Bunny ear or that what i call them

[drinksloe]

Must admit i can't see wot difference it will make wether u put it above or below the back cut, ur still breaking the long strands and i'd imagining weakening the hinge by doing either or.

And like lewis said above putting it above woud also spoil ur timber (but u could also argue that same timber has got a bloody great big gob cut out of it too) but i have sen the plits go a long way up the stem esp in spring time

 

Must admit i can't quite see how the placement would effect catching the saw or how they would catch the saw at all?

When i put them in they are put in just after i have cut the gub (sometimes even befre the gub is finished, to save my going back round that side of the tree) so can't really see how it would catch the saw.

 

Must admit if the tree was a bit dodgy and i was trying to pull it over a long way with the hinge i wouldn't put the sap wood cuts in, atleast not on the side with all the pressure jut to make that side of the hinge as strong as possible

[daltontrees]

And like lewis said above putting it above woud also spoil ur timber (but u could also argue that same timber has got a bloody great big gob cut out of it too) but i have sen the plits go a long way up the stem esp in spring time

 

 

Put them in in line with the top of the gob. Won't spoil as much timber as splitting the whole stem up the middle.

[Marc]

My comments are based purely on using them in the tree, and not on commercial timber trying to explain how when you make your cuts below can create the situation of catching your saw is difficult I guess - cutting the fibres below as you put you back cut in and the timber goes over it can lift and catch your saw in the cut as your back cut goes by them a bit like an outboard step cut.

 

The logic makes perfect sense to me and it's something we teach all the new guys or less experienced to do but so many seem taught to put below to stop the fibres splitting and catching on their lanyard, when in reality cutting the fibres above will still stop it tearing down.

 

Chances of it happening are low, but there is one guy who did himself a proper injury from getting his saw trapped in the kerf of falling timber, not helped by the fact he used his wife core flip line as a chainsaw lanyard... I also lent my top handle to a young lad who topped out a small Oak again sapwood cuts below as taught saw caught in kerf bent my bar, chain and stretched the springs, also seen on some videos lately big tops being knocked out where you can see the saw being lifted as the timber goes over and the climber frantically trying to get the saw out of the cut.

 

None of these issues will happen if you keep your back cut sensibly below all previous cuts and I see no significant disadvantage to doing this whilst on spikes up a tree with a good arguement for lowering risk.