BARNACLE PARP'S CHAIN SAW GUIDE

Image Gallery When crosscutting logs supported on one end, make two cuts in this sequence.

This is the second of two excerpts. The first installment, which appeared in MOTHER NO. 54, covered basic use of the chain saw.

Excerpted from BARNACLE PARP'S CHAIN SAW GUIDE by Walter Hall, copyright © 1977 by the author, Permission granted by Rodale Press. Available in hard cover or in paperback from any good bookstore...or in paperback for $7.95 plus 95¢ shipping and handling from Mother's Bookshelf, P.O. Box 70, Hendersonville, N.C. 28739.

BUCKING

Lately we've been practicing with our saws out on the backyard woodpile, and we have the feel of them now. We've gotten used to cutting small logs, in easy-to-handle situations, such as propped up on our sawbuck with one end free.

But out there in the woods we're going to be cutting all sizes of timber, under all kinds of conditions. How do we avoid limbs that snap back and logs that roll? We'd better take some time for a look at a number of different woodcutting situations.

Our plastic and aluminum wedges will be useful tools. In many cases, simply using a wedge will save a saw from being pinched in a cut.

But suppose we have a really huge log that's supported on one end. How do we keep it from splitting or tearing when we cut through it?

The first thing to consider in any woodcutting problem is the stress factor. What is the direction and nature of the stress?

With a huge log supported on one end, and our cut coming just on the free side of the support, we need to minimize the amount of stress at the moment the cut becomes complete. A wedge won't do any good in this case. In fact, using a wedge would only increase the stress from above.

Let's start from the bottom of the log and cut upwards, with the top part of our guide bar. If we cut some of the diameter of the log from underneath, say about a third, then we can finish it from above with just one more cut and the stress will be considerably lessened. In other words, we'll start with a one-third underbuck and finish with an overbuck.

Remember always to work on the uphill side of the log and use a good stance. Place feet far enough apart to allow a comfortable but firm and balanced center.

Now suppose our large log is supported on both ends. The weight is on the lower half of the log, below our cut. To avoid a splitting log and a pinched bar, begin this cut with a one-third overbuck. Finish with an underbuck and be careful to exercise firm control of the saw. Make both cuts at a slight angle so the bar isn't pinched in the kerf when the log settles. Another trick to avoid pinching the bar is to make the cuts so that they aren't directly opposite each other.

If you're going to buck a log that's lying fairly flat on the ground, so that the piece of wood is supported for almost its entire length, there's no way to underbuck it. In that case, use a wedge to keep the kerf open and avoid pinching the bar. Remember to stand uphill and don't let your chain hit the ground.