RC0

Edit: that top corner of the Humboldt (horizontal-cut) also appears to help with the throw as it deflects of the diagonal.

The diagonal cut of a face generally extends further than the horizontal, which ever style face cut you use. When the face closes the diagonal cut nearly always overhangs past the horizontal until the hinge breaks and the tree is released from the stump, the wider the notch the greater degree of extension.... for this reason the Humboldt cut appears to break the hinge quicker (say the traditional face requires 30 degrees of movement before release and the Humboldt takes only 20). Make your notch relatively narrow so the tree is released at the point when its forward momentum is the greatest, which is more effective in throwing the tree clear of the stump....that top corner of the Humboldt (horizontal-cut) also appears to help with the throw as it deflects of the horizontal. There must be sufficient top weight to make it work though....say on short logs it can stall as the face closes and just sit there. Then you’ve got to sever what remains often resulting in the log falling off sideways. I thought the Humboldt was BS until I started experimenting with it a few years back, now I’m a believer. Out here I’m obviously doing a lot more free-falling and topping-out tall trees....while back in the UK the technique had very little benefit to the type of work I was generally involved with. Thanks again. Hi Stevie Setting a wet 200+ pull line at 130ft is work enough....adding a steel cable an the tensioning it to an unquatifiable ammount wouldn't really benefit the situation much. I'm not sure which part of the second vid (taller tree) a tirfor might have been useful either. The very high logs aren't all that critical, because they're generall more knotty....the lower stuff is obviouslly mesured if its a desireble species like Doug fir or WR Cedar. Cheers

Thanks Here's some snippets from a wobbly one this morning [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEMIy9b3-vQ]Fir top 3 - YouTube[/ame]

Thanks again Yes Mark he was, nationality has no bearing in that respect. Heres a short clip of the top falling [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y8eHSH0jas]Fir Topping 2 - YouTube[/ame]

Thanks Morten, It was a day for 2 of us, although we probably spent 2 hours before-hand preping and clearing other trees. Conventional rigging would have taken at least twice that time with just one guy on the ground as some were about 30ft long of which he'd have had to draw then away from the roof on his own also which would have been difficult, slow and would've soon had a massive pile at the base of the tree. As it was Scot didn't have to do anything once the lines were set, and we were left with a nice clear area at the base of the tree. I was getting depressed with it near the end as the risk of something breaking and falling on the roof increased from the back limbs....it was late afternoon now and we'd not stopped for even a drink of water. So it was a great relief to finally sink that back-cut in the top knowing we were on the home straight. Tommy, I did switch the headcam on for the Top coming out. Rowan, the 5:1 is the in fact the ISC version in Nigel video....but it was only used to pre-load the top when we came to cut it off. Our tightening of the zip-line was done at the base of the tree at the lowering device.

This job was undersold by the guy company I was working with. The proprietor had given a cheap price because it was supposedly a friend who didn’t want to pay but didn’t want any damage either. Our task was just to put the tree down without damaging anything, just the two of us. Tree was about 130 ft and had been topped 25+ years ago by a local logger....who as it turns out sent the top straight through the neighbour’s kitchen. The owner didn’t volunteer that info though, insisting the trees had never been touched....and continued to play the job down and that we ought to be done in a couple of hours. Yeah whatever. The zip line was the ticket. A single line tensioned at the base of the tree, up through a block and then terminated at the landing out yonder. No haul-back/control line. I had 3 loop slings that I would rig to 3 limbs at a time. We would leave each limb still attached at the landing so it would re-tension the line for the next limb....only untying after all 3 were down. A little trickier nearer the top as the line angle got steeper and there was a high risk of the some of the limbs sweeping and breaking stuff out of the adjacent fir where they had grown through, around and above....which would have landed on the roof. So I had to be patient and re-direct the line a little higher and cut the limbs a little shorter. The top still had a lean-back but was now sufficiently clear of the adjacent tree and I’d done as much as was practical in shifting the favour. We pre-loaded the top 50ft with the 5:1 and then further took aim with a pocket full wedges and axe. The 5:1 was un-manned at this point because being only two of us there is always a risk of somebody appearing from nowhere walking around the corner and into the kill zone....and the 5:1 was so far away to get a good angle that Scott would’ve been totally blind to what was happening. Anyway, it straightened up as soon as the back-cut neared the finish-line and then stalled a little, so rather than cut any more I took the time to tap in the wedges before edging further towards the notch....away she went, jumped 15 ft and landed perfectly flat. A lot of messing around setting up as it was pretty rough terrain at the far end of the rigging, but worth it to leave absolutely no doubt about the outcome. Photos are a poor because it was a damp gloomy day. Scott's the faller right at the end there.

