intentional barber chair

[murphy4trees]

Heh! I resemble that remark.

me 3

 

[squisher]

Heh Daniel. We do have something in common.

 

[FireFighterZero]

For you Jim.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Canadian Asshole

Nailed it!

 

[murphy4trees]

That's what's called self aware assholishness... and many Wayne Dyer (RIP) books say it's the first step in becoming a half decent guy... There may be hope for us after all!

 

[squisher]

Maybe not for me. I can't stand that guy. Lol. My wife reads his stuff and listens to it on audio sometimes.

 

[murphy4trees]

A buddy of mine tells a story about taking out a big heavy (front) leaning silver maple top, something over 26-30" from memory.... The thing BBCed on him and he was just barely able to push off and out of the way as the but came flying down over him.... He would have been dead if he lanyarded into the stem...

What I learned from my first attempted BBC is that you can use the back stem of a tight co-dom as a backstop to keep the trunk from splitting and BBC if you make the cut low enough in the crotch... Now I never would have thought about that if I hadn't seen it happen accidentally on purpose... While I might tend to prefer to use a plunge cut or some variation of a Coos Bay , there are plenty of newby climbers that aren't going to be comfortable doing that at height.. That lesson could send up saving a life... anyone here ever thought or heard of it?? Make that cut right in the base of the crotch or even make a small vertcal kerf a couple inches down from the crotch and start the back cut there with a quick plunge... A nice little tidbit to file away in your BAG O TRIX

Note this is going to be effective on more upright co-doms as the but of a more lateral stem may be able to lift more up than back as the trunk splits....

 

[squisher]

I don't see that as a reliable way to prevent BBC myself if I'm following you correctly, espescially aloft.

Did you demonstrate in this thread an example of that? It's getting pretty long to search back.

 

[murphy4trees]

no... you heard it first right here....

Saw it with my own two eyes and after all its only common sense physics... thakn about it... on an upright the stem has to split and the back half has to go back before it goes up ... If there is a back stop there, the stem will crack, but it won;t ba able to move (back and up) until the hinge takes it to the lay... I LOVE this stuff!

 

[squisher]

Seems it could easily slide out to one side or the other given enough force, most stems are round. Also seems like the stem being cut could break/explode just above the backstop if there were enough forces to already create the barber chair 'crack'. To me I can't envision relying on it as a technique. Seems altogether unpredictable with all of the variable that come into play.

 

[murphy4trees]

Seems it could easily slide out to one side or the other given enough force, most stems are round. Also seems like the stem being cut could break/explode just above the backstop if there were enough forces to already create the barber chair 'crack'. To me I can't envision relying on it as a technique. Seems altogether unpredictable with all of the variable that come into play.

Good points... this calls for more experimentation!

 

[murphy4trees]

Actually its pretty dern fective.. (can't slide to one side without the grains twisting or tearing and very unlikely to break off a piece of sound wood at the bottom of the BBC back half, its almost certain to just stall on the backstop long enough to finish the cut)) .. though maybe not full proof.... certainly a way to throw the odds of success in your favor a few degrees, which is my mountain!

 

[Marc-Antoine]

Don't forget that aloft, the trunk can easily split downward if the upward side is locked. Not good if you're lanyarded on it.
My buddy took a good ride downstairs on an ash due to that.

 

[murphy4trees]

On straight grain the tendency is to split down, rather than BBC, which can easily kill a climber using a lanyard below the cut... If you're at a crotch or the stump the path of least resistance is to split the trunk up..

 

[Marc-Antoine]

Yes at the stump, not at a crotch between two co-leaders if you locked the butt above the cut.
At the outside half of both axis at a crotch, the grain is tighter but still pretty straight. The split is a little more difficult but very doable, unlike the sides and the central part of the crotch.
I you prevent the trunk splitting upward, there's a great possibility that an other split tries its chance downward the crotch.

 

[murphy4trees]

now we're getting somewhere... See that! worth a bit of back and forth eh?

 

[Gypo]

Come on out west and cut timber with me.

We're in a patch of big red alder right now. You can get all the barber chair experience you want...

But I ain't gonna help pack you out.....

 

[MasterBlaster]

Ha!

 

[cory]

Alder is highly prone to barber chair, true?

 

[Burnham]

Highly, indeed.

 

[flushcut]

Anybody know of a valid reason to BC a tree?

 

[MasterBlaster]

As a demonstration of what NOT to do?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Only Dan the man and you tube addicts/afficiantos

 

[squisher]

Anybody of a valid reason to BC a tree?

That's already been discussed. To shorten the fall obviously.

Keep up wood yah!

 

[flushcut]

Yes I have been following along thank you every much! Smart ass.
Ahhh yes "to shorten the fall" best answer ever! Silly me.

 

[MasterBlaster]

It lessens the ground bruising.