.
 
I find that an ax does most of the mushroom, but if you're trying to stack wedges and drive them fully, there is still a bit of mushroom left that interferes. I don't keep my ax sharp, intentionally. Saw chain is sharp, and easily leaves no mushroom.
 
Don't forget the aluminum/magnesium wedges. There is one with cutouts nearer the tapering end that works well to hold it in hand and use the heavy end to drive a plastic wedge. That works well when bucking big rounds and I just want to prevent bar pinch near the end of a cut.
 
On the bigger bucks, try reaming to settle the log. You'll never use a wedge again. All you do is start cutting from the top, watching the kerf. When you think you see it starting to close, you just pull the bar almost out, and run it back in, kind of like you are manually sawing it. The kerf will slowly close, but since you reamed out a spot for the saw, you won't be stuck. When the top closes up tight, you just continue down with the cut and it pops clean. Very very handy for end bind too, and because there are no wedges to come loose you are less likely to get a saw stuck. Gerry mentions it in fundamentals, absolutely amazing trick.
 
Tucker shared a trick from his uncle. When cutting a top-bind, saw down until the log starts to settle. Pull your bar out, cut a small, thin wedge of wood right next to the kerf. Lift your bar up, letting the wedge of wood drop in. Tap it with your bar. Insert bar back into cut and continue out the bottom.

Reaming is very useful.


Sometimes, some pounding on wedges lifts the log off the ground enough to be able to not dirt your chain, or worse, hit rock/ pavement/ or a roof, if storm-work.
 
:thumbup: didn't know that one :) always learning around here! I was talking about the bigger trunk wood, which for me is usually up on pad logs, or I'll rest the powerhead on the ground and sweep til I'm close but not in the dirt. Since I'm in hardwoods all the time (read silver maple), by the time I work my way up the trunk it'll roll, tearing free. I'm gonna remember the wood wedge trick tho!
 
I was on the FreeWorker site and they have a whole new type if wedge a metal screw type similar to the Rattle Wedge but the new ones fit a 1/2" drive ratchet and can be used with a impact driver. Spendy but look cool.
 
i always tried to play with more of a swing dutchman type strategy on top bind(kerf close at compression/top; taper hinge to bottom/out side 1:30 ); just to practice and watch in slo'mo the physics as it works.
>>This is best on pure top bind, not compressed or twisted or 'fractured' binds; which all take more care
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In wedge felling, favour wedge to target; force more fiber in hinge; NOT against sideLean axis; but to the target axis.
on thick bark/double cambium trees peeling some bark so punch goes to wedge not bark and lift up/over goes to solid 'welded' wood, not bark.
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Didn't like stacking wedges; would look to leveraged rope pull,with wedge backstop generally.
Rope pull same axis; to target; to force more fibers in hinge; then let them work as leverage thru mechanic;
NOT to temporarily mitigate sideLean from the equation, to just have it jump back into the equation (after lift or pull subsides) when tree moves forward;
BUT rather 'exercise'/force stronger hinge to path axis; whose strength stays in the whole equation/ride.
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Temporarily relieving sideLean to me essentially allows weaker hinge by unloading sidelean during the 'forging' and 'exercising' of the hinge device; as sideLean comes back in later.
But faking/forcing more forward load to fake tree out to trick to more hinge fiber; then removing said false load for tour on hinge; carries imbued strength not weakness thru the action/rotation.
Mitigating sideLean takes load off so can't exercise to stronger hinge/babies the hinge to weaker, while extra loading to path exercises stronger same hinge!
(in my cartoon imagery)
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i always look at felling, bucking and climbing scenarios for all such lessons.
In tree, no wedge but if were needed favored; a tire changing spoon for large semi-truck tires for narrow lip into rear kerf; lift
>>to target axis forward, not as counter to sideLean
 
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  • #20
Learning!
Alright I?m gonna fly to Colombia now but please oh please let this continue in my absence.
 
The wood wedge trick might just be the single most useful thing ( To me, that is) I've learned here.
I find Beech really hard to ream, so the wooden wedge comes in real handy in most of the work I do.
 
I love this trick too.
You can have as many wedges as you want for bucking a top bind trunk, and not need to fight to get back a plastic wedge.
It doesn't work well if the log tends to rotate when it settle though.
I tried it too for felling a leaning tree (rigged in whole) from a cluster, but that put too much load on it. But it's good for alaping the big stumps.
 
I leave a bit of wood on three buttress roots on big stumps, then cut through those roots vertically, finishing by flushing off the unloaded roots. Wedge free, no settling.
 
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