Cutting wood

C

cybrok

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Aug 7, 2005
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I went to the "woods" last week. "wood" because it's a new developpement, they want to build new houses so they clear that part of the wood. All those trees down, drying under the sun.

We went around 9, it was already dark (great test for my new Fenix L2P, it was better than all 3 other peoples lights together). All I had was a small axe (that my dad keeps in his car since a beaver had the good idea to make a tree fall on the road and we had to walk to get one).

I said to myself "Wooo, I would like to try a BIG knife on those. Those were around 4 inches in diameter.

What would be best. A bowie? A machette? A khukri? I must admid I'm curious about the Khukri.
 
You want a heavier Himalayan Import khukuri. A 17"-18" Baby Ganga Ram Special (BGRS), a 18" Ang Khola (AK) are a good start, but larger khukuries are available too. These models are specificly (over)built to be heavier, so that they can be used for the heavy wood cutting American customers put them to.
The bowies and the machetes are not suited for heavy wood cutting.
 
Depend what you mean by heavy wood cutting.

What I'm looking for is basically something to keep in the car so if I get screwed by another beaver, I will be able to get the job done.
 
A nice, curved prunning saw plus a khukuri would be a good combination. The saw takes care of the large-diameter stuff and the khuk would be good for clearing off the branches.
 
For that size of wood I would take a small axe, not a hardware store axe, they don't have the right grind, way too thick. Something like a 18" Ang Khola khukuri works nicely as well. The heavy short machetes can be very productive if the wood is soft, but they are next to useless on hard woods. Bowies are good as well if you get a good one, but you either have to pay a lot or have one modified. The modifications are not extensive, a Trailmaster or similiar with a proper edge relief will easily chew through 4" wood, assuming it isn't a hard wood. You want a fairly large pruning saw to be productive on that size of wood. The small folding ones usually don't just think about how much of the wood each part of the edge actually sees. On a six inches saw for example, only the last two inches actually cut the full lenght of the wood. So the wood basically "sees" a much shorter saw which really cuts down on the efficiency per stroke.

-Cliff
 
If what you want is to be carried in a car then size is no problem. In the truck I have a 36" bow saw and a full size Fiskers axe. This combo has handled every situation so far.
 
Cybrok, To section out 4" thick wood (sounds like it's semi-green -- not down too long) my preference would be a 1/4" thick blade in the 10-12" long range. Think Busse Battle Mistress, Swamp Rat Battle Rat, Ranger RD-9, maybe TOPS, etc. Sorry, I don't have any experience with the Khuk's, so can't speak to their efficiency. If the wood is well dried, then I'd go looking for a saw.

woodsmoke said:
If what you want is to be carried in a car then size is no problem.
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Woodsmoke's got it right. I recommend one of these as a truck/car option for dealing with the beaver debris. :D :thumbup: :thumbup:

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Or if you want a quieter option and/or to skip your workout at the gym, one of these from the Ben Meadows website.

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I said to myself "Wooo, I would like to try a BIG knife on those."
What would be best?
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Best? Or most fun?

I must admid I'm curious about the Khukri.
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If that's what you'd like, then try one. Others can probably guide you better on the specifics of the available models. Those Goloks look about right to me as well. I'll have to get one if I ever have the funds.

Since you have the space in a car, feel free to carry several different tools. If you just want to focus on one first, then a big blade would be more versatile for the smaller stuff. I admit I've never been exposed to good big saws, having been spoiled by chainsaws, so I don't see myself using one much. If I come across a two foot diameter oak tree across the road, I'm not likely to try clearing it myself without a chainsaw. Anything 10" or less can be handled easily by my big bowie. A tornado came through here recently, and you can drive for miles and see the scars in the woods where trees were broken off. I went to check on our ground at a distant farm, and a big limb from an ash tree was blocking the only driveway. The bowie goes through 1 1/2" limbs with one swing, and the 4" stuff is cut in seconds with 3 or 5 swings. Wild cherry was the same way.
 
Speaking about bowies, would a BK9 be a good start?

Not too expensive, I've read good comments about it.
 
The BK9 is too light and the balance if off for a chopper, there is little power on the swing and the impact node is far too close to the handle.

-Cliff
 
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