Kinda different felling notch

[okie]

Don't know if this serves any particular purpose, I just thought it was kinda cool.
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[okie]

Dangit, I did the double post thing again.... some folks just never learn

[captain_crunch]

If all he needed was a tap with claw hammer into a steel wedge was this whole production nessary. Ever tip over a 5 ft tree with 4-5 plastic wedges??? We cut out back and put 2 -50 ton jacks and moved 250 ft tree 10-15 ft ahead to tip er over. Tree in pic was quite straight proably would have free fell on its own. But I am old and cranky after spending 20 years in woods
Brian

[forest.c]

the only reason for a notch like that would be to keep it from twisting on the stump and maybe hitting a building like to the left of the tree.

[Mooseherder]

That was a Queen Palm just in case you was wonderin'.
Okie, I used to have the same problem with the doubling up.  The issue is copying and pasting the embed code line.  Try copying and pasting the Top Line or URL line instead.

[RSteiner]

That is an interesting technique, I don't know if it would work as well on a hard wood tree.
I use a similar method when cutting down smaller diameter trees, both hard and soft wood, except I use a plastic wedge and make the back cut(s) at the same level as the notch.  That way the wedge can extend throught the front of the notch like it did in the video.

Randy

[bill m]

I did not watch the video but that is a way of wedging smaller dia. trees where you do not have enough room for the chain saw bar and wedge in the back cut both at the same time. It looks like he exaggerated the cut for the wedge. I only go about an inch below the back cut so there is not as much vertical grain of wood for the wedge to break.

[Phorester]

They left out the part where the lady comes running out and yells "You cut the wrong tree!!  You cut the wrong tree!!"

[DirtForester]

I don't like it because the back cut is too high, not meeting the junction of the notch.  This forces the tree to release from the stump before the tree is on the ground.  An especially bad technique, I believe, if used for arboricultural applications.  Better in the woods but still not very safe.

The boring of the notch is often used for large trees to get to the area directly behind the notch before the back cuts are made.

[Maine372]

i use that technique as needed. its rather a specific tool to use. but when you have small diameter wood that needs wedging its awfully handy. like many other cutting techniques, somtimes its just the trick, somtimes its just plain stupid. know it, know how to use it, use it when appropriate.

[justintimemoto]

i think its so the tree dont spin so it locks it in

[bill m]

i think its so the tree dont spin so it locks it in

It's not so the tree will not spin. A proper hinge and back cut will keep the tree from spinning. The problem with the demonstration in the video is that the back cut is to high. It leaves to much vertical grain of wood and can break off to soon and loose control of the direction of fall. THe back cut should have been no more than an inch above the wedge/notch.

[John Mc]

That video link has been posted here on FF before.

As Bill M said, it's not so the tree won't spin. You'd lose that control once the tree started to fall anyway, pulling the tongue out of the groove.

This technique is actually taught in one of the Game of Logging classes. It's used on smaller diameter trees which have some back lean away from the direction you want to drop it. The bore cut through the face of he notch is to make some space to drive a wedge. Otherwise, the wedge would bottom out on the back of the hinge before it started tipping the tree much.

This is actually a poor execution of the technique. After the first bore cut, you should offset down one saw kerf width, and bore again, just deep enough to go through the hinge wood. This widens the groove and will keep the wedge from lifting up on the hinge wood, which could break the hinge, causing loss of directional control. Also, there is no reason to offset the back cut so much. It gains you nothing in controlling the tree. All you need is enough to clear the wedge. I'm also not too nuts about reaching into the notch while a running saw is sitting there to clear the wood out. I like being able to give my kid a "high 5"... a "high 4" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Lastly, what's with the steel splitting wedge? I'd love to say I never nick up my plastic wedges with my saw, but I'm just not that good. I hate to think about "nicking" that steel wedge with the chainsaw.

John Mc

[DonT]

i have used the tongue and groove method for smaller trees i wanted to wedge and would have otherwise had trouble getting a wedge.Just another tool for the tool box,like the over and under cut.

[Bobus2003]

I may just go find me a tree tommorow and give that a whirl.. Though most the trees I cut i don't have any problem felling without a wedge, even the ones with a Backlean

[John Mc]

I may just go find me a tree tommorow and give that a whirl.. Though most the trees I cut i don't have any problem felling without a wedge, even the ones with a Backlean

What do you use to overcome the back-lean if you are not using a wedge? Some of the smaller ones I can do with just a push from my hand to get them started. The bigger ones or ones with heavier back-lean that doesn't work so well on. I'd rather carry a couple of wedges than a felling lever or come-along, and I'm often working without motorized equipment suitable to push or pull it over... so I've settled on wedges. I'm always interested in hearing other techniques...

