Felling Sweetgum Vid

[Engineeringnerd]

I had to drop a double trunk sweetgum in my own backyard, so decided to drag out the cameras and capture the job:

http://vimeo.com/2209330 ( PASSWORD = "chainsaw" )

I didn't have any trees to use as a block to pull the tree over in a conventional manner, so I had to get creative with the rigging.

 

[toddstreeservic]

nice video, thanks for sharing it. One thing I would suggest is to look up more. Watch the top of the tree to see what it is doing. I was going to suggest getting a bigger hammer for the wedges but you figured that out quick! That camera man at the end was in a dangerous location. Excellent video!

 

[Engineeringnerd]

Thanks Todd. I do need to look up more, I've just always been paranoid of kickback. Thanks for pointing it out.

I carry a 3lb mallet in my belt for setting the wedges and getting out of pinches and then use and axe or sledge to drive them in, if needed.

 

[Engineeringnerd]

Some of you experienced slow downloads. Here's a lower quality, but faster version of the video:

http://s176.photobucket.com/albums/...rrent=20081108CuttingSweetgum512wmv165Mac.flv

 

[masiman]

Nice vid! Good use of multiple cameras.

 

[Engineeringnerd]

Thanks. Running three cameras and a chainsaw at the same time was quite a task. My son came out and ran one of the 3 at the very end (you can just see him at the end of the video).

 

[Ironbark]

Suberb video. Thanks for sharing.

 

[nicholasthorn]

health & saftey

hello you need to get your felling cut notch more level on botton cut to prevent the tree spinning off in wrong direction & when first trunk cut down remove to ground level to give second trunk a clear entry for dropping seen quite a few nasty accidents doing this
nicholas
nt trees uk
utility arboculture
contractors
ms280 20-1n
ms660 36-in
ms460 25-in
shindaiwa 265-t 12-in
shindaiwa 357-t 16-in
makita -7900 25-in

 

[Engineeringnerd]

All input is welcome.

 

[rmh3481]

Good job and and professional video.
Best wishes,
Bob
PS, I agree watch the Blueberries!

 

[Engineeringnerd]

Thanks Bob. If I crush the blueberries, no more saws for me! Therefore, I watch the blueberries very closely!

 

[techdave]

Hi Roger, some observations

Zero-th off, EPIC vid quality, super nerd points for that!!

First off, good job, pretty good saw handling for a homeowner.

In regards to what others said: I would like to reinforce the importance of looking up, and keeping all horiziontal cuts level, and cutting the first tree shorter or off all the way before doing the second tree.

From me: As one who trains homeowners and landscapers and trail workers to saw safer and better, many of them find it easier to saw the sloped part of the face first, and meet it with a horizontal line. Just aim the top cut of the face with the saw horizontal using the felling sight, and then incline the saw to the proper angle and cut the top first. The do the horizonatl next.
If its a critical situation and accuracy is essential, then consider starting the second cut of the face from each corner first, then finishing off the main part of the cut, as this ensures the corners meet and the face cuts dont cross or leave a dutchman.

Good idea to secure the tree against going over backwards! Please remember that hinge must stay intact and the rope/attachments must be pretty stong to GUARANTEE that by tieing it off the tree CAN ONLY go over the way you want it to.

Good job cleaning the joint of the face! Do it every time and avoid nasty surprises. Perhaps the hinges are too thin??, remember the hinge thickness is a good defense against breakage and disaster if a wind gust causes the tree to settle back.

maybe start both wedges at the same time, and alternate, to keep the load spread across the hinge. When you pound one side hard you are puttng undesireable asymetric loading on the hinge both vertically and horizintally.
In a tree in this size range if you dont get a little movement of the top with each swing after a few solid hits to start each wedge, PAUSE and recheck your assumptions and techniques! for example:
Is there more wind against the fall than you think? Is the lean more than you thought it was? Did you cut the face too deep, leaving too little backcut area for lifting towards the front? Is the wood so soft it is compressing instead of lifting the center of mass? ETC

All in all a GREAT job for a homeowner, just try not to over-generalize and do some of the things cautioned against another time in another tree just cuz it worked so well here.

ps-Good job of not getting your body in line with the bar.

