felling

You have to watch those leaners,bore cut or not.I'm a chicken,I wrap them with a couple of wraps of high strength chain and heavy binders .I had one chair on me in the early days.Soiled my BVD s,so to speak,legs don't fail me know.

I've heard people claim they could redirect by around 90 degrees with a tapered wedge cut but my guess it's closer to 45.
 
There's nothing wrong with setting up a tree using a bore cut regardless of whether the tree is straight or not.
It's up to the individual doing the falling.
One advantage is that it allows setting up the hinge and setting the wedges prior to tripping the tree.
A large bar radius on the nose wouldn't be the best choice for boring.
There are varying professional felling techniques between East, West and European so I think it best to review them all and make your own choices.
I wouldn't expect anyone to laugh at you if all is safe and the tree falls to the intended lay.
Professional fallers make mistakes too.
 
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I've heard people claim they could redirect by around 90 degrees with a tapered wedge cut but my guess it's closer to 45.

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I think I said that last week and you're quite right.
The tree I saw go that way was an accident and it went 45o not 90.
Although I've seen them go 90 on more than one occasion but it wasn't due to a tapered hinge.
Thanks for the correction.
 
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I wrap them with a couple of wraps of high strength chain and heavy binders .

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Have you thought of using come-a-long straps? They are light and easy to handle. I have used them on some trees when I felt a little uncomfortable with the lean of the tree I was falling.

I haven't
bigcry.gif
my pants, yet!
 
Well I didn't really "loose my load" but shall we say I was motivated to make a hastey exit,mucho pronto.

Oh the chain thing,I got bunches of it.Heavy ,yes,but dependable,system 7 transport chain,tough.

Oh,by the way,I dislike leaners.
 
From Kevin, "There's nothing wrong with setting up a tree using a bore cut regardless of whether the tree is straight or not.
It's up to the individual doing the falling."

Kevin, the bore cut is technique of the saw entering the wood, not a method of falling. I assume that you refere to the "back release" method of falling. If that is the case then it is wrong to use that method to fall a tree standing up straight, or leaning back.

In those cases you are far better to use the "quarter cut" method. We are talking about falling a tree not winching and pushing.

The assesment of the tree prior to falling and the selection of the appropriate method of falling should be part of falling qualifications (amenity or forestry). Here in Australia some trainers have blured this understanding which has led to individuals working much harder and in some cases with increaced hazards.

I would be interested if the training process there has these "drafting gates" in place to educate aspiring fallers. I'm not familiar with the processes there, but I do know there is confusion in some amenity training in Australia, regarding this matter.

Greme McMahon
 
For trees standing up straight or leaning back, "scarf" for the intended direction af fall. Of the wood remaining (excluding the hingewood) half is cut to the hinge(one quarter). Wedges can be put in and tapped up.

The remaining quarter is cut from the side with the escape route and preferably the tension side of the stump. For regrowth trees, as the tension is released from the stump, the tree can recoil slightly and aided by the wedges, lift the tree more easily toward the scarf.

Useing the back release method in that situation only forces the wedges to work against the holding strap. Too much work with no gain, and reduced control.

How is the selection of the falling method set out in training manuals and falling courses there? As I said before there are significant variations of this here.

Graeme
 
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A large bar radius on the nose wouldn't be the best choice for boring.

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Obviously you disagree with me, but I disagree with you too :)
 
For straight and backleaning trees with small circumference I use the overlap cut. A) make the face cut B) start as you would start with a bore cut and make good hinge on one side, C) make a back cut 2/3 the distance over to the other side D) Set the wedge or bar about half the distance E) continue your cut either slightly over or under the first back cut so you don´t cut into the wedge or bar, but be sure you don´t cut over or under your wedge or bar, and make o good hinge on the other side. F) drive in the bar and fell the tree.
Smooth and full control.
Svein
 
Graeme;
You may call this method a back release which is fine by me but I along with the rest of this part of the world refer to it as a bore or plunge cut, it doesn't really matter as long as we both know what it is.
It doesn't make it a wrong method to use on straight trees but rather another method.
Many people use it today with great success including several here so it can't be wrong, it all depends on the situation.
There's not much point in boring a tree that slightly leans forward but if someone decides on doing it and the tree falls to the intended lay then so be it.
You are in fact lifting with wedges before releasing the strap so the tree can't come back.
It's very easy to set the hinge up prior to tripping the strap.
I don't bore cut every tree I fall but I do have a use for it in situations other than heavy head leaners.
I don't cut anything much larger than 30"dia. trees here because most of it is at least second growth and the species that grow here just don't get that large and I can't put anything larger on my mill.
The training we get here is very basic and is more of a liability requirement.
The loggers on the West coast have an apprenticeship as far as I know.
I was trained by local loggers, Dent and Beranek.
I have my own wood lot, work at line clearance and takedowns for locals usually within an hours drive.
I'm not qualified to go work on the mountains out west felling big timber but can tackle just about anything here.

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there are significant variations of this here

[/ QUOTE ]... and everywhere else.

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Useing the back release method in that situation only forces the wedges to work against the holding strap. Too much work with no gain, and reduced control.

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The wedges are offset and don't interfere with the holding strap.
 
I find that raker depth has more effect on kickback while boring into trees than nose diameter. but that is more than likely due to noobs not sharpening properly.

i'd love to go felling big trees and learn new techniques

Jamie
 
Oh you can bore with about any bar,Oregon,Gb,Winsor.Stihl would work also ,if that's all you have.Ya gotta kind of remember,good ole Glens has a thing for the orange and white saws.I don't hold it against him though,I have several myself
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What you can't do is bore with safety chain.
 
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I was trained by local loggers, Dent and Beranek.

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'Local' loggers?!?

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I think that sentence means he was traind by local loggers and Dent and Beranek.
 
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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I was trained by local loggers, Dent and Beranek.

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'Local' loggers?!?

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I think that sentence means he was traind by local loggers and Dent and Beranek.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh.

So it should have been written:

'I was trained by local loggers, Dent, and Beranek.'

with a comma after Dent.

Just kick me.
 
A couple key advantages of bore cutting:
-felling site can be surveyed seconds before the tree hits the felling zone with the ability to wait until the site is safe before commiting the tree
-faller can be 10-20-30 feet away from the tree as soon as it starts to move, nothing macho about getting creamed by a big butt
 
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