Splitting Wood Using Mallet, Wedges and Froe.

Watch Ryder · 05-10-2014 10:54PM #1

Now splitting wood with a chainsaw is the way some folks routinely get D-Shaped logs from a solid log.

Yet to achieve the natural flow of the grain and / or you haven't got access, the old-school ways can be used just like our ancestors of old when they crafted wood back in the day...

First step is getting a mallet made-up:

Once the mallet is ready you can use it with the froe for shingle-making and for aiding the splitting of wood. However for large, thick logs a froe, even a large one will struggle to achieve it.

This is where the steel and or wooden / plastic wedges come into play. A steel mallet is also effective. From there you can get stuck in and get splitting the logs into 'D' sections or 'half logs'

This was filmed in the remote Rocky Mountain wilderness, no on-grid power, wild bears and hard-core weather etc.

BreadnBuddha · 06-10-2014 12:05AM

Half the battle with preparation and self sufficiency is getting things done in an efficient way I think. To be best prepared there are an awful lot of things to be done as you know well. Given the limited time you have on the mountain each year, either investing in an Alaskan mill or even making your own with a bit of your proven ingenuity would probably make more sense and improve the quality of the cabin fit and finish. It's good to know how to do it the old way, but there's a reason why very portable chainsaw mills are so popular, and it's nothing to do with laziness. Those logs aren't monsters by any stretch and in that neck of the woods a couple of hundred dollars should have a decent saw in your truck and save you a lot of time and backbreaking work. Well done on the work so far! Are you still over there now? I enjoy your updates!

Watch Ryder · 06-10-2014 03:25AM

Hey there Buddha.

No just returned back over the Atlantic so that's it until next time.

Also I can't afford a sawmill, those are like 1,500 to 2,000 dollars plus taxes AND you need to build a small metal trackway for it to ride on for boards of any decent length. I like them, my mate uses one for the mega cabin he's almost built

Here's a quick peek of a manually cut log I did using a chainsaw. I used a chainblock to suspend it from:

Here's the logs installed in my small cabin-shed. The gaps in the logs are minimal and are either chinked or sealed off with plyboard.

BreadnBuddha · 06-10-2014 08:05AM

Nah, not a portable bandsaw mill, but a chainsaw mill. Here:

http://granberg.com/product/alaskan-mk-iii-mill-24

$235 for the kit, which you bolt onto your saw. There are bigger ones and smaller ones too, just depending on the saw you have and how much chain it will pull. Better to have spare power than labour the saw I think.

Nice work. Back next summer?

Watch Ryder · 06-10-2014 01:03PM

All being well I should be.

The rail system is needed for milling long boards and this would be impossible up at the terrain I have my land on alas.

Splitting Wood Using Mallet, Wedges and Froe.

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