John Mc

[Stephen Alford]

 Hey; have used a thicker steel wedge when the plastic kind do not provide enough lift. The steel will not back out as easily and a thin steel wedge is handy if there is setback before the plastic kind is started.  Protective glasses are a must for all wedges . Have had to cut a lot of clump maple so a length of rope or a belt is handy for a tourniquet when the saw is pinched. Often in a thinning situation the trees in the clump are to small for a wedge.  I have a 3" nylon strap and binder  for trucks that is lightweight and very handy. just some thoughts. Stay safe.

[Bobus2003]

I may just go find me a tree tommorow and give that a whirl.. Though most the trees I cut i don't have any problem felling without a wedge, even the ones with a Backlean

What do you use to overcome the back-lean if you are not using a wedge? Some of the smaller ones I can do with just a push from my hand to get them started. The bigger ones or ones with heavier back-lean that doesn't work so well on. I'd rather carry a couple of wedges than a felling lever or come-along, and I'm often working without motorized equipment suitable to push or pull it over... so I've settled on wedges. I'm always interested in hearing other techniques...

John Mc

I have over the years perfected a method taught too me by my dad of "Swinging" a tree.. Now granted this doesn't work on all trees but it works on most i deal with.

I notch the tree in the direction i want it to fall, then make another notch on the side of the tree (Either side of the first notch but not behind it I make this judment on the direction and intensity of lean.) I then use part of the wedge from the last notch and put it in the notch i just cut. (The gap made from the cutting gives the tree room to start falling before hitting the wedge) I then start the backcut to fall the tree towards the last notch cut, leaving a fair amount of "Hinge Wood"for the original Notch. As the tree falls to the direction of the second notch and istarts to piviot on the Wedge in the second Notch i start the backcut for the original Notch. continueing to leave "Hinge Wood" to help the Tree "swing" around to the original direction wanted to fall.

This doesn't work everytime and its a pain in the rear to do.. I have done it many times and i still fail at it every now and again.. But practice makes perfect.. Though i rather cut out in the woods where if it falls the wrong direction it doesn't matter

[John Mc]

Hey; have used a thicker steel wedge when the plastic kind do not provide enough lift. The steel will not back out as easily

I carry two plastic wedges. When something has too much back lean for one wedge, I'll cut a "cookie" out of a scrap log or from the notch of the tree I'm working. The cookie is a bit thinner than the thick end of the wedge. After I drive my first wedge, I'll slip the cookie in the opening beside it, then stack the second wedge on top of the cookie and drive that wedge in. If this doesn't tip the tree, it has at least freed up the first wedge. I pull that first wedge out, slip in a thicker cookie (one that almost fills the gap created by the first cookie & 2nd wedge), and drive the first wedge in on top of that.

Two plastic wedges and some scraps of wood can accomplish quite a bit. My record for this is when I worked my way up to about a 3.5" cookie felling a large black walnut with a lot of back lean over a cottage. I kind of cheated on this one... we tied a rope way up in the tree and down to a tractor, just in case my wedges and cookies didn't work. As it turns out, they worked fairly well, but even 3.5" plus a wedge wasn't enough. I did manage to stand it up pretty straight though. We finally just gave a pull on the rope just to finish it off.

John

[RSteiner]

Soren Ericson demonstrated a method for "stacking" plastic wedges that works well.  I have stacked three wdges without any worry that they would be spit out.  On larger trees he uses three wedges.  When you reach the point where the wedges are almost burried tap the two outside wedges and leave the middle one loose, you can do the same thing with two wedges drive one tight and leave one loose.  Then take the chainsaw and about 1/2" below the loose wedge bore straight into the tree about the length of a wedge.  Now you can take another wedge and insert it into the bore cut and drive this one in.

At this point I usually take one of the outside plastic wedges and replace it with a metal one that has more lift and if more tipping is necessary I bore under one of the metal wedges the next time.

I have never had one spit out doing this, of course it means having several wedges with you.  I always have a bucket with me with 2 metal wedges and half a dozen plastic wedges and a Fiskars splitting axe to drive the wedges. 

Randy

[Stephen Alford]

Hey John Mc, to be honest from what I read on here you fellas cut "trees" , I would have to say I am more into "shrubbery" . The felling variable that does cause me grief is wind, strong and changing direction with the tides . Generally speaking when I start tapping I try to keep one hand on the tree. You will feel what is happening long before you hear or see. At the same time trying to keep an eye on what is happening in the crown. Had a partridge set in a tree I was dropping and never flew. He had such a look of disbelief. When I yelled brace yourself off he went but none to soon. 

[John Mc]

Stephen -

I hear you on the wind. Since I don't do this for a living, I have the luxury of just not cutting if it gets very windy.

I'm generally not cutting anything huge. My firewood cutting is usually 6"-14" DBH, with most in the 8-10" range. I do occasionally get something bigger.

I like the idea you mentioned about putting a hand on the tree when tapping the wedge in. I'll try that next time.

John Mc