Bore cut felling?

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

komatsuvarna

Arboristsite MVP
Joined
Feb 20, 2010
Messages
4,462
Reaction score
1,791
Location
East TN
Any body got a video or good pictures of a bore cut. Ive read alot and still dont understand part of it. Do you drive the wedge in both sides of the bore cut or in the back cut? Do you make the face cut before the bore cut? I probably wont ever need it just cuttin firewood, but id like to know more about it anyways.
 
Always good to learn new things!

But bore cuts can be quite dangerous. If the upper 1/4 tip of the chainsaw bar comes in contact with wood, the bar can kickback and fly into your body.

So the first thing is to fully understand how chainsaws can kick back and how to prevent this from happening. And to learn about the proper protective clothing to wear...

Stihl chainsaw safety video...
http://www.stihldealer.net/videolibrary/

OSHA logging Etool chainsaw...
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/logging/manual/logger/logger.html

Then the following book has diagrams of where bore cuts are used. Mainly on very large trees...

Professional Timber Falling by Douglas Dent...
http://www.ddouglasdent.com/dent_books.htm

And the following booklet (online) shows using a bore cut on heavy leaning trees to prevent barber chair...

A Guide to Safety in Tree Felling and Cross Cutting
Occupational Safety and Health Service, Department of Labour,
Wellington, New Zealand.
(Advanced Techniques reader page 41/42 - Document page 42/43)
http://www.osh.govt.nz/order/catalogue/pdf/treefell.pdf
 
For starters.

Try You-Tube, there are several demo's, I would start with the one called "Chainsaw Boring Cut, otherwise called a Plunge cut - 03:41 - Dec 1, 2007 "
 
Any body got a video or good pictures of a bore cut. Ive read alot and still dont understand part of it. Do you drive the wedge in both sides of the bore cut or in the back cut? Do you make the face cut before the bore cut? I probably wont ever need it just cuttin firewood, but id like to know more about it anyways.

I only adopt the plunge cut when dealing with heavy leaners, cutting out a bar width kerf behind the hinge.

I knew one guy who got carried away with the plunge cut. He'd plunge every block out wood when bucking tree length firewood and wondered why he was going thru so many tips.
Gypo
 
Always good to learn new things!

But bore cuts can be quite dangerous. If the upper 1/4 tip of the chainsaw bar comes in contact with wood, the bar can kickback and fly into your body.

So the first thing is to fully understand how chainsaws can kick back and how to prevent this from happening. And to learn about the proper protective clothing to wear...

Stihl chainsaw safety video...
http://www.stihldealer.net/videolibrary/

OSHA logging Etool chainsaw...
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/logging/manual/logger/logger.html

Then the following book has diagrams of where bore cuts are used. Mainly on very large trees...

Professional Timber Falling by Douglas Dent...
http://www.ddouglasdent.com/dent_books.htm

And the following booklet (online) shows using a bore cut on heavy leaning trees to prevent barber chair...

A Guide to Safety in Tree Felling and Cross Cutting
Occupational Safety and Health Service, Department of Labour,
Wellington, New Zealand.
(Advanced Techniques reader page 41/42 - Document page 42/43)
http://www.osh.govt.nz/order/catalogue/pdf/treefell.pdf

On the Subject of kick back one extra safety measure we have here in New Zealand is that it is law to have a safety mitt attached to the half wrap handle so the left hand can not come off the saw in a kick back situation and it also prevents the first reaction of raising the arm to shield you from the bar and it works very well in maintaining control of the saw and that I can confirm.
IMG_0002.jpg
 
On the Subject of kick back one extra safety measure we have here in New Zealand is that it is law to have a safety mitt attached to the half wrap handle so the left hand can not come off the saw in a kick back situation and it also prevents the first reaction of raising the arm to shield you from the bar and it works very well in maintaining control of the saw and that I can confirm.
IMG_0002.jpg

That's probably a good idea. I think removing the hand during kickback is more a result from panic and the fear it induces more so than the saw being ripped out of the operators hand.
Gypo
 
the other good point apart from it preventing the removal of the left had in a panic reaction it is also going to cause your hand to hit the chain brake if the saw rolls around enough but the inertia action should have engaged it before the hand comes in contact with the brake but hey sometimes they do fail
 
the other good point apart from it preventing the removal of the left had in a panic reaction it is also going to cause your hand to hit the chain brake if the saw rolls around enough but the inertia action should have engaged it before the hand comes in contact with the brake but hey sometimes they do fail

Looks like that leather mitt would aslo make a good beer holder. Lol
What kind of beer is that in the pic and what% of alcohol?
Gypo
 
Properly using a bore cut or plunge cut in conjunction with an open face cut is the safest method to fell a tree. It gives you complete control up until the moment that you make the release cut. If you are cutting with the lean it prevents barberchairing and having to chase the hinge. The open face cut allows the stem to stay attached to the stump all the way to the ground giving better control of the fall as long as the hinge is set up correctly. This method when used with felling wedges allows the greatest amount of directional control when felling. You can use a plum bob to determine the amount of lean and based on the tree diameter and height figure out if the tree can be safely felled against the lean. As far as learning this method I would suggest taking a class or trying to find someone in your area who is familiar with the method. It could be dangerous trying to learn this method from a video or photos.
 
