Marking Logs for Length

[Intheswamp]

I used a yellow lumber crayon to mark one time but then it broke in two so now I mostly just use the nose of my bar. Been known to use a hatchet too on rare occasion.

LLigetfa, I'm curious as to how you measure your cuts?
Ed

 

[firefighterjake]

Use the bar of the saw . . . cutting firewood isn't exactly required precision work . . . I'm just looking to make sure it is short enough to go into the firebox . . . not looking to send a man into space or building an inter-stellar telescope.

 

[firefighterjake]

Way too much thought and effort going into this in my opinion.

Just use a pair of these. Couple cuts to get used to it and you'll be within a half inch of the desired length every time.

What if you have brown eyes?

And what if the person who originally owned these eyes wants them back?

 

[mayhem]

What if you have brown eyes?

Irrelevant since I don't.

And what if the person who originally owned these eyes wants them back?

Well let them just try and find you without their eyes. If they start to chase you, make sure to run through the woods, the trees will slow them down considerably.

 

[billb3]

I like the gps idea,.....as long as it wouldn't constantly be telling me to "turn right".

just make sure you buy a blue one

 

[CaddyUser]

I made one of these, and it seems to work good for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFpTR8AWRqk

That looks slick. PVC and chalk-line chalk?

ETA: I'm a burning chunk! Unlike the disastrous top-down fire I just started, that's more like a smoldering mass right now.

You got it, PVC and Chalk-line chalk.....

 

[darkbyrd]

I made one of these, and it seems to work good for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFpTR8AWRqk

That looks slick. PVC and chalk-line chalk?

ETA: I'm a burning chunk! Unlike the disastrous top-down fire I just started, that's more like a smoldering mass right now.

You got it, PVC and Chalk-line chalk.....

I knew it wasn't going to be worth $5, but a good idea anyway. I might make me one of those, thanks

 

[mliiiwit]

My avatar has the jig I use.
easy on & off.
can mount it to a small saw & mark then grab good saw & cut.
After limbing, I put it on & get very close to the same length on all rounds.

here is the post & a video of it in action.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/51317/

BD's length gage has gotten a lot of criticism on some threads, but I like it and intend to make my own. Thanks for sharing BD.

If you cut your own wood, think about it:
Why cut a buck length more than once? Do you really love the 130 db output of your saw, frustration, wasting wood, gas, time, etc.?
Why cut a length shorter than optimal for your stove?
Either of the above wastes wood. Short cuts = more cuts per log, long cuts eventually = more cuts per log. Cuts = waste unless you're collecting and burning the saw dust. Anyone doing that? If so, your first name might (unofficially) be "Anal".
Only one short per log, at most, to deal with.
Beautiful stacks.
Less frustration.
No time-wasting "saw bar" or "two pinkie to thumb spans" measuring or log marking.
Not all eyeballs are properly calibrated.
Do you ever intentionally let gas or diesel spill on the ground when you're filling up your vehicle, tractor or gas can? NO? Then why cut twice (long cuts), or make more cuts than needed (short cuts). The result is the same.

I know some of this is picking nits for bucking up a log or a few. But added up over a lifetime, or the lifetime of a stove or your wood-cutting years, it would prove to be significant in comparison to the investment in the gage and time spent installing and removing it.

My $.02 worth.

 

[greythorn3]

ya i love to cut the right lengths, seems my dang saw wants to cut a crescent insteal of a straight line anymore, i dont know what the deal is with it.

 

[CTYank]

ya i love to cut the right lengths, seems my dang saw wants to cut a crescent insteal of a straight line anymore, i dont know what the deal is with it.

Uneven height of bar rails, almost certainly. Likely caused by dull cutters on one side of chain. Doesn't take long to check & rectify all.
(Whenever you see dust coming off the saw, it is assuredly dull enough to require filing NOW.)

If the problem goes away when you flip the bar, you've found it.

 

[bogydave]

My avatar has the jig I use.
easy on & off.
can mount it to a small saw & mark then grab good saw & cut.
After limbing, I put it on & get very close to the same length on all rounds.

here is the post & a video of it in action.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/51317/

BD's length gage has gotten a lot of criticism on some threads, but I like it and intend to make my own. Thanks for sharing BD.

