Whizzy

[simplypete]

Here is a few Picts. I was trying to get it to land a bit more to the left.

 

[stig]

I don't get it, Pete.
It followed your facecut precisely.
That is what a whizzy is for. To counter lean.
If you wanted it to go more to the left, why didn't you aim your face cut more to the left?

If you wanted it to start out going straight, to get it past the roof, and then to curve left,You are entering the grey area, that I don't work in around buildings ( at least not that close to buildings, I don't).

To get the tree to do that, you'd have had to make your face and backcut level on the right side of the tree and put something in the face cut to break the hinge on the right side, once the tree was past the roof.

But like I said, that is entering the twilight zone of treefalling.

 

[bonner1040]

Here is a few Picts. I was trying to get it to land a bit more to the left.

Pete you got some moxie trying something new next to a house and all. Hats off, nice job.

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk

 

[woodworkingboy]

Only counter lean? I thought a whizzy could give you added swing in one direction, going into effect partly trough a fall, and a slightly different direction from where the face is gunned to? I've seen the most successful whizzy work that way, with a sudden change in the direction of fall as the longer fibers bend but don't break on the whizzy side.

 

[simplypete]

For those that care about the building. It is scheduled for demo. So if I hit it, no big deal. Stig, I think putting a much smaller face in height would have gotten better results for what I was trying for. I was trying to swing it up under the eave there at the corner of the house. As it was, my face was too tall and by the time the face closed it had too much steam and fell where the face was gunned. You know what I mean? Putting a block of wood in the face like you did that. Beech tree would have done the same thing I think.

 

[simplypete]

Like I said above with the tree species I think it was asking a lot with the brittle nature of sub alpine fir. Anywho, I'll try again sometime when the situation presents itself.

 

[simplypete]

Stig, I did. Not gun it more to the left because the eave. What I was trying to do is fall it along the eave then swing in under it. But it didn't work out and I still got a good fall only had to walk a little farther to the chipper.

 

[woodworkingboy]

The most success I have had with a whizzy was with Black Acacia, a notably excellent bending wood. I use it for bending chair backs, and some boat builders using local woods like it for the ribs. Bends but doesn't break up to a certain point. Stig's Beech should suit the technique very well, as discussed earlier.

 

[sierratree]

i usually face the tree in the direction i need to put the tree. so let's say the tree has a side lean to the right......need to pull it to the left, say 90 degrees. i face the tree towards the intended lay (90 deg. to the left of natural lean)....throw in the whizzy on the left quarter of the undercut (heavy on the intended direction)....gut the hinge....begin the backcut, place safety wedge in the backcut on the leaning side, sweep around to the back of the hinge. place a second hinge directly behind the undercut.....keep it tight as you procede.... voila!!............the tree is held to the whizzy side. The hinge, however, must be plyable and strong enough to carry and hold the tree to the new direction. IMHO

 

[woodworkingboy]

I think two different things are being discussed here. One is when using a whizzy to fall a tree away from it's lean, and another to have the whizzy come into effect and alter the direction of the fall different from the gun, at some midpoint during the fall.

 

[simplypete]

I think your right. Although I did wedge it off it's natural favor. What I attempted was to alter the fall, mid way through.

 

[sierratree]

Great observation. I guess if you need to have the tree change direction during the middle of the fall, it seems like you would have to hang around the stump longer, and use your saw to manipulate the hinge, or throw in a step dutchman when the time is right to turn the stem. This would, though, increase your exposure time at the base. Should really be able to know ahead of time what the effects might be; have a good escape route, and be ready to get out.

 

[Burnham]

Yup, nipping the hinge off one side at the appropriate moment in the fell is perhaps the better way to get that movement.

 

[simplypete]

Lesson learned. I was merely posting my learning process. Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[Burnham]

I dunno, you did just fine in my book. That's a skinny lay and you put it down with no undesired contact.

 

[simplypete]

While it did still fall where I faced it. My intention was to fall it elsewhere. I did think of it blowing right through the whizzy step so I guess it had a back up plan that worked beautifully.

 

[Burnham]

I'm thinking that your analysis of the poor hinge properties of the species might have been something you should have listened to your brain a little more closely before proceding .

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I dunno, you did just fine in my book. That's a skinny lay and you put it down with no undesired contact.

My first impression as well.. it landed in a nice tight spot clean... That in my book is a successful fell.

 

[sierratree]

yep........and the client says.........."wow, that was great.....how did you do that?"

 

[MasterBlaster]

YEARS of practice!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I tell them it is my magic saw.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I tell them you have to enjoy it to do it.

 

[Marc-Antoine]

It seems for me you cut a very hight stump. I'm not really a "nearly zero stump lover", but in this case, the tree had to go down very far before passing the roof's corner, so it' was almost horizontal when he should turn to the left. Too late for this movement with this brittle hinge wood, too much momentum and a hinge already broken.
With a low stump, you'd get more margin in the timing: The tree could turn to left sooner during the fall, maybe at 45°, with less momentum and possibly with a hinge still strong enough (maybe not) to play with.

 

[simplypete]

They needed high stumps for the removal process. Otherwise I don't generally leave or even cut all that high.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I left it high here so the backhoe could have a lever to get it outta the ground. I love those "Leave a snag" jobs - frigga buncha ALAPing.