Magic Cut by Gord

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Works on big and small...

Gord's description from the TB thread, no other pertinent info in the thread, I don't believe.
http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threads/old-douglas-fir-removal-embedded-pics.10825/

The first piece had the big limb on one side so it went over easy.
The second piece I made a real mess of...I was tired and didn't cut a deep enough underbed in it, so it didn't want to go over easy despite having a decent enough lean, so after setting a few wedges and pounding until I was ready to puke, partly from the dust which is kind of terrible (why didn't I tie a rope on the top...?) I cut it up too far and it pinched my saw, bravo! so I took off the powerhead and managed to throw a rope up over a stub near the top of the piece (it was kinda precarious as it had already lifted about 4" at the back) and got the ground guys to pull it over, it went before they even got the rope tight.
The third and last piece I set a rope on but I also made a proper magic cut and it went over just as it should, rope not needed.

We left the spar at 50', it's funny tho because it's so fat it only looks about 25' tall.

Yeah and the bark was terrible, I gave up pretty quickly trying to spur up it, it's hard enough to flip 25 feet or so of lanyard without gaffing out three times every step. The lower bark was 100% rotten and the upper stuff wasn't much better.

To help re-rail a derailing thread, I started a dedicated thread.

I find that the Magic Cut saves a lot of time, effort, and involvement of other people in a one-man job (which I hate, as I'd rather have them out of the drop zone working or chilling, than in the drop zone trying to dig a rope out from under a log, while I stand there waiting, unproductively. At that point where I'm on a spar, I've probably been in the tree for a couple hours, and ready to be on the ground.


I used a Magic Cut on a 4' diameter log off a cottonwood spar, double cutting from spurs, no overhead support line. Way easier and faster than face-cutting a directional hinge.

SouthSoundTree- said:

. Way easier and faster than face-cutting a directional hinge.


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Isn't it the exact same process Sean. ...looking at your diagram ? How much time saving are you talking ? With a deep face cut and hinge, the log will fold when back cut reduces the the hinge until it let's go. The back cut shouldn't be made with haste but is only seconds at best.

I've cut/undermined afew 15ft logs that were that musta been back weighted, I discovered. Even undermined they still needed a push on just a sliver of hinge wood. With a magic cut, who knows where those logs would've ended up. I would use that technique on short pieces that I could manhandled if need be, but not big stuff.

You avoid having to make a proper face cut (and not for lack of being able to make a proper face-cut). For some, a face cut is easier than others. Double-cutting a proper face and hinge is much harder for most people.

A deep cut face and hinge will work. Its just more work. Trying to leave a sliver of hinge wood can result in the mis-cut hinge that can throw off the direction of the fall.


If in doubt about the lean, the Magic Cut is not the ticket. When you need to steer it more than a bit off the lean, the MC is not the ticket.

Just another tool in the toolbox, only to be used in some situations, and not the others. Its faster and easier when the time is right.

If a guy can't make a face cut in this job, he needs to ask himself some questions. Same as not trusting him/herself to line up a backup. Practice. It's the most basic stuff really. Looking at your diagram, it's still relying on the same amount of accurate cuts, but the stop/start points are different. They just overlap. I would use that cut to replace snap cuts, if I thought the snap cut would he hard to break, say on a big wide log. But, I'm not sure about much more than that.

I'm sure you use it to good effect Sean, because you've taken the time to work out when and when not. Be interested to hear what others think ?

I agree that any climber should be ABLE to make a face-cut. Its not a replacement for a directional felling face-cut with a good hinge. So often the benefits of something, such as a hinge are not needed, though.

Its a self-releasing snap cut, with a little directional control at times. Before you can hang your saw to break off and push a snap-cut, a MC log is already on the ground.



I think that the two risks are that you might misjudge lean (same as with a top or any log), and you could maybe barberchair/ split the piece or spar. If its leaning, you don't need a MC.

I've never had any problem.


Different strokes. No worries.

Its a self-releasing snap cut,

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That's a better description than magic cut

I do that a bit different from you, Sean.
I make a horisontal cut as far in as I can get it without getting the saw stuck, reaming as I go.
That makes the piece tip forwards.
Then I make a Humboldt, but not as deep as yours, since the piece is already starting to lean forwards.
Nip the backstrap and off she goes.

Like you said, only works for vertical pieces.

I like the magic cut, but I think we should call it something else, since there are probably 500 tree guys that have something they call the magic cut and all are different. Has its uses. Fun to watch a piece drop into the face unprovoked.. However I go the other way from time to time too... big wood, pull line to skid steer, small quick face , no worries if it isn;t perfect, back cut and call for the pull. With that much force on the pull line its only going one way. then come down and start the next cut while the ground guys dig out the rope, or use the other end of the rope, or two ropes. Up ad down isn't an issue on the bucket truck. So there are a lot of factors. In the end we all just do what works for us.. nice to see how others work, gets the wheels turning...

stig said:

I do that a bit different from you, Sean.
I make a horisontal cut as far in as I can get it without getting the saw stuck, reaming as I go.
That makes the piece tip forwards.
Then I make a Humboldt, but not as deep as yours, since the piece is already starting to lean forwards.
Nip the backstrap and off she goes.

Like you said, only works for vertical pieces.

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I've done something like that too stig, except no humboldt.. make the traditional notch top cut first, then instead of stopping the floor cut of the face when the cuts meet, just keep cutting past the top cut, til the piece wants to start sitting on the bar, pull out and nip the back.. its quick and easy..

That would work just as well.

I use it to make pushing large snap cut pieces off easier & cut it like Stig. I have never used it on long stem pieces as I use a deep face cut for that. More control with a hinge.
When needed it works well, but it is limited in it's scope

Exactly.

murphy4trees said:

I've done something like that too stig, except no humboldt.. make the traditional notch top cut first, then instead of stopping the floor cut of the face when the cuts meet, just keep cutting past the top cut, til the piece wants to start sitting on the bar, pull out and nip the back.. its quick and easy..

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I did this on a large Maple, ONCE!! Ended up making a large Dutchman and took a lot more force than I was comfortable using to pull it off the spar. I was done with trying that after that day.

The magic cut has saved me some time since learning about it on the TH a while back (thanks again Sean). I would agree, it's not for every tree, but on a perfectly straight bole, with a forgiving drop zone, it's hard to beat. On a traditional deep face, you still have to bend the fibers of your hinge with very little leverage. For me this equates to a super thin strip of hinge wood or wedging. Neither of which are magical. And waiting for a pull rope to get sent back up a tall tree is the worst. Ok, maybe not the worst...