Rate My Hinge.

[drinksloe]

On 17/03/2020 at 21:04, Billhook said:

This elm died last year.  It is 30 inches in diameter.

I have felled no large elms and was a bit apprehensive about tackling this one especially since I only had a 16 inch bar

I cut out the gob and plunged from either side and cut back to leave a tab.   Nicked the tab and ran to as safer place as I could find behind a large sycamore .

the 70 foot tall tree just keeled over gently, exactly where it was supposed to

Now to make some floor boards with the Lucas Mill 

I left the stump high partly because I have a bad back and partly to judge the plunge cuts more accurately 

 

Bit late to party on this 1.

 

Nice cutting billhook.

 

Not picking fault here but just a good photo to highllght to others when u just push a smaller bar to the limit.

And I would happily choose to fell that tree all day long with a 15 or 16" bar.

 

Was just going to say if I'm ever in any doubt about bar size Vs tree butt I always bore the gub/letter box the hinge.

As u can see just behind hinge there u didn't have an awful lot off over lap, just where the wee curve is.

Often get the plug just behind hinge or worse smack bang in centre of tree.

 

Nothing worse than battering and battering wedges in when uve left an accidental plug.

And once ur committed to back cut u can't go back and bore.

 

My motto is if n doubt bore the gub out!!!

If not needed not a problem and only takes seconds on a borderline tree.

Definately beats really battering wedges because of ur own stupidity, which I still do far too often ( althou mainly chancing luck for too small a bar)

 

I had 2 just a few weeks ago, even after boring the gub a 30T jack really struggling to get them moving.

Had 5 biggest 1s then a lot on small 1s on a real steep banking, took a chance on my 18" saw as a compromise, trees didn't look that big from 150m away across the gully.

But they never do, esp if a lot of good timber on a job.

[Billhook]

22 minutes ago, drinksloe said:

 

Bit late to party on this 1.

 

Nice cutting billhook.

 

Not picking fault here but just a good photo to highllght to others when u just push a smaller bar to the limit.

And I would happily choose to fell that tree all day long with a 15 or 16" bar.

 

Was just going to say if I'm ever in any doubt about bar size Vs tree butt I always bore the gub/letter box the hinge.

As u can see just behind hinge there u didn't have an awful lot off over lap, just where the wee curve is.

Often get the plug just behind hinge or worse smack bang in centre of tree.

 

Nothing worse than battering and battering wedges in when uve left an accidental plug.

And once ur committed to back cut u can't go back and bore.

 

My motto is if n doubt bore the gub out!!!

If not needed not a problem and only takes seconds on a borderline tree.

Definately beats really battering wedges because of ur own stupidity, which I still do far too often ( althou mainly chancing luck for too small a bar)

 

I had 2 just a few weeks ago, even after boring the gub a 30T jack really struggling to get them moving.

Had 5 biggest 1s then a lot on small 1s on a real steep banking, took a chance on my 18" saw as a compromise, trees didn't look that big from 150m away across the gully.

But they never do, esp if a lot of good timber on a job.

Thanks for that.

As Clint says "A man's got to know his limitations" and I was unfamiliar with Lime trees and especially dead ones.  I did not know how long it had been dead and what the state of decay was hence the Matbro because it is only going to go one way with the boom out and it protected me and the road at the same time and no need for wedges!

[drinksloe]

No there nowt wrong at all with wot u done. 😀😀

Using the matbro bucket as a shield was a good idea, the safer u can make it the better

 

Must admit I'm similar to u, until this spring can't remember ever felling a lime before and it is quite "soft' timber even when living.

 

It just was quite a good photo and I've lost count off the ammount off times I've thought "aye got plenty I'll no bother boring" and been sweating and swearing at an 'easy' tree and u see the curves of both sides as far as ur saw can reach on both sides. Makes it bloody hard work.

 

Like I said any doubt at all I take even just the bar width or so out the centre of hinge.

[Billhook]

On 25/04/2021 at 22:12, drinksloe said:

No there nowt wrong at all with wot u done. 😀😀

Using the matbro bucket as a shield was a good idea, the safer u can make it the better

 

Must admit I'm similar to u, until this spring can't remember ever felling a lime before and it is quite "soft' timber even when living.

 

It just was quite a good photo and I've lost count off the ammount off times I've thought "aye got plenty I'll no bother boring" and been sweating and swearing at an 'easy' tree and u see the curves of both sides as far as ur saw can reach on both sides. Makes it bloody hard work.

 

Like I said any doubt at all I take even just the bar width or so out the centre of hinge.

Every felling is a new learning curve!  I was amazed how gently the tree went over, just like a slow motion film with no crash and it did not even break the fence ,just a bit of stretched barbed wire.  Wish I had videoed it but as I said we were concentrating on the traffic and worried more about falling rotten branches at the time.

[Billhook]

On 25/04/2021 at 17:33, IronMike said:

There is casual observer type watching,  there is another arborist type watching,  there is certificate assessor type watching then there is a line of irate motorists type watching,  wondering why you are taking so long and didn't I know they were on their way to something very important  (like shopping!).  I can cope with the first three, but the last is more testing!

[Billhook]

Just realised that you were talking about the dead Elm from a year ago and not the lime Drinksloe!

I did not need the Matbro on that one as there was no doubt about where it would fall.  It was a much bigger tree but again was dead so difficult to assess quite what might happen depending on the state of decay.  I was pleased with that result too!

I only post successful videos!

[doobin]

Not done any felling for a while. Glad I haven’t lost my touch. 😂

[Matthew Storrs]

Nor me Doobin…

[spuddog0507]

1 hour ago, Big J said:

An absolute cracker of a heavy leaning ash (I think - I was so horrified by the felling I didn't pay any attention to the tree species) recently felled at Woodlands theme park in Devon.

 

Spotted it whilst there with the girls. I think it's the worst hinge I've ever seen. The tree was a good 70cm in diameter.

Nice one that J a bit rough tho, i bet its one of yours 😂😂, We all do it and say it was some on else,s, One below was done by one of the lads on a farm i shoot, 3 saws later and still had to push it over with the loadall, One thing i have lern,t over the years is that any tree on a farm, cut it at 4.5 - 5ft above ground level as it will contain many years of fencing wire,

Edited September 2, 2021 by spuddog0507
spelling

[Pete Mctree]

10 hours ago, Big J said:

An absolute cracker of a heavy leaning ash (I think - I was so horrified by the felling I didn't pay any attention to the tree species) recently felled at Woodlands theme park in Devon.

 

Spotted it whilst there with the girls. I think it's the worst hinge I've ever seen. The tree was a good 70cm in diameter.

Just a super deep gob to avoid bore cutting perhaps