Wedging Small Diameter Trees

[gf beranek]

Would be a handy thing to have in the trunk when you need it. Neat design.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Amazon Denmark for EUR 17,31.

 

[HolmenTree]

I bought this Fiskars wedge from Canadian Tire for $20

 

[woodworkingboy]

It occurs that I could make something like that out of wood, a steel band around the banging end. Hard Elm would be a good choice. Wonder how long it would last?

 

[HolmenTree]

I bought this little firewood splitting steel wedge from a local hardware store a while back just for the purpose of wedging over smaller trees. Its a Fiskars 16460 made in Finland. Its 6 inches long weighs about 2 lbs or more and damn it works really good in small trees. Real nice sharp edge and about 2 inches of lift.

It occurs that I could make something like that out of wood, a steel band around the banging end. Hard Elm would be a good choice. Wonder how long it would last?

The trick with this cast steel wedge working so good is the teeth on one side , ridges on the other plus a ridge along the cutting edge to also give grip. When you hammer it in the backcut with a 4lb axe it only goes one direction...forward.
Wooden wedges couldn't do this with any durability, especially with 2" of lift in only 6" of span..

 

[woodworkingboy]

Right. I have made some wood wedges for people out of our hard Elm, Zelkova. Lil' presents because I had some good material left over, and quickly done on the bandsaw. Following that generally are two stages, looking beat up, then not seeing them any more.

 

[Al Smith]

My dad talked about having several long skinny wedges made of steel then backing them up with oak wedges to get the lift .That was back in the late 30's early 40"s in the cross cut days .

 

[Burnham]

I have one very elderly steel felling wedge, from the old days. Thin as a razor at the tip, not much lift...but if you screw up and let the kerf close on you this thing can save the day.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

I've had few trees set back, as I'm usually really good about getting a wedge started if I'm not sure it forward leaning, but we did have one not too long ago. I'd never tried it before, but I just bored into the closed backcut toward the lay, inserted a wedge, pounded it in. Worked like a charm. I hadn't heard of it being done, just tried it.

Another oddball thing that came to mind was for cleaning up mushroomed wedge ends, especially important for stacking. I've used an ax before with decent success, but then one day (after about 8 years of using wedges) I thought to my self, "Self, since wedges are plastic so they won't damage your chain, why not just put them in kerf and chainsaw-demushroom them. Again, worked like a charm. Hadn't heard of it being done, just occurred to me that it would work. Way easier than cleaning it up with an ax.

 

[Al Smith]

I never used those plastic wedges until about a year ago and that only because of this forum . I have learned you can't thump those things in on a closed kerf fer luv ner money .

Good grief in just the course of this summer I have those things beat to a pulp and now I'm going to need to get new ones .

 

[woodworkingboy]

I use a coarse grinder to clean up wedges. Kind of stinky but survivable. It doesn't seem to clog the grinder.

 

[Burnham]

SOP here, Sean...both the bore and the chainsaw trimming of mushroomed wedges. Good on ya for figuring 'em out w/o prompting from another...I sure didn't, had to be taught both tricks.

There are potential pitfalls in boring into a closed kerf to get a setback started forward. The bigger one is that once set back, it can take more MA than the standard wedge lift provides to shift the weight forward again...that's where the thin-tipped, low-rise steel wedge shines. You can do better with standard plastic wedges if you bore two slots and drive a pair alternately. If the tree is big enough to take them, 12 inchers are best for this, as they offer the same lift over a longer distance than shorter wedges have, so the MA is higher.

But that brings up another possible pitfall...make sure you bore deep enough to take the whole wedge. Otherwise you may come up hard with the tip against the end of the bore, most especially if you don't bore exactly down the kerf. Though if that happens, you usually will have opened the kerf enough to start another wedge. Pay attention and be sure to switch to a wedge there rather than fight a tip-bound wedge in the bore.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Lovin the hard heads
I was thinking of getting a couple alloy wedges, placed the order and forgot. DOH!

 

[stig]

I hate the alloy wedges. They taper too fast, so you can beat yourself silly trying to drive them into a set back tree.
After I started importing hardheads, I gave away my collection of alloy and steel wedges.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Maybe boring and setting a wedge on a set back tree would best be done on the face side, boring all the way through then putting a wedge in from the back. It would require the tree being large enough to not comprise the strength holding the tree from setting back hard. Perhaps then less hinge to fight to bring the tree up as well. Boring through the back of a set back tree from the back, might mean getting out of there quick if you were to lose it. Just theorizing here. Have to say that boring through from the face side and then getting your saw stuck is a real pita.

 

[forestryworks]

I never used those plastic wedges until about a year ago and that only because of this forum . I have learned you can't thump those things in on a closed kerf fer luv ner money .

Good grief in just the course of this summer I have those things beat to a pulp and now I'm going to need to get new ones .

Getting a dozen at a time is the better buy.

 

[woodworkingboy]

On the hardheads, I'm curious to know what holds the plate to the back of the wedge? Are there some studs welded to it that maybe get epoxied or something to holes in the plastic? I've been wanting to make my own.

 

[HolmenTree]

All the hardhead wedges I bought over the years the steel caps have broke off. There is a 2 or 3"X 1/4" X a few inches longsteel plate molded into the center of the wedge. The caps were welded to the inserts but not a srong union.
They are actually a better wedge without the caps because the insert still offers good hitting drive and the wedges are alot lighter and don't fall out of your pouch.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Previously, trying to salvage mushroomed wedges, I'd used a bandsaw and a course papered power sander, but as you say, Jay, stinky. Inhaling hot plastic fumes, no good.

 

[woodworkingboy]

The 'hardhead juniors' have a steel plug instead of the plate covering the entire back. I really like them as they are lighter and still pound in well. Bailey's doesn't carry them anymore, but I think that they are still being made.

 

[stig]

Getting a dozen at a time is the better buy.

Twenty dozen is even better.
I'm putting in my bi-annually order from Bailey's this week.

20 doz hardheads, 10 rolls of 3/8 chain and then all the other stuff.
All pretty much ½ price of what it sells for here

 

[woodworkingboy]

So that is why Russ takes a long time to get back to me, he's fiddling with your little order.

 

[oscar4883]

I C. I really don't wedge over small trees I just use half inch insurance or a throw line.

Pretty much my method as well. Sometimes I use 6in. wedges and back-cut first, then face. However, throwline, rope, or sometimes a few pole saw sections as a push pole work for me.

 

[Jed]

Jay::what: The melted plastic smell is half the fun!

Stig: Whoa... How many guys are you buying wedges for?

 

[woodworkingboy]

What, Stig has a multi-personality disorder? I can think of three guys from his posts.