A couple of trees to fell, targets involved

[MasterBlaster]

An expert faller, I am not.

 

[Burnham]

Go back and look, Stig. Almost all of my felling cuts are done with a conventional face. Mostly, 'cause I don't like filling my face with saw chips, like tends to happen when you start the sloping cut of a humbolt face .

On the ground, anyway...aloft, I'll usually use the humbolt and cut with the top of the bar...same reason .

 

[canadiantreeman]

Beauteous!

 

[Burnham]

I don't post many pics of the ugly ones ...and there have been some, make no mistake.

 

[stig]

I stand corrected!

I wonder why I thought you did it the other way.

Probably I was remembering your atrocious habit of putting the horizontal cut in first, and that mislead me

More likely I'm remembering some of those pictures f other fallers dropping hazard trees that You've posted, and mentally attributed them to you.

Nice way to prove it BTW.
Always good to look at perfect stumps

 

[Burnham]

There's a couple of less-than-perfects in there, if one wanted to look real close .

You're right, I've posted many pics of other faller's work, frequently with humbolt faces. Around these parts, most of the pro cutters use it. Most FS fallers go with the conventional, but it's far from universal in that group, too. Might be because it seems easier to open up a wide face with a conventional (not sure that's really the case, but there is the problem of having adequate bar tip/ground clearance in some situations), and we're pretty much into a fairly open face...even if Butch thinks it's silly .

 

[stig]

With the length of your trees, I can understand that.

A good sized fir for you is more than 1½ times as tall as one is here.
Takes an open face to keep one like that commited to the lay, for sure.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Not silly... silly would be doing it in your underwear.

 

[Burnham]

No pictures, please...

 

[woodworkingboy]

Burnham, you don't usually switch hands on the saw when putting in your back cut on the right side (right side looking at the front of the tree). Your body looks a bit uncomfortably twisted with your left hand on the wrap, possible strain on your left shoulder. Minor point I guess, but just wondering....
I know you have a troublesome shoulder.

 

[Burnham]

Jay, when I back cut from that side, I basically keep my left hand on the side of the handlebar, which puts it on top of the powerhead since the saw is on it's side.

When I back cut from the other side, my left hand is on the top of the bar, so it is off to the rear of the powerhead when the saw is oriented to cut. I use 3/4 wrap handles so I could put my left hand on the upper side, but that feels like my arms are crossed over each other, with less accurate control.

Changing where my left hand grips the handle seems to keep my right hand in good position to operate the throttle. Neither feel awkward to me.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Thanks. I figured you obviously knew best what works for you. In the photo, it appeared like a more comfortable posture when cutting from the other side, so reversing hands would give the same orientation on the right side. I tend to switch hands, unless a heavy saw, when I usually need my left hand on the handlebar either side.

 

[Burnham]

I usually only switch hands if the body of the saw needs to be off to the left side of my body, as in a bucking or limbing situation.

But there are no hard rules in this game, and in specific situations, with awkward working positions, all bet's are off on how I'll "handle" it.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I recall when I started as a woodworking apprentice, orienting your body to the work was a real big deal for my teacher. He went on about it a lot. That is moving to the proper requirements of the task at hand, not being lazy about that. Allowing better work with less physical stress. It entails making new habits for yourself sometimes. Talking about ten hours woodworking everyday, but I think it applies to all the physical trades.

 

[gf beranek]

Ah, what 5 gallons of saw mix can do to a forest.

 

[chris_girard]

Nice work on the stump, B.

That was the first thing that I noticed too Jer. Love seeing stumps like that.

Great work Burnham. I'm sure that you had a blast.

 

[Ax-Man]

No more needs to said

 

[sierratree]

didn't hit the house...............still have all your fingers and toes..............the family dog is o.k.............neighbor's truck is untouched.............didn't slice into your wedge...........good looking stump............what more can you ask for.

 

[Burnham]

Kahlua in my coffee at lunch??

 

[CurSedVoyce]

And a Scotch at 5:30

 

[Burnham]

Had that covered already .

 

[CurSedVoyce]

 

[sierratree]

When working tight places, between fences, near assets, etc.,,using a tag line adds and some gentle pressure, really adds that extra assurance your tree will end up where you intend it to.

 

[Burnham]

Well, I totally disagree with that.

 

[Thor's Hammer]

Yup. If I need the security of a tag line, I'm doing it wrong.

Nice cuts Burnham. I too never take pics of the ugly ones