step cut

Jeff,

I happened to talk to Ed today actually.

I said, hey Ed, why don't you write tree buzz and ask if you can come back as your real name instead of Hollenriech.

he said, no no, they don't want me.

he said his computer IP address is completely blocked. He tried to make a new name log in from a phone that does internet, named himself FreeHolly (so as not to be sneaky) and they banned that phone too.

real shame.

If you say something bad about a moderator or piss them off, you just signed your ban warrant.


banned.gif
9lame.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
That soft dutchman works but it's unpredictable as to how far the tree will swing.
I used it a few times last year and it works well in the woods.
It's much like imploding a building with explosives, as the tree begins to fall the weight of the tree collapses in the kerfs and sends the tree off to one side.
The tree in the video doesn't swing 180o but it falls 180o from the back lean and I think that's what he meant.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks, Kevin, I'll have to try it sometime when I've got the right tree and some room. I've done duthchmans to 90* or a tad more, but 180, that's radical.
 
[ QUOTE ]
they don't want me.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's not true.

[ QUOTE ]
he said his computer IP address is completely blocked.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't understand the inner workings of how IPs are blocked, but this might be true.

[ QUOTE ]
He tried to make a new name log in from a phone that does internet and they banned that phone too.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is NOT true. The block only applies to the IP that is originally used. There are anywhere from 50-110 spambots that try to register every day. If we could block their originating IP life would be simpler for Mark and me. As it is, it takes anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, every day, to weed through a list of registrations. If Holly is interested in coming back, he can write to Mark or me to make a case. We can then watch for his registration.

[ QUOTE ]

If you say something bad about a moderator or piss them off, you just signed your ban warrant.

[/ QUOTE ]

If this were true the room might echo from being so empty.

Like any discussion there are many versions of the truth. It's easy to make one version of the truth seem to be the best when you don't have a clue about the rest of the truths.

Moderating, like parenting and having discipline in junior high, isn't as simple as it seems from the outside. Holly was given many opportunities over many months to change the behavior that wasn't welcome. He agreed to 'behave' but continued to disrupt in a way that caused more friction. After MANY months Mark and I got fed up with this behavior and told him that if it continued he would be banned...he banned himself.
 
This method doesn't swing the tree to that extent, it does act like a dutchman and will swing the tree without the dangers of dutching.
It uses the standing weight of the tree to pull the tree ahead because there's nothing left to support the weight.
I don't know if they have been using this in the past, I've never heard of it until I saw this video last year.
You could probably get better results with more practice knowing how many kerfs to cut in the face.
There is probably a mathematical equation for the number of kerfs it takes to swing a tree so many feet like there is to lift a tree with wedges.

Daniel, I don't see a practical use for your step cut other than removing excess wood from the back of the stump to reduce grinding time.
When using it on a top it's going to increase the bending moment which is something you want to eliminate.
Conventional methods work as well, are less work and can be safer to use.
 
[quote
Like any discussion there are many versions of the truth. It's easy to make one version of the truth seem to be the best when you don't have a clue about the rest of the truths.


[/ QUOTE ]

There is only one "truth"... facts are what was said or done.. the rest is ALL STORY....

One of the main problems with men in this country is they lack the distinction between facts and story. And then they get very attached to their stories.

Note: the above statement is not fact... its just a story..

can we get back to the step cut now?

ps to Tom's credit, I've made all kinds of derogatory statements about him, both publicly and much more so in PMs.. he takes it well..
 
The usefulness of the step cut depends a lot on your equipment and how you handle the wood. I've always hated dealing with the big rounds left from flush cutting a stump. My chipper takes 17" high x 21" wide, so most 1/2 rounds will fit with very little effort, as long as they are less than 17" high. The dump charges an extra $45 if there is wood mixed in with the chips.

As far as using it aloft, the strength of the step can allow a climber or bucket operator to safely descned and get himself and the bucket out of harms way before calling for the pull. The need is going to be rare, but could save a life in certain situations. I've used it once to pull a large backleaning top into the only possible drop zone, which was right where the bucket was parked... Also used it to allow me to put the saw away and push the but with both hands from the bucket. Mostly use it to just get back for a good camera angle..
 
[ QUOTE ]
I've used it once to pull a large backleaning top into the only possible drop zone, which was right where the bucket was parked.

[/ QUOTE ]

Granted, but could you not rig the top down in the same amount of time it took to come down and move the truck?
The question comes back to the benefit derived from using this cut.

