hinge pics
- Thread starter murphy4trees
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Mick!
TreeHouser
Cory, the boots are Husqvarna tech 24. I’ve had them a while now but they still keep the wet out although warm in the summer. I find them ok although some folks have said they think they’re narrow and not the most comfortable.
As for felling low it’s as Mick said to gain as much value as possible from any tree (even more so if it’s higher value) Felling 10 or 12” high in our woods won’t find you any favour as a contractor and you won’t last long nor the guy extracting behind you won’t be sending you a Christmas card!! I know for you guys felling very large and tall trees the flare at the base won’t be accepted so to fell it low and have to re cut it after is pointless hence the higher stumps, particularly if your also on very steep ground. For us our trees aren’t as big or tall so we need to maximise as much as possible. Yes, felling low causes dulling of chains and removing buttresses/spurs from the base takes time and can cause issues with hinges being on sloping/curved grain rather than straighter that you find higher up the stem. It’s what our forestry industry wants and if I train people from the Arb industry sometimes they find it difficult to fell low or accept that they should even do so, can cause some interesting conversations 😆
We just dress the butt up afterwards if necessary to present the timber, some guys fell with most buttresses/spurs on and remove when the trees over, this is probably quicker and easier at time although I’ve always favoured remove what I want prior to felling as I can see my cuts better unless the trees compromised by rot.
You can also use the buttresses to hold the trees like I did on the Oak after I’d bored it out and then there’s no wastage to the log.
As for felling low it’s as Mick said to gain as much value as possible from any tree (even more so if it’s higher value) Felling 10 or 12” high in our woods won’t find you any favour as a contractor and you won’t last long nor the guy extracting behind you won’t be sending you a Christmas card!! I know for you guys felling very large and tall trees the flare at the base won’t be accepted so to fell it low and have to re cut it after is pointless hence the higher stumps, particularly if your also on very steep ground. For us our trees aren’t as big or tall so we need to maximise as much as possible. Yes, felling low causes dulling of chains and removing buttresses/spurs from the base takes time and can cause issues with hinges being on sloping/curved grain rather than straighter that you find higher up the stem. It’s what our forestry industry wants and if I train people from the Arb industry sometimes they find it difficult to fell low or accept that they should even do so, can cause some interesting conversations 😆
We just dress the butt up afterwards if necessary to present the timber, some guys fell with most buttresses/spurs on and remove when the trees over, this is probably quicker and easier at time although I’ve always favoured remove what I want prior to felling as I can see my cuts better unless the trees compromised by rot.
You can also use the buttresses to hold the trees like I did on the Oak after I’d bored it out and then there’s no wastage to the log.
pantheraba
More biners!!!
Great pictures and explanations....appreciate your input.
Re: this statement: "You can also use the buttresses to hold the trees like I did on the Oak after I’d bored it out and then there’s no wastage to the log."
Does that mean in the last picture that the buttress is still attached and holding that tree? Is there a central core/post in the middle of that buttress piece that is still attached to the main trunk?
You're describing something that I have not wrapped my head around yet.
Re: this statement: "You can also use the buttresses to hold the trees like I did on the Oak after I’d bored it out and then there’s no wastage to the log."
Does that mean in the last picture that the buttress is still attached and holding that tree? Is there a central core/post in the middle of that buttress piece that is still attached to the main trunk?
You're describing something that I have not wrapped my head around yet.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Yeah, thats a nice log. We don't have much of that here. Most are pretty garbage. The ranchers, farmers and miners made sure they put some metal in the older standing trees. Probably why they are older and standing 
Big ol pines here, you cut standing up right unless it has lumber value. But then that would be more fir and cedar here. And with steep ground, you often leave a stump to help as a bump or winch/rigging/guy point.
Big ol pines here, you cut standing up right unless it has lumber value. But then that would be more fir and cedar here. And with steep ground, you often leave a stump to help as a bump or winch/rigging/guy point.
Sorry, I didn’t fully explain that fully. You are correct, the buttress on the back was purposely left so after I’d bored and set the hinge I cut back to the buttress severed it and walked away.
This is the same tree and hopefully you can now see how it was set up then the previous pictures are the sever and walk away shots.
Also if you check back on the hollow black and white pic I posted you’ll see I did the same thing. The “hold” is the semi circle of wood in the foreground and you can see where the flat edge from where it was released at the top of the log where the saw is positioned. Hope that makes sense!!
