falling a tree..proper cut locations

[kyle1!]

Hello, I have a 30-36" elm that has died and I need to cut it down. The large silver maple and hackberry (both in the 36" dia range) that I have cut down before had a trunk that was more circular. This elm is like my scribble in the picture. Do I treat it differently then a circular trunk? Thanks

 

[Trx250r180]

If it died ,how rotten is the center ? Dead trees can blow out if do not cut them right .

 

[kyle1!]

That I do not know. The silver maple that I cut down I expected it to be hollow. It was dead approx 6-8months before cutting it down and the trunk was solid. This elm has been dead for 8 to 10 months and alot of the bark has come off and now the limbs are starting to drop.

 

[Axmeaquestion]

Pictures?

 

[GrassGuerilla]

 

[HuskStihl]

Where does it need to go and what way is it leaning? If there's nothing to damage, and it has an obvious lean, just face it with the lean and let it go. Just be careful the shape doesn't fool you into going too shallow (or deep) with u'r face. Think about getting thru 40% of the wood by cross sectional surface area, not just the front to back distance

 

[Trx250r180]

you can check the tree if you do a test bore in with the bar up and down ,if clean wood chips come out on the ground ,it should be solid ,if brown mixed in the chips it is rotten ,sometimes you can feel the softer rotten wood also if it feeds in faster than normal

 

[TheJollyLogger]

This is where an open face or birds eye notch helps out. Less chance of the notch closing and hitting one of the ears on the stump and twisting the lay. Also, does it get rounder as you get higher? Maybe leave a higher stump.

 

[kyle1!]

The tree is down and it fell right where I wanted it to go. The weather was just fantastic with upper 60's and no wind. There was only a few sticks to clean off the gravel road and the trunk/large limbs stayed up in the yard not in the ditch. From my pic earlier if you rotate that 45-60 degrees that is what I was working with and I used the "T" method. I left a 3 ft high stump to stay out of the root flares and for me that was a comfortable position to use the saw. No rot in the trunk.

My face was conventional and went probably too deep, almost 1/2 the diameter. I started the back cut approx 4 inches higher. The back areas were cut out but after looking one side was lower than the other side but no sloping back cut. Inserted 2 wedges on each side after cutting Took the leg out of the T and hammered the wedges in more until they were flush. The tree just stood there.

By now I'm probably on mistake 3...face too deep...uneven back cut and now I could not find my other wedges. The only thing I could think off was to start sawing parallel to the hinge wood taking a little at a time on both sides and keep hammering the wedges. Starting on one side and before I know it the tip of my bar pierces the center of the holding wood in the tree. I can see the tip poking out of the face and the tree starts to fall where I want it to go pinching the bar. In the split second the tree starts to fall I start to ...there goes my saw....but I see the saw loosen up, grab it and start backing up as the tree crashes to the ground. The tree popped right off the stump and landed just in front of it to the right.
All I could think of was and alot of to take care of afterwards. I took some pics and hopefully I will get them up in a day or 2.

 

[HuskStihl]

Why did you use a "coos bay" back cut? You should almost never need a wedge on the kind of situation the coos bay is typically used for.
If you are worried about a chair (and it's hard to chair elm), about the last thing you want to do is leave too much hinge/hold wood and bash it over

 

[kyle1!]

Because I am a dumb *** homeower who plays a tree faller and firewood hack on AS. Was not worried about a barber chair at all. Used that back cut because my bar was only 24inches. Wedges were just those small oregon ones to keep the tree from sitting back as I was cutting. So in hindsight hammering "wedges" is not correct.

 

[HuskStihl]

Because I am a dumb *** homeower who plays a tree faller and firewood hack on AS. Was not worried about a barber chair at all. Used that back cut because my bar was only 24inches. Wedges were just those small oregon ones to keep the tree from sitting back as I was cutting. So in hindsight hammering "wedges" is not correct.

I just didn't understand. The coos bay cut is designed to help keep heavy leaners from chairing. Disregard my harsh critique!

 

[Trx250r180]

I just didn't understand. The coos bay cut is designed to help keep heavy leaners from chairing. Disregard my harsh critique!

Meanie pants

 

[TheJollyLogger]

GOL rears its ugly head again

 

[kyle1!]

Do not mind the harsh critique. That is how I learn. I have another junk elm on the westside of the property that the Coos bay will work great for. This tree has a 45 degree lean to the south. For some one like myself it would be nice to have a thread that lists all the different falling techniques or at least the main ones. List the name, description when/where to use it and a pic if you care to do so. I didn't know the difference between methods so my mistake.

 

[Trx250r180]

Do not mind the harsh critique. That is how I learn. I have another junk elm on the westside of the property that the Coos bay will work great for. This tree has a 45 degree lean to the south. For some one like myself it would be nice to have a thread that lists all the different falling techniques or at least the main ones. List the name, description when/where to use it and a pic if you care to do so. I didn't know the difference between methods so my mistake.

It was good practice for when you do have a good leaner ,Honestly most of the guys on here will not tell how to fell a free ,because if you got hurt doing what the recommended ,they would feel at fault.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

I wouldn't recommend a coos bay on a 45 degree leaner. Are you sure it's 45? If so, that's better suited to a bore cut if you have enough bar.

 

[kyle1!]

It may not be exactly 45 but it is a heavy leaner. A pic is needed for sure.

Trx, I understand others not wanting to share their knowledge out of fear of one getting hurt. Just putting out a method with description/pic and not telling a person exactly what to do hopefully would lesson that fear. I guess that is why there are books like Dents. Next time I'm at the library I will have to look it up. Thanks everyone.

 

[Trx250r180]

It may not be exactly 45 but it is a heavy leaner. A pic is needed for sure.

Trx, I understand others not wanting to share their knowledge out of fear of one getting hurt. Just putting out a method with description/pic and not telling a person exactly what to do hopefully would lesson that fear. I guess that is why there are books like Dents. Next time I'm at the library I will have to look it up. Thanks everyone.

I hear that is an excellent book ,i need to read it one day myself

 

[Bobosocky]

I am only a beginner, but thought "To Fell a Tree" by Jeff Jepson was a really great read. He goes into detail about how to fell almost any 'problem' tree after going over the principles.

For heavy leaning trees he says to bore cut, and if the bar is too short, bore from both sides. Elsewhere he also says to wrap a chain or strap just above the back cut to to help protect against barber chairing.

I am not at all qualified to give any advice though. I thought it was a good book and felt like I learned a lot.