I believe Tim posted on this forum about falling and landing with his hand right on the chain.
Add some SeaFoam to the fuel, 2 ounces to a gallon. Then don't worry about the fuel. I've done that for the last 15 years and never had gas issues to this date. 10 year old Stihl has all the original fuel lines, carb parts , etc. "Stihl" runs like day one! I say just cut on the ground like mentioned above. Flip the log over after 2/3 rds through. Once you get comfortable I just stick my running bar up under the cuts and pull the saw through, no chance of hitting the dirt with your chain. Of course I've got 30 plus years behind a saw, being a climber for some years as well. Good luck, wear your safety gear! Cost you nothing to do that! I've never been cut but have witnessed people do it first hand.How long would it take you to use 1.8 gallons of 2 stroke mixed gas? I made the mistake of buying a little too much last night. Looks like my Toro snow blower will be getting some Stihl synthetic 2 stroke gas mix this winter. I want it all used up within 6 months.
I measure with the saw. After awhile, it becomes second nature.
Before you start this I suggest you measure the saw bar.
Are these the trees that you think are out of your league? C'mon, you own chaiwsaw chaps! What could go wrong? Get out there and give it a go and take video.
p.s. I think that maple is Sugar Maple - great firewood. I am not sure how big your saw is but you might want to have the pros cut those trunks to stove length for you. Even if your saw bar is long enough it will take a long time to cut those big trunks into rounds.
Like the hardhat...I have to get pouches like the ones you have, I carry a hatchet on my hip and an oil can in a fanny pack with wedges and the tools I need, not too handy.Been using saws since I was 15,felling trees since I was 17.Over 30 yrs. Even now I feel the hair on my neck stand up when I start to drop a big one.You should never lose your respect for certain things or act in a careless manner no matter how much experience you might have.That's when accidents happen.I've had a couple close calls ( few hangups,a small barber chair or two & a pinched bar) but nothing that endangered me,others,any property/equipment. You learn from any mistakes & do what you can to prevent any in the future.
Wedges are a must IMO,both in felling & bucking.Sawbucks are great for rounds/poles up to 8" - 10" diameter also.Much easier for me to carry out 3 to 9 ft poles,load trailer or pickup & cut them on sawbuck later then constantly be leaning over cutting 1 piece at a time then have to bend over AGAIN to pick up & carry 4-5 times as many pieces to the trailer or pickup.
At least if you get a boo-boo you have free medical...oops just found out about all the taxes I guess the land of the fee you were referring to.You guys living in the USA get goods and services for so much cheaper it makes me cringe.....It's just not fair I will report back the retail prices for Stihl PPE here in good old land of the fee aka Canada
You should always set a wedge in the groove when you get, say, 1/2 to 2/3 of the way through the cut. Basically, do it when there's enough room to get the wedge in without hitting it with the saw. That way, it won't set back on your saw. If you don't use a wedge and it does set back on your saw, there's usually no way to get a wedge in. And even if you could, it's probably not going to do much to help you. So, use a wedge even if you don't think you'll need one, because you'll sure wish you did if you do.
Set-back trees are pretty dangerous. The best way to deal with one of those is to get another saw and make another felling cut above your saw to drop the tree where it wants to go. Yes, this means leaving the scene to find another saw. Don't put yourself in that situation.
You can do a lot with a wedge, but it's not going to put a big tree where it doesn't want to go. What I do is eyeball the lean of the tree, then figure out the best place to aim it in that general direction. Life is full of compromises. It's usually wise to compromise with something as big as a tree.
While we're on the topic, if there are smaller trees and saplings growing where you want this tree to fall, cut them down first, because they can become spring poles (bent over saplings under stress) which are very dangerous to work around. You want to create the safest working environment you can.
That's a lot of gas. I use a synthetic oil with fuel conditioner in it. I think it's called OPTIMAX-2. It claims to be good for any ratio of 2-stroke mix.How long would it take you to use 1.8 gallons of 2 stroke mixed gas? I made the mistake of buying a little too much last night. Looks like my Toro snow blower will be getting some Stihl synthetic 2 stroke gas mix this winter. I want it all used up within 6 months.
All of the video I've seen the hinge is cut with the wedge in place and tree not falling.
When I cut a whole tree I always start by cutting the branches first, and I start cutting each branch at the smallest part I plan to take for firewood, which is pretty small. Pick away at the easy to reach parts first. While the branches are still attached to the tree they are easy to cut, so I cut them to stove length right there and work my way down to the trunk. I keep going until the only branches remaining are the ones that are pinned under the tree or holding the tree up off the ground. This not only is a good way to cut branches, but it also lightens the load on the trunk so it is less likely to shift positions while I am trying to cut it, and makes it easier to get to the trunk and move around the trunk.
Nice Hinge wood... I use to work on DOT's tree crew, we took care of 8 counties from Essex down to Green County. Taking down some big nasty hazard trees at times. I remember my boss would always check my hinge wood after felling any good size trees, ,,,, he wanted them even or holding wood to one side if needed. He'd let you know if you screwed up! He made me a competent feller. That's why your still around I like your Tin Bill cruiser hard hatWe may be confusing our terminology. In the following photo, you can clearly see the hinge. If you cut that before the tree "commits" to a direction of fall, then it can fall anywhere & you've lost control of it. Quite simply, you aim the tree's fall with the notch, you get it to start falling by making the back cut, and the(intact) hinge forces the tree to fall where you aimed it. Add a wedge or two to help the process along, and you're probably looking at a successful felling operation.
See if they are County tree's, they might take them done for nothing. I had a good size declining sugar maple out by my road, at the edge of my driveway,,, was starting to shed limbs. I called, they came and measured the road set back,,,, sure enough it was their tree. They came and took the tree down and left me all the wood, they chipped up all the brush. Was an easy 800 dollar removal. I gave them 100 dollars to buy everyone on the crew lunch. Saved me renting a chipper , etc.Went to the Stihl dealer on Friday afternoon and picked up a helmet/muffs shield combo, chaps/pants, gloves, glasses and boots. Also got a new wedge a sharpening kit and it totaled $450. Cheap insurance for sure! Thanks for the recomendations guys, cant wait to get back out cutting. I scored 7/8 MASSIVE dead standing maples and a couple big oaks on my father inlaws farm, not bad for a first scrounge LOL. I am having pro's come out to drop the trees because they are way out of my league!
I'm trying to figure out why that tree fell 90 degrees from where it was was supposed to based on the location of the hinge. Maybe the tree rolled after it fell, but I finf that very unlikely. Also, it looks like the hinge is crushed on the end in the direction of the fall.
Just trying to understand.
Any critical trees going the wrong way ,,, I'd always used a throw ball to set a line up high and tied them off ,, then pulled them over leaving a good amount of hinge wood . On one tree crew we used what was called a Bigshot,,, a giant sling shot to shoot up a throw ball nearly 80 ft. Once we got good it was actually faster to set a pull line then to set our bucket truck up to set a line, plus it saved all that wear on the bucket truck. We use to get a lot of stuff from The Sherill Tree Company. I use to set my climbing line as well with the throw-ball, that way your tied in from the start and also allowed a way to enter the tree without climbing spurs during pruning operations, I'd body thrust up. Now they have a lot of nice rope ascenders.Dropped a medium sized (10" x 50 ft tall) Bur Oak snag yesterday morning,had a very slight lean uphill in opposite direction.Double stacked my wedges,it rolled a tiny bit coming down but still landed where I wanted - right between 1 large White Oak & a scrub Black Cherry about 8 ft apart.
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