Avenue of the Giants

[squisher]

I would love to give it a go, love it. Probably never get a chance to fell a tree that big, but man it would be awesome. Big timber warms my soul.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Saw a program somewhere, or maybe it was a video here....? Somebody was getting payed to take people out on his property, presumably it was his property, to fulfill their ambition of wanting to fall a big tree. I think he was getting a couple hundred dollars per tree. He' d supervise to make sure nobody did anything unwise, maybe even supplies the saws? It seemed a bit strange, but likely he wanted the trees down anyway, that's the only logic that seems feasable to me. They weren't anywhere near the size of the ones in Jerry's pics, but still nice ones. It sure fulfilled some fantasies and made those folks happy.

 

[Burnham]

Recreational timber falling...the new extreme sport.

 

[gf beranek]

probably holding with the winch line, free spool to release?

yep. Boy if you ever heard a powerful winch howl to the heavens you would sure hear it there. Did similar things swinging side leaners and releasing them. I always wondered if it was damaging to the winch, but I never heard a peep from the bosses about it either way.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Haha...hope NoBivy doesn't read that, about the new extreme sport, or he'll be wanting to do it on his skateboard.

 

[Burnham]

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.

I know most will recommend tripping a bored back cut from outside, but I prefer to do it from inside, facing the gut of the saw out the back. That's the way Dent originally taught us.

That doesn't make it the best way, surely not the only way, but it is how I've handled the majority of bored back cuts I've employed. I like the fact that I'm facing right down my escape path, no time wasted turning around to beat feet out of there...cause when a heavy head leaner goes, she flat GOES.

 

[gf beranek]

Recreational timber falling...the new extreme sport.

Hey, Burnam

Mike Davis, RIP, was thinking of that back when I first met him. He told me, "Jer, I have a lot of people asking me if they could come out and cut one of these trees. I could make more money charging them for the thrill of a lifetime than I would on scale, for sure."

Of course the down side would be all the legalities... so he never followed through with it.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Trying to understand, Burham, you're just cutting towards the back until she pops? Seems like it could be dicey to pull out a long bar and make tracks in time.

 

[Burnham]

That's right, Jay. No need to pull anything...the kerf opens up and you just keep right on going.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Ok, thanks! Just thought there could some pieces of wood or bark sticking up that prevented sliding the bar out in the direction you're exiting.

That's a good method to know!

 

[Burnham]

It's possible, Jay. Keep the revs up .

If the tree pulls some of the stump when it goes then it could get ugly...then you'd be better off if you'd tripped it from outside, I reckon. But I never have had it happen, knock wood. It's always amazing to me how tiny a strap will hold a heavy head leaner, most of the time.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Slice and dice, you explain well, Burnham

 

[gf beranek]

"Just thought there could some pieces of wood or bark sticking up that prevented sliding the bar out in the direction you're exiting."

Sometimes there is, Jay, and if there is you just do the best you can.

I had a white fir rail out the whole back of the tree and threw splinters the size of spears through the air. Of course I did the smart thing and left the saw and run for my life.

After it was all over there was a 30 foot splinter/post standing out of the back of that stump.

Boring the back cut is not a technique for those not swift on their feet.

 

[Burnham]

And there you have it...

 

[Tzed250]

Not so sure I'd want to be sitting on the Cat tied to a falling monster redwood, freespool or not...thinking "do I have enough cable?"

I am imagining the worlds largest Trebuchet...

 

[sotc]

and largest missile!

 

[gf beranek]

"Not so sure I'd want to be sitting on the Cat tied to a falling monster redwood, freespool or not...thinking "do I have enough cable?"

That's been the fear of many a Cat-skinner and the reason for many a lost tree.

With Jim Ciro's method they were layout trees that never went farther than the lay.

On a "!down the hill!" .... yeah I've only heard stories.... of Cats getting pulled down the hill with the tree. Though stories from people I know well enough to believe they were true.

 

[stig]

"Just thought there could some pieces of wood or bark sticking up that prevented sliding the bar out in the direction you're exiting."

Sometimes there is, Jay, and if there is you just do the best you can.

I had a white fir rail out the whole back of the tree and threw splinters the size of spears through the air. Of course I did the smart thing and left the saw and run for my life.

After it was all over there was a 30 foot splinter/post standing out of the back of that stump.

Boring the back cut is not a technique for those not swift on their feet.

This is really interesting. The hardwood trees here will not not "rail out" but pull a root up if you cut the backstrap from the inside, which is why doing so is really frowned upon here.
If one of the roots are going straight back, it'll start bending upwards and suddenly pull up, raining dirt all over. Not cool if you are standing behind the tree.
My personal record in a beech tree is a 15 foot root. I did that to show an apprentise why you shouldn't cut from the inside out.
He got the message

 

[Burnham]

Stig, if you had to come up with a rule of thumb, how much strap do you leave before pulling out to trip the tree from the outside...I guess stated as a percentage of tree diameter at the backcut?

 

[stig]

That is a difficult question, depends on the amount of lean, mostly. On heavy leaners I'd say about 10-20%, if I'm falling non-leaners in heavy wind, and just trying to keep the tree from going over till I have finished my backcut, maybe 5%. In the latter case I'll mostly just cut it from inside out, since there is no pressure on the strap.
Due to the "short bar" method, made famous ( and infamous) here at the treehouse by me, I don't end up with a Strap, but rather a triangle.
If possible, I'll make the triangle by a root and utilize that ( low stumps, you know), the danish name for the strap is back toe if I translate it. We call the area of the trunk where the roots flare out "the toes" of the tree.
Using a "toe" like that, one can usually stick the bar all the way through it, which makes it easier to find the cut on the other side and continue.
That is the picture on the left. I don't have a scanner, so I made a drawing ( badly) and photographed it. Hope it makes sense.

 

[gf beranek]

I've found it depends a lot on the severity of the lean. I recall one time having bored in and was watching a helper on the other side indicating to me how far to cut to square the hinge, and the damn tree sat down. I didn't have a chance to flip or pull out. I was stuck big time.

Turned out there was punky wood in the stump and that's why the wood compressed. It was an SOB to remedy.

 

[Burnham]

I had that happen once, Jerry. Not on a bore cut tree, just a normal back cut on a neutral lean. Tree was in the 4 foot dbh range. Nice looking Doug fir, recent dead in a campground.

I got no closer to the hinge than 10 inches, had a couple of wedges snugged in the back, but not really driven in yet as there was still that goodly ways to the hinge yet to cut.

Sat down and back on punky wood. Way too much hinge left to try to drive it over with wedges...but I gave it a try.

I did get it to stand up enough to free the saw, drive wedges in close to the bar, and carefully and slowly ream out the kerf to finish the back cut.

That was some of the hardest wedging I ever did, getting that biggun' back to even.

Should have put the 30 ton Heinie under it, but was worried the punk would cause that to fail as well. Should have test bored it a couple of places too, before I started.

Ahh...fun times.


Stig, your drawing and explainations are perfectly clear. Thanks

 

[pete mctree]

Stig- your methods are very similar to those used in the UK. Very clearly explained by the way

Burnham - what is a "Heinie"? hydraulic jack?

 

[Burnham]

Yes, Hein-Werner hydraulic jack. It's a conventional style jack, not a two piece like the Silvey.

Pretty hefty item...I'll see about getting a pic to post.

 

[Burnham]

Here's a couple of pics of a proper tree jack...if you don't have a Silvey .

I misspoke in my previous post, it's rated at 20 tons rather than 30, but I declare it will move a mountain if you give it a solid seat. Weighs over 40 lbs. I'm sure.