zogger
Tree Freak
Well, hoping that I'd get some firewood cutting work, I hung out my shingle. What do ya know, the first call, a guy wanted me to cut down a half dozen problem trees. First was a 3' dia. Cedar growing on the edge of a 15' straight down bluff. I could only cut from one side, so I made a 30 degree cut down, put a wedge in and it went over. Then there were some Alders about 8" to 12" growing by the river leaning over, some 10 degree some 45 degree and one was split wide open, like Slowp said. So I plunge cut the center then down to about 1" from the side then up and out the top, easy peasy!
My first ever 30 degree leaner, I totally screwed up. It was about a 12" dia., I thought I'd make a face cut first then cut the top and watch it fall. Wrong! I got the bar about half way in and it stuck, solid! So I used another saw on the top and it barber chaired. No matter what I tried, I couldn't get that tree apart. We finally pushed it over with the excavator.
Excavator!
That there's cheatin' ha!
Sounds like you did OK for a first expedition. Bar stuck happens, meh....I doubt many guys can claim that has never happened to them.