approach to large oak log, medium mill, and cat 277c that appears to have shrunk

[doc henderson]

no.  the initial thought was to drag it with a chain and tongs, but those were at the limit of their size.  so i got under it with my bucket, and held it with the grapple jaw and lifted the tail end, and slid it off the tilt bed trailer.
My tentative plan will be to set it up on end, and work with my 5 foot bar on the 880 and a skip tooth chain.  i can work on a platform on my MTL, and cut till it is in two halves.
may try to get a reference line with paint or something on the bark.

[customsawyer]

Don't bother to stand it up. It's very dangerous if it falls. Figure out where you want the cut to be and at what angle. Turn the log to where you are sawing from the higher up angle and just cut it with the bar horizontal. I like to have the tip a little lower so my old back doesn't have to bend over so far. Pick your spot on the other end where you want the saw to come out, even mark it with a stick or sqrench stuck in the log. When you are moving the saw head with your hands concentrate on the mark at the far end. Just like when you are driving, you don't look at the white or yellow line in the road. You look at the horizon. Move the power head a few inches and then use your knee or thigh to push the tip through the log. It's a piece of cake. 10 times easier and a hundred times safer. I'm going to go digging to see if I can find some pictures. I think Robert has some of him doing it, or maybe someone has some from the log I did at the project a few years back. 

[customsawyer]

I found a couple of pictures. Nothing to it. Just stick the saw and start cutting.

[doc henderson]

i was thinking it would be nice to use the weight of the saw?  i.e. stand it up and go top to bottom?    also does the hat help keep it straight, and if so is Stetson ok?.  and if you get to twisting, what is the best way to get back on track?  back up, or is their a counter intuitive way to put pressure on the bar to get back in line.  a 5 foot bar has a bit of flex held out sideways.

[doc henderson]

just read you prev. post that addressed that.  thanks!  still learning from the FF get together from a few years ago.

[YellowHammer]

As Jake says, this is a great log to learn the technique.

Hold the tip down at an angle and hold the powerhead up at an angle where it will ride on your hip.  It should be at a comfortable, non back ache angle.  If you are hunched over, get more angle, just keep the tip out of the dirt.  You don't do much with your hands except steer, the major force is given by your hip pressing against the powerhead and the bar pivoting on the saw dogs.  It's a basic see saw motion, and it's very controlled.

The more the bar and cut is perpindicular to the log, the easier it is to steer.  The longer the angle, the harder to steer but the more straight the cut.  So adjust the angle of the bar in the cut while sawing to either get back on line, or stay straight if you are already on the line.

A good sharp chain is a must. 

Wedges are used to keep the kerf open.

It's kind of fun, well for the first few dozen logs, anyway.  Once you get the hang of it, its no big deal, as Jake said "Put the saw in the wood and start cutting."

Here's me ripping a decent sized oak that was just a little too big for the mill.  I put it on the mill and then rolled it back off, split it in half on the spot, and then loaded the top half back on the mill and RRQS'd it.  No big deal.  The bar is 52" for scale.  Notice how I'm not slouching or bending over and my right hip is push against the bottom of the handle, letting the saw dogs pivot the saw forward, doing all the work.  Thats where all the force comes from, not my arms, which are just used to steer.  Actually, I look pretty relaxed, and I missed the center on this log about an inch.  Also notice I chocked the bottom of the log with a little block of wood to keep it from rolling.  This also shows that although a cowboy hat would be helpful, its not required.  I've split some pretty decent sized logs using Jake's technique.   




 



 

[doc henderson]

getting the caps for my log bunk uprights done (cut out and welded on) so my son can get things painted.  he enjoys it.

[Walnut Beast]

Sounds like you better dust off your big Stihl Doc

[doc henderson]

here is pics of the annular rings to scale.



 

 



last pic not good focus.  I will do a better one.  the rings are almost square, so after I split it, I will hopefully get several boards of quarter-sawn at a time.  that is a six inch rule.

[Larry]

First thing I look at when deciding to quarter saw is the rays.  If they are big, fat, and juicy its a prime log.  I don't see rays in your log, but it may be the picture or my tube.

[alan gage]

My mill is smaller than yours and so is my skidloader. I'd probably turn that into a pair of 6' 6" logs and then quarter at least the butt log with a chainsaw and maybe the top log too depending on diameter.

I've tried ripping big logs like Jake and Robert showed but I still need some more practice. But on a short (6'6" log) I can lay the log flat and cut down from both ends (the log bar lets the cuts meet in the middle) which helps me keep a straighter cut and lets gravity do much of the work. My saw seems to cut a lot faster in that orientation as well.

I place the log on bunks before cutting so the through cut doesn't end up in the dirt.

Alan