The Great Divide: Felling and Bucking Wedge Thread

David Martin said:
I didn't know there were so many different wedges for different uses. That's one reason I enjoy this Forum as I learn so much. I'm mostly a grunt wood cutter, get it split and into the barn. So, we can heat our home. Whereas some men on here do so much more duties than just cutting fire wood. Thus, the need for different tools is impressive.
There is a group of square dancers that meet not far away and I may attend to learn the steps. Thanks, DM
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Some bull riders take ballet lessons to help with their balance. Perhaps square dancing would help with your swing?
 
It's cool seeing all of these old felling and bucking wedges. My experience with wedges (for bucking) has all been with modern, plastic wedges. They've worked quite well and I appreciate that they're a whole lot softer than the backs of the axes.
 
My P.E. class was whuppin' people's butts legally/Taekwondo so I lucked out. Having been forced to go contra dancing however, I feel your guys' pain. Every other guy at the contra dance looked like they were only there due to their better half forcing them to go, and the ones we asked confirmed it.
 
Well, thanks to ITVD, I've got some additions to make to this thread! He gave me a good deal and I appreciate it! And as usual they were the epitome of excellent packaging.
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Starting from the tape measure and working up;
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I'm pretty impressed with the size of these things. I had seen the measurements before but it doesn't hit home how large they are till you're holding one in your hand. I'm thinking I'll restore the rose and the acme and leave the admiral and eagle as they are. They look awfully neat the way they are. Thanks again itvd and thanks everyone else for checkin' em out!
 
Yankee Josh said:
Well, thanks to ITVD, I've got some additions to make to this thread! He gave me a good deal and I appreciate it! And as usual they were the epitome of excellent packaging.
cs3SYij.jpg

Starting from the tape measure and working up;
QHFlGJe.jpg


ZzzUhAp.jpg
V1iIo5D.jpg
9eawft8.jpg

I'm pretty impressed with the size of these things. I had seen the measurements before but it doesn't hit home how large they are till you're holding one in your hand. I'm thinking I'll restore the rose and the acme and leave the admiral and eagle as they are. They look awfully neat the way they are. Thanks again itvd and thanks everyone else for checkin' em out!
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It is nice to see real steel felling wedges. I just don't see them here on the southern Minnesota prairie. I have a number of trees that I am working on as time and weather conditions permit and after looking long and hard with no success I ended up buying the modern plastic version. I have two splitting wedges that have been in the family since the 1860s and I am torn between removing the mushrooms on the struck ends and making them safer or leaving what my ancestors did when the right tool was not available. Now I don't mean to be blaming all the mushrooming on long gone predecessors, as I, too, have felled trees using the wrong tool. If you have not done so, even the weight of a swinging eight pound maul makes it difficult to get the steep angles of a splitting wedge started in a saw cut when you want the tree to fall in a direction that gravity is working against. Those are really cool Josh!
 
I thought I'd share this here. Made the most sense to me. This is sacrilege I know! (I used a grinder to remove the bulk of the mushrooming)(please don't tell anyone). Haha. I couldn't help it! I'd have been there a fortnight filing on it. A quick before and after and then some progress pics.
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It still required a lot of filing for sure. But the grinder did save me probably 4 hours of filing. Here's a few more before and then a few after filing.
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And then my final step, other than waiting for it to rust so I can wire wheel it, was grinding everything with my sandstone wheel.
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I've been wetting it every time I see that it's dried and it's already quite rusty. Once I get it totally done it'll look nice I think. Have a great evening!
 
Josh, If it was mine and I access to a forge, I think I would gotten it hot and beat on it for a little while with a large hammer until it saw things my way, lacking that my grinder would have gotten the job. Rather dramatic before and after photographs, it looks like quite a bit of material was removed. You have it shaped as I would imagine it if it were new! How long did it take you to train that file to do that nice work? Are you using chalk on your file? There is now a box of chalk in my file drawer.
 
Hairy Clipper said:
Josh, If it was mine and I access to a forge, I think I would gotten it hot and beat on it for a little while with a large hammer until it saw things my way, lacking that my grinder would have gotten the job. Rather dramatic before and after photographs, it looks like quite a bit of material was removed. You have it shaped as I would imagine it if it were new! How long did it take you to train that file to do that nice work? Are you using chalk on your file? There is now a box of chalk in my file drawer.
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I agree about the forge. Provided I could've done it without messing up the stamp, and supposing I had a forge, I would've done it with heat and hammer.
I don't use chalk or anything else. I just use large 10" or 12" double cut files(i.e; nu-cut, and or flat or mill bastard) for the grunt work and then switch to a grobet inox 00 cut file. The latter cuts very, very well yet makes small enough filings that a rap on the bench and quick sweep of a brush cleans it.
And I'm not sure what you mean about training the file? Do you mean how much experience I have filing? If that's the question many dozens of hours filing on many dozens of axes! Haha. It's the extent of my metal working due to my current lack of a forge so I really enjoy the work. I have a fan blowing on me and a headlamp on and I'll just stand there for hours at a time filing often late into the night.
 
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