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Tree marking

Started by bendjoseph, January 27, 2013, 05:15:34 AM

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bendjoseph

What do you use to mark off your firewood lengths?  I am down to my last paint stick, and want to try something else.

Jack72

Quote from: bendjoseph on January 27, 2013, 05:15:34 AM
What do you use to mark off your firewood lengths?  I am down to my last paint stick, and want to try something else.

Joseph

  I eyeball my lengths            can you put a mark on your chainsaw bar to help measure whatever your desired lengths are
13 Chevy Duramax
Stihl 046 036 009
Northern 25 Ton Splitter

Mapleman

I used to steal sidewalk chalk from my granddaughters supply   ;D  It even works on wet or damp wood.  Its kind of soft so it gets used up fast but then its also pretty cheap.  (And I didn't really steal it from the kids, I'd buy them a box and keep a couple of sticks out for me.  I liked the light blue, seemed to show up well on different types of wood.)
"The older I get, the better I used to be."

beenthere

I have a 20" bar, and cut to 18" lengths. Easy to just swing the bar to get length.

Also, I cut the logs to 90" to begin with, so eyeballing 18" is fairly easy to do too. The 90" I just make a marking stick while in the woods cutting the 90's.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

postville

Mingo Marker from Baileys. Spray pait can that trips by a rotating wheel. Works very well. Leaves a dot of paint.
Draw back is rolling over knotty logs and having to bend down if the log is on the ground.
Bob
LT40 25hp Kohler, Gehl 6635, Valby grapple, Ford 4600, Farmi winch, Stihl saws

Sonofman

I am with beenthere, I use my saws. I have a 16" bar and 20" bar, I cut my wood at 16 inches, 20 inches, and 22 inches. I have marks on both saws for both lengths.
Located due west of Due West.

petefrom bearswamp

Lumber crayon available at lumber yards and hardware stores in several colors
I use blue.
A box of i think a dozen lasts me 5 or 6 years and they are inexpensive.
Pete
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

brendonv

I have a mingo.  It's nice, just takes to long.  I do enough where I can eyeball it pretty good to 18".  I cut all my wood in three foot increments, so it produces all consistent sizes, and fit on the trailer nice.   Mostly 9' though.

This year I'll probably make one of the guides that screw into the side of the saw bar mount.
"Trees live a secret life only revealed to those that climb them"

www.VorioTree.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vorio-Tree-Experts-LLC/598083593556636

John Mc

I used to use my 16" bar as a measuring stick (at least I always have it with me when cutting).  Sometimes it was just something to calibrate my "eyeball gauge" other times I'd actually lay it alongside the log.  I also had a mark further up the body of the saw for longer lengths.  This got awkward sometimes, and involved a bit of twisting (with a wife who's a physical therapist I get bugged a lot about using proper body mechanics).

I finally borrowed a trick from an old timer.  It's a similar concept to the measuring sticks that attached to a special bar nut (I think Baileys sells these).  I didn't like those sticks, because I figured I'd always be losing them, or they'd get in the way when I didn't need them.

I take a bit of coat hanger and put a 90˚ bend in it, with the short leg maybe 1.5" long. Zip-tie this short leg fairly low on the left side of my front handle, so the long leg sticks out perpendicular to the bar, to the left (as the bar is pointed away from me).  I cut this wire so the length from the side of the bar to the end of the wire is 16" (I actually cut a bit longer, and fold the end over to 16", so I've got a blunt end).  I'll usually wrap some bright colored electrician's tape around the end, for better visibility.

With the wire sticking out to the left of the saw, the end of the wire measures a 16" length fr the bar.  Since width of the body of the saw makes up some of the 16", I don't need a very long length of wire.  Also, when I'm not using it, I just swing the wire back towards the rear of the saw. It tucks in right under the flywheel housing, and does not seem to get in the way when I don't need it for measuring.

If you make a few carefully placed bends in the 1.5" leg, you can make it sort of "snap into place" in either the stowed or measuring position (the extra bends work with the tension on the zip-tie for this).  Another little tweak it to double over the end of the short leg, making a small loop. Running the zip tie through this when attaching to the handle keeps the the wire from slipping upward and out of the zip ties (the long leg standing out at 90˚ keeps it from slipping down through the ties).

It sound complicated, but I could probably have rigged up several saws in the time it took to write this.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Al_Smith

After you've been at it a while you can get them all within say a half inch just eye balling them .

JohnW

Quote from: Al_Smith on January 27, 2013, 08:47:22 PM
After you've been at it a while you can get them all within say a half inch just eye balling them .
I believe you Al, but not me.  I have a hard enough time eye-balling my saw horizontal to cut down the tree in the first place.  I use my 20" bar to mark 18" lengths.

