How much more hinge wood for dead trees?

[davidwyby]

I stumbled on a copy of, “To Fell A Tree”. He actually says to use a thinner hinge with brittle wood.

I’m anxious to get a chance to try my triple hinge.

 

[Wonkydonkey]

I stumbled on a copy of, “To Fell A Tree”. He actually says to use a thinner hinge with brittle wood.

I’m anxious to get a chance to try my triple hinge.

I say,….every tree has its capabilities, and the faller has to have all his up his sleeve,
There’s no experience like using an old timers experience.
go wise and go home safely my friend, and only do what experience allows

btw we all push our capabilities and gain experience .. hopefully safely..

 

[Wonkydonkey]

 

[pbillyi69]

I stumbled on a copy of, “To Fell A Tree”. He actually says to use a thinner hinge with brittle wood.

I’m anxious to get a chance to try my triple hinge.

only the top hinge will be the one being used if you under cut below the first back cut you are taking away your ability to use any wedges at all and making it even more dangerous and unpredictable than it was to start. it will be more likely to go ove backwards

 

[davidwyby]

So these burned a year or two ago but still had elasticity. I did a wide/tall face cut by accident because my cuts weren’t going to meet up before they got further into the tree than I wanted. Then I went to do my back cut and it was higher than I wanted or felt like it should be, probably could have just wedged from there, but I decided to try the double back cut…it worked! Put a wedge in the top cut lightly, then the second lower back cut, and started pounding wedges in both. Tree lean/weight was pretty neutral and maybe in the direction I wanted. Both back cuts opened and generated lean in the desired direction. I guess it’s a tossup as to which cut decides to actually break and go. Thoughts, fire away!

@HYPERSAWS

 

[Int1968]

It’s weird. At work we try and put your notch and back cut in the best part of the tree, same with felling directions with your holding wood, ropes are almost always used because of power line. Frozen wood posses the same problems (balsam fir and -30 are the worst)last year we cut a bunch of fire killed aspen/poplar and surprisingly it all went well even being dead for a few years.

personally I don’t like a large step with my back cut, I like em close to even.

you have to figure out what works in your area, an example here is poplar trees behave way differently a few hours drive away.

deeper notches can be your friend sometimes gets the tipping point/centre of gravity moved without wedges which we aren’t allowed to use

 

[pbillyi69]

without a step in your back cut the tree can come back at you thats also why you are supposed to an escape route that is 45° to the rear of the direction you are aiming. why can't you use wedges?

 

[davidwyby]

I recently did a bit of felling in the PNW (I need to find or start a felling thread and a trip report) and learned that a higher back cut can increase hinge time before breaking.

 

[davidwyby]

If a tree is brittle, thicker hinge probably won’t help much…but taller might.

 

[jmester]

Here is a video that maybe just what you are looking for. The shark gill felling cut. It helps to improve hinge strength and flexibility. Longer video but a lot of good insight.

 

[JB-PlantHeirloom]

Excellent tool to have in the bag.

 

[davidwyby]

(9) Felling Brittle Trees Accurately - YouTube

 

[davidwyby]

At a recent GTG we were pulling over back leaning tanoaks. They seemed to be brittle and go with gravity once the hinge was snapped. On the last two, we didn’t need to pull them, so I tried some tricks to increase hinge holding time. They seemed to work well. Trench cut in the face and higher back cut.

 

[davidwyby]

 

[RCBS]

Almost lost a bar in exactly the same way a couple weeks ago. I kept a hand on the saw and pulled it before the tree could land on it. Smaller snag, didn't think much of it and got caught sleeping. At least 80% of my felling fails have been with dead wood.

 

[davidwyby]

After a couple years experience I can answer my own question: none.

 

[Shane¹]

If I cut a tree this high off the ground my dad would kick me straight in the asss

 

[Duce]

Looks like the tree stooges. Notched against the lean with no lines, never had luck wedging against a hard lean. Never let people hang around felling, worse things to loose than just a saw. If I kill myself will not remember or think about it, if I kill another, will never forget.

 

[davidwyby]

It would work with a live fir...not a dead euc.

@Shane¹ "Arborist" not logger ;-D Root swell wood can be sketchy too ya know.

 

[Maintenance Chief]

It's common practice around here to make a small plunge cut 3" below the back cut and stick a wedge in it ,basically turning a small chuck of the tree into your wedge.
You can also do a V plunge which allows you to insert 2 wedges in the sides before the back strap is cut.