# Bore cuts, "Faller Class A, B, or C (FALC)", and why?



## Billy_Bob (Dec 28, 2011)

After reading through these threads here on bore cuts (AKA - spiral ham stump)...
http://www.arboristsite.com/forestry-logging-forum/188904.htm
http://www.arboristsite.com/forestry-logging-forum/188907.htm

...and keeping an open mind that there might be a reason for these cuts? I went poking around the internet and found that there are certifications called...

Faller Class A (FALA)
Faller Class B (FALB)
Faller Class C (FALC) [Highest qualified]

And these certifications seem to be used by many different government agencies. Here is a page with these listed...

10a CSFS Faller Qualification Guidelines...
Colorado Firecamp

And the training materials for this seem to be here...
Technology and Development at the Forest Service

After poking around some of the above documents, I can't find anywhere where is says to do bore cuts as shown in the bore cut links above.

Where or what is the training document which says to do that?

I don't understand why you would cut away the bark on the back cut side of the hinge, bore cut there, and then place wedges on either side there????

Seems to me you would get more "lifting leverage" by starting the backcut, then placing wedges back there (as is shown in everything else I have read and also shown in the above documents)?????

Anyway perhaps there is some reason for doing this? Anyone know why?

Note: Bore cutting can be quite DANGEROUS as the tip of the chainsaw can dig into wood, then go flying wildly around to cut you in half!


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## madhatte (Dec 28, 2011)

Billy_Bob said:


> I can't find anywhere where is says to do bore cuts as shown in the bore cut links above.
> 
> Where or what is the training document which says to do that?



The bore cut is part of the most basic "A" faller cert, but is mostly in there as a demonstration piece, to be used for bucking. To the best of my knowledge, GOL-style back-boring is not an officially-recognized method of falling in the NWCG training regimen. When I'm giving that training, I demonstrate a bore cut on a downed log in the context of top and bottom bind, and avoiding pinching the bar. That said, the same training calls for conventional faces, high stumps, and lots of stump shot. Once again, a training plan proves to not be a "one-size-fits-all" methodology. In the end, it's still up to the individual faller, standing with the saw in hand and the tree before them, to decide how they can most safely drop a given tree. The more tricks in the ol' bag, the better, of course.


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## Billy_Bob (Dec 28, 2011)

I can see where that would be useful for bucking. You might not be able to place a wedge say on the bottom in that case...


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## madhatte (Dec 28, 2011)

Zackly. If you have one of those squirrely bastids that came down between several standing trees, you might have a half-dozen or more separate binds. Releasing the tension in an orderly fashion is key for safety. A bore cut is a handy trick to know when bucking jackstrawed blowdown.


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## Dalmatian90 (Dec 28, 2011)

As a firewood guy...I've used the bore cut once or twice since I read it / watched it on youtube / etc.

My impression in that limited experience is it gives very good control of the tree.

But I only use it when I'm feeling hinky about the tree (i.e. it reminds me of the red maple I had barber chair on me) and/or I have limited escape routes because of terrain...or both. 

My preference for 95% of the trees I cut down remains a standard open face notch and back cut, and I decide based on the tree (including how it looks and how it sounds) whether I use the saw till the hinge snaps, or if I put the saw down and use wedges to finish the job.

I do have three trees lined up for this winter I'm planning to bore because they have significant leans and they're on relatively steep slopes so my footing isn't as great as I normally have.

I know that's not a lot of experience, but it's definitely something I like in odd situation. 

In the original post they did say it was windy, and I assume it was a fairly predictable wind (not one of those swirly winds that I don't think anyone would cut in). While the trees looked nice and straight, would poplar be prone to barber chairing if a gust of wind grabbed it before the back cut was complete? I've never cut poplar so have no idea what the would is like.


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## weimedog (Dec 28, 2011)

A farm feller class guy here...bore cut before ash borer gets to the woods lot...a lot of really big ash around there!


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## slowp (Dec 28, 2011)

It is just another alternative. I've only gone through the bucking. I did go to a GOL session, on my own, and you do not bore straight in. You start with the bottom front of the bar, go in at an angle and then after you are in and in my case, through all the way, you move the bar so it makes a straight hinge. I've used it twice, once on a hard leaner to keep from barberchairing and another time on a regular tree. Mind you, I cut small trees. It worked well in both cases. But twice is not enough.

Boring into a log for bucking was not taught to me. I just figured it out, and then used that in my "gettin' certified for bucking" test. I passed for the B bucking no problems. But I always figured and still do that I am a novice.


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## Billy_Bob (Dec 28, 2011)

I found an explanation for the above boring and wedging. (I guess this is a "Game of Logging" thing?)

From the following link...

["This tree has a lot of lean to the left, down the hill. A plastic wedge is pounded into the chain saw cut on the downhill side, right next to the hinge. This wedge supports the weight of the tree to prevent the hinge from crushing and failing too soon. The wedge also gives a momentary push when the tree starts to fall, encouraging the tree to move toward the target."]

Link...
Felling an Oak

-So I guess a "side leaner" could "squish" that part of the hinge and bind the saw.

-Or to prevent back leaning onto the saw and getting your saw stuck.

-And that when you make the final cut, the chainsaw is near the outside of the tree, thus you can remove the chainsaw faster, and run for your life a bit sooner when the tree starts to fall (than if the chainsaw was in the center of the tree for the final cut).

-Also I read elsewhere that this is a safer way to cut up to the hinge, and that if you were to accidentally cut the hinge, then you still have all the uncut wood in the backcut still holding the tree in place. But I did not see what to do if you cut through the hinge? Run? 

From the following link...

["The benefits this method provides over other methods are significant. Using release wood helps keep the tree stable until the final cut. Also, the release wood provides support to keep the bar from getting pinched as you make your bore cut.

This method also reduces the chances of accidentally cutting all the way through the hinge before the tree begins to fall. This, in turn, reduces the chance that the tree will fall so quickly that it jumps off the stump and possibly back at crew members.

Lastly, the back-release method keeps the bar at the back of the tree during the final cut, rather than deep within the trunk. That makes it easier to walk away using your planned escape route when the tree falls."]

Link...
Fell a tree with the open-notch-and-bore method


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