JuniperBoss

I was surprised when I read that you (bendjoseph) use paint to mark your lengths. I struggled a bit the first cord or two of ever cutting wood. I used my chainsaw bar (like everybody else I noticed) to get a perfect length. Now after many cords I just eye-ball it. I have trained my eye to cut 16.0285 inches long. I can cut more precise if my wood buyer is picky ::).
"The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense." --- Thomas Edison

jbpaxton

I only cut firewood for my OWB, witch will take 36" wood. I eyeball for about 30",if I have a piece that looks like it might be to long, I measure W/ saw. The length of my Jred is 36" end to end w/ 24' bar.
Jim
jbpaxton

stumper

It depends on what I am doing.For fire wood I use the saw.  I normally try to but up the ends so I can cut two to three block with one measure.  If I am cutting pulp or logs I'll use a hardwood sappling cut to 4 foot with a mark at 2 foot.  I can then cut 4, 8, 10, 12, 16 & 24 foot lengths.  Yes I just eyeball the trim allowance.  The stick is easy to carry I just hold it in my left hand with the front saw handle while cutting.  When doing 4 foot lengths I do not bother to take my hand off the handle, I just line it up with the end and note where the cut need to be.  With logs I flip it end for end up the length.

I find that I need to measure things.  I like my piles neat and I have been streeeeeeeeeecthing measurements for too long to rely on estimating length. :D

Al_Smith

 :D Well now cutting firewood to length is not like making parts for the space shuttle .

Logging logginglogging

Quote from: Jack72 on January 27, 2013, 07:24:04 AM
Quote from: bendjoseph on January 27, 2013, 05:15:34 AM
What do you use to mark off your firewood lengths?  I am down to my last paint stick, and want to try something else.

Joseph

  I eyeball my lengths            can you put a mark on your chainsaw bar to help measure whatever your desired lengths are

same her, I eyeball it.... and can also use the bar to measure. Usually I get so use to cutting that I just have a sence for it and cut to the correct length..

petefrom bearswamp

I burn 22" wood as my splitter will only take 24 max, I don't eyeball it as I feel I would have too many pieces too long for the splitter.
As it is when my grandson marks the log some come out too long.
This is exasperating.
Pete
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

justallan1

I have a mark on my bar just to chech myself on occassion, but useually just eyeball them.
Allan

711ac

Quote from: bendjoseph on January 27, 2013, 05:15:34 AM
What do you use to mark off your firewood lengths?  I am down to my last paint stick, and want to try something else.
Being "anal" and wanting to fill the firebox (up/down/left/right/front/back) ;D I have a fibergalss rod cut to 26" and hold it in my "loop" hand. Lay it on the log and "eyeball" where it is, and cut, repeat. Birch has convenient marks in it already, ya just have to watch which one it is. I helps to work from left to right.

r.man

I eyeball since it isn't too critical. I also cut large blocks a bit shorter to help cut down the weight that has to be lifted onto the splitter. I am careful and sometimes use a tape if I am cutting very large blocks since I know from experience that the eyeball method will fail with these. An older friend with 50 yrs experience told me that he also has to measure large blocks since  perspective is out of whack for that size.
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

JuniperBoss

Ya I suppose that is true. It's easy to cut a very large round a few inches too long. I look at big logs real hard before I put the chain to the wood.
"The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense." --- Thomas Edison

muddstopper

Since I dont sell firewood and cut just for my own use. I dont worry about exact lenghts. My splitter will handle 26" lengths, My stove will take 36" lengths. My wife likes stuff she can handle easily. I eyeball to cut around 20 inches, if I get to the end of the log and have a extra long or extra short piece, I just cut the long piece in half and throw the shorter pieces in the splitter. It all burns once its in the heater. Anything that makes it easy for the wife to handle is just right.

JuniperBoss

I'm not super careful with my lengths, even though I sell. I try for 16 inchers, but anything between 15-20 inches will be just fine in anyones fireplace.
"The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense." --- Thomas Edison

hoardac

I made a T 28 inches across with a couple of pieces of scrap wood screwed together and just use a can of cheap bright spray paint and just spray away.

GeorgeK

We use the mingo marker also. Like it as all the logs fit in the splitter that way. Although a friend has a processor we are going to try out so I have a stack of logs cut for it now at 13 feet 6 inches.
George Kalbfleisch
Woodmizer LT40, twin blade edger, Bobcat A300, Kubota L48 and yes several logrites!

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