Reducing beech discs

[gooseflight]

Need to cut down some big >1m dia. beech discs for blocking. Is ripping chain better for the job?

[Couldyajust]

Makes very little difference I just use normal chain it's cheaper.

[Daythe trees]

How thick are the discs? When I've had to do this I've gone for biggest saw I have with a bar just long enough to cut straight through. Don't mean to patronise but nice evenly sharpened chain and well dressed bar for lovely straight cuts. I've done some banana cutting as i have learnt.

[gooseflight]

Thanks guys.

 

And DT I appreciate the heads up on sharpening.

[Breezeblock]

big metal wedges and a hammer could be quicker and cleaner if they are knot free

[base]

A ripping chain is just cutters filed to ........., I have a feeling it's 10°- 15° where as normal is 25 - 30.

 

there is massive differance in "chips" from a ripping chain and "normal" .

[gooseflight]

Yes, 10°. But if I did need a ripping chain (seems like I don't), wouldn't it be easier to start with one at 10°? Good use for an old chain maybe.

[Couldyajust]

Regular chain just leaves you with a load of noodles, great for lighting a bonfire with.

 

 

If it was just for firewood then personally I would just use my X27 irrespective of the diameter of the rings & set aside the really knotty bits to block up with a chainsaw at the end of the job. Axe creates the split & felling lever breaks the lump off on the larger diameter rings I have split 7'+ diameter rings in this way with very little effort.

[gooseflight]

I would just use my X27 irrespective of the diameter of the rings & set aside the really knotty bits to block up with a chainsaw at the end of the job.

Coming round to this. The beech is fresh so three or four whacks with my Oregon and the crack runs nicely.

 

How do you rate the X27? The Oregon is same length but nearly 1kg heavier.

[Couldyajust]

The X27 is a nice axe it's not some amazing piece of kit that is going to magically split every log effortlessly as some reviews suggest but it has no problem splitting 5' diameter rings of knotty beech or 7' diameter oak rings which mauls bounce off of & other axes get stuck in.

As said earlier on big rings I use a felling lever to open up the cracks which is faster/takes less effort than multiple blows with an axe.

 

In a couple of years of using it I haven't yet managed to get it stuck in a log. Was using it yesterday to split 3' lengths of very knotty spruce, larch & leylandii in various diameters from 6" up to 30". Mostly it was just a single blow to split each length. I find the knottier stuff splits more easily in longer lengths which can be cut down afterwards as the split finds its way round the knots rather than trying to go through them.

The light weight of it does mean it uses a lot less effort, you can be there for an hour & feel like you have only been at it for about 5 minutes. Think I have only had the log grenade & sledgehammer out once since I got the X27 that was for some eucalyptus someone dropped off on the yard which got missed while it was fresh as it got buried under a load more timber so I didn't realise there was Euc there until it had turned into concrete as it does.