Hardhead Jr Wedge

The Hardhead Jr wedge is a compact felling and bucking wedge for smaller wood. Tap it into the back cut or a bucking kerf to keep the saw from pinching and to help steer the tree toward the notch.

Where a small wedge earns its keep

Not every cut needs a big felling wedge. On small trees, limbs on the ground, and bucking cuts, a compact wedge slips into a narrow kerf quickly and stops the bar from getting pinched. It is light enough to carry several on a belt or in a pocket.

For bigger trees and heavy back-leaners, step up to a larger wedge. See our full range of felling wedges to build a set.

Junior wedges are also handy for limbing and for splitting a stubborn bucking cut open when the log settles onto the bar.

Using and replacing it

Set the wedge as soon as the back cut is deep enough, before the kerf starts to close. Drive it with an axe or wedge hammer, not with the saw. A plastic wedge is used because a chain that touches it is not ruined the way it would be on steel.

Retire a wedge that is cracked, badly mushroomed, or chewed up by the chain, because it can spit out of the cut. Felling should only be done by trained workers following ANSI Z133 and with a clear escape route.

Carry at least two wedges so you can stack them or set a second one if the first is not enough.