Tough Cut

[HeatsTwice]

This Madrone had termites in its base and had to be taken out.

It was a tough read for me since there was no telling how much of the stump was rot and how much was wood. I managed to get the saw stuck but fell it the way I wanted.

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[Woody Stover]

Is that pink stuff the hinge?!! I usually cut those up higher in an attempt to find more solid wood. That said, I've never cut anything that bad; They usually fall down before they are that far gone.

 

[HeatsTwice]

Is that pink stuff the hinge?!! I usually cut those up higher in an attempt to find more solid wood. That said, I've never cut anything that bad; They usually fall down before they are that far gone.

No, the semi-circular white part at the bottom of the 2nd picture.

True - coulda, shoulda cut higher up but I didn't want to be on a ladder that far from a hospital.

 

[smokedragon]

Wow, that is just nasty........trees that far gone are dangerous. Glad you got it on the ground safely.

 

[Woody Stover]

No, the semi-circular white part at the bottom of the 2nd picture.

True - coulda, shoulda cut higher up but I didn't want to be on a ladder that far from a hospital.

No, ladders and saws equal trouble! That said, I've gotta make a cut from a ladder, I may do that today. I cut a Red Elm but it hung up before it could get any momentum going. I'm make another notch and back-cut from a stepladder but since I've already got a rope around it and will break the hinge pulling with the quad, I can leave the hinge fat and the tree shouldn't budge while I'm on the ladder. Pray for me.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

No, ladders and saws equal trouble! That said, I've gotta make a cut from a ladder, I may do that today. I cut a Red Elm but it hung up before it could get any momentum going. I'm make another notch and back-cut from a stepladder but since I've already got a rope around it and will break the hinge pulling with the quad, I can leave the hinge fat and the tree shouldn't budge while I'm on the ladder. Pray for me.

be careful Woody. Sounds like a Murphy's law Tree. But, it sounds like you have a Rube Goldberg plan for taking it down!

 

[Woody Stover]

the semi-circular white part at the bottom of the 2nd picture.

OK, looking at it more I'm getting a better idea of how it went.

sounds like you have a Rube Goldberg plan for taking it down!

That's pretty much what it turned out to be. Made the second cut, pulled it and it dropped out of the first snag and fell sideways into another one. So I had to keep cutting. Finally got 'er down, though. I decided to wait to buck it up until it cooled off a bit, since it was about 90 out. I'm getting spoiled on this 'summer that never was.' 90 would be a pretty nice day in a normal summer. I've never seen so much wind out of the north...

 

[Missouri Frontier]

Good job dropping it Woody. Bucking it up? I figured you made so many cuts getting it to the ground, that it was almost pre bucked!

 

[wildlingabovethebridge]

I find on sketchier drops if I make my back cuts on more of (geometrically speaking less of) an angle to my wedge cut I can see where the tree is going faster and react better if needed, and the tree is less likely to go all the way the wrong way as there is support behind your cut. It's also easier to cut your saw back out if it gets hopelessly pinched.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

I find on sketchier drops if I make my back cuts on more of (geometrically speaking less of) an angle to my wedge cut I can see where the tree is going faster and react better if needed, and the tree is less likely to go all the way the wrong way as there is support behind your cut. It's also easier to cut your saw back out if it gets hopelessly pinched.

I almost always make angled back cuts.( what I'm used to) but, your reasoning makes sense. Welcome to the forum. Ok don't know if I'm the first, but, where is Yoop?

 

[wildlingabovethebridge]

Thanks Missouri! Local slang for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Upper Peninsula aka the U.P., phoneticized in to "da yoop".

 

[Woody Stover]

where is Yoop?

the U.P., phoneticized in to "da yoop".

I knew, only because I grew up in WI. If you grew up in central America, say MO, you might never have heard of a Yooper.

 

[wildlingabovethebridge]

I knew, only because I grew up in WI. If you grew up in central America, say MO, you might never have heard of a Yooper.

And you moved to IN? That's wedged right in there between the trolls and the FIBs! That should drive even a cheesehead nuts

 

[HeatsTwice]

put the video of the fall in the first post.

 

[Woody Stover]

put the video of the fall in the first post.

Wow, that one was a tall boy. You gonna get that leaner that comes into the picture as it pans right? What kind is that one?

 

[Woody Stover]

And you moved to IN? That's wedged right in there between the trolls and the FIBs! That should drive even a cheesehead nuts

Trolls and FIBs are more of a problem in the northern part of the state; Rednecks are the issue down here. It was an adjustment, to be sure, but green grass in the winter and the incredible variety of hardwoods definitely eased the transition.

 

[Woody Stover]

Bucking it up?

Went back out yesterday since a cold front came though. Thought it would be comfy but with the high humidity I still ended up taking a sweat bath....didn't help when I had to chase two rounds that got away from me down into the ravine, and pack 'em back up top.

 

[HeatsTwice]

Wow, that one was a tall boy. You gonna get that leaner that comes into the picture as it pans right? What kind is that one?

Its a madrone. No, That ones been there since we bought the place 50 years ago and does not threaten the structure (cabin) on the property. That forest is so thick and so many trees fall down on occasion that its a good idea to keep as many trees standing around the cabin as possible. They act as "sentinels" against the ones that do fall.

 

[Shawn Curry]

Wish I took a video of the overgrown silver maple I dropped this spring: multi-trunk monster leaning every which way. When I finally dropped the 32" diameter "main" trunk, the whole trunk split right in half. The base of one of the smaller pieces I had dropped earlier was partially in my notch, and acted like a wedge. Probably very dangerous, definitely very exciting, saved me a ton of time splitting: all the biggest rounds were already halved.

The wood pile in my avatar pic is all from that tree: 5-6 face cord.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

Went back out yesterday since a cold front came though. Thought it would be comfy but with the high humidity I still ended up taking a sweat bath....didn't help when I had to chase two rounds that got away from me down into the ravine, and pack 'em back up top.
View attachment 135720

Sounds like the way I cut Woody. I'm such an expert. Poetry in motion I tell ya.I end up doing twice the work chasing rounds down the hill. Wife says its good for my soft middle to do the extra work. She thinks it's funny. I fail to see the humor.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

Thanks Missouri! Local slang for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Upper Peninsula aka the U.P., phoneticized in to "da yoop".

Lol here I am thinking someone named a town Yoop. But, I'm just a heathen Missouri redneck.

 

[Tom Wallace]

FYI, if you turn your phone sideways, the video comes out much nicer.

 

[HeatsTwice]

FYI, if you turn your phone sideways, the video comes out much nicer.

Sure. Daughter was manning the camera. I was pounding wedges into the cut moments before the fall.