Felling brittle wood

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sometimes, leaving less hinge wood helps direct it better, sometimes, also boring the guts of the hold wood so only hte green bendy wood is left.
You can also make a sort of second face, boring with saw vertical and inch or so behind the face cut, couple with a block face it can really allow the wood to flex
these are all cross your fingers and hope it works ideas though, they work, but are not 100% effective.
 
Trying to get more out of timber that is brittle is interesting when you have just a stem and pull it over.
relying on it when the tree is complete is only asking for trouble, it will hold, until it dosent.
Its strong, but when it goes, it goes.
Some hold better than others, some worse.
Plan accordingly.

Good vids tho.
 
Looks a little bit doty but I dunno about brittle. Brittle is the very beginning of coming to face & then POP. No whiskers at all, no hinge.
Coffee or Paulownia wood is about the most brittle that I can think of. At least the much more common wide ringed stuff.
 
Brittle green, not dead brittle. That doesn’t hinge period. This is plenty brittle compared to recently dead pondo.

@trains these were full trees winched over without side lean…what else should be done?

@northmanlogging I agree thinner would be more flexible and gutted easier to wedge but I have some concern about the hinge being too thing/small/weak to support the weight of the tree. I will experiment more….next winter probably.

I don’t know what who was thinking…how would you finish dumping this? Say we are looking at it from 6 o’clock. Lay is 7-9. Last bit of hold wood is 2. I was thinking a big deep face, maybe a gap face with scarf and snipe. Saw some lean into it and then cut the strap they left.

IMG_1138.jpeg
 
yeah, saw they were green and full trees, but not heavily side loaded, just a bit of brush and few branches.
I think apart from leaving utes and sheds in the way, they were done well, spring back from limbs when they land can make them move a bit, sometimes you have an anchor and put a line around the stump to limit its movement towards what you dont want to hit, but sometimes there is nothing you can anchor to.

Practice all you can when there are no assets near, but when I deal with euc I dont expect or ask much from it compared to a pine or wattle type.

Be aware that going with a thicker hinge, and using a cable to put pull on it, will load up the stem, and if you have rot/ hollows/ weak points in the stem, you can have things break where you dont want them to, just be mindful of that, but thats more a comment for those reading and observing this thread.

I assume that your euc trees have a habit of dropping limbs when they feel like it, and why I never park underneath them even on a hot day when shade would be a relief, have seen many limbs drop and squash cars, had a mate a few years ago out collecting firewood with his wife, and as she was loading some logs into the back of their car, a limb fell, it was only a small one some 10" dia at its thickest, but if the tailgate had not taken the brunt of the force, it would have killed her. messed her up a bit as it was.

Love the vids, keep them coming.
 
Brittle green, not dead brittle. That doesn’t hinge period. This is plenty brittle compared to recently dead pondo.

@trains these were full trees winched over without side lean…what else should be done?

@northmanlogging I agree thinner would be more flexible and gutted easier to wedge but I have some concern about the hinge being too thing/small/weak to support the weight of the tree. I will experiment more….next winter probably.

I don’t know what who was thinking…how would you finish dumping this? Say we are looking at it from 6 o’clock. Lay is 7-9. Last bit of hold wood is 2. I was thinking a big deep face, maybe a gap face with scarf and snipe. Saw some lean into it and then cut the strap they left.

View attachment 1085474
the thinner hold wood thing is certainly not something to attempt near high value targets, better to hang pull line, o
hard to say from the pic, but if its not cut up all the way around, big deep face (like 60% or better) aim it sideways to the lean,( so it don't hit the road) and cut all but near side hold wood.
 
Looks a little bit doty but I dunno about brittle. Brittle is the very beginning of coming to face & then POP. No whiskers at all, no hinge.
Coffee or Paulownia wood is about the most brittle that I can think of. At least the much more common wide ringed stuff.
Acacia, willow - brittle softwoods I've encountered

Pecan, alder - brittle hardwoods I've encountered

Madrone - surprise-brittle-wood!


Black locust around here can be brittle.



Edit (9/10/23):

Big Leaf Maple and English Walnut also come to mind as brittle.

In thinking about it, pecan wood is dense and hard, but the fibers seem to not have much stretch-strength/holding capacity, plus the limbs broke quickly and splintery like English Walnut. Even though the trunk-wood is good firewood, I included it. Maybe it was just the variety I had to cut for a client.....
 
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