Hazard oak tree felling question

[mboln52000]

Hello all,
I am a professional by no means, but I have been cutting wood for heat for 20+ years, and for the past 10 or so I have timbered several trees for my wood working hobby. When i cut for that, and almost all the time, i use the bore-method....notch, leave a hinge, bore, then cut the back strap....never fails me. But, I am in the process of clearing out an old fencrow and there is a pin oak tree about 48" or so across. Usually no problem, but this tree is hollow, and even worse than that, one side of the base of the trunk is open about 40% around the tree. I am very sure that halfway through cutting, or even less, its going to split, and shoot in some unknown direction. Anybody have any ideas on how i can control the drop of this monster??

Thanks,
Matt

 

[NeTree]

What's the landing zone look like? Targets, obstacles?

 

[Gypo Logger]

If you put a chain and load binder just above the notch area, it may shear, but not split. Use a pipe for extra leverage on the binder.
John

 

[tony marks]

well first ,just forget the fence,if its still there[except as an block of u escape route.]. ill be watching to see what answers u get.
that thing will have a lot of limbs ,and be hard to get clear of.. much less the killer power stored in a tree that size.
good luck ,,mabe i can learn something here that would make me try it...but not by myself.. this is the kinda stuff i run into sometime. 48 inches uh!!!

 

[mboln52000]

landing zone is all clear, its just an open field. Yeah, the fence will be a gonner once this thing hits it, but thats acceptable at this point. I like the load binder idea with the chain. I may use a couple of them on it! Thanks for the idea! Its the largest tree in this fencerow, there were a couple other oaks the same size, but they are dead and rotten, and already fell on the fence, so thats why this one is going now...and all the others. There is one, even larger, around 60" in another fencrow, but this one has a lot of fence and who knows what else in it. It looks like the fence was caught on something as it grew because it is sticking out in some places as high as 10'. For now, it stays as i am not real comfortable with the idea of being on spring boards that high off the ground, and no escape route.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[NeTree]

Sounds like a lesson in "When to hire a pro..."

 

[Qatanlison]

When falling hollow trees, like oak, common basswood or linden, make sure you compensate for the lack of holding wood by making the hinge wider. Check out the trunk by wacking at it with the axe and try to determine where the strongest and soundest wood is; This is where you'd want to work at it and try to place the hinge. A few wraps of good chain should take care of any splitting, like gypo logger states. To be absolutely sure, use grade 8 short-linked chain. Also, you might want to fall it away from the damaged/open side of the trunk - to get rid of that factor. Then there is the lean, which you can alter by removing limbs and even load them at the side of the tree you want the weight - to compensate for a lean that might barberchair and so on, and so on...

If you could get us a picture of it you'd get all the help you'd ever want

Good luck,

Ola

 

[Gypo Logger]

Fence row trees pose a much more dangerous situation than forest trees. Fence row trees form huge side branching and when felled they dont break, but rather catapult the tree up and sideways, especially on hardwoods, so beware of this teeter totter effect of large curved sweeping limbs that are more like trunks.
John

 

[mboln52000]

I will try to get a digital pic of it this weekend, and post it over the weekend. Good idea Ola!

Thanks,

Matt