Narrow Margin!!!

arboraesthetics

arboraesthetics

Location
Omaha, NE
This is probably the craziest risk I've ever knowingly taken. This was shot two years ago on the hottest day in ten years: 110 degrees F. I'd only learned to fell trees 6 month earlier. I'd only been climbing for 6 months. I would do things differently today if did such jobs today. I guess what I'm saying is I don't care to have my balls busted here: this is just an amusing clip from my first summer with trees. Enjoy.

Arbor Aesthetics: Narrow Margin
 
One of the worst examples of felling I've ever seen. Absolutely Pathetic. Hopefully you've improved a great deal. Thanks for posting.
 
Grover, Grover, Grover... Risky, yes. Too risky, probably. Bad felling? Not really. It went into the lay as planned, the roll was anticipated. Not at all deserving of adjectives like 'worst' or 'pathetic'.
 
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One of the worst examples of felling I've ever seen. Absolutely Pathetic. Hopefully you've improved a great deal. Thanks for posting.

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Grover, that's why I stick to climbing 'em. But why so abrasive? You offer nothing constructive in your criticism. It's replies like yours that keep people from joining and posting here. It's why I almost did not post this. And that the risk was as high as it was and the margin for error as narrow as it was and that it all went according to plan suggests that maybe your remarks should be elaborated upon. Otherwise it just seems like your $hitting on my thread.

And thanks, I'll keep posting.
 
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One of the worst examples of felling I've ever seen. Absolutely Pathetic. Hopefully you've improved a great deal. Thanks for posting.

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Grover, that's why I stick to climbing 'em. But why so abrasive? You offer nothing constructive in your criticism. It's replies like yours that keep people from joining and posting here. It's why I almost did not post this. And that the risk was as high as it was and the margin for error as narrow as it was and that it all went according to plan suggests that maybe your remarks should be elaborated upon. Otherwise it just seems like your $hitting on my thread.

And thanks, I'll keep posting.

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Wait a minute, firstly you said this in your initial post,

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I guess what I'm saying is I don't care to have my balls busted here

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You obviously do care care then?

Secondly, why were you felling a tree that size with so little experience/knowledge of felling? Most people start felling on smaller trees with less risk of causing serious damage to people or property.

I'm glad you feel you've improved over the last couple of years. Sorry if I caused offence.
 
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It takes bravery to stand on the stage of life and suffer the slings and arrows.

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Who was it that said that? George Hayduke?
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Apparently George was last seen in Australia, who'd have thought it?
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Cool guy, that Hayduke fella...

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Wait a minute, firstly you said this in your initial post,

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I guess what I'm saying is I don't care to have my balls busted here

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You obviously do care care then?

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What I meant with by the 'ball busting' remark was that I'd appreciate it if my balls were not busted for the video. It's an interesting video of a guy doing something pretty crazy and I just happened to be that guy.
 
We have all been there at one time or another.Worked out well.Good it didnt roll and damage the house.Good to see.Like you said next time you would do it differently.Dont you hate that feeling as your cutting of unknown but after is a good feeling.
 
I'm sorry Jeffrey for busting your balls.

Got to ask - Why did you fell that tree knowing you had very little experience of felling large trees? I mean 6 months! most trainee arborists are still refining their basic notch on small trees at that time. Your notch was a bloody disaster. What exactly went wrong?
 
notch was a bloody disaster??
top cut looked a bit wobbly but most importantly the cuts to the hinge didnt seem to overlap.not a pretty knotch but still technicaly correct.
would of been interesting to know if the owner of the tree knew you only had 6 months of experience before dropping that tree.who'd be more nervous?you or the owner.
seemed to have a good result though
 
You're correct about the notch: not at all pretty and one of my worst; but technically correct- the hinge was a straight line perpendicular to the direction I wanted it to fall; I made sure of that. Further, this was not my first tight nor large felling. I'd done several successfully by that time and even took pride in the precision of my notches. We were also pulling the tree in the direction I wanted it to fall with aprox. 1000 lbs (maybe more) of force roughly 25feet up. In the video the tree begins to fall before I finished cutting the back strap of wood.

Since my competence is clearly in question (understandably) regarding tree felling allow me to defend myself. These photos were taken 4 months previous to the "narrow margin" vid.
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Bored in behind the notch leaving a strap of wood holding it up.
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Got to ask - Why did you fell that tree knowing you had very little experience of felling large trees? I mean 6 months! most trainee arborists are still refining their basic notch on small trees at that time.

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The day after I first successfully 'climbed' (figured out the friction hitch) I was in a sixty foot pin oak (a removal). I think that job took two weeks and I was paid $500. The second job was a honey locust nearly 100feet tall in tightly confined back yard. That job took a month I think. In both of those instances, and many other after, I took on problems not knowing exactly how I was going to solve them; but confident that I would because I have a history of figuring it out... even if it takes forever. No one approves of this, I know: but I knew that I could do it and I did it. I am entirely self taught: that is, I learned from books, videos, this and other forums, etc, but I never had anyone teach me anything.

But that notch was crap: I place all the blame on my poorly sharped chain.
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And I was pretty uneasy about it: but I'd made the cut and was committed. I spent a half hour, maybe more, with the 200T making micro adjustments to the notch before I went for the back cut.

And I can't type no more right now.
 
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I spent a half hour, maybe more, with the 200T making micro adjustments to the notch

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That does seem a bit excessive, just as well you stopped after half an hour. If your notch had been any deeper you wouldn't have needed a back cut, the tree would've barberchaired.

I take it you start by making a small notch first these days?
 
I will say this, if I was on that job and there was room to drop that tree without damage I would have done the same. As for the notch in question, it wasn't as bad as made out to be. It looked a little funny, but as long as the hinge wasn't compromised, it was fine until the hinge wood broke. Unless a tree is easier to cut up standing, or will be easier to clean up if topped down, we will almost always drop a tree (or as much as we can of it) because it takes less time.
P.S. We don't use a chipper either (except sometimes on clearing jobs).

Good job letting that silver maple down where you wanted it to go. I'll bet it was less work to fall and cut it up than to climb it and cut it up.

[By the way, does any one visiting this site work out of a bucket truck or are you all climbers (even when the trees are easy access for a bucket truck????)]
 
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The tree would not have barberchaired: I used a boor cut.

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In the vid you aren't using a bore cut, the notch is way too deep almost half way through the stem, anymore and the whole bloody thing would've collapsed in an even more uncontrolled manner than it did.
 
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