Felling using axes - big no no or not?

[blazer]

Brill topic, I leart axe work from the old guys say 15 yrs ago when most of them were say 80 yrs old - now they have gone. I learnt their skills and used them for years safely.

 

I have felled 2 ft dia oaks safely using an Elwell 7, a razor sharp 7lb axe that will cut a 3 inch pole in half with one swing. With that power I often feared taking my leg off - big axes don't have brakes, alot of people lost legs in the past when a big axe 'bounced'.

 

I must have say 50 axes and billhooks all not just sharp but 'tuned' for different jobs. The basic safety skill is to be able to use and axe both left and right handed and be that accurate you can split a match.

 

I will post more skills if of interest to anybody next week

[Quickthorn]

heres a few pics of how they did it in the old days ,not brill pics but wer taken in 1946 & 1953

 

I've got the book with some of those pictures in, it's called A woodcutter's tale or something - pretty much Mervyn Walker's life story. It's well worth a read. When they said they felled at ground level, they really did mean it.

 

As for axes and safety, I think mervyn ended up in A&E a few times from axe cuts. I don't think it was uncommon for some folks to lose the odd toe after a mis-swing or deflection. Doesn't compare to the damage a chainsaw could do if it goes all wrong, but a sharp axe or billhook still needs a bit of respect.

[Johny Walker]

i've got the book with some of those pictures in, it's called a woodcutter's tale or something - pretty much mervyn walker's life story. It's well worth a read. When they said they felled at ground level, they really did mean it.

 

As for axes and safety, i think mervyn ended up in a&e a few times from axe cuts. I don't think it was uncommon for some folks to lose the odd toe after a mis-swing or deflection. Doesn't compare to the damage a chainsaw could do if it goes all wrong, but a sharp axe or billhook still needs a bit of respect.

 

wer are based qt

[penfold]

i thought they were pictures of you in your youth there johnny

[Quickthorn]

wer are based qt

 

I'm N Notts, wp, a bit south of Doncaster.

 

Going back to the OP, I don't think they often felled trees with just an axe - that was used for rounding up and putting the gob in. The back cut was done with something like a 2 man cross cut; to do that with an axe would have been very wasteful. Once you'd got a saw depth in, wedges could be put in to follow, so the faller had no less control than a chainsaw cutter today.

[harvey b davison]

Working as a chippie (joiner) on building sites, we use the axe for many applications, imo the axe and timber should be looked upon as an old married couple, wheres theres one you will surely find the other.

[Johny Walker]

I've got the book with some of those pictures in, it's called A woodcutter's tale or something - pretty much Mervyn Walker's life story. It's well worth a read. When they said they felled at ground level, they really did mean it.

 

As for axes and safety, I think mervyn ended up in A&E a few times from axe cuts. I don't think it was uncommon for some folks to lose the odd toe after a mis-swing or deflection. Doesn't compare to the damage a chainsaw could do if it goes all wrong, but a sharp axe or billhook still needs a bit of respect.

 

just wondering wer you got your copy from ,anybody else got it/read it

[Taupotreeman]

Just wondered what we will use to cut trees down once the oil reserves are depleted. Will we revert to axe and crosscut or has someone designed a solar or nuclear powered chainsaw that I haven't heard about. Sometimes the old ways of doing things shouldn't be discarded....... just in case.

[Mike Hill]

I'm N Notts, wp, a bit south of Doncaster.

 

Once you'd got a saw depth in, wedges could be put in to follow, so the faller had no less control than a chainsaw cutter today.

 

Thats not True.

 

In the Past heavy leaning Trees were "passed up" as Fallers could not deal safely with Tension.Some times Trees were Felled across the lean,but the chance of slabbing the Butt Log and Pinching the Saw was high.And there was another man on that side of the Saw.

 

With a Chainsaw you can Swing Trees by Cutting away some of the Hinge as the Tree Falls,Do all tasks from one side and correct lean by cutting out the Back cut in stages.None of these things can be done with a Two Man Saw.

[Johny Walker]

I've got the book with some of those pictures in, it's called A woodcutter's tale or something - pretty much Mervyn Walker's life story. It's well worth a read. When they said they felled at ground level, they really did mean it.

 

As for axes and safety, I think mervyn ended up in A&E a few times from axe cuts. I don't think it was uncommon for some folks to lose the odd toe after a mis-swing or deflection. Doesn't compare to the damage a chainsaw could do if it goes all wrong, but a sharp axe or billhook still needs a bit of respect.

 

Thats not True.

 

In the Past heavy leaning Trees were "passed up" as Fallers could not deal safely with Tension.Some times Trees were Felled across the lean,but the chance of slabbing the Butt Log and Pinching the Saw was high.And there was another man on that side of the Saw.

 

With a Chainsaw you can Swing Trees by Cutting away some of the Hinge as the Tree Falls,Do all tasks from one side and correct lean by cutting out the Back cut in stages.None of these things can be done with a Two Man Saw.

 

mike, have you vever worked with guys that used xcut & axes ,they would tell you differant