Could you safely fall this tree?

[coveredinsap]

It looks to me like it fell 90 degrees to the right of where he meant it to fall. It sure didn't go with the hinge....it collapsed to the right side.

If that's where the guy was standing when it went down then he's dumber than he looks, and lucky that the base didn't break free, bounce, and spear him like a fish.

I don't think you can cut too many trees like this in a lifetime and live to tell about it.

 

[Reddog]

Nope closed the face. Went the direction he had it aimed. And left some holding wood to keep it from ending up at the bottom of the hill. Chunk the top sections out and cut it free from the stump and your done. Fall a lot dead rotted crap that is just as bad. It just weeds out the wantabe know it alls thru natural selection.

 

[smokechase II]

fell in face direction

Coveredinsap:

I don't see what you're seeing.
It looks to me like it went where it was faced or within 5 degrees of that.
Can't say for sure as we, (the photographer), are at basically a right angle to the face.
We can say it wasn't dropped at a right angle to the face as the cameraman wasn't hit.

Certainly a tree falling unpredictably with so little supporting wood is a major concern.

 

[coveredinsap]

Look at the "sufficient undercut" photo.
Look at where the cut is in relationship to the gash in the tree....the undercut is directly opposite the gash.
(Notice the little strip of tree closest to you between the gash (or hole) and the undercut, as this is the piece that remains attached as the tree collapses on the right side of the undercut.)

Now look at the photo "escape route". Notice the part of the undercut still visible on the left side of the stump....90 degrees from the way the tree went. Notice where the gash (or hole) is now in relation to where the tree is laying...the gash is directly facing the camera. The direction that the tree was supposed to fall was directly away from the camera in that photo.

The tree collapsed and fell on the right side of the undercut. It fell 90 degrees to the undercut...or 90 degrees (to the right) from the direction it was intended to go.

 

[rbtree]

I don't think so, sap. I don't see any of the undercut left on the back side of the stump. Also, it looks like the tree peeled off, taking the entire undercut area with it, maybe with more wood on the right side, so perhaps it did fall a bit to the right. But the photos make it look like it fell within 20 degrees of where it was faced.

Regardless of what happened, that scenario isn't something I'd have wanted to have to deal with. I've felled more than a few trees with major defects, many with the potential to damage structures if they fell wrong.

Maybe you should stick to forge-ry

 

[coveredinsap]

I don't think so, sap. I don't see any of the undercut left on the back side of the stump. Also, it looks like the tree peeled off, taking the entire undercut area with it, maybe with more wood on the right side, so perhaps it did fall a bit to the right. But the photos make it look like it fell within 20 degrees of where it was faced.

Regardless of what happened, that scenario isn't something I'd have wanted to have to deal with. I've felled more than a few trees with major defects, many with the potential to damage structures if they fell wrong.

Maybe you should stick to forge-ry

LOL! Maybe you should stick to whatever it is you do....and hopefully it isn't trees, cause if you can't see by those photos that the tree collapsed 90 degrees to the undercut, then I sure would't advise hiring you for any tree work. Maybe you're better at trimming bushes and shrubbery though.

 

[smokechase II]

Look at the axe handle

Sap:
The photographer was moving so we don't have an easy to visualize point of reference thing going for us.
But, look at the axe handle. The face cut is facing almost directly away from that handle and the tree appears to have been dropped almost directly with the face direction from this angle, utilizing the axe handle as a point of reference.
Granted, from behind it would be more clear as to how many degrees it varied, but it certainly isn't anywhere close to 90 degrees.
You can also see the undercut centered in the slab, also indicating that the face direction was the basic felling direction.

Although I'll stick to my thought process, that for the good of the arborsite order, this tree was really too dangerous to fall by chainsaw, that being related to insufficient wood and possible collapsing prior to a controlled fall.

Just because you get away with something, say the drunk driving I did in my youth, doesn't mean it was OK. Luck is no sub for skill and knowledge.

 

[Lakeside53]

LOL! Maybe you should stick to whatever it is you do....and hopefully it isn't trees, cause if you can't see by those photos that the tree collapsed 90 degrees to the undercut, then I sure would't advise hiring you for any tree work. Maybe you're better at trimming bushes and shrubbery though.

What are you doing in this forum SAp? Too many knives in the chainsaws forum for you?

O.k., so just how many trees have you felled? over 10 feet high that is, and 2 inches caliper!

