Felling a stem...

[TGB]

Humbolt .....

As I gather, the 'Humbolt' was developed as a felling cut, for use in that region; where the terrain is often steeply graded. And its use helps the tree brake down and away from the cutter. Giving a much reduced chance of the stem's butt slipping backwards towards the cutter and thence levering off the stump in a chaotic manner.

Edited January 5, 2014 by TGB

[Stephen Blair]

That makes perfect sense now, thanks:thumbup1:

[Marc Lewis]

No Marc, on a humbolt same as regular, level or slightly above. Dont you always make your intree cuts humbolt style? I do. With a pushing chain.....

 

I rarely use the humbolt and when I have done, have back cut level.

[rumination]

Yeh a ported 66. Remember the vid Reg posted about matching up cuts? Might be worth watching that again OP.

 

 

 

That's a great tip for lining the cuts up. Thanks!

[Thatoldchestnut]

I use this cut a lot up a tree usually when I want the butt to kick off the hinge to avoid the butt end hitting obsticals below

[Stubby]

As I gather, the 'Humbolt' was developed as a felling cut, for use in that region; where the terrain is often steeply graded. And its use helps the tree brake down and away from the cutter. Giving a much reduced chance of the stem's butt slipping backwards towards the cutter and thence levering off the stump in a chaotic manner.

 

Also leaves more wood on the stick as it has a square cut end so more plank length .

[Spruce Pirate]

Also leaves more wood on the stick as it has a square cut end so more plank length .

 

This is the most common reason given for felling with a Humbolt, but unless you're felling downhill on a slope a humbolt always results in a higher stump which results in a loss of timber. An inch at the bottom being worth a foot at the top and all that. A "normal" felling gub doesn't lose a massive amount of timber as its primarily taken out when the log is squared.

[openspaceman]

This is the most common reason given for felling with a Humbolt, but unless you're felling downhill on a slope a humbolt always results in a higher stump which results in a loss of timber. An inch at the bottom being worth a foot at the top and all that. A "normal" felling gub doesn't lose a massive amount of timber as its primarily taken out when the log is squared.

 

I've only ever used it to get the butt off the stump but I guess the reason they used it across the pond was so that the gob cut came out of the splayed buttress grain rather than clean timber above. I thought this was also the reason for the high fell cut, basically the heavy splay on large north western softwoods was of little value so effort wasn't wasted on it.

[aquatoo]

this guy knows how to cut

 

Crikey! He's done that before.

[August Hunicke]

A lot of great surmising here. Yes, I feel like it rocks the spar less to Humboldt-cut when topping but it could just be my imagination. When falling a tree uphill the Humboldt stump holds it on the hillside better. It may be that one can get a lower stump with a "traditional" notch, thus technically keeping more of the merchantable log. And low stumps do cause less grief when cat skidding or running a yarder, but the mills want the logs squared off which would mean an extra cut on every stem. Plus the grainy flair of the stump is harder on chain, not to mention getting close to the "silt-line where dirt may have splashed up on the bark of the tree. It is thought that cutting ground-level through the flare and making a "traditional notch" is overall too time-consuming to be worth the effort for a logging operation. Thus the Humboldt stump is our happy compromise. There it is in a nutshell from my experience. Having said all that, the reason I used the Humboldt in this video and all my videos is one of pride. To me a Humboldt stump is a thing of beauty. It is not upside down. The way a cutter leaves his stump is his signature. You can tell a great many things about The attitude of the tree the day it fell, and also about the man who cut it, by reading his signature-stump. Where is he from? Is he working safe? Is he hasty? Perhaps he was tired? Was the saw dull? Was he heartless and all business or was he an artist? I love reading stumps.