Having lived in an off grid cabin in the Mts of Co for several years I got quite good felling trees dragging out, bucking and splitting. With only pine available it took 8+ cords to get through a winter using an Ashley wood stove in a cabin with little to no insulation. It’s only “romantic” when read about in a book or watching a movie. The lifestyle took a LOT of work. Especially not have “running water”, indoor plumbing.
I have several saws of different sizes. My Stihl 039 20" bar is my favorite and go to saw. I think the same is called the Farm Boss. It’s a decent size saw with enough power/torque to chew threw oak. Not a saw I would recommend for a beginner. But smaller saws would make the job arduous and time consuming.
A smaller “limbing saw” is handy to have. When the tree is on the ground a bit easier to go around it cutting off the limbs. If you are thinking/wanting to put up a serious amount of wood for the winter having a tractor with a Fel to attach pallet forks to is pretty key IMO. And a wagon to carry the logs to the “bucking station”. Bucking the logs into firewood, splitting size on site works but can be slow and time consuming. Takes it toll on the chain also. Pretty hard not to dig the tip into the ground hitting stones from time to time.
Much easier and faster pile all the logs in one place. Built or buy a bucking stand. There lots of different types/styles, pre-made or homemade. Do a search key words firewood bucking stand. I guarantee you will get lots of hits, pictures and U-tub vids.
Felling or just cutting up downed trees is an art. It is NOT as straight forward as it looks. Downed trees being held up off the ground by its limbs creates a tricky situation. There is a fair amount of “physics” going on. The sawyer needs to have a decent understanding of “cause and effect” when sizing up what limbs should be cut, how, where and in what order. Other wise the tree can and will roll in an undesired direction. ALWAYS have an exit plan.
When felling, limbing or bucking up the log one needs to keep in mind “pressure points” on the bar. You want to make sure the weight of the body of the tree/limbs is a position that the cut widens and doesn’t collapse in, pinching the bar. If done wrong and even the “pros” get it wrong at times a pinched bar can be a total PITA. Especially if spare saw is not available. This is where the use of wedges can come into play depending on the size of the tree and other factors.
Dropping/felling trees big or small is an art form also. Especially in a “crowded” conditions. It is very satisfying dropping a tree in exactly the direction desired so as not to get hung up on the surrounding trees.
Dropping dead standing trees can be tricky. The top rots out pretty quickly and parts can break off during the process and or felling. Hence the name “widow makers”. The center of the trunk tends to rot faster also making it unpredictable as to how and when it will fall, give way when making wedge, front and back cuts. Even older “live” tree maybe hollow in the center. Experienced sawyers carry a “mall” a mini sledge hammer and pound around the trunk and listen to ascertain if it is on the solid side of things or hollow. And plan accordingly. A decent size tree that suddenly breaks away while making the felling cuts can and will jump/spring back quite a distance in any direction while falling. This is when having instant reflexes, self preservation comes into play. Basically drop, let go of the saw and run.
SHARP chains regardless of the size of the saw is key to making the job easier and safer. Had sharping is an art and take a fair amount of practice. If done wrong at the wrong angles it will not get very sharp and or the saw/bar will not cut straight threw the log. It will “wander”. Total PITA. Files with a guide bar work well enough with practice. I have a Dremel type sharpener that runs off a 12 volt battery, truck, tractor or ATV. The appropriate size sharpening stones are replaceable but are not cheap. I just use it for quick clean up. I have several chains on hand for big jobs and just swap out when a chain is not throw big “chunks”. Sharp chains cut like a hot knife through butter. Well worth the investment. My local chain sharpener is quite reasonable well and worth the expense to just drop them off. They are ground to factory specs. Takes quite a bit of time to sharpen 1 chain correctly let alone several by hand.
As to log splitters the cheap ones are just that cheap and slow compared to what can be rented. I wouldn’t bother buying one new or used. Most rental yards have good ones. If you have a tractor with good hydraulic outs a decent used 3 point hitch can be had for reasonable money. No engine or hydraulics are needed which cuts down on the price. Need to keep an eye on the used market because they cut snapped up pretty quickly if it is not a cheapo.
I enjoy splitting small loads by hand. Its an acquired skill, sizing up the log, knowing exactly where the weak point is, swinging of the ax and hitting the bulls eye, sweet spot every time. Poetry in motion. As the saying goes, making fire wood heats twice. But it is better two split wood when its cold out to take advantage of this. Not nearly as enjoyable on a hot humid day.
When I lived by wood heat and had to put up 8+ cords it was a lot of work. But at least I had a chain saw. But split everything by hand. No funds to rent a log spliter. I would think about the old days when they had to do this entirely with an ax and hand saw. If you were lucky to have a partner at least being able to use a double ended saw made the process a bit quicker and less labor intensive. Anybody that thinks they were the “good ole days” never lived in the “good ole days”. It was all about survival and it took a lot of work to survive.
I had a friend who asked me to help him build a small log cabin with nothing but hand tools. I said only if I could use my chain saws. He wanted the “experience”. I said I already had enough of the “experience” to last me a life time. If the pioneers had access to chain saw I promise you they would have used them.
When the times comes to replacing our oil furnace I want to replace with a multi-fuel type. Wood, gas, pellets. A lot of the farms around here have the “stand alone” type multi-fuel fuel furnace.
We have several wonderful big old fireplaces. I love looking/staring at a wood fire. Most people do. Heats the room nicely. But they are VERY inefficient when the rest of the house is heated by a furnace. Depending on things the can and do “suck out” the costly heat put out by the furnace. A open fire needs to draw a lot of air in and up the chimney. Inserts or stoves are a much more efficient.
As usual with most of my posts, comments I am sure I provided a LOT more information, details then needed, Lol. Just another one of my small tutorials. A little nostalgia from my “pioneering” days.
Snow storms over, sun is out and I am very late feeding a lot of horses.
