Felling technique-Small Trees.

[Montanalocal]

Felling technique-Small Trees.


The recent thread asking about felling technique reminded me of something new this past cutting season that I started doing. It is about cutting small trees and being able to use a wedge on them. I define a small tree as any tree that you do not have room to set a wedge in behind the bar when making the back cut. Roughly anything 8-10 in. and under.

What I started doing is making the back cut first, roughly 2/3 of the way through. Then I palm or lightly tap a wedge in. Then I go around to the front and carefully make a wedge cut underneath leaving the appropriate amount of hinge wood.

Then I can come around to the back and hammer the wedges in until it falls. I did this all cutting season and every tree fell perfectly.

I know you could make the back cut second, remove your bar, and then set wedges, but I have had bars pinched that way and even had them come over backwards.

This video shows something like this at the 2 min. 42 sec. mark.

 

[FaithfulWoodsman]

I do this on some backleaners. Learned from my logger neighbors.

 

[Oldman47]

Another option is to do a face cut then use a bore cut to set up your hinge, then do a final back cut after you have already set your wedges. It will prevent any chance of pinching your bar and is easy to control what the tree is doing. You won't see it on a BC faller video because it is not a production way to do things. It takes a bit more time than a simple Humbolt followed by a straight in back cut.

 

[Montanalocal]

So in that case would you bring your wedges in from the sides into the bore cut? I would think on very small trees, say 6 in., there may not be room for a bore cut.

 

[tpenny67]

So in that case would you bring your wedges in from the sides into the bore cut? I would think on very small trees, say 6 in., there may not be room for a bore cut.

At some point it becomes easier just to push the tree over by hand. On a small tree, I'll stop the back cut when I hear the first crack, pull out the saw and set it on the ground, then physically push the tree over.

There's a big emphasis on "small tree" here. Don't try this with any tree you wouldn't want landing on top of you

 

[Dobish]

At some point it becomes easier just to push the tree over by hand. On a small tree, I'll stop the back cut when I hear the first crack, pull out the saw and set it on the ground, then physically push the tree over.

There's a big emphasis on "small tree" here. Don't try this with any tree you wouldn't want landing on top of you

I had an experience a few years ago when I had a tree going in a direction I didn't want it to, and ended up pushing it a different direction. That did not end well as my hand got pinched between the tree and the fence. I'm glad the fence broke. Tree was 10" round, still ended up with 44 stitches, a lot of PT, and a renewed enthusiasm for safety.

 

[tpenny67]

I had an experience a few years ago when I had a tree going in a direction I didn't want it to, and ended up pushing it a different direction. That did not end well as my hand got pinched between the tree and the fence. I'm glad the fence broke. Tree was 10" round, still ended up with 44 stitches, a lot of PT, and a renewed enthusiasm for safety.

*OUCH*, just *OUCH*

 

[Dobish]

*OUCH*, just *OUCH*

not to mention my wife was 7 months pregnant and my toddler was watching. My wife ended up dragging the tree out of the road, calling someone to watch our son, captured the dog who ran out of the broken fence, and then drove me to the ER. Only a few drops of blood on the counter, but other than that, it could have been way worse. My wife really enjoyed watching them sew me up....

i have pictures, but I am not going to post them here....

 

[tpenny67]

not to mention my wife was 7 months pregnant and my toddler was watching. My wife ended up dragging the tree out of the road, calling someone to watch our son, captured the dog who ran out of the broken fence, and then drove me to the ER. Only a few drops of blood on the counter, but other than that, it could have been way worse. My wife really enjoyed watching them sew me up....

i have pictures, but I am not going to post them here....

What a mess, but at least you had your wife there to help.

I finally had a moment to actually watch some of the video in the original post. I couldn't help noticing he made sure there was a clear escape route, and then he used it as soon as the tree started falling. There's a very good reason for doing that...

Once I cut down a dead tree, and it was very nicely falling away from me until it hit another tree. It then proceeded to snap in two, with the top half falling back towards me and the tip landed square on my head. Luckily I was wearing a hard hat more or less exactly like the one in the video. I didn't always wear a hard hat, until a small branch falling from up high whacked me on the head.

I'm going to have to give wedges another try after watching the video. Didn't know they were supposed to be used before your bar got pinched.

 

[tpenny67]

.. and here's another way trees can bite that I didn't know about:

 

[Jeffm1]

not to mention my wife was 7 months pregnant and my toddler was watching. My wife ended up dragging the tree out of the road, calling someone to watch our son, captured the dog who ran out of the broken fence, and then drove me to the ER....

That's a good wife! Glad you survived the ordeal

 

[Jeffm1]

.. and here's another way trees can bite that I didn't know about:

$&@!

 

[maple1]

.. and here's another way trees can bite that I didn't know about:

Gotta be wary of leaners - they can barber in an instant. That is a situation for a plunge cut, & cutting the backstrap last. Very quickly.

 

[Catfish Hunter]

.. and here's another way trees can bite that I didn't know about:

I agree guys - I just cut down some heavy leaning oak, maple and ash. I was talking about them to a guy at work explaining how I face cut, then plunge to set the hinge, wedge and then cut the back strap. He said I was getting way too fancy. The tree I cut were leaning much heavier than the one in the video. Glad I took the time to research and think through it before cutting. It only takes once...

Nice video, best barber chair vid that I've ever seen!

 

[maple1]

I personally have never had one chair. Might be lucky. Comes down to species too sometimes, some are more prone. I would always anticipate it happening though.