It's down (many pictures)!

[turnkey4099]

Calm, cold (very low 30s) and foggy. Set out to execute that big Willow. Leans directly to where I want it.

Measured at 4' 8" above the stub to the left.

Figured things would go easier if I trimmed off that stub plus some butt swell on the back side:

Notched - went better than I expected except that, as usual, my left and right side cuts didn't meet very well.

Back cut. Turned out the wedges weren't needed (I figured that but had two in there as insurance.

On the ground:

As usual, I got too hung up on the 'cutting' and didn't pay enough attention to 'where'. After doing the notch I saw that it was aimed about 10 degrees off from where I wanted it. Tried to compensate by doing a triangle holding wood - didn't work as the wood in there was someone deteriorated. Tree fell considerably before expected due to that and direct in line with the notch. Leaves me some junk in his field. Will try to get a day up there to clean that up but he is okay with leaving it until next year.

Great way to begin the breakin with the 361. Looks like it will be the same as the 310 was, needs a couple tanks to get up to snuff.

Harry K

 

[windthrown]

Looking good!

See, a 361 can do big jobs, as well as prevent cancer.

Also a trick for lining up the trees with the saw: the black line running down the side of the saw is perpendicular to the bar... for sighting the drop zone with the saw in the face cut.

 

[KsWoodsMan]

Harry, by the time you get the trunk blocked to firewood size it should be broken in for you and running at it's best.

It looks like a monster. Time now for the work errr FUN to begin.

 

[dolmen]

Don't believe I'll ever be brave enough to do something like that So far I just keep to windfalls and they're getting fewer, there's so many burning wood at the moment it's spoiling things for me! I even had a neighbour go and take down two nice ash, that I had my eye on and hoping the next storms would do the necessary :chainsawguy:

Cheers

 

[LumberjkChamp]

Enjoyed the pics. Keep 'em coming. Very profesionally executed- nice job.

 

[coog]

Nice pictures.Too bad it wasn't Black Locust.

Did the tree let go a torrent of water when you made your back-cut?They often do, those darn Wilows.

 

[turnkey4099]

Nice pictures.Too bad it wasn't Black Locust.

Did the tree let go a torrent of water when you made your back-cut?They often do, those darn Wilows.

These willows don't do that. I'm not sure of the species, somehow either Black or Sioux sticks in my mind but that wouild only be a guess anyhow.

Harry K

 

[turnkey4099]

Enjoyed the pics. Keep 'em coming. Very profesionally executed- nice job.

Professional? Not hardly. If you notice I never post a picture of the stump - I don't recall any that would pass a 'professional' look

My criteria for falling trees is:

1. Does it hit the ground?

2. Can I walk away afterward?

If both answers are 'yes', I'm happy.

Harry K

 

[bore_pig]

:agree2:

 

[LumberjkChamp]

OK. If you say so. But, what size bar do you have on that 361? 20" or so?
You said it was 4'8". There are alot of variables in that situation. So many other people could have gone so wrong at so many points during the cutting. And now that you mention it I would like to see a picture of that stump. It sure seems to have pulled some wood on its way over.

 

[KsWoodsMan]

Harry, practice makes perfect looks like a well executed fall. No trucks saws or power lines under it. I'd say you put it where you wanted it and not on your head,

If anything that little bit in the field gives you working room to be able to get both sides of the brush and get it out of the way quicker.

 

[windthrown]

OK. If you say so. But, what size bar do you have on that 361? 20" or so?
You said it was 4'8". There are alot of variables in that situation. So many other people could have gone so wrong at so many points during the cutting. And now that you mention it I would like to see a picture of that stump. It sure seems to have pulled some wood on its way over.

That looks like a 28 inch bar to me.

Willows are tought trees to cut down for a lot of reasons. And for crappy firewood as a "reward."

 

[turnkey4099]

That looks like a 28 inch bar to me.

Willows are tought trees to cut down for a lot of reasons. And for crappy firewood as a "reward."

Yep, 28" with skip chain. Per the dealer that is the max for a 361.

Worst part of falling willows, especially big ones, is that they are usually half rotten at the bottom. This one was much better shape than I had expected.

I am glad that one is on the ground. I have been promising the farmer to get it out of there for 3 years now. An ex-logger kept promising to fall it for me but always begged off on "too busy". Also still have 2 or 3 more big ones that he wants gone.

Crappy firewood? Not the best, but not 'crappy'. I have heated my house almost solely with it for over 20 years. Yes, you do burn a lot and given the choice between it and better wood, I wouldn't use it.

Bad part of this is I am sitting on a new 361, used it once to fall this tree and now I get to sit all winter wanting to use it but can't. Everything I have lined up requires fairly dry conditions to get a truck to it.

