First a pop quiz:
When faced with a more dangerous than usual falling situation you should:
A. Stick to techniques in which you are proficient.
B. Practice new techniques.
C. Raise the danger level.
D. Buy that skidder you saw on Craig’s List.
E. Call your buddies to come watch.
If you chose A, then you are correct even if this means walking away. If you chose D, then I and others are jealous. If you chose E, then make sure you video it for the rest of us to watch. If you chose B or C, then you know what this dummy did today.
I decided to exercise one of my old MACs today by falling a large red oak. I carefully sharpened all 106 cutters. But when I got to the site, I found the two small white oaks pictured below. Given that the property is in a residential neighborhood, I thought prudence required me to fall them and leave the red oak for another day. So I studied the situation carefully. I decided that I could safely cut the supporting tree. I chose and cleared an exit path. Then apparently my brain had its first mal-function as I decide to practice with a Humboldt face cut. Maybe it was the enchanting music of my favorite MAC and thoughts of falling big timber out West in days of old. Then a second mal-function as I remembered that I am not very good at matching corners on Humboldts - I made the fateful decision to try putting the sloping cut in first to see if that would make it easier. Then a third mal-function, I proceeded with my horizontal gunning cut without checking to see if I had properly sighted my sloping cut. I hadn’t and right when I had my gunning cut where I wanted the tree sat down and pinched my bar. Given the tension on the supporting tree and the overall situation I decide to leave the saw instead of trying to cut it out. This meant I now had to stand a foot closer to the tree as my Stihl has a 20” bar. And it meant I would have to bore cut in a smaller space than originally intended. I don’t like bore cutting but any other barber chair resistant method in my skill set would have put me under the supported tree. All when well except the supported tree hit the bar of the stuck saw as it fell and bend it. I tried to straighten it in the field but was not completely successful. I am still reflecting on why I got sidetracked with the Humboldt instead of just dealing with the situation and leaving practice and experimentation to another tree.
Be careful out there,
Ron
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