Cutting logs of wood with a wedge.

[bcarvings]

Hi,
This guy I rake leaves for has lots and lots of logs. He said last week he cut down 20 white pine trees, and said he could have as much as I want. Can I use a mallat and a wedge to cut the logs into squares? Also I am in need of a wedge if anyone knows where to find a good wedge at a cheap price please tell me. This guy also has UNLIMITED logs of both red, and white ok. Anyone know if they carve good because he has them seasoned. I knew this guy paid good, but I didn't know he had over $5000 worth in wood.

Also this has nothing to do with the wedge stuff, but how much is th 1 1/2 murphy knife at littleshavers.com ? It is $9.33 at clostest woodcarving store. And how many differ murphy's knives are there because my closest store only has 2. Thanks again!

[mikeg]

Re: Cutting logs of wood with a wedge.

Rick charges $10.95 for his Murhpy knives. I looked in my shiny new catalog. But they come SHARP from Little Shavers!! Plus he rounds the back of the blade which helps when you roll the knife. Definitely worth the extra 1 1/2 dollars in my opinion.

I've only seen two sizes for Murphy blades.

mikeg

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Re: Cutting logs of wood with a wedge.

you can find wedges in your local hardware store.

[plain_ol_ed]

Re: Cutting logs of wood with a wedge.

First the murphy knives .. as MIke says they come sharp and slightly modified from littleshavers, definitlhy worth the extra $. As to wedges, Walmart handles them here as I recall the price is about $5. Depending on the lenght of log you will need more than one, possibly as many as four or five. Be aware, you will probably be out of high school before that white pine is ready to carve. As to carving red and white oak. It is best used for relief carving without to much (or any) fine detail due to the coarsness of the grain. It also requires a different bevel on your tools than basswood. Unless your in it for the education it's best to bite the bullet and stick to basswood that you order from a reputable supplier. If there is a home depot near you, check for what they call 'square dowels.' It comes in sizes up to 1' square and is a Chinese version of basswood. A little soft, but still whittles well. Good for chains, balls in cages, miniature people (Carving Small Chjaracters by Jack Price available at littleshavers), etc.

[randy48]

Re: Cutting logs of wood with a wedge.

Oak is hardwood, hard to carve and hard on carvig tools, I love it! One thing for sure, if you decide to try carving oak or any other hardwood, take your time, it chips easy. If you start power carving like you've been talking, it power carves like a dream!

I guess the biggest reason I like it, I can buy it green at $1 a board foot and use it mainly for woodworking, but I do carve the scraps and stuff I find out back in the woods.

[woodknomb]

Re: Cutting logs of wood with a wedge.

Well if you do this! you will find out how much work is involved in making a carving block and yes oak is hard very hard. I sold a ironwood stump a gentleman wanted to carve and make a coffee table out of it. That is even worse from my understanding.
WoodKnomb

[mikeg]

Re: Cutting logs of wood with a wedge.

Ed,

I tried finding square dowels at our local Home Depot and they had no clue what I was talking about. Not the first time. Unfortunately they're the only large hardware store we have in the area. Oh well, there's a local place where I can get bassood.

mikeg

[AlArchie]

Re: Cutting logs of wood with a wedge.

Along withthose wedges, you'll need a splitting maul (a big sledge hammer with ,what looks like an axe blade on one side. Meke sure you are wearing eye protection, because those splitting mauls send steel chips flying when striking the steelwedges. Don't bother gerttingthe fiberglass or plastic wedges....thgey are made for wedging the kerf when using a chainsaw to fell trees, not for splitting.

Al

[plain_ol_ed]

Re: Cutting logs of wood with a wedge.

Mikeg - That's probably because they know a dowel is round by definition. Why the squares are labeled 'square dowels' is beyond me. Your folks probably have them labeled more correctly (if they have them) . Check around wherever the real dowels are. You may find them there. Carefuly though as there are some other squares there that are of a different wood.

[bcarvings]

Re: Cutting logs of wood with a wedge.

Hi,
I tried usig a 6 inch sledge hammer and a 6 inch metal wedge. When I tried wacking the wedge in it seems that it will take as long as a coping saw will! I see most people on TV take a few wacks and the log splits in half, am I right? Mabye I should wack it harder? I'm trying to split through the center of a Bradford piar. I'm afriad to use all my strenght because when I'm hold the wedge with one hand and the hammer with another I'm afraid of braking my hand. The sledge hammer will hurt a lot more than a regular hammer! Do I need a bigger sledge hammer? Do I need a differ wedge?

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Re: Cutting logs of wood with a wedge.

You need a splitting maul! two handed long handle as earlier described....axe head on one side, sledge on the other

[bcarvings]

Re: Cutting logs of wood with a wedge.

Hi,
I know I need a splittin maul but it costs $30 dollars!!!! :'(
Well investing in one will pay off with all the wood I'm going to chop. Also I did manage to chop a log in half using just a sledge hammer and a wedge. However it was hard, and the wood now looks useless! Because much wood gets waisted when you drive the wedge through because the wood cracks unevenly. I wish there were a book on this so I can do it the right way.

And I managed to hurt my leg with the sledge hammer, as I speak I still feel minor pain. I mabye am thinking about buying a gas powered steel thing for $100, instead od buying the hammer thing for $30. Anyone know of a cheap gas powered log splitter. Just tell me, thanks again!

[plain_ol_ed]

Re: Cutting logs of wood with a wedge.

No matter what you split it with it's going to split in the same place and in the same way. All that's happening is the split is following the grain, which is the natural way of things. If a log is sawn the grain is violated. Welcome to the world of wood, an imperfect medium. A good book with a decent treatment of cutting and seasoning wood is 'The Traditional Bowyer's Bible, Volume 1' from Bois d'Arc press p.o. Box 233 Azle, Texas. Methinks your in for one big learnin' 'sperience my friend.

[bcarvings]

Re: Cutting logs of wood with a wedge.

Hi,
I'm thinking about building a log splitter using my grandfather's old tracker. {It sits idle, and useless.} Does anyone have a link on where I can find free info on making a log splitter? Oh and how do you tell the difference between white pine, and yellow pine. The guy I'm going to get my wood from now says I thought all pine is white. So I'm not sure what kind it is. Is white pine more common in Pennslvania farmland? Thanks

[plain_ol_ed]

Re: Cutting logs of wood with a wedge.

There are several types of pine trees native to PA. Don't think the Loblolly (Yellow) is one of them. Doesn't mean somebody hasn't planted some however. You can sometimes tell by looking at the bunches of needles. The white pine will have them in bunches of five (usually) while the yellow will be in bunches of two or three (usually). There's also other differences, but that's the easiest to explain. Now you know all I know about white and yellow pine. And there's a chance it's bad info.

As for building a log splitter, think of a motorized hydraulic ram. You could probably make a manual version with a hydraulic jack to drive the wedge but haven't given it much thought and don't intend to. Anything to do with harvesting wood means hard work and I'm alergic to it, especially the hard variety.