I made a thing...

[Syncop8r]

... for cutting up logs. The two rows of little logs on top are part of it. You should be able to work out their purpose...

(Is this where chainsaw topics belong? Seems like a funny place with all the survival stuff...  )

[Sparky415]

 

You have a lot more control over your chainsaw than I do 

[Syncop8r]

You have a lot more control over your chainsaw than I do 

True, you have no control over my chainsaw. 

[Sparky415]

Just as I thought, no one understands me 

[Grant Lamontagne]

I was just thinking that would be a very handy and effective way of segmenting a log, assuming it wasn't too heavy to lift on to it!

Great work!

Def

[Syncop8r]

It's quite fast cutting them this way, the slow part is loading the next log on.

Oh and it was made from prunings.

[Poncho65]

Nice rig you have made there

[gregozedobe]

A saw horse is a great idea - really saves your back compared with sawing wood on the ground (and no danger of blunting your chain on dirt and rocks).  But you do need the strength to lift the log up onto it.  I really appreciate that you used the same wood to make it with as you are cutting up.   

My saw horse is slightly similar, but different - it has 3 X pieces not 2 (with the extra one near one end), and some shock cord with a yachting cleat to hold the piece of wood from moving while I cut it.  You get a similar result with the short horizontal sections with gaps allowing you to cut all along the piece.

I've been enjoying my latest chainsaw, a Ryobi with a 5Ahr 36V battery.  It does a surprisingly good job of cutting, lasts well on one battery (unless I'm cutting large logs I'm usually tuckered out when one battery is drained), it is very quiet (I live in suburbia), but best of all it always starts first time (  I have two petrol chainsaws that currently won't go because they need the carbies cleaned out).

[G-Dizzle]

Very interesting!! Nice job!!

[Syncop8r]

A saw horse is a great idea - really saves your back compared with sawing wood on the ground (and no danger of blunting your chain on dirt and rocks). 

You got it... and my back is giving me major grief at the moment but using this yesterday was no problem.
The idea was also to eliminate pinching but that can still happen... I found that if a bowed log is placed 'smiling' (as in the pic) rather than 'frowning' then it's all good.
The main downside with mine is it's not very portable.

[Syncop8r]

Some others using a similar concept:




Although it's considered unsafe to cut through more than one log at a time... (also to start a chainsaw from the hip...)....

Here's another approach but requiring a little more technology (mostly a how-to, in action at the end):


Or these:

[gregozedobe]

There are certainly lots of different designs around for holding logs to saw them up - "variety is the spice of life" they say, but I'm sure some designs work better than others.


The one I made from scrap wood is very similar to this one (but I didn't see this one before I designed mine, honest ! ):

http://handycrowd.com/cutting-firewood-from-felled-trees-safely-and-easily/

scroll down to Ian's 08/03/2016 reply to Charlotte

It folds flat to make transportation and storage easier.  Mine has a chain at the bottom to control the width of opening.

I use a length of shock cord that clips into a yacht cleat to hold the log from moving about.  I have seen a steel version with teeth on the inside of the V that holds the wood, that looks like it would work as well.


I also have a couple of these, but these seem to only work better with heavier logs, as this design relies on the weight of the log to push into the teeth to hold the log still:

http://picclick.com.au/BLOKKA-Wood-holder-stand-162223699442.html

I only use it with the log almost all the way out the cutting side, and with the legs also fully extended out the cutting side (more overhanging weight = better hold on the wood = more stability = safer).



I like to be as safe as possible when using a chainsaw - so much carnage possible in so little time from just a moment's inattention or carelessness    
One thing to be aware of - as you cut lots of pieces some will fall underneath your feet creating a potential danger - keep them clear of your feet as you work.

[Syncop8r]

Perhaps these have been around for a long time... found some in Battlefield 1 (set in WW1):

[Syncop8r]

Reposting photos (thanks Photobucket):

[Syncop8r]

The Mk.I was constructed and left behind at someone else's property. More recently I set about making a portable version.
I know some people call this sort of thing a Sawbuck; to me that doesn't make sense as to buck something with a chainsaw is to saw it. So that's like calling it a Sawsaw. 
It's a 'horse' for sawing or bucking so I say it's a Sawhorse or a Buckhorse. I'll go with the latter to differentiate it from a normal sawhorse.

So I started building my Buckhorse Mk.II like those you often see except I wanted more supports (to stop the logs dropping when cut) but didn't need any more legs. It wasn't turning out very well...



So I had a rethink and made this out of old pallet wood:





It folds up for storage but because of where the cross members are joined to the legs it has to fold the 'wrong' way.
The slots are at 300mm centres and the supports between them stop logs from dropping too much when bucked.
The legs are secured at a 60° angle by a rope with a double overhand stopper knot that slides into a slot.

[Don Pablo]

Nice jig!
Looks so useful. Any problems with the logs moving as you cut?

