Feedback & Questions Keeping woodland owners better informed


Info Pack


Is it fair only for new members to get a pack?


Splitting wood Crispin Rogers with advice for splitting


Regarding the article ‘Splitting wood without an axe’ in the last issue, I basically agree with the contents, however I was somewhat disappointed with the demonstration photos. Both the Logmatic and the axe are being used incorrectly. With the Logmatic the log should


be standing on or near ground level on hard standing or hard substrate; typically the concrete apron on a garage or a couple of breeze blocks (side by side). On top of this should be placed a piece of thick plywood to save the edge of the blade. The Logmatic should be used vertically and the posture/stance should be vertical. Also, one foot can be placed on the log to stop it moving. We recommend that the Logmatic be used with gloves to cushion the impact and have developed our Logmatic gel palm gloves for this. Also the Logmatic should be used much like the SmartSplitter with a flick to give added impetus. The hands should be relaxed at the point of impact to avoid shock. I was taught to use an axe when a boy many years ago by an experienced woodsman who used to work in the Sussex woods. Firstly the log should be placed on a stump about 20in high. The posture/stance


22 Smallwoods Spring 2010


should be upright, square on to the log and legs wide apart. The reason for this is that if you miss the log the axe will swing harmlessly between your legs. Also posture should be fairly upright, the arms not the body should move with the axe. In the photo the person is leaning forward to reach a log that is placed too low. Crispin Rogers, Logmatic Thanks for the advice. We were trying to illustrate the use of the tools by someone who hasn’t been trained in axe work.


I take exception to paying for the SWA Info Pack when it is free for new members. Perhaps I should allow my membership to lapse and then rejoin in order to get a free pack. I have been a member for a number of years and believe that I should have a free copy, but I am happy to pay p&p. I should point out that in the magazine (p4) the charge is £10 inc. p&p, but on p19 the charge is £8. All a bit arbitrary. Andy Malleson I'm sorry that you feel that the launch of the new members' pack has treated existing members unfairly. We would have dearly liked to send out a copy of the new pack to all existing members, but it would have been far too expensive at £16,000, so we felt that to make the pack available at cost price (£8 including postage, the £10 figure was quoted in error) was the fairest way to make it available to our current membership. Phil Tidey


Newspaper rolly Common sense and safety


I feel I should respond to Mr Hyde’s criticism of an article I wrote for Smallwoods about chainsaw safety. You are right that rakers and depth gauges are the same thing. I believe depth gauge is the technical term but raker is the term we use [in Wisconsin]. We don’t necessarily speak the same language; I have no idea what ‘snedding’ is. As far as setting the rakers I don’t


see any point in all the measuring he describes. A simple raker gauge laid across the teeth allows you to file off any portion of the raker that protrudes through the slot in the gauge. This individualises the teeth so each is set properly. A gauge costs about $3 and really takes no training at all to use. I don’t know what Mr Hyde


Beverley Spooner’s article about loo rolls prompted me to evaluate one of our own methods of feeding a fire. We make newspaper rollies out of old newspapers and all our sawdust and bark shreds. It doesn’t matter if some of it is a bit damp, it will just burn more slowly, and when dry or damp will slow the fire down and thus augment one’s wood supplies. To make a rollie, use two sheets, each comprising


two or three thicknesses of paper, arranged so that they overlap by about 50%. Spread the sawdust over the papers, leaving a 4in margin all around, apart from the far corner which should have an 8in margin. Roll up the papers from one corner so that the layers of dust and paper form an imaginary Swiss roll. As you roll the paper, fold in side edges continuing to roll, so that you end up with a neat package. Angela Smith


www.smallwoods.org.uk


does, but I am not a chainsaw instructor, I am a chainsaw user. I’ve attended demonstrations but have never completed a course of instruction. I do, however, have the basic knowledge to have done the job successfully for 30-some years. I have an understanding of tension (good) and compression (bad). I hope that sets his mind at ease on that one point. Just because I understand that


disctinction doesn’t mean that I am always able to sense it correctly in my work nor act accordingly. I do make mistakes and I do get my saw stuck from time to time. We make our living selling logs cut from red pine trees. These are 12-16ft logs, usually


three per tree. Standing trees are worth about a penny a pound, so it’s a volume business. We don’t have a lot of time for niceties. One tank of gas runs for about 45 minutes and produces 30-40 logs, felled, limbed and bucked. I do try to ‘bench’ every tree, but it


doesn’t always work out. Sometimes there are situations when it’s not easy to determine where the stresses lie. Sometimes, I just get it wrong. It’s simply a matter to carry a small plastic wedge and to insert it in the kerf. If I was correct, the kerf opens and the wedge falls out. If I was wrong, or if the forces change during the cut, my wedge is there to keep my saw free. Cheap insurance. As for non-rotational kickback. I


agree it’s not a big problem, but I had one person thank me for mentioning it since it had happened to him. I also agree that it shouldn’t happen if you know what you are doing, but that’s true of most accidents, including rotational kickback. It’s a good reason to include it, not to omit it. I also agree that Mr Hyde’s method


for bucking logs supported at both ends is a proper method, but it’s no use if the log isn’t far enough off the ground to allow space to insert the saw under the log. I also agree that if the log is on the ground, you can only cut part-way through and roll it to complete the cut. You can also use the wedge to keep the kerf open and sever the last little bit with the tip of the bar. In most cases you won’t


Dave Johnson responds to criticism of his chainsawing techniques


be needing the hook so when you could use it you have to look around to try and locate it. It doesn’t pay to lug it around from tree to tree on the chance you may need it. To me, bumper spikes are of no


use. People mostly use them to force a dull saw through the wood. I remove them. If I have a log that is off the ground and I wish to buck it, I push the power head right up against the log, and if my rakers are set right and my saw is sharp, it just feeds right down the wood. This is a nice feeling and bumper spikes just get in the way and prevent the smooth action of the saw. In addition, I try and use the shortest bar I can to get by with because each inch of bar adds 2in of friction. The bumper spikes take up about an inch of bar length that I can use. Finally, some of the best advice I


got for working in the woods was not to get married to any one method. This is my only quarrel with training courses. They don’t encourage any deviation from their methods. Dave Johnson, Wisconsin, USA There was also a comment from someone that we should be using a chainsaw expert in the UK to advise on chainsaw use. In my experience, though the terms may differ a little, trees are pretty similar around the world, as are the products we use. If there are chainsaw experts in Britain who’d be willing to share some of their experience, we’d welcome their contributions.


When a log is on the ground you can really only cut part- way through and then turn it. Dave recommends you use a wedge to keep the cut open if there is a problem


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Nick Gibbs Spring 2010 Smallwoods 23


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