Plunging: Safer for Amateurs?

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

I firmly believe that being properly scared will keep a guy safe to some degree.

Beyond jobs this applies to extreme sports as well - which is a job for some folks. I was always surprised how few extreme athletes ever died doing the hairiest and riskiest of things. But they're also some of the best risk assessors you'll ever come across. As a matter of numbers, I lost a few top-of-their-sport friends and acquaintances over time. But it was amazing how many of them survived intact. I found that free climbing on small cliffs laser focused me in a way that rope assisted climbing never did. I could not afford a mistake. Or when I went out and rappeled off cliffs on my own, not a sensible thing to do, but I took 5x the care of checking and double checking knots and my gear when I did, not depending on someone more experienced to do them. I downhill skateboarded mountain passes at 50mph - where failure was not an option particularly as we weren't even padded up in the early days, maybe a flimsy skate helmet at most. Being a bit scared and treating everything like it was life and death, cause it often was or at the least hospital time, really helped me a lot with risk assessment.

 

[Exophysical]

I remember scary days when I was practicing law. "The coffee is really hot. Better check the area around the machine for tripping hazards."

Which is likely why running a saw is proving to be such a steep learning curve for you. Something to keep in mind while you toss condescension at the unwashed.

In our world, you are quite obviously lost.

 

[Paul Bunions]

That's not actually what lawyers do. We condescend to other lawyers.

 

[Exophysical]

That's not actually what lawyers do. We condescend to other lawyers.

Maybe professonally, but considering your obvious lack of knowlege, you are coming of pretty condescending at times here.

 

[Paul Bunions]

Where?

 

[Exophysical]

Beyond jobs this applies to extreme sports as well - which is a job for some folks. I was always surprised how few extreme athletes ever died doing the hairiest and riskiest of things. But they're also some of the best risk assessors you'll ever come across. As a matter of numbers, I lost a few top-of-their-sport friends and acquaintances over time. But it was amazing how many of them survived intact. I found that free climbing on small cliffs laser focused me in a way that rope assisted climbing never did. I could not afford a mistake. Or when I went out and rappeled off cliffs on my own, not a sensible thing to do, but I took 5x the care of checking and double checking knots and my gear when I did, not depending on someone more experienced to do them. I downhill skateboarded mountain passes at 50mph - where failure was not an option particularly as we weren't even padded up in the early days, maybe a flimsy skate helmet at most. Being a bit scared and treating everything like it was life and death, cause it often was or at the least hospital time, really helped me a lot with risk assessment.

For sure, in High School I rode BMX, after that it was dirtbikes and dual sport, now its doing wilderness hunts by canoe... all things that can be stupidly dangerous if you arent accutely aware of all risks.

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=370611&highlight=canoe+moose+hunt

 

[Paul Bunions]

I have never seen another amateur even wear gloves while cutting wood. I think I saw my cousin use earplugs back in the Eighties, but I'm not sure. I'm the only amateur I've ever seen with a hardhat, gloves, eye protection, and ear protection. And I feel bad about not wearing chaps.

After one of the hurricanes in 2005, I saw a friend of mine standing on a leaning Australian pine about 6 feet up, cutting it in front of him with a borrowed chainsaw, smoking a cigarette, at least half drunk, without earplugs or eye protection, wearing shorts. I think he was barefoot, too.

 

[Paul Bunions]

I escaped from South Florida, and no one is going to send me back.

 

[Gologit]

This thread has become a bunch of self congratulatory crap. When all you weekend warriors and wannabes get through flexing and posing and making yourselves feel like manly men maybe we can get back on topic.

 

[Exophysical]

This thread has become a bunch of self congratulatory crap. When all you weekend warriors and wannabes get through flexing and posing and making yourselves feel like manly men maybe we can get back on topic.

This thread was dead several pages ago. But thanks for caring!

 

[Paul Bunions]

I should have clarified: yes, my friend on the tree was a Miami Cuban. This information should make everything fall into place.

 

[Bubster]

I'm not ambitious enough to try to make leaning trees go in a new direction. I'm happy if they go wherever they want without hitting me. If it's leaning north, I go with it.

I have no way of getting into a tree to put a rope on it, so that's out. I'm not going to climb a tree at my age, and I don't know if a ladder is a good idea for a person who works alone.

Using a ladder is fine for hooking up ropes or cables, but never climb one with a saw in your hand.

