Laser attachment for consistent firewood lengths

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wahoowad

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
Dec 19, 2005
1,680
Virginia
I'm interested in a laser attachment that I can adjust to help me get the desired firewood lengths when bucking logs. I know of other methods...Mingo, chalk, use your bar, magnetic stick, etc... but a compact laser attachment that is small and can be quickly removed seems like a good idea. I've seen the Firewood Prosizer but it's a little bulky and expensive if you ask me. Wondering if anybody has seen a DIY version or perhaps a competing product out there?
 
This could be your Million Dollar idea . . . get busy building one!!!
 
This could be your Million Dollar idea . . . get busy building one!!!
Hope he’s good with trigonometry. That point of light is going to move around depending on where the saw is located. 😝
 
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I was thinking the same. Angle it? What if you don't hold the saw exactly at 90 deg from the trunk?
 
People are just wayyyyy over thinking this.. It's really not hard to measure out lengths at all.. It literally takes me and my son 5 minutes if that to mark out an entire tree to 9ft lengths, with a tape measure and mark out paint. Cutting to rounds is roughly a couple of seconds. pick something on the saw.. For me, the back of the handle to the first rivet on the bar is exactly 18 inches. ALL of my splits are within a half-inch. Nothing to bend, break, get out of alignment, no batteries.
 
I simply use a 17" scrap piece of 2*2, Mark out the log with my saw, and go from there.
 
I'm now thinking . . . scrap the laser tape measure and go with Jedi light sabers to do the cutting. It would be a lot of fun.
 
I hate to be stuck in the past. Way in the past. But I had my DNA run on 23andme.com, and I am 3.1 percent Neanderthal. I have more Neanderthal DNA than 96 percent of the population. So I'm stuck way in the past, like 45,000 years ago I can't help it.

I use a Stanley tape measure and a piece of red chalk to measure pieces of firewood. Very quick and efficient.
 
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I'm now thinking . . . scrap the laser tape measure and go with Jedi light sabers to do the cutting. It would be a lot of fun.
I’m thinking more in line with some glasses with etched lines but the length will still vary depending on the distance your looking/working at. 😂

I have a black line on my saws. I’m good with +/- 2” myself. If I want precision I’d machine the ends square on my Bridgeport.
 
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I’ve found that for 90% all the wood that I process I can use a 20 inch bar. Wood furnace uses 20 inch pieces. Use the bar.

I can understand if you have a smaller wood stove that takes shorter pieces, but otherwise why wouldn’t you use the bar?
 
Man you guys sure love to make it complicated and expensive. 2 magnets and a piece of allthread, good enough to get it within 1/2". Cost next to nothing, nothing to mark, just cut and go
[Hearth.com] Laser attachment for consistent firewood lengths
[Hearth.com] Laser attachment for consistent firewood lengths
 
I've got a GPS with auto steer on my saw. All you have to do is plot the log hit engage and watch it go.
 
A GPS on the Stihl. wouldn't be surprised if someone invented that, and bet someone on this forum would buy it.
 
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Sound like a good project for boston dynamics to work on --I will take a pack mule please ---
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I’ve seen those longer, stiffer tie wraps, cut to the appropriate length and attached to the hand grip of the saw to determine log length. That’s what I use.