If you cut your own wood, think about it:
Why cut a buck length more than once? Do you really love the 130 db output of your saw, frustration, wasting wood, gas, time, etc.?
Why cut a length shorter than optimal for your stove?
Either of the above wastes wood. Short cuts = more cuts per log, long cuts eventually = more cuts per log. Cuts = waste unless you're collecting and burning the saw dust. Anyone doing that? If so, your first name might (unofficially) be "Anal".
Only one short per log, at most, to deal with.
Beautiful stacks.
Less frustration.
No time-wasting "saw bar" or "two pinkie to thumb spans" measuring or log marking.
Not all eyeballs are properly calibrated.
Do you ever intentionally let gas or diesel spill on the ground when you're filling up your vehicle, tractor or gas can? NO? Then why cut twice (long cuts), or make more cuts than needed (short cuts). The result is the same.

I know some of this is picking nits for bucking up a log or a few. But added up over a lifetime, or the lifetime of a stove or your wood-cutting years, it would prove to be significant in comparison to the investment in the gage and time spent installing and removing it.

My $.02 worth.

Thanks.
Works well for me.

Changed my Avatar, & now have the length set for 17", fit N/S in stove well.
When I can, I cut like in the video
Sometimes I put it on the small saw, walk the log & mark it.
Still using it., Had to buy a few extra 1/4-20 wing nuts, maybe i should paint them flo-orange, May try an "earth magnet" to hold it on the bar.
Anal, maybe, but I like 17" wood.

 

[velvetfoot]

Lately I've gotten away from marking and just carry a light 16" piece of brightly painted wood.

 

[Stevebass4]

i've got a scrap piece of wood shingle that i cut to 11 inches and i mark the logs with a can of marking paint.

 

[Wood Duck]

I just eyeball it and it works great. One day I actually cut two pieces the same length! Another time I cut one to the right length! I can't wait until next time to see if I can catch lightning in a jar again.

 

[firefighterjake]

Still eyeballing it or using the chainsaw bar . . . and it still works pretty well . . . at least until I go blind . . . than I may have a problem with this method.

 

[mudbug250]

I use wooden dowel cut to 16", then mark the cut line with a small handsaw. I just need to paint my dowel Stihl Orange so it will be easier to find when I accidentally drop it.

 

[barkeatr]

i got thinking that you could mount a laser marker pen at an angle on the saw, somewhere near the trigger end of the saw. when the laser shows up you cut. dont confuse the idea of laser with a pursuite of ridiculous accuracy...but simply a way to "mark" the log with something that doesnt get in the way. I googled it and see there is already a patent for this. I have a pretty good eye for lenghts, but for some reason with logs i cannot eyeball it consistantly. i may order a cheap laser pen and see if i can mount it in my saw housing..

 

[LLigetfa]

i got thinking that you could mount a laser marker pen at an angle on the saw...

I have certainly given that consideration. The problem with a single light source is that it would not be parallel to the bar, so the angle of the saw would affect the measurement. To overcome that, I would use two points of light that converge into one at the point that the bar is roughly perpendicular to the wood.

 

[firefighterjake]

If it fits, it burns . . . at least that's my motto.

Bucking up wood to become stove chow isn't exactly rocket science requiring exact laser like measurements . . . now on the other hand if someone could design a Jedi Light Saber chainsaw to cut up wood I would be all for that.

 

[LLigetfa]

Bucking up wood to become stove chow isn't exactly rocket science requiring exact laser like measurements . . .

barkeatr already stated that the laser pointer was not for "exact laser like measurements" so I fail to see why you had to go there.

I have seen lasers used in a sawmill on the light table, where the sawyer positions the boards for best yield and as the saw blades are moved, so too do the laser lines. It would be cool to have a series of laser lines to mark where to cut.

 

[barkeatr]

....regarding the light being parallel to bar, I was thinking it would not be parralel. i thought you could mount the laser at an angle to compensate..but now that i think about it the diameter of the log would change where the laser hit it, making the idea unworkable.

 

[greythorn3]

ya i love to cut the right lengths, seems my dang saw wants to cut a crescent insteal of a straight line anymore, i dont know what the deal is with it.

Uneven height of bar rails, almost certainly. Likely caused by dull cutters on one side of chain. Doesn't take long to check & rectify all.
(Whenever you see dust coming off the saw, it is assuredly dull enough to require filing NOW.)

If the problem goes away when you flip the bar, you've found it.

ya it sure does need a sharpening

 

[toonces]

used tape measure and one of my kid's Crayola chalks. worked great and fast.