Barber chair

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Woody912, on ones that matter like yard trees I tie a rope around the tree and then spray paint the rope. When you remove the rope you will have a straight line to cut to.
Gypo, I'm still alive, never even had to start a saw today. Was hauling logs home and had enough trouble doing that. I don't have permission to remove any cherry trees so they will be left standing for now. This one is pretty straight all the way to the top.
View attachment 551150
Nice looking cherry! Could you cut it anyway with a real low stump, cover the stump with ground debris and pull the top into the neighbours bush and hide the butt log under a load of firewood? Lol
 
View attachment 551120 We haven't heard from Cantoo in almost 24 hrs. I hope he didn't chair a cherry.
Just waxing philosophical for a bit, I don't think most people understand the dynamics of a dutchman or what really causes a tree to chair.
So I have drawn two diagrams to try to explain the most common mistake that is made that adds to the chances of a tree chairing.
When we cut in our undercut, it is best to cut the angular cut first, as any overcut (kerf) will be left in the stump causing little or no effect. This makes it easier to cut an accurate horizontal cut without leaving a dutchman ( unintentional kerf) as shown in figure A.
In figure B an overcut is shown (unintentional). When the backcut is sawn in, that overcut closes first , causing tremendous tension and the possibility of a chair or in the least, difficult or impossible wedging.
Hope my diagram is self explanatory.
Any thoughts or additional explanations?

A picture is worth a 1000 words. sometime you professionals speak in secrete code. I had no idea what the dutch men were doing. I always try to get my face cuts to line up, if I miss a little, I will cut a little more to make them meet. I have been lucky not to have one chair on me. Just learned about leaners and bore cutting a couple of years ago. I used the bore cut on a big hollow leaning sycamore yesterday while doing some more disaster relief work in Gatlinburg TN. I will try to post some pics soon, would love to have a professional opinion if I am doing it correctly. Maybe before I get hurt. I appreciate the wisdom here and willingness to share.
 
A picture is worth a 1000 words. I will try to post some pics soon, would love to have a professional opinion if I am doing it correctly. Maybe before I get hurt. I appreciate the wisdom here

The only stupid question in industry is the question that was never asked.
 
I have a tree with a good 30 degree or so lean i want to swing 30-45 degrees to the left to not hit a barn ,the lean is directly at the barn ,i really do not want to chunk it out ,does this seem doable ?
 
I have a tree with a good 30 degree or so lean i want to swing 30-45 degrees to the left to not hit a barn ,the lean is directly at the barn ,i really do not want to chunk it out ,does this seem doable ?
Yes, with the right cut and the right species. What?
 
I have a tree with a good 30 degree or so lean i want to swing 30-45 degrees to the left to not hit a barn ,the lean is directly at the barn ,i really do not want to chunk it out ,does this seem doable ?
I'll draw another diagram how I would approach after I finish cutting this load of firewood. Lol
Can you take a pic of the tree, particularly the butt?
 
I'll draw another diagram how I would approach after I finish cutting this load of firewood. Lol
Can you take a pic of the tree, particularly the butt?
I will try ,but by the time i get home it is usually dark ,think it may be an alder or a cottonwood ,i did not pay attention really on species has leafs though ,just noticed if it breaks off it is going to smash the building ,i can pull on it with a 150 foot cable to break the hinge and pull on it with my bobcat like a yarder cable with a block in another tree if needed .Was wondering if i coos bay one side if it will swing easier with more holding wood on the other .What will happen if i face cut 90 degrees to the lean the way i want it to go ,should fall sideways with a tug and a good hinge ?
 
So give me some professional opinions on this fall. It all went well but.... Did I go about it correctly? What could have happened? I've been at it for a while, but just a weekend firewood cutter. This was a big, leaning, hollow sycamore. That's 3 red caution flags already
.IMG_3071.JPG It was good to fall it in the direction of the lean. I did not know how hollow it was. You could see from the bottom looking up
that it was hollow, you just see far up into it. I felt like there was some solid wood all the way around, but how much...? There was no question which direction it was going to fall. I cut a shallow face cut notch hoping to stay in the solid wood. After cutting the notch, I see that it is only solid on the outsides of the notch, It has punky wood in the middle of the notch. I started my bore about 1 1/2' from the notch. my 42" bar wasn't long enough to poke out the other side. I went ahead and cut toward the back of the tree until the bar came out the other side. I then went to the other side, put the bar in the kerf hole and cut that toward the notch, and stopped 4" away to create the hinge on that side. Then went back to the side I started on and cut toward the notch, Stopping 4" away again to finish the hinge.IMG_3078.JPG Now I just cut from inside my bore toward the back of the tree till it popped loose. Then I ran. So what do you think? Correct or not? I never measured it, but I'm guessing 48" tree.
 