 

[RandyMac]

This thread has become a bunch of self congratulatory crap. When all you weekend warriors and wannabes get through flexing and posing and making yourselves feel like manly men maybe we can get back on topic.

This forum is now a subsection of the home owners forum.

 

[slowp]

This forum is now a subsection of the home owners forum.

I dunno. I've not been out to a logging job for some time. Maybe fallers are carrying ladders and ropes around now? Maybe it doesn't matter which way trees fall?

Meanwhile, I found this picture. A lesson about twisters was taking place whilst the yarder was getting repaired. This will remind people that there is more to logging than "dropping" trees.

 

[slowp]

Oh, I have seen a ladder out on a unit. The crew was a father/son combination and they had an old yarder. They'd packed an aluminum ladder down the hill as the father said it was safer for them than climbing to rig a tail tree.

 

[Gologit]

This forum is now a subsection of the home owners forum.

Yup. I drop in here every once in awhile. It's really gone down hill...no pun intended.

 

[Gologit]

I dunno. I've not been out to a logging job for some time. Maybe fallers are carrying ladders and ropes around now? Maybe it doesn't matter which way trees fall?

Meanwhile, I found this picture. A lesson about twisters was taking place whilst the yarder was getting repaired. This will remind people that there is more to logging than "dropping" trees.

View attachment 1177660

Now you'll have to explain to all the weekend warriors and lawn care types what a twister is. And does.
And won't do.

 

[slowp]

Now you'll have to explain to all the weekend warriors and lawn care types what a twister is. And does.
And won't do.

It will break bones. That's a big part of it.

They wouldn't be interested because it isn't about tree "dropping", although a tree or two or three might be sacrificed. But no ropes, winches, chains, skid steers, etc. are used to fall the trees.

Twisters are used when there are no decent large trees or sound, large stumps to use as a tailhold for the skyline. Haywire is strung to other trees or stumps, fastened to them, and then twisted tight in order to add strength to the tailhold stump. Rigging guys must twist it carefully, because if the limb is released, it works like a pinwheel and can easily break a bone. It's hooked or tied somehow to keep from getting loose. Twisters reinforce the actual tailhold stump and keep it from pulling out of the ground. They work a bit like guylines.

Plates are shown on the stump. I'm thinking those were used more on standing trees to protect the tree from damage, and I'm not sure why they are on the stump except to keep the cable from embedding into the wood.

I always found it interesting to see the various configurations. What with the old growth stumps finally becoming rotten and not fit for use, you will see more use of twisters in areas where there is no road access.

Unfortunately, the twisters have to come undone when yarding is completed in the area and that is something to be done very carefully or bones can be broken.

One of the reasons to have high stumps is when the tree is cut to be used for rigging purposes. Otherwise, low stumps are preferable.

 

[donmakesallthefuelbegone]

Now that I have a saw that functions, I have to get back to work.

I want to ask what pros think of plunge-cutting to prevent barber-chairing and other kinds of splitting problems.

My land is full of oaks, and a lot of them are rotten inside, so they can act a little weird. Also, I have to deal with a lot of leaners, both standing free and caught in other trees.

Ever since I found out about plunge-cutting, I've used it a lot. If I have a tree leaning to the north, for example, I cut across the north side a little bit and beat two wedges into it to keep the cut from closing. This gets rid of the strap on the side the tree will fall toward,so it can't be part of a barber chair. Then I plunge into the west side of the tree and cut until I hit the cut where the wedges are, giving me one big cut most of the way through the tree, with a strap on the south side and wedges on the north to keep the tree up. Then I cut the strap and run like hell, and the tree falls to the north. There is nothing left inside the tree to barber-chair.

Is this a good safe method, or am I deluding myself? It's slow, but I'm not being paid, so it doesn't matter. Sometimes I plunge with a pole trimmer because it puts me farther from the tree and a couple of steps closer to safety.

I really hate felling trees because I'm not confident in my ability to do it the traditional way with a notch. If I try to make a notch, the second cut usually misses the bottom of the first one.

Let’s first of make sure everyone knows I am pretty new to falling as well, I am just giving my opinion not any advice.
Now that’s said:

I think plunging is safe if you know how to do it, I have practiced it on logs on the ground and I’ve found that you use the underside of your bar tip to get started and then straighten out and go it, I also learned that you NEVER but absolutely in no way shape or form use the upper part of the bar tip, this is how you generate kickbacks. I don’t think plunge cuts is something I’d recommend to a beginner but I’d rather have a beginner plunge a tree than barber chair a tree