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pantheraba
More biners!!!
Razored hinge!! Looks good.
Burnham
Woods walker
Nice.
pantheraba
More biners!!!
I love neat work. Effective work is good. Neat work shows pride and professionalism. Razor on, Sven.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Well done 
murphy4trees
TreeHouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #315
While it may be necessary to cut such a thin hinge in logging scenario, I will go to quite a bit of effort to avoid such hinges when there is valuable property at risk.
I heard Dwayne Neustaeter, president and lead instructor of Arboriculture Canada Training give a talk at the ISA international symposium, where he said "we don't know if thin hinges hold better than thick hinges." That was around 2004-2006. I sure hope the industry has figured this out in the last 15 years. There still seems to be a lagging belief that thin hinges flex before they break and thus hold better. While there may be some differences between species, in general, a thicker hinge is better, has more holding ability, and will hold against a side lean much more effectively.
For me, there is a certain satisfaction in problem-solving. what is the fastest, safest, easiest, most reliable way to get this tree on the ground? Using high pull lines and portable power equipment changes the answer and often times the resulting hinges look far outside the box. To me, that is beautiful ! OTHERS... NOT SO MUCH
In regards to any setting be it forestry or urban then too thin a hinge at times will lose you a tree. However you advocate that a thicker hinge holds more whereas a thinner hinge may flex earlier. To me this early flexing as long as the hinge is proportional to tree size or species is exactly what I want, it gets the tree committing to the face and can break as its closing whereupon it’s near to the ground anyway. We would purposely chase hinges off as the tree fell to avoid them pulling fibre or tearing. Now leaving a hinge much thicker and then losing this flex means a greater degree of force to move the tree in the direction of the face cut and the trauma can tear the hinge and to me lose the very control you believe it gives. Now I appreciate you work a lot in the urban setting and if it works for you than great, no argument intended just debate but if you’ve gone to the trouble to climb/rig the tree as it’s sketchy hence the “alternative “ approach why not just bring it down in bits from your bucket?
murphy4trees
TreeHouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #317
I've done enough experimentation in falling some very hairy trees over the years to become confident in the abilities and limitations of different hinges in a wide variety of falling scenarios. Most of the time we rely on high pull lines and 4-5,000+ lbs of pulling power. The ability to create that much force on the stem allows for the kind of thick hinges that would not otherwise budge. If you don't have that in your bag of tools, then the conversation is academic. You simply won't be able to use a hinge as thick as referenced. So you'll never know what it can and can't do. So perhaps the variable of pulling vectors must be cited when discussing the qualities of hinge thickness.
Jed
TreeHouser
Husky D: I don't know what yer talkin about, brother, those trees looked pretty HUGE! man... thanks so much for the technical feedback. I can't speak for all arbs, but for myself at any rate... I just love when you timber cutters chime into this place, cause youy guys cut about a billion more trees than we do. Thanks.
Daniel: Yer a wildman, bro... I don't even know where you even GET some of these ideas!
Daniel: Yer a wildman, bro... I don't even know where you even GET some of these ideas!
Burnham
Woods walker
murphy4trees
TreeHouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #320
we had a high line set and had to pull so hard on this one that the trunk began to crack (early BBC), but the hinge failed before the trunk split.
This was a heavy side leaner on the back porch, 85 feet of tree hanging over the house. I had to take a lot of limb weight off the yard side to shave the canopy for clearance from another tree.
I love me some fat hinge wood... OTHERS... NOT SO MUCH
This was a heavy side leaner on the back porch, 85 feet of tree hanging over the house. I had to take a lot of limb weight off the yard side to shave the canopy for clearance from another tree.
I love me some fat hinge wood... OTHERS... NOT SO MUCH
treebilly
Student of the Jedi. OH-7106A
Locust Daniel? If so very prone to splitting
murphy4trees
TreeHouser
ruel
TreeHouser
Dead island spruce today, went where it was supposed to
murphy4trees
TreeHouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #324
this kid calls me up...
says he saw my YouTube videos and asks for a lesson.
never used a chainsaw before this day.
his first tree.
Good job Connor
says he saw my YouTube videos and asks for a lesson.
never used a chainsaw before this day.
his first tree.
Good job Connor
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