[Syncop8r]

Big ones no, small diameter ones yes. The smaller ones also sit too low in relation to the cutting slots.
The legs get in the way of the saw body although not so much since I trimmed them back.

I have ideas for a Mk.III to overcome all these issues but it needs more thought...

[Don Pablo]

[Vidar]

Nice one!

As the old saw horse totally mysteriously ( ) ended up broken and kind of flat last year I might copy that setup if you don't mind?

[Syncop8r]

Go for it.   If I didn't want it copied then putting it on the interweb wouldn't have been a good idea.
Or you could wait for Mk.III, which may or may not happen...

Feel free to ask any questions.

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The notches in the legs are unnecessary. They were to help lock them at 60° with the previous configuration and I reused the timber. Another way would have been to bevel one edge of the cross members.

[AimlessWanderer]

Nice work, Synco 

I'd leave it exactly as it is, and make a couple of slipper blocks which hook over a rail (front rail if using a chainsaw, or a manual saw which push cuts, or back rail if it's a pull saw). This will lift the workpiece up and against whichever rail is taking the load. Leave them both at the ends for long branches, or bring them either side of the centre slot for short pieces.

[Syncop8r]

Good idea. 

Another thought I had was to have some way of holding the thin pieces at one end and cantilevering it like some of those other products mentioned earlier. There could be two supports, each with a V cut to stop the log moving sideways. The outermost one is under the log and the innermost one is above it. Or that could be a completely separate apparatus.

[AimlessWanderer]

The good thing with the slipper blocks, is that they are movable, and that they maintain the same working height with the saw. Also good for chocking a wonky branch (one on front rail, one on the back).

[gregozedobe]

Big ones no, small diameter ones yes. The smaller ones also sit too low in relation to the cutting slots.
The legs get in the way of the saw body although not so much since I trimmed them back.

I have ideas for a Mk.III to overcome all these issues but it needs more thought...

I have a home made sawhorse that I use some thick shock cord and a yachting cleat to hold the log down while I'm sawing (run the shock cord under then around the log and under again to the cleat for better grip on the log). 

This works OK, but I prefer my Blokka cantilever saw horse as it is quicker to use. 
Sorry, I can't find any current links for it, they stopped making them years ago, but the operating principle is the same as the "Saw Jaw":
https://arbtalk.co.uk/forums/topic/44577-sawhorses-some-new-improvements/?tab=comments#comment-698040
http://www.bsbgardenmachinery.com/chainsaws---log-splitters.html  (scroll down to the video)

[Syncop8r]

I present to you..... the Buckhorse Mk.III!



A friend suggested I forget trying to make the crossed-over legs hold the log and instead make something that holds the log, then make the legs fold from that. So I took inspiration from my folding sawhorse design: https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,63453.msg1730251.html#msg1730251

This took a bit of thinking and was harder to construct but it in a way it's simpler, it looks cleaner and works much better. There are no big pieces sticking up to get in the way of the chainsaw and the logs/branches are well supported.



It is made mostly from old pallets. A square rail at 45° creates a V shape for blocks to sit on with 50mm gaps between them (for the saw to pass through) every 300mm. The blocks (and the legs on one side) are fixed to the rail with long galvanised screws with hex heads. I used the same type of hinges as in the sawhorse except bigger and with a longer pin which means they are much sturdier. Each leg is 20° from vertical so there wasn't much room to get some of the screws in.



I was going to use rope or a chain to stop the legs from spreading but it isn't necessary. This thing ain't moving.

When you pick it up the legs naturally fold for easy storage.

[gregozedobe]

The improvements continue ....     

[Syncop8r]

Note to self: Never lend anything to anyone. 

[gregozedobe]

Note to self: Never lend anything to anyone. 

Are you only just learning that lesson ?  I found that out decades ago, and it has saved me from a lot of annoyance ever since 

[Syncop8r]

Are you only just learning that lesson ?  I found that out decades ago, and it has saved me from a lot of annoyance ever since 

Well I did learn that lesson, but I like to help people and I'm optimistic that others are as skilled or careful as me.
I know, silly me. 

[gregozedobe]

Well I did learn that lesson, but I like to help people and I'm optimistic that others are as skilled or careful as me.
I know, silly me. 

When the urge to help overcomes me I just do whatever it is that needs to be done, that way I know my tools are (relatively) safe.

One exception is changing a flat tyre.   I will loosen the tight wheel nuts for them, and explain in detail how to do it (and provide muscle for the actual wheel removal & replacement if really necessary), but if the driver doesn't want to make any effort whatsoever then I am willing to leave them to whatever plan they had to fix their problem.  Of course if they are truly physically unable I will help them out as much as needed.

It may sound harsh, but the situation is literally is not MY problem, and if you want to wait around for however many hours it will take for the people who you have paid to do this work (eg roadside assistance), then I am perfectly willing and able to follow your plan to the letter.