murphy4trees
TreeHouser
Stig recently called another topping cut "shoddy work" because the photo of the face showed that it had more than 2 cuts used to make the face.
In the above video, it takes less than 5 seconds to make the intentionally high first bottom cut of the face (from 6:12-6:17). This allows the seconds cut to come slightly below the top cut (not bypassing) and by simply lifting the bar, a plate of wood is broken off leaving some length to the front of the hinge fibers. I made this cut up and have called it the plate cut, after originally calling it the double-cut notch.
It's well understood by west coast fallers that the block cut offers superior holding ability because it creates length to the hinge fibers at the front of the hinge (apex of the notch). The plate cut is simply a technique used to gain a similar advantage with a quick and easy method. To me, that's just common sense, and it's astounding to me that Stig is so far stuck in the box of orthodoxy that he can't see the advantages of this cut and the ease in which it is made. Instead, he calls it shoddy work. While its tough to tell if such criticisms are just a personal bias or an honest assessment, such criticisms do not deter me from promoting this method. I've been using this cut for over a decade and have repeatedly seen the additional control one gains from having some length to the hinge fibers at the front of the hinge, and have heard feedback from others who have likewise been highly impressed with the results. The rewards to this technique in many suburban falling scenarios far outweigh the additional time and energy inputs (average extra time is about 20 seconds)
The above video was originally shot in 2009. NO ONE was posting video of taking such big tops back then!