Buyer's Guide
Felling Wedges Buyer's Guide
Felling wedges are essential for controlled directional felling, preventing a saw pinching in the cut and helping a stem fall exactly where it's meant to. This collection spans plastic and aluminium tree felling wedges, high-lift wedges and genuine spares from STIHL, Notch, Bison and Arbpro, built for reliability across precision felling, sectional dismantling and general woodland management.
Plastic Felling Wedges
Plastic felling wedges are the standard choice for general directional felling, light enough to carry several at once and safe to strike without risking chain damage if a saw makes contact. STIHL's Plastic Tree Felling & Cutting Wedges (19cm) and Notch's Textured Tree Felling Wedges (5.5") both use a grip texture to resist kicking back out of the cut, while Bison's Tree Felling Plastic Wedge and the 24cm Polyamide Wedge round out the range for different sizes and hinge widths.
Aluminium Felling Wedges
Aluminium wedges take more repeated striking than plastic without deforming, useful for harder timber or where a job needs the same wedge driven and re-set several times. STIHL's Aluminium Tree Felling Wedge and Aluminium Felling & Cleaving Wedges (22cm/600g) cover general felling, while the High Lift Aluminium Felling and Splitting Wedge adds extra lift for stubborn back-leaning stems.
High-Lift Wedges & Spares
A high-lift wedge uses a stepped or geared design to generate more lifting force per strike than a standard wedge, useful when a stem needs real persuasion to start falling the intended direction. STIHL's Replacement Wood Handle and Replacement Ring keep an existing high-lift wedge working rather than needing a full replacement when a handle splits or a ring wears.
Compact & Micro Wedges
Notch's CBF Mini Tree Felling Wedge and Arbpro's Tree Felling Micro Wedge both suit smaller-diameter stems and tighter hinges where a full-size wedge would be awkward to seat. Keeping a couple of compact wedges in a kit alongside standard sizes covers the smaller-diameter jobs a full-size wedge isn't built for.
Rollotube Wedge Dispenser
FTC's Rollotube 2 holds a stack of wedges in a spring-loaded tube, letting you draw and load a fresh wedge one-handed while the saw's still in the cut. It's a small addition that speeds up wedging on jobs where you're setting wedges repeatedly through the day.
Plastic vs Aluminium: Choosing a Wedge Material
Plastic is lighter, cheaper and safe against an accidental chain strike, making it the default for most day-to-day felling. Aluminium holds up to harder, more repeated striking and higher lifting forces, but a chain strike on an aluminium wedge risks real damage to both — reserve aluminium for jobs where plastic genuinely isn't lifting enough.
Using Wedges Safely: Placement & Technique
Set a wedge as soon as the back cut allows, before the tree has any chance to sit back on the bar, and drive it with a purpose-built felling axe or maul rather than whatever's to hand. Use two wedges side by side on wider stems to keep the fall line straight, and always keep the saw's chain well clear of a wedge already seated in the cut.
Pairs Well With
- Felling Levers & Felling Bars — lever a stem once the wedge has done its work
- Professional Arborist Axes — drive wedges and handle general forestry cutting
- STIHL Chainsaws — petrol and battery saws for felling and forestry work
- Chainsaw Chains — genuine STIHL replacement chains in all pitches and gauges
- Chainsaw Clothing & PPE — protective wear for on-site cutting work