Log Wizard - chainsaw tip planer attachment for stripping bark, planing and wofati joinery

In podcast 472 about the berm-shed, it was noted that

Paul wants to source a planer attachment for the tip of a chainsaw which would make cutting joints much easier.  

And after flexing my google foo muscles, guess what I found!  



It's a Log Wizard, to be found at logwizard.com

The blurb says

The Log Wizard® is a one-of-a-kind chainsaw attachment that turns your chainsaw into an amazing new tool. The Log Wizard® gives you the freedom of time and the value of creation. Simply attach the Log Wizard® to any saw and it springs into action as a debarker, planer, jointer, notcher, or post sharpener. The Log Wizard® is fitted with two 3-1/4" planer blades to give a wide cutting surface on the log. These blades can be sharpened several times or replaced with readily available replacement blades. The Log Wizards® unique single drum design allows for the easiest blade transfer possible, saving you time and money.

Features

Attaches easily to most 65cc or smaller chainsaws
All ball bearing construction for long life and durability
Make notches or debark poles for barns, fences, bridges, log home construction, and more
Installs in less than 10 minutes

One minute demo


Five minute demo


Another demo, not by the manufacturer this time


Seems to be available from amazon.com for $180.

Having watched the videos, I think it really would be the most wonderful addition to the tool collection at the lab.  Anyone want to chip in to help Paul get one?

There's also a Timber Tuff Debarker

From what I’ve seen/read it appears Wheaton labs has only electric chainsaws, which are nowhere near powerful enough to run one of these. I have this attachment on a 60cc husqvarna and absolutely love it. If the lab does have a midsized gas powered saw, this little planer will save hours of work typically done with a drawknife or slick.

does it require a longer chain? I assume chain goes around a sprocket that turns the thing, looks real neat, if only it came with a helper to run it-- just joking...

Bruce-
The drive sprocket for the log wizard ends up being located in front of the tip of the bar, so you need a longer chain than what would be used on that bar. For safer operation, you can buy cutterless chain. I have it on both my log wizard saw and my Lewis winch saw (a stihl 045av). For the log wizard you probably want the shortest bar possible, to make it easier to use. I run just a 12” bar (which didn’t exist for my 266xp- I had to cut one down). I bought mine primarily to debark the ‘in’ cut side of logs on my woodmizer. I have ended up using it for many other things, including girdling trees I plan to harvest in a couple years (so they die standing and have less moisture when cut). It would be ideal for saddle notches but you need some practice to get accurate cuts.

Julie you run a 60cc? Yeah girl!

I think this would work on one of the new electric saws, I have done a lot of research and they are comperable with 54 cc saws if you get an 80v. The new ones at harbor freight would be an option as an ecosystem, they are much cheaper than the other ones. I'm thinking of getting one since I am no longer cutting 50 trees a day. But I'm already committed to an ecosystem since I have converted over a year ago .

I think this would work on one of the new electric saws, I have done a lot of research and they are comperable with 54 cc saws if you get an 80v.

That may be, I haven’t spent much time researching new designs or models as I don’t have much interest in owning one yet. I’ve read that Stihl (at almost $700) and EGO (half that) are the top two battery saws for endurance and power. But it seems both only last about 15 minutes cutting steady, then 2 hours to charge the battery, so you’d need a few batteries to do any steady work. I realize they are very much homeowner saws, and hopefully someone here buys one and bolts a log wizard to it and provides a review.
I have Dewalt brushless 20v cordless tools and love them. Amazing torque and good battery life for rattle gun and drill, much less battery life for the circular saw and sawzall. There is also a handheld planer which I don’t own yet but have tried, and it’s a neat little rig, but I don’t know how long it goes on a charge. The log wizard is a planer, but you also have a lot of drag from the chain drive, so it’s less efficient than a direct drive planer.
Sawing takes a lot out of a battery, and the bigger issue, to me, is that the tool gets hot which shortens the charge more quickly (ohm’s law at work). Whereas with a gas powered chainsaw with the proper size bar, you cannot easily overwork it (unless you are milling, a different discussion). The feel I get with the log wizard when doing something like sharpening fence posts, it that it is working the saw every bit as much as cutting a big hardwood log. Based on using my Dewalts, cordless tools seem to do better working in brief bursts, with a few seconds or minutes of cooling time in between. That tells me if you were going to notch a log here and there, the cordless saw/wizard may be ok, but if you want to peel 10 fence posts in a row, or flatten 2 sides of a log for wall building, maybe not so much.
I will also freely admit I am probably a bit biased, being the 4th generation of a logging/sawmilling family, and having run pro Stihl and Husqvarna saws since my teens. (Last year I finally (sadly!) sold my 395xp because my back and shoulders can’t take the strain anymore). But, as mentioned, I do have a variety of 20v tools, so I am familiar with the power dynamics of cordless work, and realize that electric motors are far and away more efficient than ICE.
Oh and um... the ‘girl’ years are far behind, but thanks for the virtual high five! 😎