Tips on felling oversize Trunks

[Crazy Cutter]

Practice. If you watch Heli-loggers, ax-men etc they all cut level. Look at old oak stumps in woods and they are always level! I can only presume they are/were bollocked for poorly presented timber?

 

When you feel the saw is level, level the back handle a touch more its always worked for me.

[Tom D]

get rid of any big ugly buttreses ,and take as much time as possible to get the cuts the match up

 

I try and leave buttresses if I can, usually lining them up with the direction of fell if possible (one big buttress either side of the gob) this gives you so much more lateral stability, which is important on one sided trees felling at 90deg to the lean. Plus the only trees big enough to require dovetail cutting are usually compromised in the centre (in scotland anyway) so if you remove the buttresses there is a good chance that what you are left with may be crap wood that won't hold when you need it.

 

Buttressing is fine on timber plantations when you know the inner wood is likely to be solid but on old growth be careful.. i have seen it done, buttresses removed only to reveal air where the hinge should be.

 

like others have said take your time.. you could stick a wee spirit level on your bar and hold the saw till you get level, then try and visualise that position for future use.

[big fell!]

I try and leave buttresses if I can, usually lining them up with the direction of fell if possible (one big buttress either side of the gob) this gives you so much more lateral stability, which is important on one sided trees felling at 90deg to the lean. Plus the only trees big enough to require dovetail cutting are usually compromised in the centre (in scotland anyway) so if you remove the buttresses there is a good chance that what you are left with may be crap wood that won't hold when you need it.

 

Buttressing is fine on timber plantations when you know the inner wood is likely to be solid but on old growth be careful.. i have seen it done, buttresses removed only to reveal air where the hinge should be.

 

like others have said take your time.. you could stick a wee spirit level on your bar and hold the saw till you get level, then try and visualise that position for future use.[/QU

 

I agree with Tom, keep practicing and think about what your doing. Eventually you'll start felling without thinking about it to much and your cuts will be match up and be flush.

[arbmark]

the fell takes such as short amount of the time its wise not to rush it. the big ones are scary and theres no room for guesswork so for what its worth heres what i do if i want to make sure...

line stuff up. cut the gob & letterbox if required. if you nick either end of the hinge to stop tears, nick them level. rest the saw flat on the bottom of the gob, then bore through from both sides to 'set' the hinge the size and shape needed. Knowing the hinge is a goodun, i work out backwards from the hinge which avoids alignment issues trying to meet the hinge. So like for a heavy lean with fell - it falls hard but always lands accurately.

[atree]

Cheers for the info guys!

 

Most of the trees i fell get climbed so its manily just trunks (not whole trees)Then all go for firewood,Generally fell at knee height.

 

had another one today,took my time,was nearly perfect:001_cool:

[Dan Curtis]

If you're using a big bar - 36"+ - try to account for the natural nose weight and bend in the bar.i start the kerf about a third of its length back from the nose, then bring the rest in.i find if you go in on the dogs straight off the nose will be lower.if that makes sense?!

Edited September 29, 2011 by Dan Curtis
Spelling

[Crazy Cutter]

Go felling for someone on a sat morning. Use a small bar so all cuts have to be bored and then do one after another.

[skyhuck]

I try and leave buttresses if I can, usually lining them up with the direction of fell if possible (one big buttress either side of the gob) this gives you so much more lateral stability, which is important on one sided trees felling at 90deg to the lean. Plus the only trees big enough to require dovetail cutting are usually compromised in the centre (in scotland anyway) so if you remove the buttresses there is a good chance that what you are left with may be crap wood that won't hold when you need it.

 

Buttressing is fine on timber plantations when you know the inner wood is likely to be solid but on old growth be careful.. i have seen it done, buttresses removed only to reveal air where the hinge should be.

 

 

Spot on Tom!!

 

If I had cut the buttresses of this Beech it would have flatend the neighbouring house!!

[Rob D]

A good tip with a large diameter trunk that has been reduced to a bear lump is to bore out the middle of the hinge.

 

This means you can leave the hinge thicker but still get the trunk to go over which is tricky on large trees with no sail area left.

 

A pic would be good ..... but not got one! Maybe someone else has.

[liamjordan]

just take you time, make sure that the saw is dead level and not slightly twisted, on bigger trees always bore out the centre (well not always if its dead/rotten ect.) but if its timber quality or somthing like ash its always best to bore out, saves splitting or pulling out the centre.

 

heres one of grandads stumps from last year, and my cousin boring out the centre