Why don't you stick to things you have experience with... and do it on another site. Google is no subsitute for cutting wood.

I'm sure RB will respond approriately... the only thing you seem to stick to is being the resident expert big-mouth idiot.

 

[Lakeside53]

Luck is no sub for skill and knowledge.

well said.. I'm living proof of that... getting better, but...

 

[coveredinsap]

Sap:
The photographer was moving so we don't have an easy to visualize point of reference thing going for us.

Sure you do...look at the tree. It has a big gash in it for a reference. Then look at the undercut. Look at the undercut in relation to the gash...it is directly opposite. Finally, look at the photo with the tree down, and look for the gash again. Then look for the remains of the undercut. Loook at the direction that the tree went in relation to the gash, as confirmed by the remains of the undercut.

Do not look at anything other than the tree, as those things are changeable and are unreliable as a reference, and only serve to confuse the issue.
For all you know the guy could have ran back in and posed after the tree was down. Study the tree, not the inconsequential surrounding objects.

 

[smokechase II]

things match

Look at the face and the slab down, look at the wood before and after.

Does anybody else see what Sap is seeing?

It looks incredibly clear to me that the tree went basically or almost exactly the face direction.

The wood, the axe handle, the face, the background, the foreground. It is all there.
I think that your premise that the undercut is directly opposite the gash is where you got off on the wrong foot. Look at that again and you'll see your error.

All the Best

 

[coveredinsap]

If it indeed went in the direction of the undercut as you say, then the hinge wouldn't be where it is...on the uncut surface of the tree to the side of the undercut.

 

[smokechase II]

face cut size

Look at the size of the face.
The cutter clearly put in a small face.
Look at how far around the backside of the tree the back cut went before leaving a small hinge there.

The reason for this small face is obvious. Imminent collapse.

Not only do the photos show a small face in the same basic direction as the fell, but you couldn't have put in a large face as you wish to describe, (I.e. opposite the gash), as the tree would have could have come over without any back-cut or the bar would have pinched prior to completing the face.

An easy to use reference is that the photographer was at the same angle for both the "sufficient" and "escape" photos. Just picture how far that back cut is going from the escape photo onto the sufficient photo and you'll see that the face is clearly not opposite the gash.

 

[rbtree]

smokechase, you need to check out a few of this idiot sap's other posts, and you'll see what the fool is on about.


Sap, you have gone and done it, you 100% imbecilic fool.... You are not worthy of cleaning the dirt off my shoes......

I step on insignificant crickets like you...

It's time for you to go away....

 

[sawn_penn]

I'm sure that sap hasn't told us about his decades of experience as a faller on firegrounds....

The drop looked good to me.

 

[Reddog]

SmokechaseII, It was a clean fall as I stated earlier.

This sap is an idiot running around the forums like a case of heartburn. I am sure in his next post he will list all his jobs doing pro falling and logging. Oh and he is surely a Certed fire liner also.

 

[smokechase II]

I feel better now

Thanks guys:

Hey RB:
Whatever happened to the former Hotshot fire fighter in your Doug Fir photos?

Is it possible to get permission from you and him to use any of those photos on a non-profit but falling educational basis?

Thanks again.

 

[rbtree]

wiley hasn't been returning my calls the last week or so. He has a bum back, but had he seen this thread, I'm sure he'd have complimented the faller, and chewed sap and even bigger azzhole than I did.

I'm honored that you'd like to use some of my photos. So feel free, and thanks for asking.

 

[coveredinsap]

smokechase, you need to check out a few of this idiot sap's other posts, and you'll see what the fool is on about.


Sap, you have gone and done it, you 100% imbecilic fool.... You are not worthy of cleaning the dirt off my shoes......

I step on insignificant crickets like you...

It's time for you to go away....

LOL! I wouldn't hire you to clean my shoes let alone work on my trees. (And judging by your comments, that's horse dung on your shoes..and you're full of it.)
Again, look at the tree, not the purported photographer "angle". The tree tells the story, not what your eye may think is the direction from where the photographer was standing. You guys talk about being 'pros' ...but I'm sorry, I don't see it here.

Again, if that tree fell in the direction of the face cut then the hinge wouldn't look like it does.

 

[Husky372]

Why does anyone bother responding to this idiot who is all covered in sap:jester: . He is obviously just some punk kid playing on the computer trying to get a rise out of people. The more he post the more the fool he is known to be.:notrolls2: The tree went where it was supposed to.