Felling wedges are simple tools, with an important function. When used correctly, they can help you control the direction a tree will fall. Wedges are also handy for preventing your chainsaw from pinching when cutting logs.
You don’t want a wedge to fail when it’s protecting you or others. And for felling wedges to work correctly, you have to start with good wedges. Then you need to know how to maintain and replace them.
We’ll dive into each of these topics below to help you get started. In a hurry? You can jump to the info you need, with the links below:
- Best Felling Wedges on Amazon
- Features of a Felling Wedge
- How to Use a Felling Wedge
- Maintain and Replace Your Felling Wedges
- Felling Wedges vs. Splitting Wedges
(FYI: I receive commissions from sales through some of the links below)
Best Felling Wedges on Amazon
Here are our top picks for best felling wedges from Amazon.com. Any of these 3 options will work well for you, but if you want to skip the research and just get a good wedge, go for the Oregon 5.5 inch wedges.
Also, it’s important to mention that having a great felling wedge is an important step. But at the end of the day, if you don’t know how to fell a tree, it won’t really do you any good.
A skilled arborist can even cut down a tree without felling wedges if necessary. If this will be your first time cutting down a tree, I’d suggest you jump to the video below to start learning the felling process.
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| Burly Beaver Picks |
#1 Pick |
Value Pick |
Premium Pick |
| Product | |||
| Size |
5.5 inch |
5, 8, 10 inch |
8 inch |
| Material |
Hard Plastic |
Spiked Plastic |
Textured Plastic |
Oregon 5.5 Inch Felling Wedges (2-pack)
Pros:
- Durable load-bearing plastic
- Perfect size for cutting firewood logs
- Good for felling small trees
- Great value 2-pack
- Leading American brand
Cons:
- Will need longer wedges for thick trees
- Surface does not include added texture
- Will wear and need replaced over time
Conclusion: Oregon makes excellent felling wedges, and for most homeowners, this pair of 5-inch wedges is going to work great. These are the perfect size for bucking logs that are already on the ground, and will work well for felling trees with a small diameter.
If you’re looking to cut-down larger trees, then you’ll need to get some 8 or 10-inch wedges to get the job done. It can also be nice to have some added texture, or spikes, on the wedges to help them stick in the cut. These wedges don’t have that, but our other two options do.
Last but not least, It’s important to note that Oregon has serious clout in the chainsaw industry. They’ve been a leading manufacturer of wedges, chains, and other chainsaw tools for decades. Sometimes it’s nice to know you’ve got a time-tested brand backing your tools.
Redneck Convent 5, 8 & 10 Inch Felling Wedges (3-pack)
Pros:
- Durable load-bearing plastic
- Excellent starter pack of different sizes
- Great value 3-pack
- Spiked for improved surface grip
Cons:
- Will probably need another 5-inch wedge
- Off-brand manufacturer
- Will wear and need replaced over time
Conclusion: This 3-pack is a great deal. It gives you a good variety of wedge sizes, for cheap. This will equip you for bucking and felling a pretty wide range of tree diameters.
If you’re doing a lot of felling, you will probably want to add another 5-inch and maybe another 8-inch eventually. Or you could just get 2 of these sets, and you’d be good to go.
These wedges are made with durable ABS plastic, which is the market standard. They also have a spiked surface, to prevent the wedge from slipping out of the tree.
The brand name here isn’t on the same level as Oregon, Stihl or Husqvarna. However, they still make solid wedges, and it’s hard to beat the price for a 3-piece set of wedges like this.
Notch Premium Textured Felling Wedge
Pros:
- Good for felling trees
- Durable load-bearing plastic
- Textured surface helps prevent slipping
- Ruler indicators for easy measuring
Cons:
- More expensive than other wedges
- Not as good for bucking vs 5-inch wedge
- Will wear and need replaced over time
Conclusion: Just by looking out the design and molding, you can tell that Notch makes a higher quality wedge. They’ve really paid attention to the details with this wedge, and have added some features that really elevate them to a premium quality position.
For example, they have a textured surface, that helps the wedge cling to the inside of the cut. In addition, these wedges have measurement “notches” on both sides, which allows you to easily tell how far the wedge is embedded in a tree.
One other handy feature, is that the ends of Notch wedges are color coded, so you can tell the length based on color.
