Springboard cleats

SouthSoundTree-

TreeHouser
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Sep 24, 2014
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For Stephan, from another thread

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This was fabricated for a friend. Eyeballing... Is say 1/4" plate. A ring was cut off a pipe. Cut in half, beveled, and welded.

I need to reset my board. In a pinch, I cut a 2x8" down to size. Mount the end of the board all the way up to the end of the plate, and maybe bevel a bit. I used 3 short lag bolts.

This design allows the cutter to stand near the cleat on one for and kick the SB clockwise and counter clockwise. Kick it toward the lay for the face cut, and away from the lay to be in a good position to back cut.

I am a SB rookie, having used one about a half dozen times. Good for coo dominant trunks splitting near the ground, as well as getting above a defect or butt swell that prevents a single bar from reaching the whole face or back cut.

The last tree I cut was a hard enough leaning, hollow maple. I cut a SB notch, like a conventional face cut, but smaller, at 5-6' where my 36" reached across enough for me to cut it from one side, possibly chasing the cut a bit.


Some of our seasoned loggers can elaborate with experience, and maybe post some limb-SBs, made on site. Squish posted one recently, but hard to see the fine points.
 
Best board will be clear tight vertical grain sawn Doug fir, the vertical grain keeps sag to a minimum. Taper towards the end away from the nose, for lighter carry weight.

Cork boots are just about a requirement.
 
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  • #3
I never had cork boots when using a SB. Slick, for sure.

Alternatively, Grooving the board with shallow kerfs, or some sort of grip tape, perhaps. Most of us won't have corks. What do you suggest short of them, B?

I have heard the same as to the board selection from Duane, who gave me his extra cleat.



Share some tricks, Burnham, Gerry, Old Irish, et al.
 
I have not got a load of experience with using springboards, but I will say that having two to set, one near the corner and one closer to under the center of the backcut, makes the job of felling from them more than twice as easy as one.

I don't know what I might try for alternatives, Sean. Every cutter I ever knew who used springboards (and almost all that didn't use SB, too :)), wore corks full time in the woods...myself included. Maybe the grip tape. Kerfs tend to be slippery after a few uses, gathering dirt and moisture, on log bridges I have used anyway.
 
I want one with some history behind it but I suppose my boys may like one that Papa made some day.
I have some great wood coming from my buddy's demo job. Boards from 1910 will be hard to beat
 
Thanks Sean!
Co-dominant stem ponderosa would be where these would shine. And some slopes I work on :D
I was thinking I might quarter saw some oak for a couple if that mill comes.
 
Better you packing them than me ;)
White oak supposedly lasts longer outside than black fwiw
 
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  • #13
looks nice.

Burnham, I have a pair of corks now. I'll take your advice and use them next time I'm going to do a SB job.



How many times have we said, if I was able to get up 4'? SB take a minute, but make it possible, just clear out beneath well. Maybe practice before production.
 
Haha. Nice use of an old bar tip! I picked up several in a package deal the other day... hmm
 
Good looking boards.

Some of the springboard racing video tutorials when someone is chopping in pockets to use a springboard to get up to whack off the top chunk of log, and needing both speed and stability for safety, give some good advice. They seem to use a different sort of arrangement at the tip compared to a shoe, so maybe it is better? They call them jigger shoes, perhaps for racing they don't bite into the wood being an advantage, just held by taper, so no delay in getting them removed. Offhand, having an edge to bite seems safer to me.
 
I sure wish I kept my old cast iron cleat springboards, sure could have used them doing treework over the last few years.

I was just looking through my old photo albums for a picture of them but only found this one from 1988. This was the last event of the day, called the single springboard chop at a competition on Vancouver Island. The last picture on my last roll of 35mm film that my girlfriend was using.
It looks like I'm just standing there but I was just starting to put the springboard in my notch that I had just finished chopping.
So happens she had more interest in wasting film on taking pictures of babies and little kids in the crowd then the actual competition.....
what else do young 23 year old women dream of ? :D

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  • #21
Jerry, what do you know about how to use a small tree to cut a spring board? I would expect that it would then certainly require cork boots.
 
Size of tree really doesn't matter. Just so you have enough stump to set one into without creating some other issue. Caulk boots? Standard gear for woods workers. I never seen anyone stand on a board not using them, but then I believe you could with reasonable safety in the right situation.
 
That all looks mighty familiar. Brings back a few memories.
It sure does Jerry, makes me want to get back into it....competiton that is.:)
Every one there was wearing running shoes except me, I was wearing my regular soft sole work boots. Running shoes give you a little more spring in your step to get up onto that springboard in a hurry with your axe.
I only heard of competitors wearing caulk shoes when it was wet.
 
What Burnham said, plus we used to use what we called staging to give more stability and safety on steep ground. You could end up 20' high on the backside. So the idea is you set two springboards at the same elevation, then set your 2"x12" vertical grain fir board across the two springboards and you have a safe platform to work on. Sometimes on really big trees we used as many as 4 springboards with several staging planks. It gave a better base to jump off when she started to tip over. Also there is a technique to rotating your springboard around the tree using the same notch. Put your right foot under the board, raise your body up and down (jumping) while at the same time scooting the board in the forward direction with your foot.
 
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