How well does green eucalyptus hinge?
- Thread starter davidwyby
- Start date
- Replies 64
- Views 4K
davidwyby
Desert Beaver
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
But its a dry heat 
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Yup. Sometimes monsoon index.
SeanKroll
Treehouser
I used to be a Tamarix aphylla killa at Lake Mead for the Great Basin Institute.
davidwyby
Desert Beaver
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #32
That euc is scheduled for this Saturday.
I brought some euc poles home to experiment with increasing hinge flexibility/time with.
I think the triple/gill is more for slowing down a pulled tree. I think it would have been interesting on that recent thread for the hard leaner that was practically horizontal. If max flex is desired, I think a single taller, thinner hinge (open/block face and high back cut) will be the ticket. That being said, if there is side lean (there isn’t in this case) a thicker hinge on the tension side with a vertical cut wood be wise I think.
I brought some euc poles home to experiment with increasing hinge flexibility/time with.
I think the triple/gill is more for slowing down a pulled tree. I think it would have been interesting on that recent thread for the hard leaner that was practically horizontal. If max flex is desired, I think a single taller, thinner hinge (open/block face and high back cut) will be the ticket. That being said, if there is side lean (there isn’t in this case) a thicker hinge on the tension side with a vertical cut wood be wise I think.
stikine
Treehouser
Put the undercut lower in the bowl. With length there is strength with the hinge.
gf beranek
Old Schooler
The concept is interesting to play with, though it isn't new by any stretch.
Remember the old saying, "Necessity is the mother of invention."
Since the advent of the chainsaw, and its ability to bore through the trunk of the tree, a whole new world of possibilities exists for manipulating wood fiber to control the fall of a tree.
Through my career I must have witnessed a thousand different ways one can do so. A thousand, I swear.
Though the course of learning it's fun to experiment (play) with manipulating wood fiber, just see what you can get away with. That is, when the situation allows a safe and adequate margin of error. Have at it! Learn. And be ready to run for you life!
As a timber faller my work revolved around manipulating wood fiber to guide each tree to specific lay, so I could buck and manufacture the tree into logs. 20 - 30 trees and 100 logs a day in the second-growth.
Except for problematic trees, having issues at the stump, I always stuck to the basics: undercut, diagonal cut, backcut. Keep all square to the main axis of the trunk, use a gap at the hinge, and you wont go wrong.
The more exotic ways to go about felling trees sometimes leaves me to wonder about the true need, worth or practicability of the method. Except for problematic trees the basics work the best.
my 2 cents.
Remember the old saying, "Necessity is the mother of invention."
Since the advent of the chainsaw, and its ability to bore through the trunk of the tree, a whole new world of possibilities exists for manipulating wood fiber to control the fall of a tree.
Through my career I must have witnessed a thousand different ways one can do so. A thousand, I swear.
Though the course of learning it's fun to experiment (play) with manipulating wood fiber, just see what you can get away with. That is, when the situation allows a safe and adequate margin of error. Have at it! Learn. And be ready to run for you life!
As a timber faller my work revolved around manipulating wood fiber to guide each tree to specific lay, so I could buck and manufacture the tree into logs. 20 - 30 trees and 100 logs a day in the second-growth.
Except for problematic trees, having issues at the stump, I always stuck to the basics: undercut, diagonal cut, backcut. Keep all square to the main axis of the trunk, use a gap at the hinge, and you wont go wrong.
The more exotic ways to go about felling trees sometimes leaves me to wonder about the true need, worth or practicability of the method. Except for problematic trees the basics work the best.
my 2 cents.
davidwyby
Desert Beaver
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #35
Thanks @gf beranek
The euc poles I brought home were too dry and didn’t hinge for anything. The only slight hope I found was the idea I discussed in my introductory thread. A very tall/open face and multiple back cuts to make multiple or a longer hinge. My issue tonight was that I was pulling the top over, so whichever point was thinnest was where it broke. I think if one put a wedge in each back cut (I wasn’t going to make 3 tiny wedges) to force each back cut to open equally (and cut each to the same depth) there might be some hope…but now we have gone away from our pulling quickly insurance policy. So, that one will have to wait for a no-risk euc to fell.
The euc poles I brought home were too dry and didn’t hinge for anything. The only slight hope I found was the idea I discussed in my introductory thread. A very tall/open face and multiple back cuts to make multiple or a longer hinge. My issue tonight was that I was pulling the top over, so whichever point was thinnest was where it broke. I think if one put a wedge in each back cut (I wasn’t going to make 3 tiny wedges) to force each back cut to open equally (and cut each to the same depth) there might be some hope…but now we have gone away from our pulling quickly insurance policy. So, that one will have to wait for a no-risk euc to fell.
