Chainsaw cradle

[Eric Friedman]

While hardly original, I thought I'd share a pic of my new chainsaw cradle. it can be used to crosscut the anchor sealed ends of logs. (bigger crosscutting I do on some low horses, also seen in the pic.

But the main point of the cradle is to allow safe ripping of a log. The bevels on the center pieces provide plenty of surface area to hold the round log. Those pieces -- Doug fir makes the color very distinct from the "permanent" redwood base -- are designed to be sacrificial. SO while there is a gap between the two for the blade to exit, it's expected that these sacrificial cheeks will be cut. For this reason there's no metal involved -- they are doweled to the base.

It's sturdy, with its splayed legs -- 4 on each side - but compact and light enough to take along to a remote location where a tree awaits...

I hope this will inspire someone.

 

[Jonathan Silwones]

Just what I’ve been looking for. Thank you for sharing Eric.

 

[hockenbery]

hope this will inspire someone.

Thats a nice design. I like the height.

Mine is more low tech

 

[Jim Knoerr]

Personally I would like something taller, so I'm not bending over so much with the chainsaw.

 

[Eric Friedman]

Personally I would like something taller, so I'm not bending over so much with the chainsaw.

Fair, but considerations include:

• portability, especially by car;
• storage needed when not in use;
• the ergonomics of safely lifting a big log up higher;
• ability to reach safely over the length of the log when ripping;
• potentially greater damage to surface (grass, deck, etc) by drops (cutoffs) from higher up.

I find that kneeling on one knee is a pretty good tradeoff for comfort. But I'm sure there are many equally valid reasons to go taller!

 

[hockenbery]

Personally I would like something taller, so I'm not bending over so much with the chainsaw.

I like the low lift or even roll onto the holder.
I usually kneel on one knee. This keeps the back straight, gives good control of the saw, and a nice sight line on the cut.

 

[John K Jordan]

I have this right outside my shop door.
Osage orange, about 19x32x24' high, weighs maybe 400 lbs. Stout!
Good height for my arms and back.



I use it as an outdoor workbench for pounding, drilling, sawing, as a low table. For chainsawing log sections a couple of parallel 2x4s on the top is sufficient.
(I didn't make those big crosscut gashes in the top - friends with not much chainsaw experience kindly provided those!)

This is a crotch from what used to be the recorded largest Osage in TN, before it died. Someone called me so I came with a trailer and took this and a couple of long. straight 18" diameter vertical "branches".
I cut up the logs into blanks but dumped this chunk in the weeds by the sawmill. I "found" it years later and set it outside the shop door. It's a perfect size for me.

Might have some nice crotch flame inside. Maybe I'll cut it up some day for turning wood. Maybe not.

JKJ

 

[Neil S]

Kneeling on one knee to chainsaw is something I would avoid myself as it does not give me the option of safely stepping back! But, they are your limbs and life to do with what you please.

I use this a three-legged sawhorse for ripping blanks...

​

The main beam is a section of railway sleeper. It folds up to transport and the three legs allow it to be used on reasonably uneven ground, which is usually the case when I get to a tree fall. Ripping on site allows me to quickly assess the blanks and make decisions about where to cut next and what to leave behind. For larger logs I can add longer dogs, if needed. I sometimes add a sacrificial piece of timber below larger logs where the rip cut will break through because it is harder to judge with them exactly where the position of bar is along its full length.

I use a dedicated full square chisel ripping chain on a 28" bar for this and also a modified sprocket cover to allow the very long noodles that come off long rip cuts to eject and not get clogged up in the sprocket area. You can see the noodles on the ground below the sawhorse in the top photo and also over the bush about 6ft behind the saw horse. The noodles build up so rapidly below the saw while ripping that they would soon clog up the exit below the sprocket on a low sawhorse.

As for lifting the billets up onto the sawhorse, if I can't do that then I reckon I'm no longer up to using a chainsaw for that task, which may come sooner than I would like.

I locally source and prepare all of my turning wood and I have lost count of the many hundreds of blanks that have come off that saw horse of mine and it's still good for more, if I am...

I also use the sawhorse for crosscutting, as you can see from the cuts across the beam.

 

[hockenbery]

Kneeling on one knee to chainsaw is something I would avoid myself as it does not give me the option of safely stepping back!

I’ll have to think on this a bit.

When I’m felling or limbing I never kneel and always have cleared escape routes.

Cutting a stump at near ground level I kneel. I consider that to be safe.
The stump isn’t going to fall on me or cause the saw to move out of control.

Ripping a short log section in half close to the ground? I’ve not thought of needing an escape routes. I just never thought the log section would move unexpectedly or I would loose control of the saw.

Ripping a long section in half I stand as as I have to walk back to complete the cut and I can’t engage the bucking prongs.

If I’m cutting a blank to round I stand because I can’t always engage the bucking prongs and there is a likelihood the blank will move some.

 

[John K Jordan]

Kneeling on one knee to chainsaw is something I would avoid

I avoid the knee pose too, not because of safety (no prob with that) but because it's harder on the back, legs, and knees! This is not something I ever considered back when I was 74. Old joke, I'm 75 - but lots of things change with age.

Personally, unless I or a friend need to chainsaw in a tight space, maybe to clear storm-fall without room for equipment, I usually use the machine since I have it on hand. (I realize I posted this picture before.)

It saves a LOT of up, down, reaching. So much more comfortable to hold the end at a good height off the ground and cut useful chunks all the way down the log. After cutting, I can load any size into truck or trailer with zero strain. I know, I'm spoiled rotten, but I did save for 10 years for the thing and it's SO handy around the farm. People who come here for wood appreciate it - this friend does:


I like to pressure wash dirt/mud off the logs - a clean log makes a happy chainsaw.

If the wood is offsite, the machine can be hauled in the trailer, wood cut, loaded, and hauled, then go back for the machine. I don't do that on a whim.

I tend to rip with the Woodmizer, again I feel blessed or spoiled rotten, depending on the point of view. The sawmill was one of my first buys after the tractor when we moved to this place. Got it before the price went WAY up. It needs a special fixture to hold short pieces. It was a good day for this bowl-turning friend.



Need wood? Come visit. Bring a truck.

JKJ