Felling

[Ryan Willock]

I forgot to tell you that frozen and or really cold wood is a lot more fragile than norrmal so BE CARE FULL!! I had two barber chair on me last week. Mine were not as dramatic as the one in Marty's pics but let me tell you, it gets the blood pumpin'!!! Don't stand there and watch it either, run like h&ll in the other direction!!!

 

[hokiebob1]

Hey guys-I'm a novice to the terms mentioned in here, so can someone help me out. I have several learners from the Hurricane that I need to take down and based on the pictures, clearly don't want them to barber chair.
By face cut, is that the cut on the side of the lean that makes the hinge? Then is the first plunge cut into the center of the hinge, followed by the back cut?

sorry for being ignorant, but I never considered a tree splitting vertically so dramaticly and want to be safe.

thanks for helping the ignorant!

 

[SilverBlue]

Hey hokiebob1, never feel sorry for wanting to learn the safe way.
It can be difficult to figure out what the guys are talking about in print and of course a picture is worth a thousand words.

http://www.forestapps.com/tips/backcut/backcut.htm

 

[SilverBlue]

Thanks for the Pic Jacob, have to add this one to my collection

 

[Oregon_Rob]

Why would you want to bore cut and leave a back strap and pull out and cut the strap, instead of cutting all the way out from the bore cut in a single cut?
Also, for those who have not done the bore cut before, it is much easier than it sound. Once you figuare out the angle of attack. I have used it a lot and i'm still a novice.
Silver blue, nice pic.

 

[Doug01]

Thank you all for the input. I am getting quite a large folder in my favorites with all the info everyone shares. I assumed (I hate to do that) that what what Gypo posted about the chain 24" above the notch was putting pressure on the tree in the direction it is to fall. My question is, since the tree is leaning in the direction would it be necessary to pull the tree any or is the chain a "safety net" incase the tree does split.........the chain around the trunk would stop it from slitting or at least slow it down.

Thanks,
Doug

 

[SilverBlue]

Wrap a chain to prevent any split from progressing

 

[chainsawworld]

why has no one commented about how high the stump is? the closer to the ground the more holding wood you have to work with. also holding the saw at that level is dangerous. marty

 

[hokiebob1]

I've practiced bore cuts on fallen trees but never used one for felling. I'll ask again, would the bore cut be made into the back of the hinge to keep it from splitting, or would it be made some other place. It would seem to me that you could make a bore cut anywhere close to the felling cuts and keep the wood from splitting.

 

[hokiebob1]

Thanks Ricky-clearly I missed the link-it explains it quite well.

thanks again

 

[Dennis Cahoon]

OK boys, What if its leaning so heavy you can't put in the undercut without getting your bar and chain caught? V-cut your face on both sides to match your hinge, bore parallel in back of your hinge and cut out the back. Another words, cut a triangle using a hinge like you would nomally, with no undercut, and back-bore it. Dennis

 

[Grateful11]

I've got to cut all the trees around my Father-in-laws crop fields about 30 - 40 acres worth of fields. I'm going to cut 1 or 2 rows deep. As most of you know almost all trees around open fields will have 90-05% of all it's limbs facing the field and usually leaning out into the field somewhat. I thought about the wrapped chain idea the other day but wasn't sure if it was a good idea. I see 2 people have mentioned it. Has anyone actually tried it?
Grateful

 

[rbtree]

Dennis.

That sounds like the Coos Bay cut!! Gerry Beranek described that to me, and wiley_p confirmed the method. Thanks!

Another method I use, which is covered in Dent's excellent book, is to make a conventional face cut, then start making the backcut with the cuts at 45 degree angles to the hinge. This creates a triangular shape of the hinge, with the apex at the back. This works well for leaning branches or leaders when working aloft, as many of them allow no room for a bore cut.

 

[rbtree]

hokie,


The wrapped chain, which can be tensioned with some mini load binders, are to keep a barber chair from splitting all the way.

Grateful, that should answer your question too.

 

[SilverBlue]

4" are what we use Brian, they work great as long as the ratchet stays out of the dirt.

 

[Pacific]

I have been doing some falling on my neighbours property dropping Western Red cedar they are about 26-28"s in diameter at the butt. These trees are gangly loaded full of branches uhhg one tree I dropped was 34"s at the butt had 16' of solid tree then twins on top that were 44' tall 12"s in diameter. The tree dropped good right where I wanted it I wish I had a longer bar on the 046 the 28" is too short.

The tree I dropped yesterday is 26" in diameter solid trunk no twins it leaned backwards to the direction I wanted it to fall it also leaned to one side. I'am working on a slope I could do the mouth but trying todo the back cut was a biatch because there is no place to stand. Your holding the saw above your head trying to cut the back cut of course the bar isn't long enough todo it one pass so I'am working both sides.

I got the wedges in tapped them in cut a bit more tapped the wedges in she started to go the right direction but hit the wrong wedge a tad to hard and it fell in the wrong direction

My first experience with a heavy leaner next one I fall gotta concetrate to hit the right wedge next time. It was better where the tree fell heck of a lot easier to limb the 100 branches off the sob.

I spent all day piling branches today I got enough branches off of two trees to fill a 12 yard box. I have one more togo its loaded full of branches the rest of the trees on the lot I will let the excavation contractor deal with. I'am dropping the big ones to save the homeowner money.

 

[Dennis Cahoon]

rbtree, using this method also pulls wood from the stump, not the butt of the log, which is what the mill wants, clean logs. Dennis

 

[wiley_p]

Dennis, you should know the mill could give a hang one way or the other what happens to a faller, sure do whatever you can to supply quality product, but in some situations getting it on the ground and moving thru the rewst of the styrip means more than a couplke hundred boards.

 

[Dennis Cahoon]

Wiley P, The old saying in the woods is, there isn't a tree out there worth getting hurt over! Tricks of the trade help do a good job sometimes, but don't we all wish at times we were Jesus, so we could stand them back up and try again! Dennis

 

[Hemlock]

I'll use a chain and binder any place I can where there's heavy lean, hard pull, hollow butt, or any thing close to a house that even looks iffy. I use the common log truck size, 3/8 I think. Sometimes if the tree has alot of side lean or sweep towards a house or is on a slope and it looks like the butt is going to take a bad roll and hit something I've had to chain the tree to the stump. Goes without saying you have to make sure and put the binder on so the tree don't land on it.