SkwerI
Treehouser
That's true, and I believe most of the guys on this forum pretty much have the basics down. 
High Back Cut, Burnham Style!
- Thread starter Burnham
- Start date
- Replies 329
- Views 55K
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
Just saying it works is all, I've never had a problem lining it up, horizontal cut of my face first. I think the wedge straight in at the back is much simpler and more effective than boring and getting wedges in on the sides.
My warning wasn't directed to most members, just the rookies like you Brian.
My warning wasn't directed to most members, just the rookies like you Brian.
SkwerI
Treehouser
I'm gonna bring home some scrap limbs so I can stand them up in the back yard and practice. 
SoonerFan
TreeHouser
Tucker, did the audience applaud???
darkstar
Rockclimber/ treeclimber
" I threw it over the lower road and into the creek below, as directed by the fish bio. "
Dont mess with Burnham hes freaking strong .......
Dont mess with Burnham hes freaking strong .......
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Chris's too much force that he mentions, seems to be a pretty common thing in tree work. Not only pulling trees, but crane picks, especially tops, some operators want to yank them into orbit. Not so friendly to the guy in the tree, or to the boom either. Slow and easy is nice. Takes experience...
Peter
Treehouser
pantheraba
More biners!!!
Hahahaha....showoff!!!
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
That's a wedge and a half. Lol.
Thor's Hammer
Wolfish. Sometimes Bites.
LOL. like the 11kv line in the background. Dont know who taught you these kind of tricks Pete, but it must have been a real cowboy.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
I'm sensing disapproval.
SkwerI
Treehouser
The wire is on the other side of the road. I doubt the tree could reach it even if it were dropped toward the wire. The tree is 10-12' off the road, the road is probably 25' wide and the lines should be 10' off the other side of the road as well as being 20' high.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
I'm wid da squirrel!
Thor's Hammer
Wolfish. Sometimes Bites.
Ive spent 22 years cutting trees around high voltage cables in the UK. The road will be no more than 15ft wide, that's if its 2 lanes. The HV pole is sat within 3 feet of the roadside, with the T span of the insulator carrier, the cables will be running along the road edge.
the UK regulations forbid felling a tree within 9 meters or 2 tree lengths (whichever the greatest) of a live cable without the correct training and certification and permission of the power distribution company. - http://www.fcauk.com/images/pdfs/AFAG804.pdf
My comment was an in joke between Pete and me. I probably taught him more bad habits and ballsy moves than anyone. I'd have done exactly what he was doing, or even pushed the whole tree over with an excavator.
the UK regulations forbid felling a tree within 9 meters or 2 tree lengths (whichever the greatest) of a live cable without the correct training and certification and permission of the power distribution company. - http://www.fcauk.com/images/pdfs/AFAG804.pdf
My comment was an in joke between Pete and me. I probably taught him more bad habits and ballsy moves than anyone. I'd have done exactly what he was doing, or even pushed the whole tree over with an excavator.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
I know - we's just razzing ya a bit!
SkwerI
Treehouser
We have a lot more room over here. A 15' wide road would be considered one lane in the US. My truck is 8' wide to the outer edge of the tire treads, meaning the outside of the mirrors are about 9' wide. It gets a bit spooky sometimes on roads with only 10' wide lanes in heavy traffic.
I had an ash with extreme sidelean to fell today in the park.
We had to pull it into the lay.
Remembering what Jerry B. said about the block facecut, I put one of those in.
Then I chained the tree to keep it from barberchairing.
That block face cut sure made the hinge hold up wonderfully.
This is an example of the danger of making a high backcut( in this case supplemented by a vertical cut, which only makes it worse!)
Diagonally running fibers in one side of the tree made the hinge basically non-functioning in that side.
Whatever God watches over screw-up loggers was on duty today.
The tree landed where it was supposed to.
We had to pull it into the lay.
Remembering what Jerry B. said about the block facecut, I put one of those in.
Then I chained the tree to keep it from barberchairing.
That block face cut sure made the hinge hold up wonderfully.
This is an example of the danger of making a high backcut( in this case supplemented by a vertical cut, which only makes it worse!)
Diagonally running fibers in one side of the tree made the hinge basically non-functioning in that side.
Whatever God watches over screw-up loggers was on duty today.
The tree landed where it was supposed to.
Burnham
Woods walker
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #243
The too-darn-low stump did that to you, Stig .
But you knew I would say that, most likely
.