Its not just the balance that needs pointing out Ben....and you can at least make exception for people who genuinely dont know better....but to teach it:confused1: Why even favour the use of chains when they are often more trouble than they're worth? And not only the bad placement in the brush but to exaggerate the evident poor balance and release by slinging the butts at greater tension than the actual brush, as is always the case unless the butt chain/sling is consciously loosened a little. Then you have chains biting on the gate side of the hook. Massive gaps in those step-cuts on the logs....where even the bypass point in the wrong place also. Even the miner details like guys slamming plastic wedges at head-height without eye protection right at the end....or head for that matter. Like I said earlier, I rarely even watch bad treework videos let alone comment (unless its my own)....but I am at a loss as to what kind of training condones so much bad practice!

Rarely do I comment on the bad-treework videos but that is just unreal. and to think that they obviouslly edited many of the picks....so what was included musta been regarded as the good stuff! One might conclude that it was actually a training day where only the students showed up and just made the best of it. Terrible, terrible crane-work....every aspect:thumbdown:

Assuming you didn't ask him to stop what he was otherwise doing that day and take the photos, my first instinct would be that he could stick them up his ar se mate. It wasn't costing him anything either way...just seems like such a cynical, opportunistic gesture on his part. No offense majestic, and thanks for sharing your work regardless:thumbup1:

Looks like a good job:thumbup1: Whats with the watermark on all the photo's?

ah dont be silly, you asked a fair question, but the answer is obviously not so black and white. If I could afford somewhere on the southwest coast, North Devon perhaps, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else....but I would think it difficult to find my particular niche of work down that way. Doesn't matter though, I will see how things pan out hear over the next year. Thanks Edit: thanks Rover

tommer, I have a ton of regret....too many to mention. My mother is 60 and lives alone....seeing her walk away while trying to hold it together that last time, I'll never forget it, or forgive myself. I'll give it a year or two and see how it goes. Thanks

Mike, you are the main man! Looking forward to hearing more about the trip.

Thanks. Dave, 60ft seems to be the minimum height to leave a habitat tree, not sure why but I got the impression that anywhere below will not entice the species of bird or whatever they're after. I'll find out more. By the time I got to that height we were way short of hitting anything in that unlikely event (not shown in the photos). Here's another shot a couple of trees later that day....I just had to rig out some back limbs before it could be pulled over. The damage was at about 60ft. Edit: yes that is a new private road being layed out

A tall fir from today, about an hour and a bit to get it down to a 60ft wildlife stick. About 150 to start with....badly decayed at about 70ft. I thought I'd send the 200t photo in to Stihl.

photo of my buddy Dylan blowing out a skinny Balsam fir....an a nice view from the toop of mine.

Hey thanks, and I’m delighted to be able to post something a little different to my normal stuff. I’ll try to answer with out referring to everyone’s name if thats ok. Setting the shackle and sling was just to save the line taking a beating where it was going to land. The stumps were left high because they were being ripped out by machine....the majority of the timber wasn’t that hot anyway due to a common disease called Fomes pini. No interesting fungi has caught my eye at all, see the odd Ganoderma here and there. Long gaffs on the older trees a must. So I have two pairs of spurs. We had to shorten quite a few trees just to fit them in, correct. Average between 90-160f Big jobs like that (100+ trees) is not common place, especially for a residential tree work co....but a nice change none the less. Yes I’m enjoying the change and different kind of work....but its truly no place for the timid or unsure either. Selling yourself as bettering the locals at there own game demands quite a mindset and attitude....you have to really go for it without hesitation, no matter how un-familiar with the task. As a result I’m physically in the best shape for many a year. Thanks for the well wishes, I am doing my very best rest assured....a lot still to learn though. Cheers

Some clips from a big job I’ve helping on the last couple of weeks. For those of you I’m not familiar with, I moved out to Victoria-Vancouver Island several months back to work as a contract-climber. Thanks [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oXhd75JH3M]Harbourview Tree Experts - YouTube[/ame]

A 70ft top coming off at 60ft today.

Thanks for the heads up Dan. Hope the guy recovers. Ratchet straps are great and phenominally strong, but still susceptible to human error. The reason why the Stein RC bollards are backed up by a choker....yet I have seen several photos here on arbtalk of them being used without. Guy's, please, always, always set the choker....takes like two minutes. Thanks

Stevie, please take the camera with you on the next one....I will give you mine even! James, I haven't forgoten, in the next day or so. Thanks

A few years ago I video'd lots of stuff for Gerry B's working climber DVD, although in the end he only used a relatively small portion in context of his 6 hour film. More recently the photos I was getting for fletcher stewart were the primary focus when I was in the UK. We just rolled the video at the same time because we could; and I always had the head-cam on during the crane work for liability issues anyway, just incase. I take a few clips here and there in Victoria but its obviously not a huge priority right now. Thanks

Really? can you see it here: Recoates's Channel - YouTube try that first one again also, thanks

Last few jobs before I cleared off. Didn't realise how easy I had it! [ame] [/ame]