Plunge cut with trigger

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Another tip for you. Cut your trigger below the plunge cut. If the tree is a leaner and decides to go before your through your trigger then the saw is going with the tree. Also, cut your trigger flat like you would any other back cut.

I don't understand. If the trigger cut is below the bore cut, wouldn't that make it below the face notch? Are you saying in between the two? Beastmaster is suggesting 5-6 inches below.
How do you control the fell with a back cut that low?
 
I don't understand. If the trigger cut is below the bore cut, wouldn't that make it below the face notch? Are you saying in between the two? Beastmaster is suggesting 5-6 inches below.
How do you control the fell with a back cut that low?
The cut being shown in that video posted by Chipper is a step cut and has a different purpose than a bore cut. The purpose of that step cut is for the back cut to be lower than your face cut. Its used when pulling or pushing over a tree. If you use a traditional conventional or Humboldt you can push the tree off the stump without tipping the crown. With the back cut stepped down below the face the tree cannot be pushed through the hinge wood and off the stump, which could make the tree fall back on the equipment operator or away from the pull line if not set high enough to tip the tree.

When I mentioned cutting the trigger below the back cut it doesn't mean that the bore cut us made below the face. The bore is made like normal, either flush or with a stump shot. When you pull out of the bore cut and go to cut the trigger from the backside just move down an inch or more. That way if the tree pulls before you completely sever the trigger it doesn't take the saw with it.
 
Some may remember my rant on the mandatory plunge cut with a trigger thats required for some of my jobs.
Well after using it for a while I've changed my veiw some. The object of the cut is to allow the feller to get a way from the tree before it falls.
Recently we were falling a large fir tree. It was about 10 ft from a house. Tree was about 100ft tall and 38 dbh. There was a rope in it. And it was hooked to a 5 to 1.
The face cut put in. Then it was plunged cut with a 2 in. hinge and a 4 inch trigger was made. The trigger was cut the feller stepped a way from the tree. While safely away from tree the command was yelled pull.
The tree started barber chairing. There was a basal tie in that held it or slowed it down. It looked like the back was going to hit the house then in the wink of an eye it split fell maybe 30 degrees to the right of where it was suppose to. It jumped 4 ft to the left of the stump. Man it could of ruined our day for sure if we hadn't been safely away.


If you hit a wind check just right I could see this happening, but my guess is the corners of your face cut weren't matched up. I bore cut almost everything big enough to stick a chainsaw into and it's by far the most reliable way I've found to put trees on the ground.

I like to use bore cuts for big tops, with a narrow humboldt cut. You can throw a huge top and not get tossed around if you leave a very thin hinge.
 
Plunge and trigger tops, jumping them over a fence. Notice the trunk doesn’t bounce around.
 

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We were taught trigger thickness at 10% of DBH, that has worked well so far. Also taught an upward cut to release trigger but near level has been working well.

On the barber chair, my guess would also be that the 5 to 1 created a leaner. We do not impart tension until wedges are in and sawyer is away.

Great thread thanks
 
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