Tree Felling Technique Thread

Wonkydonkey · Feb 21, 2019

BonScott46 said:
Guess I should have added a winky smiley. It is called the 'safety corner' method. Steep face, narrow hinge and always bore in leaving a post of holding wood in the back so that the tree can't take off before the cutter is ready or sit back before they have got a wedge in.

When I was learning, not that long a go we had 3 or 4 cuts to learn. All except one had a 50\60* face cut with a nice clean fit (no Dutchman) the back cuts were straight backcut, split level for a slightly leaning tree. And a danish default (aka danish pie/ safe corner) which was for a tree leaning any way and where you may only have one escape route, it was that you can set you hinge and then pull the trigger on the safe corner when you were ready.
This danish cut was my fav.

The other cut was for a heavy leaning trees. And you did two face cuts at 25\30* each side of the direction you wanted to fell, then you cut straight into the back (so you now made the tree into a triangle which was being reduced) the end result was to reduce the chance of a b-chair.
I think but not sure if this cut is also called coos bay cut, I was trying to figure it out the other day. But discriptions are hard to sometimes understand.

huskyboy · Feb 21, 2019

Dustin4185 said:
Thanks for the feedback! Like I have said, other instructors I have asked about this, give me the same answers. If the situation deems X method be used and the sawyer is comfortable with it, go for it. They were teaching to bore cut to set the hinge. The 362 I sent with him does not like to bore cut. They thought it was the chain and swapped chains. It was a new RS chain that hadn't been cut. Making him bore cut was making him uncomfortable since it was bouncing like crazy. He tried RM and RM3 chain with the same results. I tried it yesterday in a poplar, and I couldn't get it to roll in smoothly either. It does have a lightweight bar, so I don't know if that matters or not.

Not enough power. Need at least 70-80cc to bore cut well or give it a filing to get the rakers higher.

Marshy · Feb 21, 2019

huskyboy said:
Not enough power. Need at least 70-80cc to bore cut well or give it a filing to get the rakers higher.

Meh

RI Chevy · Feb 21, 2019

If it was a Stihl saw, 62cc sized, it would have plenty of POWAH!
Sorry, couldn't resist. You left yourself open Mason. Lol

Coltont · Feb 21, 2019

jacob j. said:
There's some great discussion here. The disparity between types of face cuts is both a regional thing, and what has been agreed upon through various companies, & State and Federal land management agencies. The language in the S-212 Student Guide is (verbatim): "
There are a variety of undercut and back cut methods. Each method is
specific to a particular cutting situation or felling technique, and all
methods are not approved by all agencies. You should have an
awareness of these methods and their appropriate applications."

The official language in the instructor guide for S-212 though is that:
"The student should consider the felling situation and perform a risk/hazard
analysis prior to determining the felling plan or sequence. The student should
then utilize those techniques/practices through which the student is most
familiar and feels most confident/capable with."

I taught the class for 18 years and I was never concerned with which face cut a student wanted to use. My concern was that they were comfortable with the sequence and that they were confident in getting the tree down safely. The land management agencies don't give a squat about marketability of the wood because in most instances, they won't be selling the wood. When I cut in private industry, we were given wide latitude in how we wanted to get a tree down. Safety was the highest priority but profit was also a priority.

Ultimately it comes down to what works for you. There is a push though in some segments of private industry to adopt the "Swiss Falling Method", which is a conventional cut with a steep angled face cut and a series of bore cuts to the back of the tree. A good buddy of mine spent 18 months cutting on the Southern California Edison ROW project and they strictly enforced the Swiss falling method.

Very very very. Very, well said.

XP_Slinger · Feb 21, 2019

huskyboy said:
Not enough power. Need at least 70-80cc to bore cut well or give it a filing to get the rakers higher.

I’ll politely disagree with his. I have no issues whatsoever bore cutting with any of my smaller saws. 254, 357 & 262

Dustin4185 · Feb 21, 2019

I bore cut with my 261 but it has been stuffed with bananas. My 362 does fine. I will work on the chain to see what I can do. I wonder if the spring AV has something to do with it. The 362 feels spongy to me.

Dustin4185 · Feb 21, 2019

huskyboy said:
Not enough power. Need at least 70-80cc to bore cut well or give it a filing to get the rakers higher.

