Stumper
One Man Band
John, I take a hatchet and wedges to the base of almost every tree that I put a rope in. I set a wedge maybe thirty percent of the time-actually drive them seldom... BUT when I need them they are there!
Wedging
- Thread starter John Ellison
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The first time I tried wedging over a relatively "heavy" back-leaner (was a 8" DBH red oak but leaning pretty good) I made the back cut dead level which resulted in the same functional scenario as Ken portrayed. It wasn't critical (fell into the woods instead of into the clearing being made for a house in the woods), but it wasn't pretty when she barber-chaired downward and went over backward. I can't recommend enough to get into a situation like that (clearing some woods) and doing some experimentation with felling techniques!
Especially you rope-tugging arborists! (hahaha)
Glen
them plastic wedges dont give enough lift anyhow,if your using them your having an up hill battle,youll never get over what you could with a decent wedge.if you can fall well, you wont be hitting the wedge with your chain anyhow.tongue n groove on anything thats not a straight drop.......only MO dropped countless climb trees
Thanx Stumper, i too take wedges and small sledge to base of a tree, cheap insurance! And good to have for bucking, the next step!
i brought the slanted backcut up because it is an error we hear repeated in false confidance, a lot of times with a shallow or back leaner i think as Stumper said.
But, also, as a pre-maid illustration to the arch force of a wedge, compared to the straighter , to target line pull, that doesn't impose this arching to target in the motion i was answering to of what i said. The slanted BackCut diagram shows how to adjust that effect, thereby, verifying it i think. Also, showing once again a compounding set of actions against your purpose, by just the one adjsutment. For the Backcut slant takes pwoer away, so you have to apply more for the same effect, but the backstop is weaker, as the wedge push now serves leveraged across stump, rather straight down it's longer/fortified axis. Gots to be carefull what ya change on the game board; especially when mopre than 1 thing can set/compound agianst ya!
Or,
something like that..
:alien:
i brought the slanted backcut up because it is an error we hear repeated in false confidance, a lot of times with a shallow or back leaner i think as Stumper said.
But, also, as a pre-maid illustration to the arch force of a wedge, compared to the straighter , to target line pull, that doesn't impose this arching to target in the motion i was answering to of what i said. The slanted BackCut diagram shows how to adjust that effect, thereby, verifying it i think. Also, showing once again a compounding set of actions against your purpose, by just the one adjsutment. For the Backcut slant takes pwoer away, so you have to apply more for the same effect, but the backstop is weaker, as the wedge push now serves leveraged across stump, rather straight down it's longer/fortified axis. Gots to be carefull what ya change on the game board; especially when mopre than 1 thing can set/compound agianst ya!
Or,
something like that..
:alien:
Husky372
ArboristSite Guru
plastic is the only way to go. if you need more lift double up or even triple. or you can use shims. its amazing what some guys can drop, where they want, using a wedge.
glens i took an advanced felling class a few months ago and the instructor dropped a tree about the same size with considerable back lean. what he did (and i've tried with mixed results, takes practice) is made notch then center bored straight through notch out the back twice so he could stack 2 wedges then he made back cuts on either side of and above wedges but they dont meet so there is still some holding wood in the back but once you start to drive the wedges it brakes and your able to lift and drop tree takes some work. he had everyone there completly amazed and a few of the guys there have been logging a very long time. FWIW
glens i took an advanced felling class a few months ago and the instructor dropped a tree about the same size with considerable back lean. what he did (and i've tried with mixed results, takes practice) is made notch then center bored straight through notch out the back twice so he could stack 2 wedges then he made back cuts on either side of and above wedges but they dont meet so there is still some holding wood in the back but once you start to drive the wedges it brakes and your able to lift and drop tree takes some work. he had everyone there completly amazed and a few of the guys there have been logging a very long time. FWIW
Husky372
ArboristSite Guru
if you say so. but i'll stick with my plastic.
Gypo Logger
Timber Baron
I think it's good the Ken posted the picture of the slanted backcut as 40% of woodticks do it this way with the eroneous belief that it prevents a barber chair. One would have to be a prophet to determine its direction of fall.
Arboristserists are in a different postion than us loggerists types as they have to make everything count 100% or disaster can strike, so they don't get to experiment as much as we do on site.
However, we all visually take the tree down in our minds before we start up the chainsaw. This visual taking down can take a split second or up to an hour, depending on the fellerist.
I think the most impressionable and accomplished climbers that may branch out into lot clearing and therefore logging are: Master Blaster, RB tree,and Spydy, amoungst others and maybe the Rockster.
"OH NO, Not Another Logger!"
John
Arboristserists are in a different postion than us loggerists types as they have to make everything count 100% or disaster can strike, so they don't get to experiment as much as we do on site.
However, we all visually take the tree down in our minds before we start up the chainsaw. This visual taking down can take a split second or up to an hour, depending on the fellerist.
I think the most impressionable and accomplished climbers that may branch out into lot clearing and therefore logging are: Master Blaster, RB tree,and Spydy, amoungst others and maybe the Rockster.
"OH NO, Not Another Logger!"
John
Last edited:
Gypo Logger
Timber Baron
Hello Netree, that's very true. If one was to become a timber theif, it may be best to fool the forensic detectives by using these types of felling cuts. One would never be detected and it could be blamed on the local hack anyway. And why shouldn't it be?
John
John
Kneejerk Bombas
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I don't know what you are saying exactly, but I think this means you don't like plastic wedges.
What do you like, those expensive aluminum ones? Nobody's stupid enought to carry around steel wedges all day for felling.
MasterBlaster
TreeHouse Elder
Stumper
One Man Band
There are worse things than sloping backcuts-like the outfit in Pueblo that reportedly never make a notch! a shallow kerf for a face then the back cut and pull till it falls. Man, those 'experts' are scary!
stupid and no f all like you mike,if you had actually done a fair amount of falling/logging you wouldnt say that.every logger in australia must be wrong.i generaly walk a little to grab a wedge and maul.anyhow you tell me how my work rope, limb holding is wrong since you said i shouldnt have posted that pic can you do better?
MasterBlaster
TreeHouse Elder
Mike is just a 'lil sweetheart, ain't he?
he needs to show something instead of just bagging everyone,i showed a pic of a simple workline with eye and steel biner for MOST rigging and he says i shouldnt because younger climbers will think its good when its bad.i thought it would be a help but no bagged again
Kneejerk Bombas
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Do a search on sideloading carabiners, here, at any mountaineering site, or at the manufacturer of the carabiners you use. A little research should tell you why sideloading is not right.
What I would do is connect the carabiner to a sling that is long enough to go around the piece being lowered, then clip that to the end of the bull rope. That way there is no side loading and it's just as fast to connect and unconnect.
As for lugging steel wedges around, it's not a safety thing, it's a common sense thing, so I don't care if you like them or not.
Plastic and aluminum have advantages over steel, and if you understand how to properly wedge over a tree, they should last a lifetime.
Now, if your one of these guys that starts beating the crap out of the wedge too early, then by all means, use steel. Steel is also better for splitting wood.
Because I said felling with steel wedges is stupid? After:
I'd say I was being a sweethart, compared to Assiholey's comparing a modern light weight tool, to a vibrator because he has no clue.
SilverBlue
Addicted to ArboristSite
Actually Mike really is a sweetheart, and he gives a D-amn about arboriculture and brother arborists. But don’t tell the SOB I said so he might get mushy on us
Stumper
One Man Band
Aussie is already on record as a lover of magnesium and aluminium wedges. (And his hatred of plastic baffles me.)
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