Tree Felling

[Subdeacon Joe]

 

 

[Eyesa Horg]

Interesting, but seems it could have gone 180 in the other direction too.,

[sassnetguy50]

The tree appeared to be leaning that direction already.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Why?

[sassnetguy50]

16 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Why?

Controlled felling.  

[Pat Riot]

I have cut down hundreds of trees. I can control the direction of the fall with a lot less cutting and time. On a windy day that method might no be so wise. 

[watab kid]

seemed a lot of cutting for what ive seen an experienced lumberman do , but it lookeed cool and worked so XXX go for it 

[Dusty Devil Dale]

What could possibly go wrong? 

 It's scary that fb and You Tube have this kind of thing, that can literally tempt DIYers to get themselves killed. 

 

I am professionally  trained and I do a lot of big timber felling.

Large (>15" dbh) tree felling, even in wide-open places, isn't really a DIY job.  Proper training (beyond You- Tube) is pretty essential.  

 

This technique, called a "directional tenon",  is not new.  It is one of about 40 well-establoshed tree falling methods. It works in limited situations ONLY if properly and accurately done.  And therein lies the concern.   

 

I sure dont recommend inexperienced people trying it. All 3 of the major cuts are necessarily precise plunge cuts that can be dangerous without proper equipment, and  training.  The cut geometry has  to be VERY precise-- more so than most inexperienced chainsaw users can accomplish. 

 

The 180 degree problem, as mentioned above, is usually handled by first making a normal down-sloping 1/3 deep pie cut on the falling side, and hammering wedges or installing a proper tree jack (not any other type of jack) in a cut-away on the backside of larger trees.  You absolutely must  leave enough holding wood between the pie cut and the bottom of the tennon  to keep control of the fall.  Both vertical side cuts must be very parallel without tapers,  and the same (i.e., measured)  height.  The sidecuts must be totally clear of drag and free of any holding wood, or the tree will twist, be pulled to the side, and either snap off the tenon or split the stump, causing full loss of control.  AND the technique will not work if the tree has even a hint of side lean.  

 

If a tree must be felled in a place so risk-ridden that this technique is thought to be advantageous, it would be way better all around to just get an experienced tree faller who has proper equipment, knows how to use it, and (importantly) can show you evidence of  insurance, both workman's comp., and public liability. 

 

Afterthought:  Usually a tree in a sensitive location should be climbed and brought down in sections, using a zip line.  It is far more safe and reliable than ground felling. 

[Cholla]

The dangerous part is the vines growing on the tree. It was my experience they often are poison ivy and the saw dust with have the oil in it which has now been thrown and blow all over the cutter. Ask me how I know.

[Dusty Devil Dale]

6 hours ago, Cholla said:

The dangerous part is the vines growing on the tree. It was my experience they often are poison ivy and the saw dust with have the oil in it which has now been thrown and blow all over the cutter. Ask me how I know.

Nobody likes Poison Ivy or Poison Oak dust in their eyes, inhaled, up their sleeves, or down their neck.   But a lightening fast chainsaw kick-back to the forehead or shoulder, caused by trying to do  ripping (paralell to the grain) plunge cuts without proper training or with the wrong chain tooth & spacer geometry or improper chain  tensioning, is waaaaay more dangerous.   Any time a person is ripping with a chainsaw, as in the OP video, they need to be properly trained.  There is lots more to it than one would otherwise realize.  

 

 

 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

spent a lot of time in and around timber camps when I was a kid,  I saw a lot of old "timber beasts" who get the same job done with a good axe in about the same time, and some of ther were good enough put the tree right on your dinner plate if that's where it was wanted

 

I don't recall seeing a power saw before I was in high school. Axes and different kinds of saws were the norm.

[Dusty Devil Dale]

1 hour ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

spent a lot of time in and around timber camps when I was a kid,  I saw a lot of old "timber beasts" who get the same job done with a good axe in about the same time, and some of ther were good enough put the tree right on your dinner plate if that's where it was wanted

 

I don't recall seeing a power saw before I was in high school. Axes and different kinds of saws were the norm.

Nostalgic!

I worked for a big timber company back in the mid 1960s, while in high school. Chainsaws were already the norm then, but a few older guys could wield an axe or bucksaw almost as fast. 

 

They had vast experience that they readily shared.  In fact, they watched over my every move on the slopes like guardian angels, making sure this 14 year-old didn't do dumb stuff and get hurt.  

 

To this day I can hear their admonishions:

 

> never ever get downslope of a cabled skid log.

 

> always clear 15' around a tree for before felling. 

 

> keep track of everything happening around you - especially upslope.

 

> Watch the overhead branches.

 

> never cut into a tree without hammering all the way around with your axe head to be sure it is sound.

 

> Don't ever use a vehicle jack on a tree.

 

> Never ever use a chainsaw while  standing on a ladder.

 

> Never let a saw chain get loose, etc., etc., etc.

 

To a young kid, it seemed like endless nagging, but they kept that inexperienced kid alive to write this 60 years later.