mini barber chair

[Hedgerow]

Okay, you're right. We've been insensitive and mean. We shouldn't be calling that the Farmer Cut. It's insulting to farmers.

But...now you have to come up with a good name for it. Slopping back cut is already in use...unless HBRN is here under a new username.

After much discussion and consideration...

"The Cheese Cut"

Carry on...

 

[Cheesecutter]

After much discussion and consideration...

"The Cheese Cut"

Carry on...

Hey now. Leave me out of it.

 

[Steve NW WI]

No more cheese whips for you, wise guy.

 

[Woody912]

Just out of curiosity, what would you guys do with a very tall, small diameter leaner that was too thin for boring?

 

[bitzer]

Here ya go. Hard leaning white oak. Maybe 12-14" on the stump. Tree looked like a rainbow. No face coos bay. Took about 15-20 seconds. I bottom bar first then back bar. You just have to be super careful when starting that back bar that you don't pinch. Work both cuts from front to back. The key is to make sure you remove all or the vast majority of your compression wood. I use this technique daily.

 

[Hddnis]

Don't use chains. Just cut it right so it doesn't chair.

There may be exceptions somewhere, but they're few and far between.

I've very rarely used them in the woods, used them several times taking down trees in a residential setting. Like so much of working in the woods/with trees it is just a tool to get a job done. It is for sure a specialized tool that is rarely needed, but if you do than you do and so you use it.

For the most part I don't like chains, I strongly prefer nylon straps and ropes.



Mr. HE

 

[chuckwood]

I will strap a tree if its split or has the potential to split while I am removing it. I will also use a bore cut when it is appropriate. One way to reduce the barber chair effect is to reduce the top weight of the tree. Blowing out the top of the tree is no big deal when you have a wide open drop zone. Once that end weight is reduced you greatly reduce the chance of the tree splitting.

I'm new to some of the lingo here. By "blowing out the top of the tree" do you mean a climber goes up with a saw, roped up of course, and cuts the top off?
If a climber is cutting heavy branches and limbs with an extreme lean, won't he be facing similar problems of unexpected and dangerous stuff happening because of tension and compression, etc? Climbing straight up with spikes is fairly simple, how to climb something that's running at a 45 degree angle?

 

[Hddnis]

Here are some extreme examples of when strapping the main stem is a really good idea.









I used straps a lot when piecing down oaks. Knew a guy that was killed when the trunk he was working off split out and crushed him in his saddle and then dropped him to the ground. Don't mess with oaks. (Or any tree, even the little saplings will put the hurt to you.)



Mr. HE

 

[Nuzzy]

Here are some extreme examples of when strapping the main stem is a really good idea.

Awesome videos

 

[chuckwood]

Here's a video with a spectacular barber chair at 1:11, complete with a gal screaming. It seems the guy cutting was making the back cut, got his saw pinched, and then bailed out and ran away. So he lived to cut another day.

 

[Zale]

I'm new to some of the lingo here. By "blowing out the top of the tree" do you mean a climber goes up with a saw, roped up of course, and cuts the top off?
If a climber is cutting heavy branches and limbs with an extreme lean, won't he be facing similar problems of unexpected and dangerous stuff happening because of tension and compression, etc? Climbing straight up with spikes is fairly simple, how to climb something that's running at a 45 degree angle?

I am talking about a climber going up the tree and removing the top weight of the tree. That's one way to do it. I realize this is the firewood section and most people here don't climb for a living. I am not suggesting this is a method you should try. A heavy branch can split just as easily if not removed properly. Bore cuts are a useful tool, I suggest practicing on easier trees without such a significant lean. Practice makes perfect. Be safe.

 

[slowp]

Just out of curiosity, what would you guys do with a very tall, small diameter leaner that was too thin for boring?

I have used a Coos Bay on ONE small alder, that was snow bent into an arch, and was successful. I'm not a faller, just a retired forester. Alder is a very splitty tree.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Here's a video with a spectacular barber chair at 1:11, complete with a gal screaming. It seems the guy cutting was making the back cut, got his saw pinched, and then bailed out and ran away. So he lived to cut another day.

It also illustrates very well that a "steep and deep" face cut won't cure other fundamental problems (in the video - back lean, apparent lack of wedges, and possibly fighting the wind judging by the sway in the tree).

066, I see you've already gotten a link to Dent's book. The other one I have is "To Fell a Tree" by Jeff Jepson. It's available at Baileys, SherrillTree, WesSpur, and likely several other AS sponsors, as well as the usual book places.

 

[Nuzzy]

It also illustrates very well that a "steep and deep" face cut won't cure other fundamental problems (in the video - back lean, apparent lack of wedges, and possibly fighting the wind judging by the sway in the tree).

Statement worth repeating. The lean is not always what it appears, especially with limb weight and wind/breeze.