Bit some off with this one...

[Dave1960_Gorge]

View attachment IMG_0655.JPGNew client; gave him some advice on what trees to keep or cut near the new home he is building. This big guy worries him, and I agree: big snag topped fir with a few live limbs (looks to be about 3 1/2 ft. in diameter at 80 ft, 5 1/2 at the base). Leans over his hang-out spot on the river and a secondary access road. I said I could cut it for him or shorten it into a wildlife snag. First he said drop it, now he wants a snag. (White Salmon River, WA state)

So now I am going to make a 30 ft. stub. Question is to cut a 50 ft. log (after cutting off the live side trunk with 2 live limbs) or more than one. Don't want to cut near the top because it has obvious decay and splitting there; bound to be more sound near the union of the live side trunk. The photo is about the top 30 ft. of the tree. Probably going to bore into it wherever I cut to make sure it is sound enough for a decent hinge; at least it leans where it has to go. If it is really punky, I might put a face and back cut in (with generous holding wood), bail out, and winch it over, but would prefer not to do that.

Preference is to climb a neighboring second-growth tree and swing over, in case things go to hell. Gonna have to make a flip line from a piece of rope, or borrow one from an old logger I know (he has some 30 - 50 ft. wire core manila lines from back when he used to top OG snags for the USPS and FS --crazy f'er). Will be the largest tree I have worked in to date. Took out a dead, hollow cottonwood that was nearly that size (but did not hold its diameter like the fir); had to top the upper trunks before I could fell it. Probably use a Stihl 046 with a 32 in. or 36 in. bar. Thinking I will learn to use the GOPro I have to record my adventure.

Comments?

 

[Frank Chandler]

View attachment 938032New client; gave him some advice on what trees to keep or cut near the new home he is building. This big guy worries him, and I agree: big snag topped fir with a few live limbs (looks to be about 3 1/2 ft. in diameter at 80 ft, 5 1/2 at the base). Leans over his hang-out spot on the river and a secondary access road. I said I could cut it for him or shorten it into a wildlife snag. First he said drop it, now he wants a snag. (White Salmon River, WA state)

So now I am going to make a 30 ft. stub. Question is to cut a 50 ft. log (after cutting off the live side trunk with 2 live limbs) or more than one. Don't want to cut near the top because it has obvious decay and splitting there; bound to be more sound near the union of the live side trunk. The photo is about the top 30 ft. of the tree. Probably going to bore into it wherever I cut to make sure it is sound enough for a decent hinge; at least it leans where it has to go. If it is really punky, I might put a face and back cut in (with generous holding wood), bail out, and winch it over, but would prefer not to do that.

Preference is to climb a neighboring second-growth tree and swing over, in case things go to hell. Gonna have to make a flip line from a piece of rope, or borrow one from an old logger I know (he has some 30 - 50 ft. wire core manila lines from back when he used to top OG snags for the USPS and FS --crazy f'er). Will be the largest tree I have worked in to date. Took out a dead, hollow cottonwood that was nearly that size (but did not hold its diameter like the fir); had to top the upper trunks before I could fell it. Probably use a Stihl 046 with a 32 in. or 36 in. bar. Thinking I will learn to use the GOPro I have to record my adventure.

Comments?

Trees like that make my stomach hurt. Figure out before you start cutting where you're going to jump if it decides to kick out or an unexpected gust makes a piece 'a cake into a piece of... Hmmm. Where ya gonna land? You have a good safety tree right next to it if you can get situated so that you can jump behind it. My life as a logger ended when I had to cut a big 3-foot-diameter Sitka Spruce in Metlakatla that was growing sideways out of a cliff, 20 feet from the top and 25 feet from the pool at the bottom. I could stand on the knee where it turned vertical and I could swing out to make the first cut, but as I started the back cut I started thinking that if it split 20 feet up and kicked out they'd be scraping me off the rock with spoons. If I jumped here, I'd be right where the trunk would drive vertically into the mud. If I jumped there I'd be right where the trunk would fall if it didn''t slip down vertical. And no matter where I was the 50 or so widowmakers above my head all looked like they would impale me if the trunk missed me. Before I got more than about 6 inches into the back cut I decided that this was a job for a real logger, which was not me. I climbed down, told my guys we were done for the day, and went back to town to hire a logger. Fortunately there are lots of loggers in Southeast Alaska, and most of the aren't working. 2 beers and a picture of Benjamin Franklin and I had a guy with big arms who stood 6'5" and looked like he could just hug that tree and squeeze it till it popped (though I suspect he would take offense at being called a tree hugger). We went salmon fishing for White Kings the next day, and the day after that we went back to work. The tree was down, and there were no red smears.
-Frostbite Frank of Alaska

 

[Dave1960_Gorge]

View attachment 938032New client; gave him some advice on what trees to keep or cut near the new home he is building. This big guy worries him, and I agree: big snag topped fir with a few live limbs (looks to be about 3 1/2 ft. in diameter at 80 ft, 5 1/2 at the base). Leans over his hang-out spot on the river and a secondary access road. I said I could cut it for him or shorten it into a wildlife snag. First he said drop it, now he wants a snag. (White Salmon River, WA state)

So now I am going to make a 30 ft. stub. Question is to cut a 50 ft. log (after cutting off the live side trunk with 2 live limbs) or more than one. Don't want to cut near the top because it has obvious decay and splitting there; bound to be more sound near the union of the live side trunk. The photo is about the top 30 ft. of the tree. Probably going to bore into it wherever I cut to make sure it is sound enough for a decent hinge; at least it leans where it has to go. If it is really punky, I might put a face and back cut in (with generous holding wood), bail out, and winch it over, but would prefer not to do that.

Preference is to climb a neighboring second-growth tree and swing over, in case things go to hell. Gonna have to make a flip line from a piece of rope, or borrow one from an old logger I know (he has some 30 - 50 ft. wire core manila lines from back when he used to top OG snags for the USPS and FS --crazy f'er). Will be the largest tree I have worked in to date. Took out a dead, hollow cottonwood that was nearly that size (but did not hold its diameter like the fir); had to top the upper trunks before I could fell it. Probably use a Stihl 046 with a 32 in. or 36 in. bar. Thinking I will learn to use the GOPro I have to record my adventure.

Comments?

Still haven't done this job. When I do, gonna be the climber and where a GoPro. Will post here! Or do you list a link to a vid on Facebook? Maybe I should focus on the tree first...