murphy4trees
Addicted to ArboristSite
Once again TCI magazine has dropped the ball....
I misplaced my copy so I can't give the page or even month, though it was a very recent issue.... Somebody help with that please....
TCI published diagrams of a conventional notch, a Humboldt, and an open face.... Well they got the conventional and Humboldt right, but did arborists a great disservice by diagramming an open face notch to look like a conventional and Humboldt put together... That is a 90* notch, with 45* cut above and 45* cut below horizontal.... To me, making such a huge error on such a basic technique shows just how completely out of touch the magazine is with the day to day reality of doing tree work.... The publisher and staff should be ashamed of publishing such gross misinformation. A great opportunity to give valuable and practical knowledge was missed....
Since I started using an open face notch with a tapered hinge, I have increased many fold my felling accuracy and confidence.... These two techniques have made a huge difference in my productivity and profitability. The "peek-a-boo through the kerf" floor of the face cut is probably the greatest advantage of the open face in that it prevents bypass cut and therefore Dutchmans. That cut is made possible by the 70* from horizontal angled first cut on the face.... Starting with the 70* downward cut also makes using the gunning lines easy, accurate and practical. All of that went right over TCI's head!!!
It’s clear and somewhat sad, and at the same time understandable that TCI mag knows a lot more about marketing etc... than about chainsaw techniques and other day to day practicalities of tree work... They are in the business of selling our eyeballs to advertisers and not touching trees.
I used to look forward to reading it much more so than I do now. And I have always been surprised at how little practical information on progressive techniques the magazine provides. I have found this and other sites to be a great source of such practical information... So anymore, I tend to skim the mag for tidbits of info and to check out the ads, and I come here to learn and share.
There are of course exceptions to the above judgments. For example Guy Meilleur wrote, in the April 2003 TCI, a piece on making pruning cuts after storm damage. Arborists that are now cleaning up after Isabel would do well to read it. Guy both writes for TCI and is a regular contributor here. I Am grateful to have a man of his knowledge and experience sharing so freely on this forum. And I believe he recently shared that he is still climbing on a taught line hitch, which is the oldest of old school... (Guy try at least switching to the Blakes hitch.... you'll like it)
TCI would do well to put 6-10 arborists like Tom Dunlap on their editorial staff.... I think that there is a large population of arborists that do not spray or inject and are strictly into pruning, cabling and removal... And the vast majority of these are still using old school techniques... These ones aren't interested in Pest or business management... All TCI needs to do is a search of AS to find some fertile material for dishing out some excellent and practical knowledge to the average guy with a chainsaw out there....
I misplaced my copy so I can't give the page or even month, though it was a very recent issue.... Somebody help with that please....
TCI published diagrams of a conventional notch, a Humboldt, and an open face.... Well they got the conventional and Humboldt right, but did arborists a great disservice by diagramming an open face notch to look like a conventional and Humboldt put together... That is a 90* notch, with 45* cut above and 45* cut below horizontal.... To me, making such a huge error on such a basic technique shows just how completely out of touch the magazine is with the day to day reality of doing tree work.... The publisher and staff should be ashamed of publishing such gross misinformation. A great opportunity to give valuable and practical knowledge was missed....
Since I started using an open face notch with a tapered hinge, I have increased many fold my felling accuracy and confidence.... These two techniques have made a huge difference in my productivity and profitability. The "peek-a-boo through the kerf" floor of the face cut is probably the greatest advantage of the open face in that it prevents bypass cut and therefore Dutchmans. That cut is made possible by the 70* from horizontal angled first cut on the face.... Starting with the 70* downward cut also makes using the gunning lines easy, accurate and practical. All of that went right over TCI's head!!!
It’s clear and somewhat sad, and at the same time understandable that TCI mag knows a lot more about marketing etc... than about chainsaw techniques and other day to day practicalities of tree work... They are in the business of selling our eyeballs to advertisers and not touching trees.
I used to look forward to reading it much more so than I do now. And I have always been surprised at how little practical information on progressive techniques the magazine provides. I have found this and other sites to be a great source of such practical information... So anymore, I tend to skim the mag for tidbits of info and to check out the ads, and I come here to learn and share.
There are of course exceptions to the above judgments. For example Guy Meilleur wrote, in the April 2003 TCI, a piece on making pruning cuts after storm damage. Arborists that are now cleaning up after Isabel would do well to read it. Guy both writes for TCI and is a regular contributor here. I Am grateful to have a man of his knowledge and experience sharing so freely on this forum. And I believe he recently shared that he is still climbing on a taught line hitch, which is the oldest of old school... (Guy try at least switching to the Blakes hitch.... you'll like it)
TCI would do well to put 6-10 arborists like Tom Dunlap on their editorial staff.... I think that there is a large population of arborists that do not spray or inject and are strictly into pruning, cabling and removal... And the vast majority of these are still using old school techniques... These ones aren't interested in Pest or business management... All TCI needs to do is a search of AS to find some fertile material for dishing out some excellent and practical knowledge to the average guy with a chainsaw out there....