SeanKroll
Treehouser
IDK about a triple hinge being to slow a tree. Speed/ momentum is important to not ask the failing hinge to do work for too long.
There is speed of pull, sometimes jerking ask a result, especially with a less experienced puller, and there is keeping tension up on the pull, as Gerry informs within FOGT using a log (hanging mass) on the pull line.
There is speed of pull, sometimes jerking ask a result, especially with a less experienced puller, and there is keeping tension up on the pull, as Gerry informs within FOGT using a log (hanging mass) on the pull line.
davidwyby
Desert Beaver
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #37
I think the guy who popularized the shark gill on YT said that one of it’s benefits and main reasons he used it was due to the gradual vertical fiber pulling slowing the fall, usually on trees pulled 180 from lean.
My theoretical purpose was to have a thicker hinge that would still bend, but I have little hope of any cut getting euc to hinge well.
I have plenty of experience pulling…coming from a rock crawling and off road recovery back ground, machine and welding shop, as well as trees on and off my whole life. I think I will use the dodge which is automatic…nice n smooth.
My theoretical purpose was to have a thicker hinge that would still bend, but I have little hope of any cut getting euc to hinge well.
I have plenty of experience pulling…coming from a rock crawling and off road recovery back ground, machine and welding shop, as well as trees on and off my whole life. I think I will use the dodge which is automatic…nice n smooth.
SeanKroll
Treehouser
Not you, but some people have no finesse with power.
Just saw this post, all the Euc ive cut does not hinge well at all, forget trying a tapered hinge, you need to aim off, and pull quickly to get it to move towards where you may want it to fall, then the hinge will break, and gravity takes over, hopefully, its right when its above where you want it to fall, and then it falls into where you had planned, does that make sence ?
dont expect, or plan for hinge wood to hold, its brittle and just snaps, forget gill cuts too, waste of time.
If you have a side leaner, you need to put in ropes to hold its lean, or its going to fall towards the lean.
Edited to add, its also good practice to bore cut them when felling.
Last edited:
davidwyby
Desert Beaver
yeah, last 2 I dropped were only 50-60ft, single stem, several leaders further up, canopy loaded to the lean as well, as the trees were chasing sun, considerable side lean to 3, and back lean to 4 o clock where the sheds were, put in rope high up at 10 o clock, aimed at 10, set hinge at 1030ish, completed back cut and set wedge, pulled with rope on vehicle, moved it fast till it was near vertical, then hinge went, tree landed at 1.30 within 2 foot of where it was aimed, ie just off center of path it was aimed for, not the sort of stuff you can teach by writing, have to see it in action, and as we all know, each tree is different.
best advice, pull in direction of lean, set hinge in direction of lean, bore cut to see if the center is hollow, and to determine how much hinge you might have, clean out, then set trigger, and release from the back.
Have seen them just collapse with the beginning of the first face cut and take the saw, not happened to me yet, and also, look up, they have a pretty consistent habit of dropping limbs when the mood takes them and have plenty of brittle dead limbs that fall the moment you start cutting as the vibration sets them off.
Last edited:
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Prolly why they call them gums in OZ
yeah, one of the reasons If I can, that I leave the downed tree for a month or two till the leaf colour goes brown, then cut, less gummy/ wet, yet still soft to cut.
or just look for a bit of dead euc and have at it in the dead dry stuff, and that gummy mess will be gone.
if your running chisel chain, the tips of the chisel will be gone as well.
Edited to add
if you round off the leading edge of the rakers, ie where its been taken down to correct height, at the junction of that and the original leading edge of the raker, just round that over, it helps smooth out the cut in dead dry euc.
or just look for a bit of dead euc and have at it in the dead dry stuff, and that gummy mess will be gone.
if your running chisel chain, the tips of the chisel will be gone as well
.Edited to add
if you round off the leading edge of the rakers, ie where its been taken down to correct height, at the junction of that and the original leading edge of the raker, just round that over, it helps smooth out the cut in dead dry euc.
Last edited:
davidwyby
Desert Beaver
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #47
This pink flowering eucalyptus actually hinged really well. Could hear it for a long time into the duration of the fall. I kinda wish I had tried the triple hinge. First time I’ve tried an open block face.
@Burnham don’t worry, the 20’ F700 and 16’ trailer that I winched the tree onto are unscathed.
@Burnham don’t worry, the 20’ F700 and 16’ trailer that I winched the tree onto are unscathed.
Burnham
Woods walker
SeanKroll
Treehouser
I backcut mind at the top of the full gap.
