Wedge Renewal

[Philbert]

Plastic bucking and felling wedges are a consumable, but they don't have to be sacrificial. Some of the volunteer groups I work with can be hard on them.



I found it very easy to cut off damaged tips with a bandsaw, or a fine tooth hand saw (coping saw, hacksaw, Japanese woodworking saw, etc.), and to re-shape them with a coarse (60 - 80 grit) belt in a belt sander. The thermoplastic material tends to melt and gob up at the end; cut that excess off with a utility knife, then sand into the belt for a final, smooth finish.



Philbert

 

[Philbert]

A few people expressed concern about potential health effects from the plastic 'fumes', so I now do this outside, with a portable belt sander, and wearing an N-95 mask/respirator. This is a fairly portable set up, which works anywhere I have a table and electricity: my own, wedge M*A*S*H unit!



Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Trying a few things to use in the field. Metalworking files are slow and clog up. A Surform works, is compact to carry, but is slow. A sharp block place worked OK, once any big pieces were cut off with a fine tooth saw.



Trying a couple of 'curved tooth' files (they go by various names: 'babbit file', 'fitter's file', 'auto body filler file', etc.) which seem to shave off the plastic, rather than scrape it, and cut faster than any metal files I had (those dirty 'bastards'!) without filling up. About $20 each on Amazon.






Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Some initial trials for field use. Need some more beat up wedges to try!



Philbert

 

[Wood Doctor]

Two thumbs up, Philbert. I've done this a few times with a couple of wedges, but not anywhere near like this. Gasp!

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Trying a few things to use in the field.

You could look into a cordless belt sander. They can be had new for $100-$150 and are useful in other ways around the house.

 

[RI Chevy]

I got one I have to fix. I will post pics when I can.
Good thread.

 

[Philbert]

You could look into a cordless belt sander.

That would work; could be a good option. I need something cheap and low tech for this application.

Philbert

 

[RI Chevy]

Would a small 4 inch cut off wheel work on these plastic wedges?

 

[Philbert]

Would a small 4 inch cut off wheel work on these plastic wedges?

These are a thermoplastic, which means that they melt when heated, and harden when they cool. Any type of machine working (bandsaw, Dremel tool, belt/disc sander, etc.) causes them to melt and turn gooey, so it has to be done sparingly. It also causes more fumes to be released.

I have no problem sawing them with a coping saw, but the belt sander has worked best for re-shaping them so far. I do this outside, wearing a mask, and cut off the excess, gooey plastic produced. I finish by sanding into the wedge for a smooth finish.

A 4-inch cut off wheel might work for trimming off broken pieces, or it might be overkill. A sanding disc on a 4" angle grinder might work to re-shape them, if that is available. Again, do this outside.

Philbert

 

[Duce]

Thanks. Nice thread. Never hit one with a saw. Now I will try this.

 

[Skeans1]

Most of the time I reshape them out in the brush I’ll just use my axe takes a little practice to get them usable but normally they’ll work till the end of the day. Here’s a question for you guys how long do your wedges last? If I’m cutting timber all the time a month maybe two is what I get out of my 10’s, 12’s, and my 15 will go about 4 to 6 depending on how much heavy beating I have to do.


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[CR888]

I imagine many plastic wedges get tossed in the trash due to damage far sooner than they ought too. Some files, grinder discs & maybe a sander could save many $$ when maintaining equipment for a large volunteer group. They lucky to have the one & only Philbert on the job.

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

I need something cheap and low tech for this application.

A rubber sanding block and some elbow grease would be a cheaper option for sure.

Would cut down (or eliminate) the "fumes" too.

 

[Philbert]

A rubber sanding block and some elbow grease would be a cheaper option for sure.

Give it a try and get back to me?

Philbert

 

[Wood Doctor]

I certainly am not nearly as proficient as Philbert, but I also use my block plane and mill bastard file for most of the wedge restoration. Power tools tend to melt the plastic rather than shape it and that gums up the abrasives. One time I even tried a throw-away razor blade from the batch my mother-in-law gave me about 20 years ago.

It's no wonder that I simply made a lot of hardwood wedges on the table saw that I simply throw away when they give up. However, Philbert has renewed my interest in restoring the plastic wedges with this thread. I usually keep a wedge in my back pocket all the time when buck cutting long logs to length. It only takes one quick bar pinch to remind me to do that.

 

[fearofpavement]

I have lots of wedges that have been shortened slightly. Quite often in the chip pile at the base of a stump there will be some yellow or orange sawdust. (not sure who mixes that in there)
Anyway, I never resharpen wedges, just use the blunt ones in wider kerfs such as when I want to put a number of wedges into the backcut to ensure a tree goes where it needs to go. If my ratio of sharp to blunt wedges gets skewed, I'll try the sharpening techniques. Thanks for posting that useful info.

 

[RI Chevy]

Very true. The plastic wedges really only need to be able to fit in the kerf. They don't really need to be pointy like metal wedges.

 

[Philbert]

Very true. The plastic wedges really only need to be able to fit in the kerf. They don't really need to be pointy like metal wedges.

Depends on the width of the kerf, whether they are used for bucking or felling, etc. If I am trying to unstuck a pinched bar, the kerf may be pretty narrow. If I am stacking a couple of wedges into a wide back cut, it may be more forgiving on the point.

Philbert

 

[RI Chevy]

Very true on that too sir.