Finally got to cutting

[PaulDaisy]

I was going to get out to a friend's property last year to help her cut down some beetle killed pines but that did not work out. Finally, on Saturday my friend and I got there and and had a go at it. I have never fallen a tree before, only cut fallen trees for firewood, so I was anxious to try. I checked out several videos on Youtube hoping to learn tips and tricks.
She owns about 0.5 acre in Winter Park, and there are probably some 25 trees there that are dead. I decided to start with the smallest ones that were not going to reach the house even if I couldn't fall them where I aimed, and those 10" ones went down just as planned! I was quite happy, so we moved on to the bigger one (18") that was leaning slightly towards the road and power line. I was a bit nervous and decided to try the plunge cut (never done that either), putting a wedge well into the plunge cut, to drive the tree where I wanted to put it. (To be on the safe side, we also tied a rope to the tree some 15 feet up, and had three people pull on it).
The plunge cut and the wedge worked excellently, and the tree went down maybe just 3 feet to the side from where I planned, safely away from the power line and the house.
After a break we had a go at another tall 18" tree that had potential to hit the house if things went wrong. I decided to go with quarter cut, wedging it away from the house first. In being over cautious, I pushed it over too much and it fell further away from the house than I planned, hanging on a 80 foot tall spruce! Bummer. After cutting twice from the bottom the tree still hung, and finally I was able to push it off with a long pole. It came down safely, the only disappointment was it snapped the top off a nice blue spruce I really wanted to save.
In the 3 hours we had there we cut down 7 trees. My friend was very happy with the help.
Several lessons learned:
1) My Stihl 026 does not work well at 9,000 feet. It did not hold power and kept on stalling. I went at it with a screwdriver and first made it to where it wouldn't even start at all, then finally where it ran but would die if put on the side, then finally where it sort of ran Ok. My friend's 031AV did little better, it would only start at full throttle, and die frequently. My little Partner started fine (new carb kit last year) but did not produce any power at full RPM. Moral of story, I need a series of adjustments to my saws! I will search this site for high altitude adjustments, but at this time I tweaked the screws so much out of whack, I am scared to run the saw.
2) Wedges work wonders!
3) Chaps can be hot. Helmet with the face shield IS hot! Hearing protection is pretty much necessary, or one will go deaf.
4) My 15 year old can't seem to chop enough wood. I brought him a bunch of 20" straight-grained chunks and could not keep the ax away from him! This was very pleasant to see in this age of computer game crazy kids. Next thing, I will have to teach him to run the saw (which I am no expert in myself).
Anyway, it was a great experience for an office-bound dude Looking forward to more!

 

[Kingsley]

Sounds like a good time. Felling is probably the most rewarding thing I do with my chainsaws. The thud when it hits the ground brings out the kiddish grin in me everytime.

You'll find a wealth of information on tuning saws on this website. Use your search feature on this website and you can read for hours on tuning saws!

Have fun,
Marty

 

[mdavlee]

Sounds like a good day of learning with no mistakes that caused damage and no one injured. Wedges will move trees a lot easier than you might think.

 

[PaulDaisy]

Here is my Mad Wood Chopper at work (I couldn't resist posting the one where he chops the stick across; no matter how much I tried to make suggestions he had to try for himself what would happen if you hit straight across the grain, so the stick did jump a little before it finally gave in ). He sure paid attention not to keep his feet in the way of the ax, should it swing through! These are from a little earlier in the year, when it was still a comfortable 45F outside, not the mad 85F like now.

 

[pops21]

That last picture looks like it was cut by beavers.

 

[PaulDaisy]

That one was, actually. The kids found those in a pile on the river bank. Dry branches, they smolder at first and then burn up fast in the campfire, just perfect to watch the kids run around the fire, trying to find the place where the smoke does not blow. Of course, it always blows where they happen to be .

 

[cat-face timber]

I like that AX he is using, what kind is that?
Where did you get it?

Looks like the handle would be hard to break, yes I have broke a handle or two in my time, and my grandson is starting to split/chop.

I do not want my Kelly True Temper to get hurt.

 

[KRS]

It's a Gerber (...right?).

KRS

 

[wendell]

I would say it is a Fiskars.

 

[DSS]

I would say it is a Fiskars.

:agree2:

 

[FamilyTradition]

Double ended beaver chewed log.......

I have to say something about the double ended log that'd been chewed by a beaver or beavers. Those are so neat and cool to find. Here in Virginia, I have only found a couple. Maybe they're more plentiful, but I've never been that fortunate. Ten years ago my Father and I were fishing in the Cow Pasture River in Bath County. I found a double ender like yours and thought it was neat. My Dad said throw it on the bank, maybe we'll come back for it. We didn't, but he later went back and got it. He treated it with a stain and made a brass plaque about our fishing trip and gave it to me for Christmas. I will remember it for a long time to come. Sorry for the ramble, it brings back memories, and may help you or another AS Member in creating new ones. Best, and have fun! Max.

 

[PaulDaisy]

I like that AX he is using, what kind is that?
Where did you get it?
Looks like the handle would be hard to break, yes I have broke a handle or two in my time, and my grandson is starting to split/chop.
I do not want my Kelly True Temper to get hurt.

It is a Fiskars, very light 2 lb ax with a stiff fiberglass handle. I like it a lot, even though at first I thought I wand a heavier ax. This one swings so fast that it splits as well as an old 3 lb one I used, but quite a bit easier to wield. My son loves it and can handle it with ease, and I myself don't feel inadequate with it. I am impressed with the handle ( the kids over-swing a lot, hitting the wood with the handle) and the handle does not care at all.
I got mine at a retail store but you can get one on line for ten bucks less than what I paid retail. Oh well, I was going hunting and needed a larger ax than my Gerber hatchet.

Sorry for the ramble, it brings back memories, and may help you or another AS Member in creating new ones. Best, and have fun! Max.

I hear you on the beaver chewed stick! We find a few of them when we go camping near Buena Vista, CO. I think many of us have memories like that, which some humble item can bring up. For myself, smells do that a lot. The smell of birch wood smoke, burning in a wood stove, brings an avalanche of memories for me...

 

[cat-face timber]

Thanks for the info, I will be getting one of those!!!

 

[cat-face timber]

I have to say something about the double ended log that'd been chewed by a beaver or beavers. Those are so neat and cool to find. Here in Virginia, I have only found a couple. Maybe they're more plentiful, but I've never been that fortunate. Ten years ago my Father and I were fishing in the Cow Pasture River in Bath County. I found a double ender like yours and thought it was neat. My Dad said throw it on the bank, maybe we'll come back for it. We didn't, but he later went back and got it. He treated it with a stain and made a brass plaque about our fishing trip and gave it to me for Christmas. I will remember it for a long time to come. Sorry for the ramble, it brings back memories, and may help you or another AS Member in creating new ones. Best, and have fun! Max.

Very nice story!!