Apprentice_GM basic tree felling video

[Apprentice_GM]

I want to do a chainsaw course that teaches felling branches from height on a standing tree, felling the trunk in sections when you can't do a full length fell from ground, felling against the natural fall/lean and techniques like plunge cutting. My local TAFE (tertiary educational facility that does a lot of practical courses, like trades eg carpentry, plumbing, metalwork, mechanics etc for trade apprentices) runs a Chainsaw Operations Level III course that covers some of these things in 3 days, but you have to demonstrate competency in Chainsaw Operations Level II.

Level I covers chainsaw maintenance and safety and limbing & bucking on the ground. Level II covers basic felling of small to medium trees.

I have put together a 10 minute video to demonstrate these competencies to the course teacher and would appreciate any feedback before I submit. I realise the video quality is poor with washed out colours but I won't be tested on video production quality, just the content. Any advice or suggestions on technique, particularly safety aspects I either overlooked or breached, would be gratefully accepted. If there's something really bad I might have to do another video.

Here it is on youtube:



Thanks in advance, I realise it's a few minutes of your life you won't get back!

 

[savageactor7]

You could mention 'removing trip hazards' when clearing out an your escape route also say something about looking up and trying to identify any dead limbs could break loose and come down on you. All in all a very good video and it was well shot too...nice and steady.

 

[tkirk22]

Good video.

I'm not a professional and I don't play one on TV so take the following for what it's worth.

You were cutting down a standing dead tree with a potential for widow maker branches. The chainsaw vibrations could be enough to drop a branch on you and that should be addressed in the video. In addition, as the tree falls, it pulled other trees with it which could have broken on you or whipped back and then broken. Or broken branches could be hung up in the surrounding trees only to fall later.

You need to asses the limb dangers before cutting, as the tree falls and after it is felled. I wasn't there so maybe you did that but IMHO it should be in the video.

 

[Apprentice_GM]

Both good comments, thanks for your time.

I certainly did actually spend some time with the rake clearing undergrowth and vines. Never mind a trip hazard, those vines actually reach out and grab you I swear! I take your point I should mention that on camera rather than just "I cleared a retreat path".

As for the widow maker dead limbs, you are dead bloody right there. I spent some time ensuring the limbs were solid and had no rot and were no loose branches hanging about to fall before starting the chainsaw. As for the branches that came down during the fell, they were minor bits of foliage from trees around that clearing and at least 30 to 40 foot away - I didn't think they were much of a hazard or risk in springing my way, but again, you are right and I should mention it on the video.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

The naratah talks funny. Looks kinda funny too.

A good idea to have this stuff available, and good on ya for asking and trying to get it right!

Maybe it's personal preference, but I was told to cut the notch not more than 1/3 through the tree. Even when I read that elsewhere- they seem to cut halfway through:
http://forestry.about.com/od/chainsaws/ss/fell_tree_5.htm
Anyway- a shallower cut has always served me well on the many I've taken down- that is no criticism of a deeper cut. Leaving the hinge to one side of the tree gives it better leverage if the tree sits back down on the felling cut.

From the looks of the undergrowth- I wonder how much firewood you need down there- how cold does it get? I'm just interested in visiting Oz.

I need to really learn something about taking down larger limbs on a tallish tree. I look forward to future installments!

The best part was the cute monkey on you at the end.

 

[Apprentice_GM]

The naratah talks funny.

I'll do a North American accent for you next time. Would you like a southern twang, clipped eastern, godfather new york or grizzled hillbilly?

Looks kinda funny too.

That's the bad camera quality . . .

cut the notch not more than 1/3 through the tree. Even when I read that elsewhere- they seem to cut halfway through:

I hear 1/4 to a 1/3 so I've developed a compromise of 30% - personally I like the deeper cuts if the tree is vertical and a shallower cut if the tree has a lean.

Leaving the hinge to one side of the tree gives it better leverage if the tree sits back down on the felling cut.

Interesting, please unpack this more for me.

Leaving the hinge to one side of the tree gives it better leverage if the tree sits back down on the felling cut.

From the looks of the undergrowth- I wonder how much firewood you need down there- how cold does it get?

Where I live it gets cold enough at night to burn during winter and some of the shoulder seasons - 2 or 3 degrees (celsius) but days are glorious, sunny and mid teens. I'm 10 minutes from the beach so it's pretty temperate. Jack (frost) rarely visits. We do have some mountain ranges (well big rounded hills but they're called mountains - as a skier and snowboarder it's a bit of a joke) up to Kosciosko at 6,000' including the Snowy Mountains where it gets well below freezing a lot of the time, great for burning, but even then we often ski or ride in t-shirts on warm days or spring. That's a 6 hour drive from me. It's hard for me to estimate how much wood I should burn because I got a massive stack of 25 year old ex-railway ironbark sleepers for free, and the stuff was so heavy and dense (and seasoned : ) we'd go through one sleeper every few days. I've finally finished that pile and have started to fell, split and stack my own firewood so will have a better idea next year about how many cords. Compared to most North Americans though I'd be a light burner.

I need to really learn something about taking down larger limbs on a tallish tree. I look forward to future installments!

Well I doubt I'd ever approach expert status in these forums but happy to pass on whatever I pick up from the course. First, I have to get in. Then we have to wait until enough competent people have applied. Then we need to find a suitable site. So I can't say how long I'll wait.

The best part was the cute monkey on you at the end.

He was also doing some of the narration . . . maybe that was what you meant? My 2 year old son, Zac. Wants to be just like me but runs for cover at any power tool noise atm - good for safety!

I'm just interested in visiting Oz.

Come on down! I'm renovating and #2 is a few weeks away but next year we can put you up for a while. I don't think we have any of those 5 cords a day pottery kilns around here though. If they really burn that much ironbark that quickly my mind just boggles at the heat output.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Hey- actually- most of the ones I've heard of are near you. Check out this clickable map- the links take you to pics of the potteries.

http://sidestoke.com/ausmap.html

They burn all those woods that you mentioned- plus things with names like "stringybark". Huh?

On the hinge- the closer it is to one side, the better a hinge it is to make the tree fall that direction. While a tree leaning the wrong way has more leverage at ripping wood fibers on a hinge on the other side of the tree, if the hinge is on the wrong side, of course, it hinges the wrong way potentially. This really only becomes an issue when the tree is leaning the wrong way or there's too much wind.

I have a red oak that's maybe a bit over 2 cord near my house- I have to be very careful with it and maybe take some limbs off one side to redistribute the weight up there. My strategy in these cases is usually to leave the hinge pretty thick, then drive wedges in to make the tree lean. On large trees this means a lot of sledge swinging, and my wife sipping lemonade and cheering me on.

I actually watched the video here at work and laughed out loud at your son's narration. Congrats and good luck on the second!