Thoughts on This Method?

[Freudianfloyd]

As I have said many times, I am not a pro. I just cut trees around my farm and for family members.

With that said, I watch and read alot about the proper ways to fell trees. The method both the Stihl and Husqvarna videos show is to make your wedge and then make your back cut about an inch higher through the back, obviously this isnt the case for all trees, but I digress. Also this is how I have started doing it, and I have had good success.

But then I ran across this video of a few Swedish arborists, and they flat out say that method is dangerous and they were trained differently.


It looks like their concern is that when you cut higher than the wedge, you risk cutting too far, but I'm not sure how that would make a difference.

So which method is better? What do you typically do. Obviously I'm talking about healthy trees that are straight without any other concerns.

 

[Deleted member 117362]

You have no hinge wood to direct fall.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

I think what they're getting at in the Swedish Homestead video is that it's easier to ensure that you don't cut through your hinge if it's at the same height as your face cut. It's just a little easier to gauge the thickness that way.

Making your back cut higher than the face cut helps ensure that the tree doesn't come back opposite the direction of the fall. Not a guarantee, but it helps.

Conversely, making your back cut lower than the face cut can be used if you're pulling a tree over. This can help to keep the bottom of the log from pulling off the stump instead of the tree being pulled over.

 

[arathol]

This is what is currently being taught in all the training classes I've been to recently. It works well and its a good place to start for basic felling.

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/logging/manual/felling/cuts/open_faced_top_cuts.html

 

[Robpm]

Nice link regarding what OSHA and the Federal Government have to say about it. It looks to me like they recommend what the Swedish Homestead guy had recommended.

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

Nice link regarding what OSHA and the Federal Government have to say about it. It looks to me like they recommend what the Swedish Homestead guy had recommended.

They do for open faced cuts, meaning a straight tree on flat ground should barely close the face cut before hitting the ground to pop the hinge wood very late or not at all. A lot of times with an open face cut, and a tree that hinges well, the hinge will remain in tact and have to be cut off the stump once down.

This hinge wood holding all the way to the ground means the tree is unlikely to be forced backwards off the stump if it encounters another tree or obstacle on the way down.

For a traditional face cut(bottom of face cut is parallel to ground and top of face cut is at approx 45º angle) the back cut should be above the point of the face cut as the hinge breaks at about half way down. Which means the but can be forced backwards off the stump. The step created by cutting 1" or so above the point of the face cut will help prevent that from happening.


Can you cut your hinge wood off by cutting above the point of the face cut? Sure. You can cut it off by cutting directly at the point as well. No face/back combo makes it impossible to cut off your hinge. So whatever approach you take, don't cut your hinge off!


EDIT: In the video they exacerbated the issue by using a deep face with an extreme angle on the top of the face cut along with an extremely high back cut...making it extremely easy to cut off the hinge without actually cutting through the tree(which understandably is what they were trying to show). Anyone with an understanding of how a hinge works should be able to avoid this pitfall fairly easily.

 

[arathol]

A lot of times with an open face cut, and a tree that hinges well, the hinge will remain in tact and have to be cut off the stump once down.

This hinge wood holding all the way to the ground means the tree is unlikely to be forced backwards off the stump if it encounters another tree or obstacle on the way down.

For a traditional face cut(bottom of face cut is parallel to ground and top of face cut is at approx 45º angle) the back cut should be above the point of the face cut as the hinge breaks at about half way down. Which means the but can be forced backwards off the stump.

This is exactly the point made if you were to attend training classes that teach the current safe felling techniques. The open face cut does not break, or at least it shouldn't until the tree is down. When using the traditional Humbolt cut the hinge can break, resulting in loss of control of the tree. Once free from the stump it can change direction or kick back. The possibility of this happening increases quite a bit when using a rope to direct the fall.
The open face cut is taught as the safe way to drop a tree as the tree is controlled all the way down, even if the tree is pulled over. If you have never cut down a tree before its almost certainly the recommended method.