Felling wedges

[DanL]

I am in need of a few felling or bucking wedges. I make my own from local Ironwood ( Hornbeam or Hop Hornbeam). However, I like to keep a few plastic/synthetic ones around. 

Considering hammer impact durability and other, do y'all have any particular favorite brands and/or sizes?

[doc henderson]

I like the idea of making some.  I buy some Stihl, and others no name brand, like 15 in a bag, for the sawmill to back out a blade.  We do not have a big logging industry here, so the name brands are limited.  most of my falling does not require a wedge.

[RetiredTech]

I have a bag of assorted length no name plastic wedges that I use mostly to keep from pinching my saw blade in a downed tree. I don't cut many trees down that are standing straight up. Most of our firewood and my sawmill wood is blown down already or hung up in another tree. I do have a few metal wedges, but hardly ever use them anymore. If I needed to cut a big tree, I'd use the metal ones.

[Grandpa]

I like K&H wedges.

[Jim Chance]

 I always wanted a "second wedge" for when you need more lift than one wedge. The thin end would be a bit thinner than the fat end of a regular wedge, the fat end twice as thick. I think it would be better than stacking wedges.

[Magicman]

I have a pair of wedges that are grooved so that you can stack them without them slipping apart.  Like triangular T&G that mesh together.

[gspren]

I'm not necessarily recommending this for a few reasons but I've used splitting wedges for some extra lift or when trying to recover a pinched bar.

[Stephen1]

I like the idea of making some.  I buy some Stihl, and others no name brand, like 15 in a bag, for the sawmill to back out a blade.  We do not have a big logging industry here, so the name brands are limited.  most of my falling does not require a wedge.

Doc, If I have to back out a blade, its because I hit hardware and the blade is toast,  Terrific Timber showed me how to use my grinder with a cutoff wheel to cut the blade on both sides of the log,   saves so much time and  effort!

[Larry]

I practice directional felling on every tree I cut. With that in mind probably 80% meet a wedge or two. I only buy 12" long wedges as shorter ones don't give me as much lift and are harder to drive (I'm lazy). I looked to see what brands I have and found a big variety so I guess no favorites. I drive the wedges with a short handle sledge, boy's ax, or a home made wood mallet. Since I don't have to pound as hard, I seldom destroy wedges putting them in.

With directional felling I bore cut exclusively. Cutting a wedge with the saw is common for me, operator error I suppose.

I sometimes will use a wedge to back out a blade but most often I cut it as suggested earlier. If I do back out a blade, I have a 3' section of a old blade that I put a wood handle on. Teeth face me. I use this like a hand saw to clear the kerf of sawdust before backing out the band. Helps a lot.

[thecfarm]

Most times I put a wedge in, Sometimes I need to pound it in, other times I don't touch the wedge.