 

[Ekka]

Nice video work.

I would have felled them both together at the same time, wham bam thankyou maam, done and dusted in one hit. The forward weight of the first lead you felled would have helped the second lead go over, still roping the rear lead for safety.

Front leader bore cut trigger release after back leader backcut completed. Back leader cannot fall forward with front lead in place.

Cut trigger and over they both go. Now that would have been an interesting video. opcorn:

 

[Rftreeman]

as the others, nice video, it sure beats the heck out of the youtube "expertvillage" guy

 

[Ekka]

as the others, nice video, it sure beats the heck out of the youtube "expertvillage" guy

LOL, Expert Village IDIOT perhaps. :deadhorse:

 

[Engineeringnerd]

Ekka,

Thanks for the encouragement. I've enjoyed many a video of yours.

I don't climb, so I'm not sure how I would have tied the two together, but I'm sure it would have been a better show. I'm not sure my blueberry bushes would have fared as well, however. Please copy me when you video your attempt with a narrow corridor! Maybe this vid of an actual living trees will compensate for my lack of daring on this particular job:

http://vimeo.com/2108010 (if it plays jerky, just press "pause" and let it load, then press "play")


TechDave,

Thanks for the info, hard to argue any of it. I'm still a little paranoid looking up with a running saw, seems dangerous with a chain screaming at 14,000. I guess getting conked on the head isn't too great either! It's really interesting to video your work and then critique yourself. You aren't always aware of all of your actions during the work, but you see it clearly later.

 

[Ekka]

I don't climb, so I'm not sure how I would have tied the two together, but I'm sure it would have been a better show. I'm not sure my blueberry bushes would have fared as well, however.

As per my previous post, you dont tie the two together, just rope the rear leader using a throw bag ... haul a pull line up.

As far as the blueberry bushes go, well, you dropped one leader straight onto the other, so result likely the same, perhaps better as they come over together any twisting should be reduced.

The probability of "sweetgum" breaking the brick stair is quite low, the bush by the brick stairs has been whacked before and as it goes into winter you might repollard anyway ... only brush would have hit it (again worst case scenario).

 

[Engineeringnerd]

Ekka,

Thanks for clarification. I may try that one in a low risk environment to see how it plays out. I'm not at the place where shaving 15 minutes off the job is hugely important as I'm sure it is with running a business.

Its all just physics, isn't it?

 

[Ekka]

Yes it is, and good engineers make the job easier as they see the forces and angles well.

You stuck a rope in the rear leader anyway, so you were capable of doing that.

The hardest thing to have done would have been notching the rear leader without being able to stand in front to see the notch lines up well, however I can tell by the way you cut those notches that you pretty much get them bang on anyway.

We get lots of intermingled, tangled or multi-leadered trees here. Over the years I have become more accustomed to notching the swag of them up and dropping the whole lot together. Often if you wanted to fell them out individually you'd have to climb up and clear branches etc.

Really, it's not that bad or hard at all, and I think you certainly got what it takes to do it. In my day, that was like a footy field to work with, forgiving too, so I would have definately done it that way ... not that your ways was wrong or anything.

Remember a while back some guy posted about a side leaning tree and all these opinions came out bla bla bla. In the end the guy whacked it just like I said and pissed it in. To grow in confidence and skills means rising to a new challenge, that was a golden opportunity really for a new challenge.

Now you'll look at things differently, working with a bunch of different people over years has given me the ability to see things I would normally have missed ... now I look for them.

The harder things these days is finding the time to video.

 

[Engineeringnerd]

For me the harder thing is I'm running out of trees to cut down! I have plenty of time to video!

Speaking of which, I'm looking forward to seeing a copy of Baraneck's video series that was just released. The vids on Bailey's site look very promising.