cutting holding wood
"A distinct advantage of a level back cut height, is it allows you to clearly see if you're cutting through the hinge."
"This is why I think this to be a good way to cut.
If your back cut is higher it may lead you to over cut the holding wood while still having 1" or more of what would appear to be holding wood."
This isn't something that is difficult to do. Simply don't cut above any part of whatever dimension that you determine your holding wood to be. I see this as a discipline issue.
What does require some skill is cutting level. Not a lot but some.
Plunge cutting requires more skill, I would suggest. That doesn't mean it should be discarded.
On the scale of 1 (starting your saw) to 10 (plunge cutting level and matching cuts on a tree twice as big as your bar to set up a back release).
I would rate not cutting holding wood on a 2" stump shot 1.25 to 1.5
All you have to do is look at the off side and just stop.
Tek9Tim:
No disrespect, but you did nail me as I did forget to mention a great point.
Tim:
What concerns me is that folks from one area think they can go elsewhere and teach the locals how to cut. Soren Erikkson came out West almost two decades ago with this objective. He didn't go to Washington and work as a faller for five years and put together a program on some skills and techniques that he thought would be helpful. Just the arrogance of a napoleon complex combined with the inability to learn in later years and they roundly ignored him. Gave him quotes like if I cut like that I'd get myself killed.
This push the Scandinavian small tree production technique still has a pretty good following and the ego thing is part of it. Unfortunately that works both ways. We out west need to drop the big tree macho and study these methods.
Check this out and go to page 5.
http://www.forestapps.com/news/june02.pdf
Some of the verbiage there is: "They can all safely say the open face notch
and the training techniques promoted by Husqvarna will work very well in the East and in the Western woods."
This with about a dozen people cutting down ONE tree each as their method of achieving a final and complete answer to this pressing question.
Now look at the stump on the left side of page 5. Cuts are level, nice. Would you post that picture, holding wood problems despite the open face/back cut being level? Wouldn't you want to show a stump where you didn't screw up the holding wood that badly? Especially on a newsletter page?
Not to discard Tim Ard's work. I bought Tim Ard's eBook; "The complete Guide ..."
Worth your time. Particularly the stuff relating to cleverly using bore cuts on small diameter timber. I could snail mail it to you to look over.
But it is by no means a complete guide. It is at least a fairly complete guide on open face technique and you can print a few pages from it to help your buddies.
So I would suggest two thoughts:
1) Aggressively take in knowledge and learn from others. Just because we're on the West Coast doesn't mean we shouldn't consider appropriate technique on a tree by tree basis.
2) To some degree, ignore those others that are locked in. If someone is my way or the highway, let them take the hike.
From your posts, I'm pretty sure you're there. I just snuck this last part in directed at you, hoping for others to consider.
