Find the Best Tree Felling Wedge For the Job!
There are a wide variety of tree felling wedges available in the market and they can vary a lot in quality, size and price!
Here are a few examples to illustrate the point.
|
|
|
|
3.5
|
3.5
|
3.5
|
|
$19.99
|
$34.99
|
$87.99
|
If you are into felling trees regularly. then you will almost certainly benefit from having a few tree wedges handy…and know how to use the chain saw wedge! (see further down the page below “Conclusion”)
This is because wedges for felling trees can help you to fell a tree safely and easily. It does this by directing it to fall in the direction of the notch you (should) have made, and nowhere else!
They are perhaps the cheapest and most simple (but effective) tree felling tools one can invest in.
Felling Trees Takes Planning and Skill
Thus is what can happen when you don’t use a felling wedge!! Using wedges to fell trees properly is just common sense.
So which felling wedge would be best for you?
Best Felling Wedges
The best wedges of today are plastic tree felling wedges that are made of high impact plastic. This is because Plastic felling wedges are cheap to buy and are incredibly durable. A bonus is that they are generally kind to your chainsaw should you accidentally touch one with the chain when working.
Besides being pretty cheap, plastic felling wedges also come in a variety of bright colors. This makes them more difficult to lose, but at the same time easier to find should one or two go missing during your tree felling.
Hard Head Felling Wedges
Even though the modern plastic logging wedges are tough and resilient, some users like to add an extra layer of toughness.
These hard head felling wedges have a built in steel layer on the end that takes all the punishment when driving the wedge in.
If you use wedges frequently then having these available will certainly prolong the life span of your plastic logging wedges!
Hard head wedges are available in different sizes and can be bought as a single tree wedge or in a pack
Husqvarna Felling Wedges
Husqvarna is one of the major chainsaw brands that make their own plastic logging wedges
That’s how important they view the roll of these small pieces of equipment.
Again they can be bought in a number of different lengths to accommodate different needs.
Interestingly these wedges are smooth. In other words they do not have “spikes” on the surface which many other brands of plastic chainsaw wedges feature.
Oregon Felling Wedges
Oregon is another well known brand in the chainsaw world that produce their own tree cutting wedges.
They come in a range of sizes from 5.5 inches through 8″ and 10″ examples all the way up to 12 inch wedges.
To add to the discussion about the actual usefulness of spikes on the surface of these wedges, they have one smooth side and one side with spikes!(see comments below re the actual function of these.)
Common Sizes
Apart from the material they are made of, the other feature that separates felling wedges is size. The general rule is the bigger diameter of the tree or log you want to tackle, the longer the wedge needs to be. Most people would be well advised then to buy a few tree wedges. This will ensure you have the best size tree felling wedge for the job at hand.
The most popular sizes are from 5.5 – 10 inches long (14 – 25cm). Some also feature serrated barbs on one side. These are supposed to make the wedge stick better but they are probably more for show than any actual functionality.
Popular Wedges Made in the USA
Here are some felling wedges that have proven popular with consumers over time. This is due to their good quality and competitive pricing. An added bonus is that they are made in the USA.
1)Timber Savage felling wedges
2)Parts 4 Outdoor wedges
Packs of Felling Wedges
Many manufacturers offer packs of tree felling wedges on the market.
These packs are made up of anywhere from two to fifteen felling wedges.
These may contain wedges of the same size ( typically the packs containing 2 to 4 tree wedges). Alternatively they may offer a felling wedge set featuring a variety of different sizes (typically the bigger packs).
Do remember though that a felling wedge is not designed for splitting logs or similar actions where you hit the wedged object to get the wood to split.
Tree felling wedges are not designed to take that sort of punishment. They should only be used to encourage a tree to fall in a specific direction by placing it in an appropriate position.
If you want to split logs then you need a Wood Splitting Wedge which is a different beast entirely!
Metal Tree Felling Wedges
You can of course make your own felling wedge from wood. Wood felling wedges are however unfortunately not likely to be the best tree wedges and they wont last very long.
On the other hand, the steel versions of a tree wedge mostly became obsolete just after the Ark was built. This is because metal tree wedges are thought to be too heavy, too expensive and too unyielding.
