Felling technique

[gobbypunk]

Hi guys I sometimes watch like Building Alaska , swamp loggers etc and watching how most tree workers fell trees , I have noticed that they do the felling cut quite different than we do a lot of their felling cuts seem to come in at a slight downward angle ,and we tend to come straight in flat , we’ll most of the time , so I was just wondering why it seems so different.

Cheers Mark

[Woodworks]

Think it's called a humbolt cut. There was a long thread on it some time ago. Think the main argument was it was good for cutting trees on a hill as the dip is cut into what would be the stump and the back cut is cut close to ground level on the upward side so less waste.

[ESS]

The top cut in the gob is straight as opposed to angled as is the back cut, which in theory eliminates a butt with a gob cut out of it.

It is also used to throw the tree away from the stump, both for safety reasons and extraction. Apparently more fatalities are caused by falling branches out of the tops of trees being felled than any other hazard.

[Wedgebanger]

 It really depends on where you are and some of the regs in the place your cutting, eg USA or Canada and the types/size of trees

there are also some types of cut prohibited due to safety reasons, eg Swanson, bucking billy did this 40’ up a tree and it (the other 50’) landed flat. Or was it the other way round ?

 

there are plenty sources of info around 

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/logging/manual/felling/cuts/notches.html

 

[Khriss]

Yes, as said- timber value-saving cut, mostly big or high value logs or for looking big n clever k

[drinksloe]

But surely it still takes the same amount off timber to put a cut in?

Just ur gun is left on the stump rather than on ur produce, I dare say u should be cutting the hub off the end before measuring ur log.

 

Althou they do seem to put a for narrower more closed gun in than most UK cutters would.

Not sure all those programmes are really an example off good practice. I was told the programme axmen was stopped on request of proper logging companies as it was making them look like fools. Can hardly be best practice to use ur hand gun as a felling bar.

[Wedgebanger]

Ahh, but you forget the time it takes to do the cut to square off the log. Times this many times over. That’s a lot of logging time, and where the hell is that log it could be halfway down a steep hill.

and also maybe the humbolt cut is in the flare/buttress...which is not wanted..