Firewood Measuring Sticks

[old guy]

Not sure why all the double pics & the pics before the writin, I guess us swamp kids don"t take good ta this puter stuff.

 

[RI Chevy]

Lol. I thought I had double vision for a second there. Lol

 

[merc_man]

Lol. I thought I had double vision for a second there. Lol

You drinkin again lol

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[RI Chevy]

Lol. The photos looked familiar as I was looking through them.
Maybe the 2 stroke oil got to me today. Lol

 

[Dub11]

Seeing all these gadgets look cool but I just use a 16inch bar in the saw and walk down the line tagging it.

 

[Philbert]

Not sure why all the double pics . . .

Twice as nice? For good measure? Or just fat fingers?

Philbert

 

[Sawyer]

The first one I made was before the Rare-Earth Neodymiums were available. I used the magnet from a magnetic trouble light and to it I duct taped 16" from the tip of an old fishing pole. It was ugly, but not quite as ugly as the Old Guys

 

[Philbert]

Still waiting for the bamboo versions . . .

Philbert

 

[old guy]

The first one I made was before the Rare-Earth Neodymiums were available. I used the magnet from a magnetic trouble light and to it I duct taped 16" from the tip of an old fishing pole. It was ugly, but not quite as ugly as the Old Guys

Hey now!, that really cuts me.

 

[redoakneck]

Still waiting for the bamboo versions . . .

Philbert

I have a whole patch of bamboo infested with starlings!!!

Too big to just burn it all, was really neat until those birds moved in, now crap all over!!!

 

[Sawyer]

Hey now!, that really cuts me.

Looks are overrated. If the tool is functional that is what matters.

 

[Wilhelm]

I estimate and eyeball bucking length, when uncertain I use my hand with fingers spread and add about 2-3 inches. I memorize the approximate spot on the log and make the bucking cut.
I buck my own firewood to 12-14" length because of our oven, the fireplace can take 18" long rounds so that oddball sizes are not a problem.

I can not see myself measuring my own firewood, nor can I imagine having something attached to the saw other than myself.

I am currently in the process of bucking my uncles firewood logs and he is marking bucking lengths to exactly 10" with a red crayon.

 

[Big1066ih]

My father and myself mark every block, makes it alot nicer to stack. Glad I'm not the only one OCD about it.

 

[Philbert]

Here's another version I saw yesterday (also a gratuitous opportunity to take a shot of a bow bar!)


This one has a nice end marker ('washer') that butts up against the end of the log, or drops into the last kerf marked, instead of relying on 'eyeing it up'. Comes in 16" - 24" sizes.

This model uses a steel rod, which I do not like, since it could accidentally come in contact with a moving chain, and get exciting. But the website describes a carbon fiber shaft, which would be lighter and safer - must be newer versions.

Note that his videos also caution against using the measuring stick while cutting, recommending it for marking only.
http://www.acc-u-mark.com/

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Alignment

(picking up where I left off: got distracted by other stuff - you know how that goes . . . ).

Glue up went pretty easy. I roughed up the fiberglass rods a bit with sandpaper, and cleaned the inside of the brass shell casings with a some ScotchBrite and a little acetone. The JB Weld is a bit thick for this; there is almost a hydraulic fit between the rods and the shell casings, so I had to 'work it in' to fill the space completely. I think that a thinner epoxy would be a better choice for this.


'Sleeve' / socket versions in the alignment blocks, L to R: post from white driveway marker, orange driveway marker, hollow tent pole


Note the (last minute) addition of plastic food wrap to prevent the possibility of gluing the fiberglass rods to the wood blocks with any excess epoxy!



Fini! The strips of reflective tape are to help find dropped sticks in the grass, snow, sawdust, etc. Some also mark out 14" and 12" lengths. Other lengths can be marked with temporary, masking tape flags, as noted above.



Reflectivity test, in our secret, subterranean, illumination laboratory . . .

Philbert

 

[RI Chevy]

Nice job with them.

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[old guy]

Philbert, Kevin was using the one I made today and the JB weld did not hold to the magnet. Guess I didn't roughen the surface enough.

 

[Philbert]

Bummer. Thanks for letting us know. These magnets are so powerful, that there is a lot of torque put on the joint with the post when they are pulled off of the guide bar.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Alignment

(picking up where I left off . . . )

The posts above show how I assembled the measuring sticks, with a hole through the base magnet, using a shell casing as an external sleeve for the rod.

I changed my plan for the magnets with the threaded boss and the hollow rods. I purchased 4mm machine screws; screwed them into the bases with a little thread lock; cut their heads off; bored the inside of the hollow shafts slightly to fit; and assembled with JB Weld (lots of masking tape to keep things clean).


Since these rods (salvaged tent poles) already had a metal sleeve, I skipped the extra sleeve to tie things together, and just wrapped a little bit of aluminum duct sealing tape around the joint for aesthetics.



Today's graduating class! (all the same height, despite the smart phone photo).

Philbert

 

[RI Chevy]

Nice Philbert. You getting pretty adept at making snd designing these. [emoji106]

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