Rigging and Felling A Hung Tree

I've taken this course before. Here's what's going on:
The tree is hung up intensionally. The cut above is a Key Notch- two vertical cuts bored through the tree and 1 horizontal cut bored through on top connecting the two verticals. the 3 cuts line up like a table top with two legs. Felling wedges are knocked into the horizontal cut from both sides. Now a cut is made from the outside of the tree to line up with the bottom of the first vertical cut (compression side) Lastly a cut is made to mirror this previous cut to release the tension. The wedges stop the tree from dropping straight down into the cuts. This basically makes a tongue-and-groove like in carpentry. The tree is then pulled out perpendicular to the lean using a 5:1 or something like it. The tree is not stood up but rather skidded out.
I'll try and draw a picture, or better yet ask Dwayne to explain- I'm sure he'd do a better job than I just did!
 
So I've just explained and drawn it like we were taught on the course, as best as I can remember .But looking at the actual picture it doesn't make sense what this guy is doing... all the cuts of a key notch are supposed to be inline with the pull rope.
**The notch is actually drawn upsidedown- see the video from the next post**
 

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For this particular app the key notch seems to be too time and work. If you pulling the butt then a single cut 3/4 the way through would do the same thing, the snap cut could do it. And the face cut offers excellent guidance if you going for that, and all three methods are less technical to make.

I'll give it a try though. Plenty of opportunity coming up in the next few months.
 
I agree with Jerry. The key notch has its place, but seems a little too time and work restrictive for the average person that this course is set up for. I'd be more concerned with an inexperienced worker hurting himself with a kick back from a bore cut than the tree falling on him.

I did see how it worked in the video though. The only time I use a key notch cut is when I'm bucking logs on a sidehill and don't want them to end up at the bottom. You can make a key notch cut and have the skidder come yard them out after.
 
I agree with both Chris and Jerry. The key notch is an excellent tool, but better suited for larger diameter logs and situations where you have a lot of pulling power available. i.e. lots of MA or a winch.

As with all these cuts, a correct assesment of tension and compression wood is crucial and the order in which they are severed equally important.

As stated the Key Notch takes a good bit of skill and even more practice less it turn into the "dovetail notch!" Which, as per Murphy's law, always orients itself against the direction of pull.

If you are puzzeled by my refrence to the "Dovetail Notch" then you have not practiced enough!!!!

Tony
 
I use a salami cut on those.
No fluff, safe , quick.
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I think they teach these fancy cuts on courses to take away the fear of felling. Giving a sense of control to the inexperienced. But I too like the "salomi" cut. Anytime I can get my firewood pre split on site is one small step less in the firewood making process.
 
As I recall the reasoning for all the extra work/time/boring was that the tree is going nowhere until you are ready- there is a bit more work involved in pulling the key out. Is the snap or salamy or steped cut anymore likely to break away unexpectedly given wind or movement in the tree that is hanging up the first?!? I don't really know. Just ideas.
What I found skidding out the key-notched trees was the butt tended to really dig into the ground since it's been basically 'sharpened' to nearly a point, rather than the full diameter.
 
O' yeah speelie! I've always liked dominos. You can really impress (or scare him depending on if he's kepping up with you) a skidder driver when you do that. Knock down a whole drag with one cut. Set it up like an symphony and listen to the music! Often much safer that trying to fight to pull them around the way they need to go and you are away from the action.
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Robinia, when there is more work to do I'm always ready to find the quickest way. That key notch may be safe in most applications but not in all hangers, like if the angle is not that vertical, then you have pressure from two or more directions. I've never called a cut a salomi cut before but I assumed it was an angle cut from the high side, as soon as you see the kerf tighten up at all the tree is ready to be pulled back from the hangup. I don't notch the low side, that's what I meant by splitting. But every situation is different, and this can be dangerous. A lot of thought, many different techniques, and a good escape route are essential. Tying the top and rigging it down may be required.
 
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but I assumed it was an angle cut from the high side, as soon as you see the kerf tighten up at all the tree is ready to be pulled back from the hangup.

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So you would be intending to pull directly backwards from the lean? That's a totally different situation - a key notch, at least in this scenario, pulls out 90 degrees to the lean (perpendicular).

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and a good escape route are essential.

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If we are talking remote triggers than the escape route has become unnessasary right? A pull rope and a few ridirects puts you nowhere near the action.

I'm not defending the course, content, or instructors. They can do that themselves. I'm just putting in my 2 cents having taken the course in question. Overall this was a good course albeit a bit pricey! (And BTW I've never used a key notch since
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) I've taken 4 of thier courses and the best by far was the high-angle rescue. There was at least 5 different scenarios taught and a few I had never seen before or since. Very cool stuff although I hope I never have to use it!
 
With the goal being to bring the tree down, the butt is not only shortened the amount cut off but it jumps away from the hangup pulling the top with it. Sometimes it has to be repeated till the tree is almost half it's original length and the top untangles or is hanging free, then a new plan is required. The escape route is needed during the cut, you could just touch your saw to the tree and surprises could happen, you must be ready to respond. Another popular method is to grab the butt if your strong enough and run with it, whatever is easiest and safe. I've seen Duwayne speak a few times and he is an entertaining and informed guy.
 
I too like salami! Oh and the cut too! It is one of my favorite methods if the tree is already tip rigged. The draw back is the unpredictability of when the piece will let go. Most time it works fine, but it only takes once to end it all.

That being said, any of these cuts could go horribly wrong. It's just with a Mis-match, Knee or Key the predictability factor goes up and by design the sawyer is in the clear once the cut begins to move.

In combat, politics, relationships or felling always, always have an escape route!!
As boreality stated things can go wrong fast even with a good plan.

Tony
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I remember the first time that I was shown the salami cut. I was young and dumb and cutting firewood in the wood lot. The area I was cutting in was a dense mixed stand and my first tree was a 12” dbh maple that got hung.

I had no idea what to do, so I got my neighbor who was an old woodsman and he just chuckled when he saw my tree…. I knew that I was in for a lesson. Now neither one of us had any PPE on and I was too green to know any better. The old timer proceeded to salami cut the tree using a small kerf cut on the top and slicing up through it on the bottom.

He was limbing the whole tree up as he went and continued with the salami cuts until he had maybe 8-10’ left and by then the tree was standing straight back up and he just pushed it over.

Afterwards, he sat down on an old pine stump, lit up a camel (unfiltered) cigarette and proceeded to tell me stories about cutting and logging in the woods when he was a kid. Except for the lack of PPE this guy was a wealth of knowledge.

I have since learned when to use the salami cut and when not to, based on safety as well as other issues. I also learned that those salami cuts are a PITA to split afterwards too!
 
That's the way to go Kevin.

When I was cutting firewood, I didn't have any mechenized equipment to yard the pieces out.

I used a big canadian bob sled that I could pull to my ladding and split the pieces.

Twenty years old, you think that you can do anything. 43 years old now and I know different.
 
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