Good demonstration of that technique. Do you find the wider spaced snap cut works better? One looked like a 6”+ span b/t cuts. Would drive me bonkers doing that for a small tree though, mult tree blow down would take days to just get them on the ground!
There are 2 ways to destabilize wood fiber with a snap cut.
1) Increase the amount of bypass
2) Put the cuts closer together.
The first makes the cut the break less predictable, but is easier to judge.
The second gives more control, but is harder to gauge as species, condition, etc. all come into play.
Do both and you essentially have a horizontal jump cut.
For this work, I think the perfect snap cut has the lower cut in the direction of pull and the cuts bypass by about one wood fiber, with the cuts spaced appropriately for the species.
In the end, the goal is to get out of the danger zone before the tree moves, so what ever method you use should be a means to that end.
Yes, I see what you are saying about time. If I would have taken the crew out there, one snap cut at the base and the chipper winch would have pulled the whole tree into the chipper.
I would have rigged a sling and made about three other trees ready to follow suit if there were more, while the first was turning into chips.
I am just looking for excuses to break a sweat and avoid a hospital trip by taking the risk level to as close to zero as possible.
Tony
