What is a good technique to bbuck a 24-34 inch trunk, with a bar that is only 20"?

[atriuum]

Basically I would like to know how to best go about it. It's a big trunk, oak, already felled, but needs to be bucked. I only have a husky 455 20 inch bar, and need to buck it. The trunk is about 35 foot long. How many chains will it take to buck it?

Thanks so much for any thoughts or suggestions.

 

[RavenFeather]

The Technique that we are currently going over is to cut the opposite end you're going to buck about 1/3 of the way in with the bar vertical (make sure the bar tip is above the ground). This prevents you from starting to buck it then the kickback corner hits the wood on the outside of the bar. Then just buck the opposite side of the cut (allowing the corner to be free of wood). So if the wood is a clock you cut to about 11 and 7 o'clock (enough so that the bar tip will clear when you buck from the other side, but not enough that the tip actually goes into the wood) then buck the other side.

 

[ancy]

What? Cut from both sides!

 

[troythetreeman]

really every tree is different, wheres the weight is the question? terrain? i like to cut the limbs off first, cut the ones that arent supporting the tree. keep your work area clear, cut some brush and move it. can you reach them all? when you cut the limbs holding the tree up (for these youll almost certainly need to undercut) its likely to roll. use you eyes and your brain
now you have the log
its possible to bind your saw into a cut so tightly you cant get it out, be carefull not to do this, if you do you better have another saw or youll be taking your apart and buying a new bar and chain
you can buy plastic wedges to hold cuts open, they work well
keep your saw out of the dirt, you may need to start several cuts till you can finish one and roll the log to finish the rest
if you keep your saw out of the dirt one chain will do it, be a good idea to have a spare chain, ive been doing this my whole life, i still on occasion find dirt, a rock or even a nail with my saw
dont cut with a dull saw
if youre new at this consider a reduced kick back chain, they dont cut quite as well as a full chisel, but theyre safer
husqvarna however does have an outstanding chain break
consider investing in a face shield and ear protection(i have a hard hat with these features i wear when running larger saws, stump grinders or chippers) also chaps and a log roller
as for one technique, i use several in any given tree
think of it as a puzzle, dont just jump in and make random cuts, even a down tree can pose serious threat to life and limb, be smart, make smart cuts and stay safe