I should add that leaving your truck under a top that has been compromised is a risk in itself before you have a chance to move it.
 
Re: shlep cut

Maybe your species of trees don't split with the grain as easy as what I work with, but I would call the tree loose and ready to go once the two backcuts bypass. Minimal holding diference between one level backcut and your step cut.


Here's what I do and the reasons I do it.
On a solid normal tree I place my notch at the most comfortable working height. Waist height or as high as comfortable. This way I'm not on my knees for visibility and mobility. Decay normally will be found near the ground. The roots also start swirling the grain low which could make for stonger fibers. You have some justification there. I save the low cut for the last thing before the rake, because I assume there will be grit in the wood and the chain will dull. Also nice to do the low cut when there's no weight on it.

I can't believe you haven't scared yourself with some of your techniques enough to realize they may not be safe. Your either lucky or disregard the failures and near misses. The landscapes I work are mostly native with wild underbrush and I don't even pound them the way you hammer some pretty nice trees.

I'm certainly not saying I'm better your worse. Looks like your running a successful operation. You know some poulan owners are watching or even influential young arborists so if I was making videos and putting them out for public information I'd stick with my best work. Or describe the step cut as an option in cerain situations (what I'm not sure) not as the solution to all your felling needs. BTW I'm mostly mad at all the snow that came down here yesterday. What a winter we're already having I hope it picks up as I've got more work lined up than any other winter.
 
Re: slep cut

OK, Daniel, before you go off on Bo here, take notre that he hasn't called you a pussy or anything else. He's asking reasonable questions and showing concern. HE IS NOT TRYING TO MAKE YOU LOOK BAD, or even tell you you're wrong.

Now consider that with a few predictable exceptions, most people asked questions this way when you first started posting videos here... and you got all agitated about it anyway and decided to take the whole forum on. YOU are making yourself look bad and persisting instead of re-evaluating your behavior makes you look kinda dense.

BTW those are stories, practically every fact can be disputed, fact is a matter of perspective just like stories are.
 
Re: shlep cut

That's ok Blinky I can defend my techniques or know when someone else is right and I'm wrong. No problem. I think back to my two girth hitch concept. It went for two pages till someone asked how would I tie the second girth midline. I may of been jimmied up for that one. Oops.
 
Re: shlep cut

Daniel that video was much better . As for the bore cut , I will most always bore cut to set hinge. Seems like a no brainer to me. On a straight drop the hinge is set and i'm finishing out the back cut in the direction of my escape route. This tecnique is also very useful with trees larger than your saw and trees that need multiple wedges. That being said I don't leave a step that large if any at all but that is because I don't use equipment to pull trees over. It looks like you have enough rigging gear to set up m.a. Force on your lines is easier to calculate and gets rid of those "don't break that rope" situations .
 
Much better video!

I've always just used a conventional notch and backcut when bombing wood from a bucket, and I've always moved out of the way before signaling to the person on the pull line. I just leave enough hinge to hold the wood until it gets pulled. Maybe if I practiced the step cut enough on the ground, I'd feel comfortable using it up in a tree. But I don't see much advantage in using it. Thanks for posting. I can't say I didn't learn anything from it. Also...nice chaps. Hope you use them when NOT getting filmed for the big screen too! You will probably be famous one day.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Much better video!

...Maybe if I practiced the step cut enough on the ground, I'd feel comfortable using it up in a tree. But I don't see much advantage in using it...

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. Much better video.

I can see the points Daniels is making.

But, my observation (from viewing a video only) is that the tops he is sending to the ground are rotating a little more than desirable. It looks like the large step, on the back side, is moving over the hinge wood (as a fulcrum). Therefore, the step is creating a fulcrum effect for the tops to over rotate.

But, the spars seem to impact the groud horizontally. Which, IMO would be more desirable to create less impact on the turf. Even though he is falling some huge spars and they are still damaging the turf.
smirk.gif


Will I use the technique? I don't think so.
 
Here is sort of a lame video I put together. I was trying to get the top to land perfectly horizontal. I didn't accomplish that in this shot. But, I was also above a home. And the limb did not kick back even a little.

There are other details in the video.

It's a slow production because of all the script I put in. (I don't have a mic). If I had I mic, it would be a shorter and faster paced video.

Blowing Out a White Fir Top
 
[ QUOTE ]
What is on your wrist? Does that thing read wind speed?
grin.gif


Or is it some kind of solar energy collector for your camera?

[/ QUOTE ]

Seems to be the start and stop buttons to his helmet cam...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom