This Is What Happens...

[coastalfaller]

Ya know Jordan , alot of new guys to big coastal red cedar snags make 2 bad mistakes.
1 is thinking they can take a same size green tree and drive one over . All they do is slab vertically . Then you still have to go and actually fall it . Good job for an old junk saw

The 2nd is thinking that all red cedar snag stobs will stay in one piece when its spring time . All that frozen wet red goo inside them stays put and the thawed out shell blows out . One almost got me once and I've had a bunch do it . . All stooled up on a mound . 60" snag stump that in the summer or fall I
s good fast money all the sudden is trying to kill you in april . Won't even talk about fresh blowdown in rock bluffs

No we won't go there! Had some pretty good wind on Vancouver Island today, made for some carnage. Some of the oldtimers were saying it was one of the worst storms they can remember. Set a wind speed record in places. I'm cringing at the thought of some of our settings now. One nice OG setting is right on the edge of some old slash and already had some blowdown in it. Another is a second growth setting, tall 175 ft tall whippy wood that's just begging to be blown over. Might be pretty nasty.

 

[HorseFaller]

No we won't go there! Had some pretty good wind on Vancouver Island today, made for some carnage. Some of the oldtimers were saying it was one of the worst storms they can remember. Set a wind speed record in places. I'm cringing at the thought of some of our settings now. One nice OG setting is right on the edge of some old slash and already had some blowdown in it. Another is a second growth setting, tall 175 ft tall whippy wood that's just begging to be blown over. Might be pretty nasty.

Been nasty here to. Surprised to hear saws running today at all. Hope they where just on the landing.


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=48.916304,-122.121196

 

[tramp bushler]

When I'm in fresh blow down . I don't buck for length or grade . I buck to stay alive . You and yiur guys be careful in there !!

 

[Samlock]

When I'm in fresh blow down . I don't buck for length or grade . I buck to stay alive . You and yiur guys be careful in there !!

You can say that again, Tramp.

 

[madhatte]

Headin' out today to one of my units that got busted up pretty bad in January. I expect it's a real mess now.

 

[coastalfaller]

When I'm in fresh blow down . I don't buck for length or grade . I buck to stay alive . You and yiur guys be careful in there !!

Absolutely, I wholeheartedly agree!

 

[wyk]

I just put down a Beech in a yard today for a friend. First time I ever cut a beech. Thing hung onto its hinge when the face closed! Had to cut the hinge free with the tree at about 30 degrees from vertical. That was weird. No harm, though. Just fell a little slow.

Smaller one? In England I would cut the hinge thin as I dared on the beech and ash 18" or thinner so they would break the hinge. Otherwise we had to clean them up. I even had a 2' beech hold it's hinge when I cut it very close to the ground. Blah. I don't miss cutting beech and ash.

 

[madhatte]

I think this one was about 28" on the butt. I left 2" of hinge at first, and it tipped easily enough, but when it held the hinge, I was just dumbfounded. Goes to show -- not everything behaves like good ol' DF when you cut it! Even after it went over, one corner pulled the stump. I suppose now I'd nip the corners but I had no way of knowing that ahead of time. I wonder if there's a cutting guide anywhere with this sort of practical knowledge in it, listed by species? That would be as useful thing for somebody to write, if it doesn't already exist.

 

[treemandan]

Ditch and run - a good choice. I would have been out of there like lightening too.

 

[Spotted Owl]

When I'm in fresh blow down . I don't buck for length or grade . I buck to stay alive . You and yiur guys be careful in there !!

Strait up no BS words to live by there.

Well said.



Owl

 

[tramp bushler]

Headin' out today to one of my units that got busted up pretty bad in January. I expect it's a real mess now.

Hey ; how are the units your working in . Lot of blowdown ??

 

[madhatte]

Hey ; how are the units your working in . Lot of blowdown ??

Hardwoods took it WAY harder than the softwoods. Blowdown in the fir is mostly just the usual root rot and loose branches. Maple, oak, alder, cottonwood: carnage. What a mess. Plenty of firewood for everybody, that's for sure!

 

[wyk]

I think this one was about 28" on the butt. I left 2" of hinge at first, and it tipped easily enough, but when it held the hinge, I was just dumbfounded. Goes to show -- not everything behaves like good ol' DF when you cut it! Even after it went over, one corner pulled the stump. I suppose now I'd nip the corners but I had no way of knowing that ahead of time. I wonder if there's a cutting guide anywhere with this sort of practical knowledge in it, listed by species? That would be as useful thing for somebody to write, if it doesn't already exist.

On the Ash and the Beech larger than 18", I would nick the side so they didn't pull or split if they wanted to fall early. Some guys take a significant amount off those trees in England before cutting the back. We had to cut close to the ground, so on some of the larger ones we had to cut a lot of buttress off as well. Just a pain, all so IKEA can make cheap furniture. I blame the vikings.

 

[tramp bushler]

Mad . There is . I pay close attention to Hammer and Bitzer when they write about falling hardwood .
. Hammer has posted some good pics . Bitzer has too . No doubt there are others but I studied them .

We get pretty myopic on the west coast . And in a sense rightly so . But there are good and right tecniques for the hardwoods . Here in the west any half decent cutter wouldn't face up and back up several trees while a skidder was running around under them . But Slamm does and it works for them . I figure he knows somethings I don't .

None of them have ever tried to tell my how to fall Sitks Spruce snags off a rock bluff so I figure I'll rd wpay attention when they explain how to fall hard wood .

 

[Slamm]

Mad . There is . I pay close attention to Hammer and Bitzer when they write about falling hardwood .
. Hammer has posted some good pics . Bitzer has too . No doubt there are others but I studied them .

We get pretty myopic on the west coast . And in a sense rightly so . But there are good and right tecniques for the hardwoods . Here in the west any half decent cutter wouldn't face up and back up several trees while a skidder was running around under them . But Slamm does and it works for them . I figure he knows somethings I don't .

None of them have ever tried to tell my how to fall Sitks Spruce snags off a rock bluff so I figure I'll rd wpay attention when they explain how to fall hard wood .

I wouldn't say I know something you don't, just that we know our trees and we as a team trust each other and we know when we can push it and when we can't................... and we push when we can. Its certainly not for everyone and of the group of guys that work for us, there are just a few of us that will push things, usually its the ones that rode bulls together, LOL.

Sam