Harry K

 

[windthrown]

Geez, I use my saws 90% of the time in fall/winter/spring during the rainy season here. Fire restrictions limit the use of chainsaws here in summer months. Also watch your bar when you are using the 28 inch. My 361s cannot keep the 28 inch bar and chain well oiled with the oiler set to MAX. I will eaither sell the 28 inch bar or get a high output oiler from a 460 (bolt and piston) for one of the 361s.

As for crappy willow, I have burned it too, along with crappy cottonwood and crappy grand fir. But they have about half the energy of madrone or oak, and take up the same space and take about the same time and energy to fell and cut (sometimes more in the case of willow). So in that sence they are crappy. I do not go out of my way to get those types of wood any more. But if it heats your house, great! Crappy firewood is good firewood in that case.

 

[KsWoodsMan]

I was going to say :

Harry , I'm not sure how bad it is but can you pack in a couple of saws and have a bunch ready to haul out come Spring or when the ground freezes ?

If you can't get a PU in to harvest it chances are good the thieves can't either. They like easy too.

Then I thought maybe you were looking forward to spending your Winter burning it instead of getting it. Spring will come soon enough and bring with it more oppurtunities to put some wear on the saws.

 

[ray benson]

Nice saw Harry. Christmas came early. All that cutting the 310 had to be getting tired.

 

[turnkey4099]

I was going to say :

Harry , I'm not sure how bad it is but can you pack in a couple of saws and have a bunch ready to haul out come Spring or when the ground freezes ?

If you can't get a PU in to harvest it chances are good the thieves can't either. They like easy too.

Then I thought maybe you were looking forward to spending your Winter burning it instead of getting it. Spring will come soon enough and bring with it more oppurtunities to put some wear on the saws.

Oh, I'm sure that come a nice day I won't be able to resist. The pack in isn't too bad, couple hundred yards downhill but it is through a worked field and thus very muddy going until I am back on sod. If I do work it this winter it would only be to cut rounds. Any wood I leave for the thieves always comes with a high cost in work to get it - few of them want to do any work more than just pick it up.

Harry K

 

[turnkey4099]

Geez, I use my saws 90% of the time in fall/winter/spring during the rainy season here. Fire restrictions limit the use of chainsaws here in summer months. Also watch your bar when you are using the 28 inch. My 361s cannot keep the 28 inch bar and chain well oiled with the oiler set to MAX. I will eaither sell the 28 inch bar or get a high output oiler from a 460 (bolt and piston) for one of the 361s.

As for crappy willow, I have burned it too, along with crappy cottonwood and crappy grand fir. But they have about half the energy of madrone or oak, and take up the same space and take about the same time and energy to fell and cut (sometimes more in the case of willow). So in that sence they are crappy. I do not go out of my way to get those types of wood any more. But if it heats your house, great! Crappy firewood is good firewood in that case.

Thanks for the tip on the 28" bar. I had forgotten to set the oiler to max like I do on all my saws. The 28" bar will only be on there for the occasional really big tree, plan to run mostly a 20".

The main reason I have been using Willow is that it ia about all there is available in any abundance out here. All the 'good' wook involves a long haul or an occasional residential take-out.

Harry K

 

[turnkey4099]

Clear, cold (22), no breeze. Good day to start cleaning up that mess. Packed in with the 310 and Husky 51. Worse that I thought. Almost all the brush is in the field. Lots of packing brush and cleaning up small stuff. Working conditions not bad as the ground was frosty right up till noon when it started getting a bit 'smeary'

Begin:

2 1/2 hours later with new brush pile on the right:

(forgot to close-up it) at which point I had just stuck the 51 saw in that 'prop' stem. My bad hip was screaming for mercy so I decided to bag it for the day after cutting the saw free.

Remaining brush is going to need packing for aways as there is no room between the log and the field edge for a brush pile. I'm not ready to cut up the log yet. Chainsaw withdrawal will probably force me out there again after all the brush is taken care of.

Supposed to be another day of cold clear weather tomorrow. Will try to finish it but have my doubts. Age is really getting to me these days.

Someone asked about what I do with brush. Here is the site as I left it today:

The two piles in back are from last summer, one is 10ft tall x 15' diam, other 8'x10'. Burn them this winter sometime. The near one on the left is from today's work.

Here is a shot of the stump. It doesn't look near as bad as most of mine.

The 'notch' on the near side is where I trimmed off a bunch of 'butt swell' before beginning the falling cuts.

Long drive home with that hip - actually a pinched nerve in my back per the doc. First time it has bothered me either while working or before I got home. Usually it only complains when I have been sitting after heavy work and stand up. Have to do a one legged stand a few seconds before trying to move and then it is OK.

Harry K

 

[yablah]

Willows are tought trees to cut down for a lot of reasons. And for crappy firewood as a "reward."

Why are they tough, I always thought they were soft wood? Or is it because they can be hollow inside?