That Coos Bay felling cut again!

Had a hazard tree to take down today.
A large beech, totally filled with conkers, I am amazed that it was still standing.
The pressure side of the trunk had started to collapse, making the whole tree curve towards the lean. You can see the splits in the bark, where the tree has settled down .
It had originally been leaning about 10 degrees, now it was more like 15.
There was no sound wood to put a face into, or borecut, so i decided on a Coos bay.

Since there was a big risk of the tree setting down as I cut and pinching the saw, I used the beaver version of Coos Bay.
It doesn't show in the pictures, but I sniped the left sidecut in order to make room for the saw( short bar you know!)

Instead of cutting from the back, I bored part of the middle out, since I could see that the wood was sound, after cutting into the sides.

Then I tripped it from behind and ran like a rabbit:D

Everything went to plan, and I felt pretty good about myself afterwards, that was one of the nastier trees in a while.

A smarter guy would probably have wrapped a chain around it just to make sure.





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Finally, a stump at proper height!! Looked like you coulda climbed the shelf fungus like a ladder
 
@stig that is gnarr

I’ve been thinking thinking and reading on the Coos and ‘chairs for days now…again.

I think a chair is caused by the front of the tree not moving(becomes a fulcrum), the top moving, and the bottom (back) splitting. A back cut divides the tree in half exactly the way it wants to split. I think the coos resists the split because now the back cut is very narrow and the upper sides are not back cut, so they help connect the fibers. Also shape in relation to fiber/rings. If you put a 1x2 flat and stand on it, it will bend. If you put a cut in it, it will split out at the cut, probably lengthwise. If you put it vertical and put enough pressure on it, it will break straight across, same if you cut it. Something to do with desirable grain in axe handles and firewood being easier to split with the rings.

Coos also puts 100% of the remaining wood in tension or compression…no bending. Thoughts are not all fully formed…some of it still on the tip of my brain. 🤔
 
When you seperate the trunk from the stump with the 2 primary CB set-up cuts, all the severed fibers are (mostly) isolated from the strain on the holding wood, as with gutting hinges and cutting the corners on triangle-shaped holding wood.
 
Once upon a time, I cut a little willow about 24 inches dbh by 70 feet long.

A cute little thing with a fully fledged crown, and it was growing practically horizontal to the ground.

Well, I decided to take it on, and began under-bucking the stem, reaming and boring furiously. I must say, the compression was incredibly enormous, almost getting my saw stuck numerous times, boring, reaming.

About a minute into it I managed to clear the compressed fibers completely. I made it over halfway through the stem without getting the saw stuck. Great!

The remaining wood holding the tree to the stem was about 3 inche strap across the top. That little willow was cut 90% through and nothing bad happened. But you know... it was loaded.

Now I have to admit this whole thing was a stunt. I was showing a couple of young men how to ream a cut and trip a heavy stem, without any wood pull, gross splitting or getting the saw stuck.

It was too convenient of a teaching opportunity to pass up. Even at the risk of screwing up. And they would've loved to see me eat crow. There was nothing that could get hurt, really

Now the only thing left to do was to trip the cut. POP! That little willow landed flat on the ground.

But you know, a timber faller does the same thing everyday bucking huge trees that are suspended and hanging in the air.

It doesn't matter, whether you're bucking or falling trees you got to know how to minimize wood pull and splitting.

And remember, always clear room to run for your life, too.
 
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