Precission Felling with Laser

[NorCalCutters#3]

precision felling with lasers ?????? I have been hiring a couple brothers that are third generation loggers and every time i work with them we make bets on the exact spot the tree is going to hit, we put three markers down and bet . Its a bad bet because they never miss the spot, and they only using the little sight included with every purchase of a saw . its there because it works . no lasers or squares or go go gadget, you need to justify calling yourself a surgeon so you bring a tool crib of junk so you look cool to the customers . if its a drop, dump it over and do not take more than 5 minutes . if you showed up on my job with those lasers and tapes and strings trying to figure where your pie cut was facing you would never work in timber felling around us . what do you do on your back cut ?? strap a laser to your hard hat or on the tip of the saw ?? the back cut can change the direction also

 

[smokechase II]

Don't brag

NorCal:
Just a thought.
Try and not brag about how bad your judgment is then make a point about technique.
Oh well, perhaps it’s a gambling thing and you simply have no control over repetitive loosing.
If the brothers are worth their salt, perhaps you'll post some photos.
Using one of them new fangled digital cameras, (some use strange beams of radiation to help with the focus - you might want to wear lead).

Look. Give some credit. That was a fabulous job.
One of the problems with the sights is that they do not point to the face direction. They point the direction the powerhead is facing. Normally, this isn't a big deal. It was significant in this case looking at that power pole.
Granted, you learn to compensate for that.
But this idea for the arborist world of paranoid precision seems worth something.

 

[Rigger]

NorCalCutters#3,

you need to justify calling yourself a surgeon so you bring a tool crib of junk so you look cool to the customers .

Well I don't hire guy's to fell MY tree's... I drop them myself! I am also a third generation and making good progress raising the fourth. I learnt a lot working 24/7 in the forest for two months at a time when I was (14), I know how to get a job done, and could'nt give a rats ass about looking cool or pretty I ain't hired for that. I am not a bells and whistle's type guy who gets off on pretty blue & red anodized toy's, sorry if I gave you that impression.
I don't need to justify calling myself whatever I want, I do enjoy wearing sus-spendies and a bra just like my dear papa though!!

Ye'h the built in saw sights work great and that's generally all I use 99.999% of the time also, however loggers tend to work in the forest and don't have to contend with confined spaces, septic tanks/concrete/cabins/wires/underground utils. etc. Now I am (54) and at least two day's a week I am climbing up 150' pondo's and topping them out at 100'+ then dropping out one or two middle sections with a Husky 288, as soon as my feet are on the ground I drop what's left with THREE quick cuts.... not 4,5, or 6!!!! Then I sit back and take my coffee and Marlboro while the crew cleans up..... we generaly can do two a day, bucked, stacked, raked. Now if your logging buddies can do that and hack it with us please tell them I've got plenty of work for them. What I have just stated is fact not BS. I am sure they are good fallers and they can put them on the spot, now get them to drop a 25' Ø20" section from 50'up after they tell the ground crew where to place those markers (one for each end) and see what happens, and not just where it lands but actually ends up. That's what we have to do, allthough in reality we don't have time to play around with markers.
Generally we don't mess with the timber, as most sites are small volume (less than a load or two) getting a loader or skidder in, extracting and hauling verses what the mills pay just ain't worth it, besides we can't allway's get them down in 16-6's.

 

[frashdog]

Quote:
Originally Posted by frashdog
WOW I can't imagine. I've never come close to something like that. Yet I've had to stop cutting to let some of the adrenaline overdose soak in. That must have felt awsome, or was that just another tree?


You're not too wound up are ya?

you got any pictures that might impress me?

I've been cutting trees since 14. I live on 90 acreas that I log and practice technical cutting. Then I get paid for climbing/cutting and doing some pretty technical ones at that. We do not have trees that big around here, at least not that I'll probably ever get to cut. I climb trees for the same reason I ride motorcycles, backcountry ski, rock/ice climb....adrenaline! Besides it pays well and I'm outside. Anyways

Yes the pictures wound me right up. This dudes the man. Comon guys who are dis'n rigger let's see your mighty take downs.

Rigger more photos please!

 

[rbtree]

norcal hotshot. If I ever dare do another tree like the one i posted about above, and here,

I'll be sure not to ask you to do it.....It's one thing to do production falling in the woods, another to do it around valuable obstacles.

frashdog, good last post. go to my online photobucket album to see lots of ski pics from this winter, mostly inbounds skiing or lift served backcountry..... http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c78/rbtree/

rigger, again, great work!

 

[sawn_penn]

Good shot!

 

[frashdog]

rbtree, that's what I'm talkin 'bout, nice

Nice photos in your album too. Tree pourn, ski pourn all good at getting me excited! Gotta get my album up soon.

 

[woodchux]

I just eyeball em'

 

[dakota]

Well done, rb.

frashdog - I wasn't dis'n Rigger. I was talking only to you. I've never heard of someone having to stop during a cut b/c they were all jacked up on adrenaline. I get my juice before and after. Once I'm committed and start that back cut, an eerie calm settles in and I'm focused.

