The use of this simple tool will make your work more efficient and less frustrating.
OK, I admit it. I have made some poor choices while using a chainsaw. Many of them revolve around me being tired, but some are because I get lazy from time to time. Fortunately none of these poor choices has resulted in myself or anyone else getting injured (knocking on wood).
Laziness has resulted in my chain and bar getting pinched in the compression side of a log on more occasions than I like to admit. You would think after so many years working with a chainsaw and having gotten pinched so many times, I would have learned my lesson. Nope.
More often than not, I get my blade and chain caught while trying to cut through a large log. I am down on one knee, the saw is cutting like through butter, and I just don’t want to stop and pound a wedge into the top of the cut to keep it from closing on my saw. Sure enough, it closes before I can finish the cut, leaving me looking around to see if anyone was watching or recording my stupidity.
The thing is, I carry a plastic wedge and hatchet (to pound the wedge in place, and other uses) with me. In fact, my chaps have convenient pockets and loops just to hold these essential tools. It is not like I have to go somewhere to get them.
I am more apt to use my wedges when felling trees. They provide a bit of safety for non-leaning trees that are hard to read which way they want to go. They also give me so much more control as to when the tree falls.
So, don’t be like me. Use your plastic wedges when felling trees or bucking up logs. They are cheap, and won’t damage your blade if you happen to cut into them. They will save you time and headaches and make your work safer.