Felling Tree trunks for firewood-summers work almost done.

[MN Ripper]

Haven't been on AS a lot this summer but thought I'd make a new post. Started this spring with clearing a nearby landowners 40 acre property of all the damaged trees he had, this land had not been cut on by anyone else other than the landowner and he had not cut in many years. Its mainly red oak and sugar maple, but I got some cherry and elm from it too. I picked away at it on Saturday mornings when I had time by balancing some cutting and hauling it out to the road with a friends ATV or my own garden tractor & cart where I could transfer it to my truck/trailer. Sometimes my friend came too when he had time and I shared some firewood with him for all his help.

Most trees were just large poles with the tops laying on the ground nearby (like the one in the video below) or worse still attached at the break point. Any tree on the ground or the main standing trunk collecting rain like a funnel I made my priority. I'm used to just cutting logs that the tree service drops off for my firewood so this was a nice change of pace to get some practice felling and cutting different ways than I normally do and each one was a different challenge. I filled more than what I need for a winters worth of firewood this past weekend so I only will go back a few more times this year to finish a few remaining trees. Next year there are more broken and standing dead ones to continue on with.

I treated myself to a new saw mid summer so that has added to the fun too. I'm throwing in picture of an average Saturday haul for me in this picture it was cherry at the time of the picture and I know everyone likes videos so I'm including that too, one I made for my brother in law in TX-who says whats a Dolmar?

[video=youtube;Z0gEXnGy754]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0gEXnGy754[/video]

 

[msvold]

Great work through the summer. It'll pay off this winter.

 

[Zeus103363]

Got to love that!

 

[Mac88]

Nothing beats free firewood.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Nice work Andy. I always cut the notch before turning on the video, makes for a short sweet video most of the time.

It does look like your chain could use some attention. Didn't sound like it was making the saw work at all. Speaking of which, when did ya sneak up and grab you a 7900? Looks like a 28" bar?

Did the camera have fatal wounds?

 

[Henry and Wanda]

Hello,
I have a question for you.......why did you cut the angled portion of the notch under the level cut? I always cut the angled cut above the level cut. This way seems much easier than bending over so far and coming up from the bottom. Also this way, it takes a lot more falling over before the flat level cut hits the angled surface. In your video, it didn't take long until the level cut closed up and met the angled cut. Obviously, your way worked, but just asking why?




Henry and Wanda

 

[MN Ripper]

Nice work Andy. I always cut the notch before turning on the video, makes for a short sweet video most of the time.

It does look like your chain could use some attention. Didn't sound like it was making the saw work at all. Speaking of which, when did ya sneak up and grab you a 7900? Looks like a 28" bar?

Did the camera have fatal wounds?

Yeah I don't make great video's I'm always in a rush and don't want to take time on pictures/video. Would you believe that chain was brand new/never used out of the box Oregon LGX along with the bar? I had cut the top of this tree up prior with a 20" bar because most was high off the ground and didn't want to do all the overhead limbing with the 28" that I used for the trunk, along with the fact I have semi chisel chains for all my bars other than this new 28". Some of the top branches had sections that were hollowed out by ants and filled with dirt too-but they always look solid outside.:mad2: At the time I thought it cut fine but I guess it does seem slow in the video watching it now. The chain has had a few sharpening's since the video so it should be better..maybe.

I got this saw back in mid-late July, but didn't really get time to cut with it until Aug when I did the video. I was using my tried and true Echo 670 and a Husky 576xp prior to on this work but ended up selling the Husky and getting the Dolmar.

 

[MN Ripper]

Hello,
I have a question for you.......why did you cut the angled portion of the notch under the level cut? I always cut the angled cut above the level cut. This way seems much easier than bending over so far and coming up from the bottom. Also this way, it takes a lot more falling over before the flat level cut hits the angled surface. In your video, it didn't take long until the level cut closed up and met the angled cut. Obviously, your way worked, but just asking why?




Henry and Wanda

Henry and Wanda lets blame it on the heat and that I was ready to call it a day at the time-JK.

Not really I'm not sure why I didn't do my usual Vee shaped notch. Sometimes I get a little greedy and don't want the notch on the parts I want to buck up for firewood so that has a little to do with it. In hindsight I needed more notch angle for reasons you stated plus with no top branches to help lever it over it just wanted to sit there. But in the end it went right where it should of and still had some hinge left-just not much.

 

[RAMROD48]

Hello,
I have a question for you.......why did you cut the angled portion of the notch under the level cut? I always cut the angled cut above the level cut. This way seems much easier than bending over so far and coming up from the bottom. Also this way, it takes a lot more falling over before the flat level cut hits the angled surface. In your video, it didn't take long until the level cut closed up and met the angled cut. Obviously, your way worked, but just asking why?




Henry and Wanda

actually his is the proper way to do it in most situations...

 

[Gologit]

Hello,
I have a question for you.......why did you cut the angled portion of the notch under the level cut? I always cut the angled cut above the level cut. This way seems much easier than bending over so far and coming up from the bottom. Also this way, it takes a lot more falling over before the flat level cut hits the angled surface. In your video, it didn't take long until the level cut closed up and met the angled cut. Obviously, your way worked, but just asking why?




Henry and Wanda

I think he was trying to do a "Humboldt" face cut. In some situations you have more control over how the tree falls by using a Humboldt and less chance of it staying hung up on the stump.

 

[stihl023/5]

Free wood is always good.:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Marc]

Well there are plenty of guys, both pros and ams, with much more cutting experience here than me. But I can tell you with red oak of good size and straight grain and a head lean is just begging to barber chair. I always put a real open notch in those now... 70-90 degrees. And that's also a situation I'd probably bore the back cut and maybe some of the heartwood from the hinge. About five years back I had a good size (32" ish) red oak barber chair on me. My notch was only maybe 50 degrees, it had a head lean with almost all the canopy to the front (on a fence line). I came in with a conventional back cut, didn't chain the trunk or anything and as soon as the notch closed, spliiiit went the trunk. Still fresh in my head, don't want it to happen to anyone else. It's really not a good day when that happens. I did learn a lot from it though.

 

[Gologit]

Marc...you might give this a try on your next head leaner. The Coos Bay cut. Some guys use the "T", some prefer the triangle...either one is a good cut for heavy leaners.

 

[MN Ripper]

Gologit I sent you some rep for the helpful pictures of the two Coos Bay cuts.:msp_thumbsup: I printed it off to keep as cheat sheet to refer back on for any future leaner I come across-which we have lots of Boxelder trees that grow just like the oak Marc mentioned in his post, heavy lean with bushy top canopy so I'm sure my time will come soon.

 

[Gologit]

Gologit I sent you some rep for the helpful pictures of the two Coos Bay cuts.:msp_thumbsup: I printed it off to keep as cheat sheet to refer back on for any future leaner I come across-which we have lots of Boxelder trees that grow just like the oak Marc mentioned in his post, heavy lean with bushy top canopy so I'm sure my time will come soon.

Give it a try. I usually use the triangle because it seems easier for me to match my cuts but either method is good.

Stay on your toes, though. A leaner can still 'chair on you if there's enough pressure.

The trees don't read the diagrams.



And on that "rep" thing...thanks, but I have plenty. Here's a good thread if you want to rep a good lady and some good people.

http://www.arboristsite.com/off-topic-forum/188558.htm