Facecut question.

[TreeTangler]

Hello All,

I have a question that may honestly have no answer. Back when I started cutting, I learned the trade from firewood gatherers as a young boy. All these guys would make the sloped cut in their face cut on the topside and their level cut on the bottom. Years later when I went into the woods, the old timers laughed and taught me the "right" way, with the sloped cut on the bottom and the level cut on the top.

Now, it's been years since I "learned" how to fell a tree and I honestly can't remember the reasons that any of my teachers gave me for doing things the way that they did. In fact, I've gone back and forth on my technique but always feel that the sloped cut on top is wrong.

If anybody is still reading and actually has any knowledge of which is better, please feel free to share. It's taken me awhile to get up the courage to ask this, for as many trees and cords I've felled both proffessionaly and for my own use, you'd think I'd know the difference.

 

[northmanlogging]

slope on top = conventional, slope on bottom = Humboldt, both have good and bad things. Humboldt leaves a taller stump, but is quicker, leaves more wood in the log, and gives you more options for fancy swing cuts and the like. Conventional, makes for lower stumps... and with some trees responds better.

Also the Humboldt can help prevent the tree from kicking back, the face acts like a wheel chock. this can be a benefit when falling in thick brush, thinning or on steep hills.

Conventional face is a little easier to execute, because you're not trying to cut up with the saw its all down or sideways, but that's what felling dogs are for right...

Hope this helps...

 

[TreeTangler]

Thank you Northman,

This is exactly what I was looking for. It also explains why I prefer the slope on my facecut on the underside. A lot of people find this more difficult but with a sharp chain and the right saw, I find it no challenge at all.

 

[northmanlogging]

just point er down dog in and rotate up, course there is that whole lining up yer cuts thing... kinda hard for a cross eyed fat guy to pull off from time to time...

 

[greendohn]

Thanks for the thread and response. Just a home heating fire wood hack and very rarely drop trees, but this really makes sense.

 

[flashhole]

opcorn:

 

[Dog_River]

This is good info, Thanks

slope on top = conventional, slope on bottom = Humboldt, both have good and bad things. Humboldt leaves a taller stump, but is quicker, leaves more wood in the log, and gives you more options for fancy swing cuts and the like. Conventional, makes for lower stumps... and with some trees responds better.

Also the Humboldt can help prevent the tree from kicking back, the face acts like a wheel chock. this can be a benefit when falling in thick brush, thinning or on steep hills.

Conventional face is a little easier to execute, because you're not trying to cut up with the saw its all down or sideways, but that's what felling dogs are for right...

Hope this helps...

 

[northmanlogging]

for a long time I couldn't figure out what the gunning lines on top of a saw where for... kept thinking they where for making real straight cuts while bucking... but that didn't make much sense either... then I saw a guy on u-tube making a conventional cut and starting from the top... I've pretty much always used the Humboldt, so it never even crossed my mind that it was for a conventional face...

 

[Gologit]

opcorn:

 

[RandyMac]

All types of facecuts have their uses, depends on the tree, the terrain, safety factors and of course, skill level. There is no such thing as does it all facecut.
The most common mistake I see with the convention cut is too much angle and not near deep enough, most look like the bark got skinned off.

 

[flashhole]

The most common mistake I see with the convention cut is too much angle and not near deep enough, most look like the bark got skinned off.

Plenty of proof of this on YouTube under the Tree Felling Gone Horribly Wrong videos section. Crushed cars, crushed trucks, crushed houses ... you can see the disaster looming before it happens.

 

[1270d]

What is the general rule for how deep folks put their notch? I've always used 75 to 80 percent dbh for the width of the hingewood. What do you pro fallers do?

 

[flashhole]

What is dbh?

 

[northmanlogging]

D. iameter

at

B. reast

H. eight

 

[slowp]

D. iameter

at

B. reast

H. eight

Which is also at 4.5 feet on the uphill side of the tree. For me, it is DNH--Diameter neck height. :msp_smile:

 

[RandyMac]

I am prone to cutting deep, call it 45% undercut, 5% hinge, 50% backcut. I mostly use a steep angle, it helps with the dreaded fiber pull.

 

[Log slayer]

The American standard is 25% deep with 45 degree slope and 75% back cut. I go a little deeper than 25% for stability.

 

[RandyMac]

The American standard is 25% deep with 45 degree slope and 75% back cut. I go a little deeper than 25% for stability.

American Standard? Please explain.

 

[stihl023/5]

I always go deep on my face cut I try not too but I always do. Better than shallow I guess.

 

[northmanlogging]

American Standard? Please explain.

I know of three american standards,
1: an album released by the rock band Seven Mary 3,
2: the american standard engineering specs. (ASE what it stands for...)
3: The company that makes porcelain effigies (that #1 named their album after...)


But I try to make my faces about 1/3 diameter, more or less depending on circumstances