Why I don't cut anything near a structure....
- Thread starter shawneyboy
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
LLigetfa
Minister of Fire
Ja, that's been posted here several times. The way the woman reacts seems out of touch with reality. One would not expect so much composure in light of what happened.shawneyboy said:Wood spliter ? That would be me
So, I've seen references to spliter before and wonder if it's a spelling mistake or some urban slang that I'm not familiar. I've tried googling for it but I think the hits I get are of sites that deliberately seed the search engine for more hits from people mis-spelling it. Am I wrong or is there an urban dictionary meaning for it?
Mcbride
New Member
I've never seen that one before. It was leaning towards the house before it ever started to fall.
LLigetfa
Minister of Fire
I don't think wedges would have helped him since it doesn't look like he left any hinge. A tree that size should give plenty of clues long before you cut through the hinge.Mcbride said:
Mind you, I've come across the odd one that was so rotten or hollow as to offer very little in hinge wood. The lean of a tree can be hard to judge sometimes but not when there is a large level and plumb structure so close by to take a reference from.
If I would have had the nerve to cut it whole, I would have tied it off with a a good 3/4 inch bull rope and pulled it where I wanted it to fall-via extra help, block and tackle, etc.
It should have been roped that close to a structure anyway, or blocked down to a reasonable height with a bucket truck before cutting the trunk.
It should have been roped that close to a structure anyway, or blocked down to a reasonable height with a bucket truck before cutting the trunk.
smokinj
Minister of Fire
Adios Pantalones
Minister of Fire
Thistle
Minister of Fire
Adios Pantalones said:smokinjay said:
If you had a big brother- you'd know
Good one! :lol:
Gary
Lumber-Jack
Minister of Fire
Yes, that made me laugh too, :lol:Gary_602z said:Adios Pantalones said:smokinjay said:
If you had a big brother- you'd know
Good one! :lol:
Gary
However I believe the correct spelling is W e d g i e.
Click here for pictures.
I had two big brothers. :shut:
loon
Minister of Fire
120inna55
Member
loon said:watch the fella in front...
Yeah, it looks like he's trying to use the force to push the tree the other way.
Loon that's the most efficient and thorough demolition job I've ever seen. Looks like it took care of the entryway to the back porch as well as the storage shed and any unfortunate contents. Gotta wonder if that was his house or the next-door neighbor's that he deshedded. Now that lady holding the camera above claims that they knocked down half their house, but they just have a little rebuild job on the porch roof--the grill on the back porch was left still standing. In the first video, it looks like the tree did precisely as it was asked to do, given the lean, and then the final cut. Loon's vid looks like the fellow who cut it just knew he had a big saw, so he could make it fall down, and sure enough . . . you direct our attention to the fella in front, but I get a kick out of the one holding the saw just standing there staring at it, suggesting that he's trying to figure out what he's going to say at this point.
I have an old, out-of-print book called Handloggers, by W.H. Jackson, that describes the lifestyle and skills of an elite few loggers who made their living dropping trees one at a time from mountainsides in the Tongass to the salty drink, from whence they towed these behemoths to the sawmill at the end of the season. It's quite the read, and the precision they develop in dropping these is difficult to grasp. They'd drop these in such a way that it would have to clear all the timber below, and frequently rock ledges and abutments. An error in calculation meant that they had to loosen up a wedged twenty-ton tree, sometimes while working in front of it. These things would generate so much force in hurtling into the ocean that they'd be limbed clean by the time they soared off a cliff and pounded into the water below. He describes one tree that he wanted to drop, and the only way he knew to clear it was to make it climb the hill before it dropped--and he did it. I'm going to see if I can put my hands on that book--may be time for a re-read.
A saw does not a sawman make, and some skills are best developed where there is room for error.
I have an old, out-of-print book called Handloggers, by W.H. Jackson, that describes the lifestyle and skills of an elite few loggers who made their living dropping trees one at a time from mountainsides in the Tongass to the salty drink, from whence they towed these behemoths to the sawmill at the end of the season. It's quite the read, and the precision they develop in dropping these is difficult to grasp. They'd drop these in such a way that it would have to clear all the timber below, and frequently rock ledges and abutments. An error in calculation meant that they had to loosen up a wedged twenty-ton tree, sometimes while working in front of it. These things would generate so much force in hurtling into the ocean that they'd be limbed clean by the time they soared off a cliff and pounded into the water below. He describes one tree that he wanted to drop, and the only way he knew to clear it was to make it climb the hill before it dropped--and he did it. I'm going to see if I can put my hands on that book--may be time for a re-read.
A saw does not a sawman make, and some skills are best developed where there is room for error.
btuser
Minister of Fire
remkel
Minister of Fire
That is why the large oak outside my bedroom window is still standing- at least until I save up for a proper professional to come.....
smokinj
Minister of Fire
Black Jaque Janaviac
Feeling the Heat
yooperdave
Minister of Fire
this had bad written all over it! all you had to do was look at the direction of the "play" arrow on the you tube link and you guess the rest i wonder what he told his insurance company?
i wonder what he told his insurance company?I had the utter stupidity to build my new shed next to the biggest elm on the property. Leaning toward the shed and everything. Right after I finished the shed, the tree decided to die on me.
I'll post the video of the collapsing shed next spring when I take the thing down. Or post pics three years from now when it falls on its own.
I swear I'll get that Darwin Award yet. :roll: :red:
I'll post the video of the collapsing shed next spring when I take the thing down. Or post pics three years from now when it falls on its own.
