Is there a name for this?

[Stayalert]

I wanted to drop this ash tree with good control of the stem. worked like a charm. Don't know if this is "right" or not but made sense to me. Is there a name for the "non standard face?"View attachment 314061View attachment 314062

 

[old_soul]

I believe that is called the 'I hope nobody is looking, cut'.



Often mistaken for the 'Oh God, I screwed up my first cut this close to the house, cut'.




....and sometimes called: 'I'll place my ropes as high as I can reach to make up for my bad cut, cut'.

now that's funny right there.............


Strange place to tie a pull line, at 3 foot above the cut. Even with a good notch I'm not sure it would help!

 

[lone wolf]

Seems to me if he would have pulled it hard enough tied low like that it would pull the base away from the house and drop the top on it!

 

[Stayalert]

:biggrin:

Those aren't pull lines. Those are lines to control the stem once separated from the stump so it didn't bounce, twist, roll through the house....Those comical face cuts allowed the holding wood/hinge to last alot longer which made for a smoother separation of the stem from the stump....

 

[HuskStihl]

That face is called a "Stair step" Dutchman. Also called a "gear cog" face. You cut intermeshing "cogs" into the upper and lower face cuts. As the face closes, the cogs act just like meshing gears to propel the tree directly to the ground. To turn the tree left or right you angle the intermeshing cogs in the direction you wish it to fall. It is the only way to fall hazard trees, and pull ropes are completely unnecessary as the face cut provides guaranteed accuracy regardless of lean or wind. Kudos to stayalert for having the knowledge and saw skill to execute such an advanced cut

 

[woodchuck357]

Call it a coos bay step cut!

 

[Stayalert]

Nice! I knew there was a name for it.....


um....yes I am kidding......:biggrinbounce2:

In parts of Europe I believe it is known as "les meshin facada"

 

[Zale]

Maybe ask Murph. I am sure he will claim he invented it. Why take the risk and not climb it?

 

[Stayalert]

Maybe ask Murph. I am sure he will claim he invented it. Why take the risk and not climb it?

I did climb it to remove lower limbs that would have raked the roof/house/neighboring tree(s)....Then I rapped down and dropped the rest of it (90%) from the ground....Much faster. Its funny you mention Murph 'cause I've seen some of his videos and remember seeing undercut faces.....Maybe I learned it from him?????? Thanks Murph!!!

here's a picture before I dropped it from the ground:

 

[derwoodii]

dear deity you get 9 lives so a few used :msp_ohmy:

must say if i'd posted all my learning curve & feats there be few pages but do try to practice your felling 1st away from targets eh lad

 

[woodchuck357]

Just saying, those ropes would have been small to no help if the trunk had gone sideways. Regarding the notch, it acted like an open, birds mouth, 90 degree what ever you want to call it by not breaking the hinge wood until the tree was almost on the ground.

One smooth cut on the lower side of the notch to match the upper would have looked better but wouldn't have worked any better.

 

[Stayalert]

Just saying, those ropes would have been small to no help if the trunk had gone sideways. Regarding the notch, it acted like an open, birds mouth, 90 degree what ever you want to call it by not breaking the hinge wood until the tree was almost on the ground.

One smooth cut on the lower side of the notch to match the upper would have looked better but wouldn't have worked any better.

The ropes visible in the picture had no purpose UNTIL THE STEM WAS FREE OF THE STUMP. The ropes were there (and useful) for limiting travel of the stem towards the house AFTER THE STEM WAS FREE OF THE STUMP. My face and back cuts created holding wood & hinge which provided direction during felling. yes a smooth angled cut would have looked better. For me (scrawny arms) a couple of right angle cuts are easier with a heavy (to me) chainsaw (MS660)

I also had a rope on the stem that was about 40 feet above ground level available for pulling in the direction that I wanted.....

 

[Stayalert]

dear deity you get 9 lives so a few used :msp_ohmy:

must say if i'd posted all my learning curve & feats there be few pages but do try to practice your felling 1st away from targets eh lad

Dear didjeriderwoodii,

Goodonya mate, don't know what "dear deity" means but I reckon that you've forgotten more than I'll ever know about tree felling....Is there a more suitable forum for me to post this in than "arborist 101?"

I looked at this job, planned it, executed it, and was stoked at the outcome. Home owner was pretty pleased that everything was tickity boo after the tree was on the ground too. Post up your learning curve & feats so people like me can LEARN.

