I put this video together on a rainy morning to show some more examples of the benefits and use of the plunged vertical snap cut. The 3 trees here are large, 26-33” DBH, with the first ash being well over 100’ tall. Also note the very first short clip is a slow motion replay of the still camera shot of the “tripping a widowmaker” video on the hung tulip spar. Many viewers thought the drop caught me as unanticipated. That is a misinterpretation. It was really the cameraman who was not ready for the drop. His camera motion was quite sudden and jerky. However the still camera reveals the calm, cool, and collected look on my face as the piece drops and I step back and look up.
Also note at 3:42, on the slow motion replay of the second cut on the big ash drop, you can see a large hanger falling just after the piece drops. It is these and other overhead hazards that pose the greatest threat to the faller, and NOT the “spear cut” butt of the dropping tree. As long as the piece is not tip heavy, the butt will fall reliably straight down, and slightly forward, away from the faller.
Also note that leaving a top strap does little to slow the piece down when it is attached to the stump. It is only after the tree is off the stump that both sides of the cut can move and allow the tree to rip down in a slower movement. There it is a judgment call as to how much top strap to leave, depending on the forces affecting the drop and the characteristics of the wood fibers. I was forced to release all the trips on the ash and beech, by cutting the top straps, as I had left too much wood on the top straps in those cuts. Note however, that this is still acceptable and puts the faller in no more danger that tripping it from the bottom. On the second cut of the large ash, you can clearly see I was able to actually take a step back from the tree when I reached up to release the top strap with a high cut. Releasing the top strap by making top cut from one side, then the other, rather than reaching from one side, allows the faller to stand just a little farther back from the tree.
Also notice that one of the best benefits of this technique is that it prevents the bar from getting pinched, no matter how the forces are causing tension and compression in the wood fibers. And it is just faster and easier than using many other suggested methods. I’d love to see a video demonstration of a face and backcut with wedges, or key cut on trees this big and heavy (or any other recommended method). Words are cheap. Put up some video and show your recommended methods in action.
The only down side I can see to this technique is the tendency of the saw to kick back a bit during the plunge, especially as the tree gets straighter. That is why it is important to get used to plunging on simple bucking and falling cuts. This is not the time to learn to use the plunge. Also note, I have refined my cutting technique a bit since some of these cuts were made, and would not cut them quite the same today, though the basic merits of the technique are still well demonstrated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0j69NCIKfw