That's why my MMWS 461 is going with me next class. I'm swapping covers with a stock one to keep from having a modified saw!

Marshy · Feb 21, 2019

XP_Slinger said:
I’ll politely disagree with his. I have no issues whatsoever bore cutting with any of my smaller saws. 254, 357 & 262

That's because they are Hooskey

RI Chevy · Feb 21, 2019

LOL. TIC, TOC
I'm up........

huskyboy · Feb 21, 2019

Marshy said:
That's because they are Hooskey

+1, seriously though guys, if you are bore cutting veneer with a small saw and small bar... you are rolling the dice or like living life on the edge. They don’t have the power in tricky situations. YES you can bore cut with any saw ever made, even plug in electric ones... that wasn’t my point.

Cat 525 · Feb 21, 2019

CC's have alot to do with what take height you can get away with! A chain should pull it's own way thru the cut without any pressure applied. Thus the power to pull it! Modded huskies are Kick-Ass!

XP_Slinger · Feb 21, 2019

Marshy said:
That's because they are Hooskey

Shots fired lol!

Cat 525 · Feb 21, 2019

Raker neiht has alot to do with everything

XP_Slinger · Feb 21, 2019

huskyboy said:
+1, seriously though guys, if you are bore cutting veneer with a small saw and small bar... you are rolling the dice or like living life on the edge. They don’t have the power in tricky situations. YES you can bore cut with any saw ever made, even plug in electric ones... that wasn’t my point.

I agree, more power is better. That’s why I’ve come to like my 288 for felling duties, lots of torque to get the chain moving again after stopping to look at things before the bore cut is opened up.

XP_Slinger · Feb 21, 2019

Cat 525 said:
Raker neiht has alot to do with everything

Harrumph!!!!

beaglebriar · Feb 21, 2019

Cat 525 said:
Modded huskies are Kick-Ass!

TROOF!!!

RI Chevy · Feb 21, 2019

Cat 525 said:
Modded hooskies need a Kick in the Ass!

Fixt. [emoji2957][emoji16]

Tugg · Feb 21, 2019

Knowing the characteristics of the wood you are cutting are a big one also. In the west there is a lot of beetle kill now. On lodge pole after about 5 years if the tree is still standing the roots rot out. So you cannot really leverage the tree against the stump or the root ball will pull out regardless of the face cut. Another is big old dead lodge pole or spruce that is fire killed. The weight of the tree changes to the bottom of the tree seemingly almost no weight in the top. Looks easy to fallers but almost always have to drive them over, it is like something is holding them up. In spruce and white pine if the tree dies and rots, if the top hits anything on the way down the tree will break on the trunk and the top can turn back towards the stump.

Shanesaw80 · Feb 21, 2019

Tugg said:
Knowing the characteristics of the wood you are cutting are a big one also. In the west there is a lot of beetle kill now. On lodge pole after about 5 years if the tree is still standing the roots rot out. So you cannot really leverage the tree against the stump or the root ball will pull out regardless of the face cut. Another is big old dead lodge pole or spruce that is fire killed. The weight of the tree changes to the bottom of the tree seemingly almost no weight in the top. Looks easy to fallers but almost always have to drive them over, it is like something is holding them up. In spruce and white pine if the tree dies and rots, if the top hits anything on the way down the tree will break on the trunk and the top can turn back towards the stump.

I have to respectfully disagree about the 5 year mark and Pine beetle killed trees.

When BC first started to get really hit with beetle kill we originally thought that we had maybe 7-8 years to still harvest the trees for useable milling, minus what wood was checked (cracked). We did a ton of logging at that point and found that most of the wood was still extremely solid and standing, which actually led to the first major problem. The fungus from the beetle basically sucks the majority of the moisture out of the trees which of course makes them super dry. Upon milling these trees we actually have a few major mills burn to the ground from fires caused by excessive heat generated from trying to mill this dry wood.

We have since given it a 2 year span from time of infestation and useable merch wood. Not because of stability but because of the moisture content. Falling older beetle killed timber is more like falling fire killed trees, super hard and basically have to force them over like you had stated.

I’m not saying you’re wrong in what you said, just maybe they have a different impact in the area that you work and live.

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