Woody912, on ones that matter like yard trees I tie a rope around the tree and then spray paint the rope. When you remove the rope you will have a straight line to cut to.
Gypo, I'm still alive, never even had to start a saw today. Was hauling logs home and had enough trouble doing that. I don't have permission to remove any cherry trees so they will be left standing for now. This one is pretty straight all the way to the top.
View attachment 551150

heck, I'm just a firewood cutter; just ticks me off that I cannot get my cuts level. Looking and critiquing some of my 5 yr old stumps last week that had resprouted. I've done the line thing on some really big ones. Wannabee pro I guess
 
View attachment 551185
Nice looking cherry! Could you cut it anyway with a real low stump, cover the stump with ground debris and pull the top into the neighbours bush and hide the butt log under a load of firewood? Lol
hard maple isn't it
Worked out well for you. One reason for releasing the bore cut with a trigger is to help with saw snatch. Cutting straight out of the back could get the saw ripped out of your hands.

saw a 395 take flight in a vid a while back, next time I cut a trigger it will be with an upward cut!!!!! Think it broke the guy's arm, he is or was a regular on here
 
Woody, Gypo was commenting on the pic of the cherry that I posted. He's cutting a maple in his.
Gypo, I have a real good gig going with the owner of the proper so don't want to screw that up. Told him I would only take the Poplar, ash and anything that was on the ground or leaning into his fields. I already fell bad enough about getting stuck in the plowed field, have to fix it up with my tiller and cultivator in the spring. He owns a few 1000 acres within 10 miles of me and lots of bush.
 
I will try ,but by the time i get home it is usually dark ,think it may be an alder or a cottonwood ,i did not pay attention really on species has leafs though ,just noticed if it breaks off it is going to smash the building ,i can pull on it with a 150 foot cable to break the hinge and pull on it with my bobcat like a yarder cable with a block in another tree if needed .Was wondering if i coos bay one side if it will swing easier with more holding wood on the other .What will happen if i face cut 90 degrees to the lean the way i want it to go ,should fall sideways with a tug and a good hinge ?
OK a few problems here. Although it's always a good idea to take a leaner off the lean by offsetting the undercut (when you have room in that direction ) because the heavely tentioned "back" naturally gets cut last without 'fancy' safe cut sequences. 45° - 60° is suggested. taking it off the lean 90° WILL cause stall and may snap off the holding wood or rip a section out of the back and down into the roots. I wouldn't go more than 60° in this case. One time I did that, then the roots ripe up, It threw so much sand in my eye I ran away with my eyes shut and hit a tree. I broke about 90% of my... pride and didn't return for 3 yrs.. ok most of the story was true.
That's the problem if you cut realy low to the roots. You will have the strongest sap wood fibers but its easier to tear the back out on a very low cut than a higher cut obviously. About the coos bay cut? Exellent work on those west coast hardwoods btw. I have been meaning to quote them. (I'll get to them) Young utility worker got killed here a few years back trying to 'one cut a 6" alder. Its on Youtube (work safe BC alert) they are definitely no joke. Yes nice triangle cuts on the leaners.

The problem with nipping off the bottom of your holding wood, even as little as an inch when it heavely compressed, is it puts way more tension on the top (tention side) when the weight is unbalanced. Like a down hill lean on a side hill lay.
Too thick of hinge at the top doesn't do anything but freak me out from all the poping and cracking and splitting. That tree can not go over until those back fibers break
Its another catch 22. You need them to support the weight but you can't have then for the tree to advance. I would try to throw a small block with a thin line on it over a branch then pull your rope up and tie a running bowline for a little security.
Cut it up with a "Johnny hold me tight"
It allows the front fibers movement and it will hold on.

Ok I guess that means I'm doing my first diagram.

after you see my art skills...your all will be wondering why I run a saw.
 

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