Chainsaw madness

[Trainee neophyte]

I am currently cutting up next year's firewood. Well, actually it will be firewood in 2023/24, but you know what I mean. I thought someone might be interested to see the mad, Heath-Robinson system I use.

Firstly, almost all the wood I have is long and thin - pruning from the olive harvest. Most people would consider it to be the left-over trimmings after the useable wood has been taken away, but it's what I have, so it's what gets cut up. It presents a bit of a challenge, as it is difficult to cut up safely. I have tried several different ways of keeping the wood in place Holst savaging it with a chainsaw, but in the end gave up and I now keep the chainsaw in place, and bring the wood to the saw.

This is actually the MK3 version. MK1 was an electric chainsaws tied to a Black &Decker workbench as a proof of concept. A cable-tie around the trigger, and the saw runs at full pelt until you unplug it. A bit stressful, but it showed us it was a better way to cut the wood - much easier work, and perhaps 4 times quicker than the old system of stacking it all in a big frame and cutting through hundreds of bits of wood all together.
MK2 was as you see it,but with a complicated system of bars and wire to pull the trigger when a piece of wood was brought to the saw. Not very satisfactory. This year's version has a wire from a beach umbrella, which is very flexible. The wood pushes down on the wire, the other end pushes up on the trigger, and voilà.

It you have someone passing you bits of wood, it really is very quick processing.

 

[John Brown]

Maybe you should think about a bandsaw? I'd have thought it'd be a lot safer.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

Maybe you should think about a bandsaw? I'd have thought it'd be a lot safer.

I've only just got my bandsaw! It's far too posh to cut firewood on! (Also too slow, but it does give a very nice finish - I am playing with bigger bits of firewood at the moment, but not to make firewood - at least not intentionally).

 

[Deadeye]

I am currently cutting up next year's firewood.
]

Golly. What are you heating? That much wood would last me 5 years!

 

[Jacob]

I use my Startrite 352 with a 3/4" skip blade. Much quieter, much safer, probably no slower, until you get to big stuff where you have to take the machine to the wood instead.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

I am currently cutting up next year's firewood.
]

Golly. What are you heating? That much wood would last me 5 years!

Just a 100 square meter house (and a little cabin, which hardly counts), but we try to keep it at around 25°C because we can, and to get rid of the wood, mainly. Depending in how we go next year, I may actually have to sell some. No other form of heating, either.

Edit: it may be a trick of the photo - those are small sticks. The pile is perhaps 4feet high. It's probably a year and a half of heating. And BBQs. Lots of BBQs.

 

[sunnybob]

Not that I am recommending this, as I dont have to cut firewood (C.H rules!), but locally the machine of choice is a simple home made wooden based table saw.
I'm not sure which would scare me most to use =D> =D> =D> =D>
Once you get the bandsaw working you will be amazed at the amount of kindling you produce. My offcuts keep 2 OAP's supplied. 8) 8)

 

[Trainee neophyte]

Not that I am recommending this, as I dont have to cut firewood (C.H rules!), but locally the machine of choice is a simple home made wooden based table saw.
I'm not sure which would scare me most to use =D> =D> =D> =D>
Once you get the bandsaw working you will be amazed at the amount of kindling you produce. My offcuts keep 2 OAP's supplied. 8) 8)

I've not had much time to play, but the wastage is truly staggering! I am struggling with the notion of keeping to the line to waste as little as possible, but I have learned today that the best option is to hack off lumps to make life easy for the saw. My Scottish genetics is rebelling, and the Cornish isn't pleased, either. The good news is I am starting with firewood, so it is just a fun day out for it, really. A bit of a detour from firewood pile back to firewood pile.

 

[sunnybob]

Imagine how I feel, with a kindling box full of bubinga, walnut, maple etc. :shock: :roll:
I do my best by buying planks that are the correct width for a project, and thus only wasting in one direction.

Every so often I find I am talking myself out of something just because of the wastage. :roll:
But then i think of all the hardwoods being slashed and burnt in jungle countries and think I might as well use it and have something that lasts from it. =D> =D>

 

[Trainee neophyte]

Imagine how I feel, with a kindling box full of bubinga, walnut, maple etc. :shock: :roll:
I do my best by buying planks that are the correct width for a project, and thus only wasting in one direction.

Every so often I find I am talking myself out of something just because of the wastage. :roll:
But then i think of all the hardwoods being slashed and burnt in jungle countries and think I might as well use it and have something that lasts from it. =D> =D>

If only I had access to wood like that! I've just had a brainwave, and will be trying to arrange a trip to the slightly famous forest of Foloi, renowned for its oak trees. I will be taking the chainsaw...hope I don't upset any centaurs. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foloi_oak_forest

 

[sunnybob]

There must be a woodyard within reach of you that sells hardwood. Greek's love darkwood furniture. I have a couple woodyards within a half hour of me, but in both you have to ask because they are all kept in the darkest corners to protect them from sunlight.
At the largest one I have to use the torch on my phone to be able to walk down the aisles and to see which wood is which because they dont even put the overhead lights on. Elfin safety would 'ave a fit!
:roll: 8) 8) 8)

 

[Trainee neophyte]

There must be a woodyard within reach of you that sells hardwood. Greek's love darkwood furniture. I have a couple woodyards within a half hour of me, but in both you have to ask because they are all kept in the darkest corners to protect them from sunlight.
At the largest one I have to use the torch on my phone to be able to walk down the aisles and to see which wood is which because they dont even put the overhead lights on. Elfin safety would 'ave a fit!
:roll: 8) 8) 8)

It's all pine here. Posh foreign wood is pine from Finland. You're right that Greeks love their dark furniture, but it seems they love pine with a nice dark stain. It doesn't help that I live in the arse end of nowhere. I could probably get anything I want in Athens, but that would include several unpleasant diseases and a mugging, so I'd rather not.