On the downside, Notch wedges are a bit pricier. Plus, this is not a multi-pack, so if you’re starting from scratch you’d need to get multiple wedges.
If you’ve got a couple extra bucks to spend on the upgrade, Notch wedges are a good choice.
Features of a Felling Wedge
With any tool, it can be tough to know what you really need.
For a felling wedge, here’s the top 6 things you should keep an eye out for:
1. Length
different lengths are better for different jobs. For bucking, a 5 inch wedge is great, but for felling you’ll want a combination of different sizes.
Generally speaking, longer wedges will be helpful for thicker trees.
My Dad (a forester with 30+ years experience), uses the following set-up for trees in the Midwestern United States:
- 5-inch wedges (2)
- 6-inch wedge (1)
- 8-inch wedges (2)
Depending on the type of job, you may want to adjust the sizes, and you may also need to throw-in a 10-inch wedge. Either way, this should give you an idea of the type of wedge set you’ll need.
2. Material
Most felling wedges in the US are made of hard ABS plastic. Some European arborists prefer aluminum wedges, but the trees in that region also tend to be smaller and less dense than the larger hardwoods found in North American forests.
If you’re looking to cut down trees in America, then go for a plastic wedge. Here are a couple of reasons why:
Plastic > Aluminum
- Plastic wedges are lighter
- Plastic wedges are safer (less likely to spark or throw shrapnel)
- Plastic wedges are cheaper
- Aluminum wedges can damage your chainsaw and chain
- Aluminum wedges mushroom out on the back more easily
Metal capped wedges
There’s one other type of wedge, and that’s basically a hybrid between a plastic and metal version. They have a plastic body, and a small plate of metal covering the end of the wedge.
These actually work really well, because you avoid some of the risks of a fully aluminum wedge (like sparking, or chainsaw damage).
At the same time, the metal plate prevents the plastic from smashing up at the end. This can extend the life of the wedge significantly, we’ve got a couple that are probably 10 years old.
The downside of a metal-capped wedge is that they can be harder to find online. Plus, they are more expensive.
3. Surface Texture
The final felling wedge feature we’ll mention is the surface texture.
Standard felling wedges typically have a smooth plastic surface. This generally works pretty well and is not really a problem.
However, there are also wedges that come with spiked or textured plastic surfaces. This can be helpful for keeping the wedge stationary, because the surface does a better job “gripping” the wood. As a result, the wedges are less likely to pop out of the tree while you’re working on it.
The Notch and Redneck Convent wedges above are great examples of this.
How to use felling wedges
At the very beginning of this post, I made an important point, which I’ll reiterate here: It doesn’t matter how great your felling wedges are if you don’t know how to properly fell a tree.
This takes knowledge and practice.
If you’ve already developed that skill, then go ahead and skip to the next section.
For everyone else, I strongly encourage you to begin learning the proper technique for felling a tree, using this video from Stihl:
Maintain and replace your wedges
Alright – I’ll keep this brief. Depending on how much (and how hard) you use your wedges, you might go through one every few years or every few months.
You can help maintain your wedges, by being mindful while using them, and by storing them in an organized case/bag. But at the end of the day, wedges take a beating and won’t last forever.
Here’s the big thing I want to highlight: wedges will wear-out, and you should replace them.
Don’t risk using chipped or broken wedges. When one starts getting tattered, toss it, and replace it. They only cost a couple of bucks, and it’s normal to get new wedges regularly.
Felling Wedges vs Splitting Wedges
As a bonus, let’s demystify a common misunderstanding.
Felling wedges and splitting wedges are NOT the same.
Felling wedges are used for 2 primary tasks:
- Cutting down a tree
- Bucking logs
When cutting down a tree, felling wedges are used to help direct the fall of the tree.
When bucking logs, felling wedges are used to prevent the chainsaw bar from getting pinched. If you haven’t heard that term before, bucking just means cutting trees into smaller logs with a chainsaw.
On the other hand, splitting wedges are only used for splitting firewood.
Wrap-up
There you have it, we’ve covered our top 3 picks for best felling wedges on Amazon.
In addition, we’ve touched on some key things you’ll need to do, in order to effectively use wedges. For example, you’ll need to understand how to properly fell a tree, and should replace your felling wedges when they become worn.
I hope this post has answered all your wedge-related questions, and if you found something here helpful, then please share it with a friend or post on social media. Thanks for reading!