Tree felling vids

[cory]

Well, you made that look easy! Nice to see vid of the "magic cut" (2:10) (what Jerr calls cutting lean into it, in FOGTW). I usually put a full open box on those instead of the snipe like you did here, but you probably figured the punky wood in the hinge would not be strong enough to stop the piece once that little snip closed?

Nice editing too- you put in lots of cutting but not too much, like the editing on the final felling cuts. Lotta fun to watch.

 

[Jed]

Gord: I can't thank you enough for taking the extra time/effort w the helmet cam to post up those very cool vids. It's great to see how someone else goes at it. That was a Big Leaf right? What's that red-fabric deal around your flip-line for?

Nice, level stump on steep ground, too by the way.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I love the sound of chainsaws in the morning!!!

 

[sotc]

What's that red-fabric deal around your flip-line for?

Pitch protection Jed

 

[woodworkingboy]

Nice vid indeed. I'm curious about the back cuts being lower than the face cuts, could Gord or someone else please explain the thinking behind that. Better for a push off in the direction that you want? Thanks.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Always top notch Gord
Smooth as silk. Man that was some pretty rotten wood up there. Good thing there was one top you could tie into

 

[gf beranek]

Jay, the lower back cut can keep the butt of the work on the cut for a bit longer period. More importantly it can keep the butt of a spar or top from being pulled off the cut if the work was limb-locked higher up,, and being pulled below its center of gravity. If you can visualize that.

Low back cuts though should be used with some discretion, always. Because in the wrong situations the lack of stump shot can prompt the butt of the work to kick back off the cut. And used with a heavy spar with a shallow face cut in it, major splitting and barber-chair becomes a much higher probability.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Thanks for defining that, Jerry, much appreciated.

Ala your explanation, I assume that Gord was wanting to determine when exactly the chunk would be going over by having to push it off, rather than allowing only gravity to work instead. It appeared a habitual method for him.

 

[gf beranek]

Well, Jay, I can only assume that Gord was doing so for the reasons I cited. He may have had other reasons.

Gord posts and runs. And leaves one to wonder a lot at times.

 

[Gord]

Sorry for the posting and running, I'm doing a lot more of that lately as I've got a little one (not running around yet but still keeps my wife and I a lot busier than before of course.) I know there's one backcut in the vid around 5 min that was low for no good reason, my error. A lot of the other cuts are bypass cuts ('magic cuts') so it's imperative that the 'back' cut is lower so you don't end up with your saw being snatched when the piece goes.

Usually when felling short pieces I do tend to aim the backcut right even to the apex of the notch, easier to judge the amount of holding would left and again, avoid a potential snatched saw.

I suppose about the only time I sometimes aim a backcut lower than the apex of the notch is when fallling with a machine assisting (pushing with bucket or whatever) and there's concern that the butt may want to break the hinge and slip forward off the stump. A bit the same as making cuts for a crane to raise a limb, you want to make your backcut on the side that will leave a shelf for the butt to sit on.

 

[woodworkingboy]

It must be nice to get the respect where even if you are making a mistake, folks, or at least me, thought that it was on purpose. Thanks for the clarification.

I must have missed the discussion on the "magic cut", but i sure am interested. Can someone please give directions to where it can be found.

Thanks.

 

[gf beranek]

Snap cut. I assume, Jay.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Thanks, I speculated that too, but not wanting things to go missed. Probably why your book's cover is falling off.

 

[gf beranek]

It's needs to be updated bad.

 

[woodworkingboy]

The cover or the text? If the text, are you going to update it in the near future? it must require a large investment of time.

 

[gf beranek]

From cover to cover, Jay. Specially in the climbing gear. So many tools and techniques have evolved since the book was first published. Shouldn't take more than a couple of years to do it right.

 

[Burnham]

If you ripped right through it, yeah, couple of years. I've been working on a revision of the USFS Tree Climbing Field Guide, along with my fellow members of the Technical Advisory Group, for nearly twice that long. Our problem is mainly a lack of specific funding and commitment of time by management. We are closing in on it, but it's amazing how big a job it is, to do it right.

 

[cory]

It must be nice to get the respect where even if you are making a mistake, folks, or at least me, thought that it was on purpose. Thanks for the clarification.

I must have missed the discussion on the "magic cut", but i sure am interested. Can someone please give directions to where it can be found.

Thanks.

I think there was a discussion on the buzz re the magic cut. As said above, what Gord calls the magic cut, is discussed in Jerry's book, page 297, rear placement of the hinge, to undermine the COG of the trunk/stem/piece. Jerry calls it sawing lean into the tree.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Excellent, thanks Cory.

 

[cory]

Anytime at all, Jay.

Edit: It's something big I learned from Jerry's book. As he says, you've got to be careful with it. When the piece goes, it goes quickly. If you misjudge the lean, you won't know till the last moments.

 

[gf beranek]

I've been working on a revision of the USFS Tree Climbing Field Guide, along with my fellow members of the Technical Advisory Group, for nearly twice that long. Our problem is mainly a lack of specific funding and commitment of time by management. We are closing in on it, but it's amazing how big a job it is, to do it right.

Yeah it can take some time. That's for sure. I think some of the best and greatest advancements in gear and technique have occurred over the last 15 years. And I can not really see it surpassing what it has reached. Short of teleportation anyway.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Jerry should figure the Wraptor girls into his next edition.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Gerry.. think telekinetic tree work.

 

[stig]

I don't know, Jerry.
Seems like SRT climbing is taking over from DRT.
Us oldtimers may yet see some big changes.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I bet the rope companies hate it.