And no, I have no pictures like these.

 

[frashdog]

frashdog - I wasn't dis'n Rigger.

I was not refering to you about the dis'n, mainly one other and anyone else who was thinking it.:hmm3grin2orange:
I was making two points in one post.

I've never heard of someone having to stop during a cut b/c they were all jacked up on adrenaline.

I did not say during a cut, I said

I've had to stop cutting to let some of the adrenaline overdose soak in.

Guess I worded it bad, in other words, take a little break before I start limbing or cut the next tree.

I get my juice before and after. Once I'm committed and start that back cut, an eerie calm settles in and I'm focused.

Oh I'll bet you got juice flowing during, you just know what to do with it, that's why you're focused doing tree work. You just notice it before and after cause you're not using it.

I've never had to stop going 160+mph on my bike cause of too much adrenaline. I've never had to stop climbing during a run out pitch cause of too much adrenaline. Nor class V rapids on my kayak, nor solo ice, nor 50 degree plus no fall zones skiing. I have had to stop and soak in that awsome feeling realizing what just happened when some thing that floods me with adrenaline is over.

It's the after the event effect that gets me, I take a few big breaths with a poo eating grin. Some light up a smoke. I have seen amature adrenaline junkies freeze up in hairy situations usually climbs when they realize where they are, or even better puke right after, all white and sweaty.

 

[dakota]

Yeah, that sounds better. I had this image of someone totally wired while making cuts and we can all guess where that kind of behavior leads.

 

[smokechase II]

photo questions

Woodchux:
Regarding your pics. Do we detect the tell tale sign of snow cones?
The last photo, is the holding wood on the house side cut off?
Is that why the people have their faces blacked out in photo 3?
The background of photo 5, where is the fence? Perhaps taken down prior to just in case.

Actually, nice job.
Where you at in South Carolina? That's a hillside compared to the Low Country.

 

[Rigger]

woodchux,

Nice pics, I love technicle take-downs in restricted and confined spaces, I have just spent 20mins going back and forth through your pics and making some notes and observations ....
NOT being criticle by any means. On the contrary I am trying to visualize how things end up where they do.

First I looked at pic #1 <a href="attachment.php?attachmentid=34054&amp;d=1147903476" target="_blank">jets landing 011.jpg</a> It is obvious that the butt rotated nearly 180° as the face cut now is on the top side, it is my contention that it must have rotated in a clockwise manner when the top end rolled downhill with the tree just outside the gate acting also as a pivot point to spew/skew the butt slightly uphill see pic #5. <a href="attachment.php?attachmentid=34058&amp;d=1147904077" target="_blank">jets landing 015.jpg</a>. Every stump cut can tell a story, you can pretty much tell just how bad the faller's back is by them, My first thought's were that it may have been let down by ropes but the bark and railroad tie shows impact damage quite clearly. The faller was on the house side for the face-cut and the back-cut, he clearly cut beyond the back of the wedge/pie/sink/face on that house side leaving no hinge which is a no no in my book for any reason, if you have to cut that much to get it over somethings very wrong, I would stop and reacess while I still got some holding wood in reserve, but maybe he was useing a hot saw that was sharp and could'nt hold it back. But hey it's down with no apparent damage apart from a small tie retainer (no biggy) and I congratulate you for that. Was the flag & pole put back up afterward or did you just work around it?, I see you brought the top down in sections within the yard as there is no debris over the fence. As I said befor I am not trying to be criticle, (except for that stump cut) they are interesting pics if this is indicative of the work you do may I suggest just a little polishing up on that final cut.

Mr. rbtree, you have my attention... yes I have viewed your pic gallery, and I am in the process of going back through your past posts trying to get a feel for who I am dealing with here.... an image of two peas in a pod is amerging, although you do have a few more grey whiskers than I do!

 

[woodchux]

Thanks... just another day at the office.
I took down 7 trees in that back yard all 90' ish.
The fence was layed down on the other side of the yard so i could drop 3 of the trees that way. It was a little tight on that side also . There is a water well on on side, and a greenhouse on the other.That yard slopes down to the lake below, no access.
I'm in Upstate SC

Couple pics of other side
Anyone want some free firewood ?

 

[woodchux]

The flagpole stayed up.
The holding wood was cut to steer the tree to the right a little as it was almost over. And yeah , the tree wanted to roll downhill after it came down.

 

[sawn_penn]

I've never had to stop going 160+mph on my bike cause of too much adrenaline. I've never had to stop climbing during a run out pitch cause of too much adrenaline. Nor class V rapids on my kayak, nor solo ice, nor 50 degree plus no fall zones skiing. I have had to stop and soak in that awsome feeling realizing what just happened when some thing that floods me with adrenaline is over.

Never had to stop talking crud because your ego was worn out, either eh?