In real Kick Back event the whole thing is over long before you can put your hand up in a defensive posture.

Driving wedges in a bore cut for felling is an exercise in stupidity.
 
Properly using a bore cut or plunge cut in conjunction with an open face cut is the safest method to fell a tree. It gives you complete control up until the moment that you make the release cut. If you are cutting with the lean it prevents barberchairing and having to chase the hinge. The open face cut allows the stem to stay attached to the stump all the way to the ground giving better control of the fall as long as the hinge is set up correctly. This method when used with felling wedges allows the greatest amount of directional control when felling. You can use a plum bob to determine the amount of lean and based on the tree diameter and height figure out if the tree can be safely felled against the lean. As far as learning this method I would suggest taking a class or trying to find someone in your area who is familiar with the method. It could be dangerous trying to learn this method from a video or photos.

That is not true at all. In fact you have NO CONTROL untill you hit the back strap, then because you might have cut too much wood where you should have left wood but had no idea of what the tree was doing cause you where not allowing it to show you because you have all that wood in the back cut holding it. So you hit the back strap and the tree peels the hinge sideways and falls where ever the hell it wants to all because you "set the hinge up" instead of taking wood untill it smoothly & slowly starts to commit. Seen GOL trees go where they pleased after the guy cut the back strap many times.

& like others have said, banging wedges into a tree that still has wood in the back cut is pure insanity........

I am not saying guys who do it are bad fallers, but it is BY FAR not the best way to go about directional timber falling.
I wish i could articulate myself better to help yall understand what Im sayin. . . .
 
Properly using a bore cut or plunge cut in conjunction with an open face cut is the safest method to fell a tree. It gives you complete control up until the moment that you make the release cut. If you are cutting with the lean it prevents barberchairing and having to chase the hinge. The open face cut allows the stem to stay attached to the stump all the way to the ground giving better control of the fall as long as the hinge is set up correctly. This method when used with felling wedges allows the greatest amount of directional control when felling. You can use a plum bob to determine the amount of lean and based on the tree diameter and height figure out if the tree can be safely felled against the lean. As far as learning this method I would suggest taking a class or trying to find someone in your area who is familiar with the method. It could be dangerous trying to learn this method from a video or photos.

So you have taken a GOL class and now you are an expert. Or should I say votary. The bore cut is nothing more than another tool for the toolbox. I would like to see someone put a bore cut on a 4' dbh redwood. Why do you think there are more methods than just your bore cut. I'll tell you why, because trees present differently due to species, size, lean. damage, slope, lay, wind, and a dozen other reasons. I normally use a Humboldt but I size up the tree first and use the method that suits that tree best.

The GOL bore cut is great for even aged stands of reprod where the trees all look the same, small and straight. Wild form (harvestable) mature trees don't grow in Europe where the technique was developed.
 
The gentleman who asked the question was from TN not California. He will likely not be cutting many 4' diameter redwood trees. The statement that ""putting wedges in a bore cut is an exercise in stupidity" is, how should I put this? Stupid! I did not say that this method is the only way to cut a tree, but it is a very safe and effective way to do so. I have not been through GOL but I am familiar with it. It amazes me how people react to anything new, whether it be tree felling or any other aspect of logging. Just because daddy or grandaddy did it this way does'nt make it right. Any way I'm not here to argue, I was just trying to answer a question for a fellow member. GOL is not the only place where people learn to do this. I cut timber for many years using the old tried and true methods but I had enough flexibility and intelligence to try something new, and discovered that there is a better way to make a mousetrap
 
Properly using a bore cut or plunge cut in conjunction with an open face cut is the safest method to fell a tree. It gives you complete control up until the moment that you make the release cut.

Absolute crap. You keep spouting that kind of nonsense and some of the newbies will take you at your word and get themselves hurt. Bore cuts have their place, I've used them when necessary. But to just flat out say that any one method is the safest shows inexperience and an inability to look at alternative methods. Get your nose out of the book and look around a little.
 
Last edited:
well i aint planning on doing it. All i cut is a little firewood and i just use the ole 45* face cut and 2 inches up start the back cut. Na i dont plan on cuttin down any 4 ft red wood trees. lmao i love it. Iz just wondering bout how it worked. :)
 
Back
Top