If you have large logs or trees in your residence or back garden, you might be considering cutting up the large logs with a chainsaw. One of the common reasons for most people doing this is to use it for firewood.
No matter what you choose to do with the wood, you know you need to cut it into smaller portions and for that, you’ll need every man’s favourite power tool: the chainsaw.
Here, we will look at everything required for you to know about how cut large logs with a chainsaw safely and efficiently.
Cutting large logs from a fallen tree or branch can become a tangled mess if done improperly. But with the right chainsaw, protective gear and cutting techniques, you can quickly and easily turn it into next year’s fuel.
How to Split Large Logs with a Chainsaw
If you have plenty trees and have a lot of wood that you want to turn into firewood, then cutting safely is important. You should also know the easiest way you need to get the job done.
Wear Correct Protective Equipment
Before even thinking about picking up a chainsaw, you should do your research and make sure you have all the right PPE to hand. Get your hands on proper safety glasses, gloves, ear defenders, and standard chainsaw steel boots. You should ensure you have the appropriate protection for the task at hand prior to picking up your machine.
There are loads of yearly reports of injuries caused by chainsaws, make sure you don’t join the statistics. No matter what you use your chainsaw for, never underestimate your chainsaw.
Cut Your Large Logs Correctly – Pick the Right Chainsaw
With the advancements in technology and the multitude of options available to anyone buying a chainsaw, there’s no shortage of competition or options. Depending on the cutting job at hand, the type of large log you need a chainsaw for will determine the right tool to be used.
A fallen tree will usually have saw-pinching areas where the top of the log is under compression and the bottom is under tension.
In an ideal world, you would have access to both parts of the large log you plan on cutting – the top and bottom.
Make a cut directly down from the top and then finish by cutting up from the bottom. The thing to be careful with is that sometimes the chainsaw gets pinched in the downwards-cutting motion.
As such sometimes, an alternative way to cut large logs is to make an angled cut downwards to about a one third of the log’s diameter. You then need to make an additional angled cut that intersects the first from the opposite angle.
Then switch off the chainsaw and set it aside. Remove the wedge.
A third cut can then be made in the upward direction from the bottom that intersects the point of the wedge.
For much larger tree trunks, start by placing the trunk on firm, even ground. Grab a can of spray paint or a luminous marker and mark sections of your trunk evenly into one-meter parts.
Ensure your trunk is properly wedged and wont budge as you start to cut. You can do this by inserting a rubber wedge on other side or an angled piece of wood. Then all you need to do is start up you chainsaw and start cutting on the pre-marked lines as described above.
Cut the log 3/4 of the way through to avoid cutting into the dirt. Move to the next line. Roll the entire trunk, readjust your wedges, and continue cutting through the last 1/4 cuts.
From there you can use your wedge or an axe to split your wood into further sections if required.
It might seem awkward of difficult when you start but it’ll get easier with each cut.
Stay safe.
