Cutting A Tree My Way
Hard maple. It had a big hollow spot in the trunk about 6' above the ground. Since it was leaning towards my shed I figured it was time for it to come down before an ice storm did the job for me.
When making an open face notch this is always the first cut. It allows you to see down into the kerf when making the bottom notch cut. Lot easier to get good notchs and avoid bypass or a dutchman.
Open face notch. I used this style of notch for two reasons. The first reason was my solar kiln is very close to the tree and I didn't want my hinge to break until the tree was near the ground to get better control of the butt. The second reason is I knew the tree was hollow. With a conventional notch it would have been a lot deeper into the tree and also into the hollow part. The only good wood in my hinge would have a few inches on the outside of the tree and nothing in the center.
I bore cut a few inches behind my notch from each side of the tree to establish my hinge. If I had a longer bar on I would have bore cut from just one side. After getting my hinge right I cut to the backside of the tree on the heavy side. I only cut into the tree a little way leaving the bulk of the fiber to be removed when I moved back to the light side of the tree. On the light side I cut to the back of the tree and severed my holding wood. When I stopped to take a picture I lost my concentration and didn't get the hinge exactly like I wanted it to be.
My first cut on tree was a bore cut at the back so I could get a wedge in before I did anything else. You can see the triangle perch cut on the butt. Wedges in the back of the tree have a lot of power and easy to drive but little lift. Wedges close to the hinge have a lot of lift but little power. They also could stress the hinge. By the time I cut my holding wood I had 5 wedges in. Not wanting to take any chances I also had a winch line in the treetop.
I just started the hard part of felling a tree here. Their are a few cuts that make bucking a tree like this a lot safer and easier. They are know as the tongue and groove, limb lock, and top lock. I have come up with a few more cuts myself. They all rely on the boring technique.
I urge anybody cutting trees to get professional training, hardhat, hearing protection, chaps, and steel toe boots. I was a fool for many years and didn't pay much attention to the safety stuff. I am very fortunate that I didn't get hurt in the old days.