How to properly use wedges...

[Lonnie]

When im logging i use wedges alot and here is how i was told to use em... I put in my knotch then i drill the tree on one side leaving my like i would if i was just cutting the tree..... cut from dat working aroung till i pass the back leaving the other side un cut then start beating the wedge in place.... then go on cutting from where u left off for a inch or so beat some more etc etc till ya get to the hinge on the other side.... if it does not fall then beat the hell out of it hehehehe it will work..... Good luck think safe

 

[smokechase II]

bow tie how to pics

Here are the first of the bow tie slides.

 

[smokechase II]

more slides

The rest of the bow tie how to's.

Sorry I didn't get enough of the finish of the cut to show all.
But you should have an idea about it now.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

When im logging i use wedges alot and here is how i was told to use em...

You're a logger, and you learned how to use wedges here?

Edit: Nevermind! I read that wrong! I thought you learned how to use wedges from AS! Sorry.

 

[manual]

Always like these wedge threads.. Always good information .
Thank guys.

 

[Lonnie]

You're a logger, and you learned how to use wedges here?

Edit: Nevermind! I read that wrong! I thought you learned how to use wedges from AS! Sorry.

I log monday ,friday whe weekend is when i do tree removel on the side i was trimming trees befor i was logging......I think of it as having the best of both hehhehe

 

[John Ellison]

Burt and SmokeII, Nice, I like the looks of that. I like to wedge up the back cut first too, but do it a quarter at a time. Your way looks better to me with both sides supported. Will definatly be trying that.Good piscs and diagrams.
Its been awhile since I've fell a big one but I would cut them (undercuts)in half or thirds too. And if my cuts weren't quite right a couple of wedges would help to pop the undercuts out.
I am not man enough to run a big saw all day without help from my thighs.

 

[Lakeside53]

Sure wish I'd read this thread before I just knocked over the biggest Alder I've seen aroud here (28dbh)... but... I used the truck, ropes, snatch blocks and wedges (to jack it up to over vertical from 60 back)... so maybe it doesn't qualify here

Great thread guys... ! I'm printing this one out and leaving it in the truck!

 

[SawTroll]

Wedges are a must - I don't fell or buck anything without having them handy.....:rockn: :rockn:

 

[Logjam]

great illistration smokechase

One question I have on your illistrations?

Will this method work on a potential rotten center tree?
IE: Red Oak?

 

[smokechase II]

bow tie and Tim Ard

In Tim Ards eBook; "The Complete Guide to Chain Saw Safety and
Directional Felling", he shows a method of center boring the tree in line with the desired direction of fall. Look at the photos below.

The objective here is to be able to place multiple longer wedges in slots on smaller diameter trees. (When I've tried this I found that three wedges effectively functions as two. But wedging this close to the hinge does move a tree top quickly so its not really a concern here.)

It is similar to the bow tie. Isn't illustrated here as a back-cut prior to face. But it could be. With a smaller diameter tree stacking wedges may not be possible. So this layered slots technique could be modified to accomplish the same as the bow tie in small dbh's. {Caution on cutting the wedges when you make your face).

The final parts of the backcut are finished with slightly offset cuts, just below the wedges. This is generally undesireable on larger timber, (not connecting cuts precisely), but isn't a big deal here if uniform on both sides.

I would recommend Tim's book, available from; http://www.forestapps.com/e-book/ .

 

[smokechase II]

a couple other thoughts

Drive the wedge that is nearest the finishing back cuts the hardest. If it is one further up it can be harder to extract. I learned that after one tree.

On face height, if you're dropping a tree that leans 5 degrees opposite its lean, the face will need to be 95 degrees to maintain the hinge holding all the way to the ground. (Don't worry about that dimension. But you should make a wider notch than normal.)

 

[smokechase II]

rot and bow tie

I'm going to suggest that the use of the bow tie should only be on solid trees.

While it is possible to do it on trees with just a small amount of rot in the very center. This is difficult to determine.

I wouldn't want to do it.

Maybe Burt will jump back in here.

Burt, who taught you this cut and what do you think about the rot question?

 

[Lonnie]

im sorry all the way im seeing the wedging going on here is all new to me.... The way i do it i us on center rot tree as well as the good trees....I drill the side and work my way around the tree after i get over 1/2 way around it i drive a wedge in the side cut some wedge some...... I use the hinge on the side im cutting last to help pull the tree around.... So as for as saying anything bout the way u all are showing to wedge em down is new to me..sorry i can't help

 

[boatermark]

Wedge Location

Where the bore the back can be of benefit, besides barber chair avoidance, is to get your hinge exact before the tree starts to fall. This for trees that need little or no wedging.

Also, when cutting trees where a quick escape is needed, you are a little further away and in a better operational position to escape than when 'chasing' the back-cut.

Both of these advantages are dependant on the faller knowing the right sized hinge.

The placement of wedges next to the hinge needs to be just firm. To hold the tree, not drive it, until a spot in the rear can be cut to allow for driving wedges.

Look, I don't do this much either. Hope I got these ideas straight.

Smokechase II, I think I need to start sending all my replies to you first for editing. Great input and great information.

I think I may be to blame for the discussion around the placement of wedges close to the hinge. I think I may have tried to explain that, once you have completed creating the desired hinge and you are working on a backcut, many times you may place a wedge as soon as you have space in the backcut to do so, regardless of location. Maybe call this an insurance wedge, not really the wedge you might drive with the but end of your axe.

You see, before I learned more about felling and using wedges, it was in my mind that you wouldn't place a wedge until you had space in the backcut directly opposite of the direction you wanted the tree to fall (so that means I thought this was the ONLY place you would put a wedge in). You would then drive this wedge to push the tree over where you wanted it to go. It wasn't until I learned more about the hinge (strength, size, shape, etc.) that I realized hinge has a lot more to do with the direction of fall.

I hope this clears up any confusion I may have caused. Smokechase II did a great job at describing what considerations have to be taken when placing wedges in different locations.

 

[blis]

Wedges are a must - I don't fell or buck anything without having them handy.....:rockn: :rockn:

I fell and buck everything without wedges :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[FSburt]

Bow tie and rot

Hi Bill good hearing from you again. I was taught this method by a local faller who does alot of roadside falling and falling around private residences. As far as the rot is concerned if the corners are sound then it is just less wood you have to cut. I Say that i would not use this if I only 1 to 2" of sound wood on the corners. The key to this cut is capturing the strength of the younger wood on the outside part of the bole, that is why the holding wood on each corner is pie shaped with the wide side on the edge. One other point when doing this type of cutting is the make a deeper undercut, I usually take mine to 1/2. Dont be afraid to put in wedges as you get room because the more wedge surface you have to aid lifting the tree to easier it is on you. I am send a photo to show what the stump looks like after the tree is down. You can leave a little more holding wood then the photo shows though got a little overzealous on this one. Who said we don't cut Giant Sequoia anymore. This one was killed in a fire we had during the summer. Sad shame it was planted in the early 1920's when this was our forest supervisors office property.

 

[Lakeside53]

I fell and buck everything without wedges :hmm3grin2orange:

Yep -we saw the size of your trees in the last photo you posted...

 

[blis]

Yep -we saw the size of your trees in the last photo you posted...

Cant change the climate, you know...

But seriously, i´ve felled ~30cm trees without wedges and my dad has felled even ~70cm trees without wedges.... But ofcourse, trees are bigger there and everything that works here may not work there

 

[smokechase II]

burt

Impressive. Nice job again. How much lean/weight were you fighting in the Sequoia?

Got any more photos of the bow tie so I can improve my PowerPoint?
Permission to use that photo?

Thanks