Avenue of the Giants

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We're off to walk amongst the Giants again today! Supposed to be around 65-- perfect for hiking! Last weekend was in the 30's and cold.
 
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close up detail of back cut

Here's that detail I promised. If you look close you can see the tell-tale traces of how the back cut was executed. Kind of appears the cut was started on one side and then the other. Either way the cracks in the wood just before she let go must have sounded like gun shots. And no doubt you would be able to feel it through the ground too.
 

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I reckon the ol' boy with saw in hand was running like a deer when those pops started sounding off.

I wonder what the story is there? Nutso road dept. guy, thrill seeking saw newbie, fool with a death wish??? What?
 
Love to hear it, Jerry.

Now you know, this is your golden opportunity to move into the fiction market. We'd never know the difference...make up the most outlandish tale you can conjure for us to swallow.
:lol:
 
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  • #34
Even the truest of tales can sound outlandish when it comes to the big trees, But believe me there is no reason to stretch the truth here. The facts alone speak volumes.

"Don't turn that dial, there's more to come"
 
Jerry, have been wondering about something....like to take the opportunity to ask, or probably Burnham could answer....

When you have those enormous trees that have head lean, not radical head lean, but just favoring the lay, say by ten to twenty degrees or so, when you put in your face and start the back cut, do they tend to start going over earlier, than say a considerably smaller tree, given the same lean? Is barberchair more a distinct possibility? I'm wondering how the massive weight toward the lay affects the falling, does the girth cancel out the weight, so to speak, and they just go over like any other smaller tree? With a tall tree leaning like that, the crown must be thirty or forty feet or ?, ahead of the base.
Hope my question is clear. Thanks.
 
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  • #37
Jay,

Anytime one of those trees have head lean you just bore the back cut, and run.

Although Jim Ciro, John's father, actually used a cat to hold the tree while he cut it up. And after that the cat just let it go. Pretty nifty way to do it if you have a D8 handy.
 
How'd the Cat release it? Did they just not have the end of the line secured on the winch(just wraps holding) and let 'er go?
 
Like Jerry says, Jay...10, certainly 20 degrees is quite a lot of head lean with as much weight up high as really large trees carry.

Of course, some species are better at holding together than others. Or to see it the other way 'round, some will barberchair on you if you look at 'em sideways :\:.

Doug fir stays together pretty well, they're tough trees. I wouldn't be too likely to bore the back cut on a big Doug at 10 degrees (unless I didn't have enough saw to be up to the job), but I would at 20. And there are a couple of ways to help you out at being able to complete the back cut quickly without boring. Think Coos Bay (my version, as opposed to Jerry's :)), or taking the angles off each side of the back cut, leaving a triangular piece to complete the back cut.

I almost never put a saw to a redwood, but I know the fibers split easily, which would lead me to believe barberchairing would happen easily as well.
 
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Musta done it like that I would think, just not seatin the knob in the drum I would guess. I'm figuring what you call a nubbin we called a knob. Maybe we were knobs for callin it that.:D
 
Knob and wedges is what I was taught? Lord knows I cut enough mainline off in my time. Tomatoe, tomato I'm guessing.:)
 
Nothing like seeing the sliders smoke to know you just smoked x amount of mainline. Not often, but everyone has to learn.8)
 
Thanks about the lean question, you guys are great.

Sure would be something to bore the back cut on one of those giants, then be trying to trip it from the back. I'd be scaaaaard.
 
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