I swear I'll get that Darwin Award yet. :roll: :red:
Mcbride
New Member
I had 2 large pines near my house, that leaned towards my house, and of course the usual winds blow them towards my house as well.
Well we got hit hard by the pine beetle, and those 2 trees died, so if left too long, they were going to fall over.
Now I have fallen a fair amount of trees, and am usually fairly acurate at putting them where I want them to go.
So I strongly considered dropping them myself. Oneday I went out there and studdied them, got out my saw, sharpened it, fuled it up, got my axe and wedges ready.
Then at the last moment I chickened out. In the back of my head was the little voice saying if this time something goes wrong, its going to be a really bad day.
So I got in my truck and drove over to the home of an old logger in town.
We have no professional tre service companies here, its just too small a town.
But we have many old loggers, and most are either good, or died in the bush.
Harold is retired, has been for about 7 or 8 years now.
I went and talked to him, said could you come drop them for me.
Or if not, at the least give me some tips from your 40 years of being a faller in the bush.
He said ya, no problem at all, glad to help a neighbour out.
I said great, no need to bring anything, i have all you need.
He said okay then, going to have lunch with the wife, be over later today.
Well I go home, take care of some stuff, clean the garage etc.
And here comes old Harold, pulls up in his old truck.
Harold does not talk a lot, and he is fairly deaf, so you more yell at him, than talk to him.
He says what trees you want down?
I say this one here, and this one over here, they are about 30 or so feet apart.
Where do ya want them he asks?
Anywhere not on the house or garage I say.
No he says, go mark me an X where ya want them exactly.
So i walk out a ways and mark 2 X's on the ground with my boot heel.
Good enough he says, looks my saw over some, and fires it up.
Makes his notch, goes into the back cut, barely taps in 1 wedge and finishes the cut
Drops it literally with the trunk of the tree on the center of my X mark.
He walk over to tree 2 and repeats it.
In maybe 4 minutes both were down, and I go look, the trunk of tree 2 was also on the ucX mark.
He says got a cold beer, so we sit and have an icy cold beer, he says well gotta go home and feed the cattle, bye now.
Walks to his beat up old dodge and drives away.
I limb them, and buck them, use the bobcat to clean it all up, and then go inside.
I cleaned up a bit, grabbed a box, went to the freezer, grabbed out about 50 pounds of fresh moose and deer meat, and another 20 or so punds of fish i had caught.
Put it in my truck, went to town, bought a 24 of his fav beer, went over to his house, and gave it to him.
He says no need, neighbours help neighbours, but thanks anyways.
I said at least keep the beer, so he agreed, and took the beer.
It was an honor to see someone so skilled work.
He made it look so easy, not bad for a guy 71 years old. Or any darn age.
Well we got hit hard by the pine beetle, and those 2 trees died, so if left too long, they were going to fall over.
Now I have fallen a fair amount of trees, and am usually fairly acurate at putting them where I want them to go.
So I strongly considered dropping them myself. Oneday I went out there and studdied them, got out my saw, sharpened it, fuled it up, got my axe and wedges ready.
Then at the last moment I chickened out. In the back of my head was the little voice saying if this time something goes wrong, its going to be a really bad day.
So I got in my truck and drove over to the home of an old logger in town.
We have no professional tre service companies here, its just too small a town.
But we have many old loggers, and most are either good, or died in the bush.
Harold is retired, has been for about 7 or 8 years now.
I went and talked to him, said could you come drop them for me.
Or if not, at the least give me some tips from your 40 years of being a faller in the bush.
He said ya, no problem at all, glad to help a neighbour out.
I said great, no need to bring anything, i have all you need.
He said okay then, going to have lunch with the wife, be over later today.
Well I go home, take care of some stuff, clean the garage etc.
And here comes old Harold, pulls up in his old truck.
Harold does not talk a lot, and he is fairly deaf, so you more yell at him, than talk to him.
He says what trees you want down?
I say this one here, and this one over here, they are about 30 or so feet apart.
Where do ya want them he asks?
Anywhere not on the house or garage I say.
No he says, go mark me an X where ya want them exactly.
So i walk out a ways and mark 2 X's on the ground with my boot heel.
Good enough he says, looks my saw over some, and fires it up.
Makes his notch, goes into the back cut, barely taps in 1 wedge and finishes the cut
Drops it literally with the trunk of the tree on the center of my X mark.
He walk over to tree 2 and repeats it.
In maybe 4 minutes both were down, and I go look, the trunk of tree 2 was also on the ucX mark.
He says got a cold beer, so we sit and have an icy cold beer, he says well gotta go home and feed the cattle, bye now.
Walks to his beat up old dodge and drives away.
I limb them, and buck them, use the bobcat to clean it all up, and then go inside.
I cleaned up a bit, grabbed a box, went to the freezer, grabbed out about 50 pounds of fresh moose and deer meat, and another 20 or so punds of fish i had caught.
Put it in my truck, went to town, bought a 24 of his fav beer, went over to his house, and gave it to him.
He says no need, neighbours help neighbours, but thanks anyways.
I said at least keep the beer, so he agreed, and took the beer.
It was an honor to see someone so skilled work.
He made it look so easy, not bad for a guy 71 years old. Or any darn age.
Black Jaque Janaviac
Feeling the Heat
Almost kinda sad to think that skills like that old timer has may be getting rare. Today they have these incredible machines that grab trees, cut, limb, and durn-near turn 'em into boards, plywood or paper right there on site.
Imagine the loggers that THIS old timer looked up to. They could probably do what he did without chainsaw.
Imagine the loggers that THIS old timer looked up to. They could probably do what he did without chainsaw.
- Status
Similar threads