Besides these unwanted characteristics of metal felling wedges, they may well be a potential fire hazard! If a buzzing chainsaw chain came into contact with one the sparks might fly! This is especially true when you are cutting trees down in a forest environment where there are often a lot of dry leaves on the floor.
Nowadays then, steel felling wedges are regarded as outdated. However, you can still get metal wedges that are primarily designed for other uses! .
Aluminum felling wedges are also available. The manufacturer claims that they are also kind on chainsaws and also wont cause a spark if hit by a rapidly moving chain.
The Tree Felling Wedge Pouch
The Weaver Leather Wedge Pouch
Tree wedges, although often brightly colored, are not very big.
Unfortunately this means they can easily be misplaced when you are concentrating on felling a tree.
That is where a Felling Wedge Holster or a Chainsaw Wedge Pouch comes in handy.
These are designed to hold your wedges and often have a place for other useful tools you might want to carry with you like a chain sharpener.
The logging wedge pouch comes in a variety of designs. From simple holsters and pouches to full on tool belt kits with a variety of tools or useful goodies attached.
They are also made from a variety of materials. The Weaver Wedge Pouch (pictured left) is a leather wedge pouch that is very popular. It can take up to 4 wedges and has pockets and a hook for carrying a variety of other tools such as sharpening files and saw scrench.
And of course being leather it is hard wearing!
Tree Felling Wedge Kits
A Tree Felling Wedge Kit
The easiest of course is to keep all you need in one place and a well made chainsaw wedge kit with the basics is a great place to start.
The disadvantage of buying a “ready made” kit obviously lies in the selection of wedges that come with it. In other words they are pre-selected for you.
However, this is not the end of the world. Generally the tree wedges will be of a size, material and color that are of the most common variety used.
Secondly you now have a felling wedge pouch specifically designed to carry tree wedges. It will almost certainly be able to accommodate a range of other tree felling wedges that you might select to carry with you.
Its a win – win that will make keeping the wedges close at hand when you need one as well as being an easily accessible place to store a wedge after using it.
That’s a whole lot easier than having to place it on the ground or a stump while you continue working and hope you remember it!
Loggers Tree Felling Belt
Weaver leather tree fellers belt
A loggers felling belt like the Weaver leather logging belt pictured left takes the whole chainsaw wedge pouch idea a step further!
With the belt option you can comfortably carry a lot more than just logging wedges!
A tree felling belt is purpose designed and fully adjustable to make wearing one comfortable and convenient. The Weaver can accommodate waists from 30 inches to 52 inches and includes a number of well thought out features.
These include:
– an in-built emergency whistle
– a small loop on the back to allow the belt to be hung on a hook while not being used.
– adjustable shoulder straps
– two other loops on the belt for hanging useful items you might want.
As you can see, a tree felling tool belt allows you to go into action fully equipped and prepared!
Conclusion
Tree wedges are an inexpensive yet vital piece of equipment for anyone felling anything but the smallest tree. And of course keeping track of them while you work makes sense. That’s where the loggers wedge pouch comes in.
Getting to know how to use felling wedges properly is of course a must. There’s no point in having a logging wedge and not being able to use it effectively and efficiently!
To this end you will find a short YouTube video below that will walk you through the basics of felling trees with wedges. In other words, using a tree wedge to help you fell the tree where you want it to go!
A tree falling in the wrong direction can not only be a danger to people and objects like buildings, it usually leaves you with a lot more work to do to finish the job properly 🙁 .
So even if you have done this a hundred times before, take a few minutes to watch this clip on how to get your tree to fall in the right direction. A bit of revision is never a bad thing. And who knows, you might learn something new or be reminded of something you used to do when you started but is, for whatever reason, no longer part of your tree felling routine!
How to Fell a Tree With Wedges
So as you can see from the video, a few simple tree felling wedges can make the whole undertaking of felling a tree in the right direction both easier and safer.
The trick is to first decide where you want the tree to fall and then make the FIRST cut on that side. In other words, the tree will fall TOWARDS that cut. This may be somewhat counter intuitive for first timers!
Note also how useful a logging wedge pouch is for keeping the felling wedges close at hand while both hands are operating the chainsaw!
And Finally
Once you have felled the tree you might consider turning it into a few planks with a A Chainsaw Board Cutter!