Firewood Cutting System Types
When you are doing a lot of firewood cutting, a good firewood holder comes in handy, just like a second set of hands to to hold your wood off the ground and keep it in place. The use of a some kind of firewood holder has a few benefits:
- Gets wood off the ground
- Getting the wood off the ground not only helps your back, but also keeps your chainsaw chain out of the dirt, so it stays sharper, longer.
- Safety
- A good firewood cutting holder will hold your wood securely, making it safer to cut than if you have wood just sitting on the ground.
The table below will show you the different types of firewood cutting systems you can use today. No one system is best for all situations. The length of the firewood you have, the size of the logs, the straightness or twistiness of the logs, and the location you are cutting your firewood in will all have a big impact on the type of system you choose and do not choose. The purpose of the following table is to help you decide what type of system you should use to help you cut firewood efficiently in your particular situation.
No Sawbuck or Rack
Sawbucks can take time to set up, and can be one more piece of equipment you need to haul in to cut wood. Sometimes it's easiest to just not use a sawbuck. If you are cutting particularly large logs, you may not be able to even lift the log in a sawbuck for cutting. When you aren't using a sawbuck, you want to make sure you position yourself in a safe place, and watch to make sure your chainsaw does not cut into the ground as you cut.
Wooden X-Type Sawbuck
If you have a large amount of relatively large logs, a simple wooden X-type sawbuck, shown to the left, may be your best bet. They can hold more than one log, and keep the log off the ground and relatively secure as you cut. Because of their relatively short length, you may need to buck your log into smaller pieces before you load it into the sawbuck, to prevent it from tipping over. Depending on how you construct it, an X-Type sawbuck may take up a lot of extra room to store, and may be heavy and unweildy to haul to your firewood source.
Steel X-Type Sawbuck
A Steel X-Type Sawbuck is also great for relatively large, short logs. You will need to be able to lift the log into the sawbuck, and like the wooden X firewood sawbuck, you will need to balance the log as you cut it to prevent the sawbuck from tipping. Most steel X-Type sawbucks fold, allowing you to easily store and transport the sawbuck to your firewood source.
BranchBuck Firewood Cutting Rack
The BranchBuck firewood cutting rack is a log bucking rack that consists of a base frame, a top frame, and T-Posts as side rails to build a secure stack of wood sized to the length of your chainsaw bar. Unlike sawbucks, the BranchBuck allows you to cut many branches and limbs at once, safely. You do not need to re-load the rack after each log, so you can run your chainsaw continuously, and turn it off when it is time to re-load the rack. The T-Post design also securely holds the BranchBuck in the ground, so it cannot tip. A rack full of wood can yield an entire face cord of wood in about 10 minutes of cutting. Since the entire rack comes apart, storage is fairly easy and the parts can hang on a wall in your garage or workshop.
Center Support Single Log Sawbuck
A Center Support Single Log Sawbuck provides you with a means of getting a large log off the ground for cutting. The log is held to the sawbuck with a chain, which must be reset with each log. While you are cutting, you will need to walk back and forth to each end of the log so the rack does not tip over. This type of rack folds as well, which makes storage fairly simple.
End Support Single Log Sawbuck
An End Support Single Log Sawbuck is similar to the Center Support design, except there is no chain to attach with each log. Each log is inserted into a pivoting frame which holds the end securely as you cut. There is no need to balance the sawbuck, you just go to the free end and cut away. This type of sawbuck will also fold for easy storage.