Cheers!

 

[Zale]

No doubt you were stoked after putting it on the ground. I would be to. For me, I think the issue is the proximity of the house to the tree. I would have taken the top out first. Do you have a picture of the stump? How much tension were on the ropes tied at the base of the tree after it was on the ground? Just asking questions not criticizing.

 

[derwoodii]

Dear didjeriderwoodii,

Goodonya mate, don't know what "dear deity" means but I reckon that you've forgotten more than I'll ever know about tree felling....Is there a more suitable forum for me to post this in than "arborist 101?"

I looked at this job, planned it, executed it, and was stoked at the outcome. Home owner was pretty pleased that everything was tickity boo after the tree was on the ground too. Post up your learning curve & feats so people like me can LEARN.

Cheers!

theres plenty to see and learn about at AS stick around you can fast forward your skills set just by reading here a good thread on what not to do many more enjoy,, thou take heed real world is not so forgiving as web world

http://www.arboristsite.com/arboricultural-injuries-fatalities/123695.htm

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Just a couple thoughts..

You said you chose do this tree this way because it was "much faster," and you were " stoked at the outcome". These two quotes to me say you put production/profit over safety of property, and that you weren't sure if it would work. Experiments are best done more than 10' away from a house, imho. The only reason you chose to do the tree this way was to save time, and that is a dangerous mindset. Jeff

 

[woodchuck357]

The ropes visible in the picture had no purpose UNTIL THE STEM WAS FREE OF THE STUMP. The ropes were there (and useful) for limiting travel of the stem towards the house AFTER THE STEM WAS FREE OF THE STUMP. My face and back cuts created holding wood & hinge which provided direction during felling. yes a smooth angled cut would have looked better. For me (scrawny arms) a couple of right angle cuts are easier with a heavy (to me) chainsaw (MS660)

I also had a rope on the stem that was about 40 feet above ground level available for pulling in the direction that I wanted.....

I understood what the ropes were for, I have used similar holds often. But with at least half inch cable(wire rope, for those Navy vets) doing the honors.

I think you did a great job of felling that tree, I probably would have done it just like you did, with exception of leaving a purtyer stump. Maybe!

 

[Stayalert]

You said you chose do this tree this way because it was "much faster," and you were " stoked at the outcome". These two quotes to me say you put production/profit over safety of property, and that you weren't sure if it would work. Experiments are best done more than 10' away from a house, imho. The only reason you chose to do the tree this way was to save time, and that is a dangerous mindset. Jeff

I respectfully disagree with your interpretation of my words. Cutting the majority of the tree into little manageable pieces while it was laying on the ground was safer than cutting it into pieces while climbing. I climbed it to remove limbs that would threaten the house and then felled it in a manner to prevent property damage. Additionally, "stoked at the outcome" is very different from "pleasantly surprised at the outcome." Further My proposal/estimate for this work like nearly all of my work is based on T&M.

This was not an experiment. I recognized and accommodated the hazards. Or put another way, planned and executed the safe removal of the tree.

 

[Stayalert]

No doubt you were stoked after putting it on the ground. I would be to. For me, I think the issue is the proximity of the house to the tree. I would have taken the top out first. Do you have a picture of the stump? How much tension were on the ropes tied at the base of the tree after it was on the ground? Just asking questions not criticizing.

The ropes at the base stayed at about the same tension as I had put on them before dropping the tree. The yellow line had a Maasdam rope puller on it and I backed that up with the other line because I have experienced that the rope puller's gripping wheel will occasionally lose its grip if it encounters some slack. Both lines were nearly 90 degrees from the felling direction so they didn't need to pull the stem they just needed to prevent it from moving towards the house.

 

[tramp bushler]

Basically those were low pendulum lines. And considering they are tight they did their job. Very well too. Looks like you did great. But, being that close to the house I would have rigged the overhanging limbs down and pulled the top then blocked it down to a 10-20' stob and had the groundy hand pull it over. IMO that's too close to a house to be falling timber. But you were there. . I hope you had the pulling line tight by the time you started the back cut. It looks like you also put a face in the log.

An easier face is to just bore thru vertically perpendicular to the desired direction of fall. Cut down 6" or so then cut in the top and bottom cuts horizontally. Snipe a little Humboldt under the bottom horizontal cut and there ya go. .
That is just a block face with a snipe. Easy pie.