Really, wasn't this hazard tree felling rather than logging for volume? If so, a better time to go with a higher stump in search of more uniform hinge wood, you will never find
.
. But you knew I would say that, most likely
.Really, wasn't this hazard tree felling rather than logging for volume? If so, a better time to go with a higher stump in search of more uniform hinge wood, you will never find
.
Peter
Treehouser
My truck is 8'6" wide to the outside of the body, so just over 9' to the outside of the mirrors. On roads like the one in the pic, you just hope you don't meet another truck coming the other way, if you do its slow right down and maybe drop a wheel onto the verge to pass.
I think I picked up that little trick from an old employer actually, although his crane didnt have a grapple, so not quite as much dangly stuff to damage. To the letter of the law, we should have had a shutdown for that entire job, plus traffic management. As it was, just me felling, and another guy running up and down the field with a tractor loading the brash onto a fire. Happy days.
Burnham, look at the pictures again.
That stump is 1½ foot high.
Anders cut it and he is about a foot shorter than me, so it is a real high stump for him.
And I always set high stumps when I do hazard falling.
Actually, the way I read it ( I love stump forensics!) it was not rootflare as much as twisted trunk that caused it.
But then why only on one side of the tree?
Beats me.
That stump is 1½ foot high.
Anders cut it and he is about a foot shorter than me, so it is a real high stump for him.
And I always set high stumps when I do hazard falling.
Actually, the way I read it ( I love stump forensics!) it was not rootflare as much as twisted trunk that caused it.
But then why only on one side of the tree?
Beats me.
Burnham
Woods walker
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #246
Oh, I know it's not really all that low of a stump, Stig...just have to get my teasing in whenever possible .
Although actually, I'm most likely to make felling cuts on hazard trees in a fully upright posture, so they would usually come out a foot or more higher than that one...which is more likely than not to put me in straight grained wood. But I don't often have to worry about how things look afterwards, so having to alap a stump and get rid of that nugget is not a concern.
No telling why your's grew that way...I guess because it's an organic structure with the inevitable variations that will result.
One of the reasons tree work is almost never boring...the trees and the situations that have to be dealt with always are going to be somewhat different.
. Although actually, I'm most likely to make felling cuts on hazard trees in a fully upright posture, so they would usually come out a foot or more higher than that one...which is more likely than not to put me in straight grained wood. But I don't often have to worry about how things look afterwards, so having to alap a stump and get rid of that nugget is not a concern.
No telling why your's grew that way...I guess because it's an organic structure with the inevitable variations that will result.
One of the reasons tree work is almost never boring...the trees and the situations that have to be dealt with always are going to be somewhat different.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
It looks to me like you could have been cutting more and pulling less. Back seat driver.....
Back seat driver.....murphy4trees
TreeHouser
That's funny Stig,
Now you are posting pics showing the "DANGERS" of a high back cut..
That almost sounds like you are agreeing with my earlier statement that a high back cut can get you in a lot of trouble in hardwoods, rather than claiming that "longer fibers have more holding ability".. then calling me a chicken for not debating the issue any further..
If that was true, we'd all be using 6-12" of stumpshot on every nasty fall...
AND.. nice pic of the ash with the block cut.. I lovce to open up the face in a similar manner.. will do it on almost every tight drop.
Because that is the way the grain was twisting..
DUH!
Now you are posting pics showing the "DANGERS" of a high back cut..
That almost sounds like you are agreeing with my earlier statement that a high back cut can get you in a lot of trouble in hardwoods, rather than claiming that "longer fibers have more holding ability".. then calling me a chicken for not debating the issue any further..
If that was true, we'd all be using 6-12" of stumpshot on every nasty fall...
AND.. nice pic of the ash with the block cut.. I lovce to open up the face in a similar manner.. will do it on almost every tight drop.
Because that is the way the grain was twisting..
DUH!
Last edited:
This is where the split level cut comes into its own, small backleaners, no room for a bore cut...face it, then put a half width back cut up to the hinge, place wedge or breaker bar into the cut, finish second half of the backcut, angled down to just undercut the first half, cut up to the hinge, with both outer edges of the back cut at the same level. The tree usually just sits there and you can then lever the bar or hit the wedge to get it over.
Burnham
Woods walker
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #250
We call that a "quarter cut" here, Bermy. But we don't take a full half with the first back cut section...more like 1/4 to 1/3...hence the name. This allows you to deal with some side lean by making the first back cut on the compression side without much risk of bar pinch or hinge tearout.
