Cut Poplar. small video

[scotspine1]

Thanks Scotspine1. I can't understand why in your point of view it's dangerous ... in fact it's one of the most safer cut to do when the branch is inclined and heavy

 

Hope you can translate this into Italian ok Giorgio.....

 

Just a few thoughts.

 

I've used the bore/release cut about 3 times in 15 years of climbing. The last time (about 10 years ago) was on a heavily leaning Eucalyptus top and it was only after I'd felled the top out and got out the tree I began to think properly about the cut and understand how dangerous this technique could be when climbing particularly when used in trees that are known for splitting ie Ash, Poplar and Euc.

 

The first couple of times I used it was on tall thin trees (Oaks I think) with leaning or heavily weighted tops which were being rigged, like you I was trying to avoid barber-chairing and also avoid been thrown about on top of the stem with a saw running as the stem kick-backed and the rigging caught the tops, I made a notch and then a bore-cut then put the chainsaw away and use the Silky handsaw to cut the holding wood at the back.

 

I assume you did a bore/release cut because you thought there was a risk of the top barber-chairing if you felled it out in the normal way with a conventional notch and back-cut?

 

My main thought on using the bore/release method in a climbing situation is that the stem could split and peel down as you make the borecut (as you displace the tension to the holding strap at the back).

 

Lets say you were tied into the Poplar at 1.25 in your vid below the cut with a flipline and climbing line, now if the stem split and peeled down as you made your borecut it would lift/lever your flipline, your climbing line and you right off the top of the stem sending you down with the top of the tree. A defect below the cut could also trigger a split/peel failure as you made your bore cut.

 

There are ways of avoiding the bore/release cut in climbing (in my opinion it should never be used but other people will no doubt feel differently and feel perfectly happy using it)

 

You could've just climbed up higher and cut smaller bits off thereby negating the need to fell such a huge top out.

 

Another option if you really wanted to use the bore/release cut would be to strap the stem below the cut like some people do to avoid barber chairing, but the strapping would have to be very strong (two big ratchet straps?)to make a difference even then it might not work at preventing a split and peel down. The strapping could also apply to taking the top out using a conventional notch cut and normal back-cut but this time put the strapping above the cut to avoid barber chairing but let's face it this type of strapping is almost never needed in treeclimbing and it'd have to a be a very specific job that would require it ie Graham McMahon's Tahune Day 3 vid.

 

 

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Edited July 2, 2012 by scotspine1

[Climbergiorgio]

When I teach to my classes, we discuss about all these topics, tensions, compressions, possibility of breaking, etc... If you watch at the video carefully, you can see that this branch had a big knot at few meters, so I was sure about the success of the cutting. Probably you had a very long stem without knots. Anyway, thanks for your comments.

Ciao, Giorgio

[Frankie Lawrence]

Putting "ears" in the side of the cut would surely stop any peeling of bark as you mentioned scotspine? I've used it a lot in coppicing to protect the stool and sometimes use it in taking out tops for reasons you mentioned.

[Climbergiorgio]

Scotspine, I'd like to know how you did the cutting portions. Thanks for your reply

[Le Sanglier]

Good video.

The Giant Redwood video is (in my opinion) the best on here.

[scotspine1]

When I teach to my classes, we discuss about all these topics, tensions, compressions, possibility of breaking, etc... If you watch at the video carefully, you can see that this branch had a big knot at few meters, so I was sure about the success of the cutting.

 

Sounds good, confidence is half the battle.

 

Scotspine, I'd like to know how you did the cutting portions. Thanks for your reply

 

For a bore/release cut in the tree? make notch (not too big), bore in using the pulling chain side of the nose and then use the pushing chain to leave a good size parallel hinge (or take saw out the bore-cut and flip it round to use the pulling chain to finish the hinge), cut back leaving holding strap then make final cut like you did in the vid.

 

 

 

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Edited July 3, 2012 by scotspine1

[scotspine1]

Putting "ears" in the side of the cut would surely stop any peeling of bark as you mentioned scotspine? I've used it a lot in coppicing to protect the stool and sometimes use it in taking out tops for reasons you mentioned.

 

Frankie

 

I dont mean the bark peels, I mean the timber splits down the stem, sometimes 'peeling' is used to describe this scenario, it's the opposite of a barber's chair.

 

Will try to do a diagram on Paint and post it sometime soon to explain exactly what I mean.

[High Scale]

I would do it like Giorgio.

[Climbergiorgio]

Good video.

The Giant Redwood video is (in my opinion) the best on here.

Thank you Stumpgrinder

[Climbergiorgio]

I would do it like Giorgio.

Thank you