thank you for the compliment.. That was really nice to hear.. Lots of ways to skin a cat and so nice to be able to give and receive these videos... stay safe and stay in touch
I am so happy I've found your channel, you seem to have a great deal of knowledge on a variety of topics. Thank you for sharing, I am a young guy in my 20's so I'll listen to this kind of experience any chance I get
Absolutely good advice from a fellow professional timberman. I miss those days although on occasion I do get called to come make difficult and dangerous cuts. Got a job this summer with 2 big popular standing with heavy lean over a church. They are easy access so I feel should be pretty straightforward job. Controlled directional felling takes knowledge experience and confidence in what you can do.
The plunge cutting technique is standard fare in the Game of Logging training... Particularly useful with leaning trees. I haven't had a barber chair yet with the technique.
Being able to "read" a tree before even sticking a saw in it tells you how you can and should cut a tree.That's everything from say a rock you see sticking out of the ground that may be grown into the tree and possibly making the bottom hollow,to a limb missing and there is bark worn off around where it used to be which would probably be at least a squirrel den and also possibly rotted the tree.Then you have imperfections in the bark,was it a nail,was it split by a gust of wind and grew over? It takes a good while to learn how to "read" them,then the easy and my favorite part starts. It's great dropping 5-6-7' dia trees with a 24" bar.It's the only size bar I've ever needed here on the East Coast logging.
Daniel Murphey is the man I have watched and learned from his videos even though he says they are not "training videos" the widow maker trip is something I learned before I needed it thankfully
I'm really liking your videos so far! The Skil saw tips and tricks are the ones that are immediately useful as well as the one on square spikes. Your metal shop is awesome. Had I know about you three or four weeks ago I would have stopped by as I was in northern CA. Keep up the great work! I also suggested your channel to my son.
Black Oak Barberchair at 42 to 45 seconds: Photo taken July 26, 2011, Jefferson County Illinois. I do not know if the cutter came back to get it down. I would have had to think a while on how to do that safely! Always glad to share! David N
I was a wildland fire fighter sawyer as a prisoner for cal fire. Out of my few thousand hours running a wee 24" bar on a sthil ms461,a few hundred of those hours were dedicated to mop up after containment line is in order. For a Sawyer,mop up was taking the hazard trees,cat faced,burned,still on fire,snags,widow maker havens,etc. California is home to many diff. oaks, and all are to be sounded and canopy checked,respected and feared. They are killers,mainly because of the uneven weight distribution/heavy lean. This brings me to the boring back cut. Our best method to avoid thee " barber chair". Wedge early and wedge often works with firs,but oaks...better left to those who understand physics and tree biology. Next subject: drop start(the controversies)
thanks for the tip on Daniel Murphy's channel. I've been enjoying your channel so much, I've burned through all your posts. So, I'm re-watching from the beginning.
..Mi-Tee beautiful part of the country yall have there!! We call a tree that splits like that a Widow Maker or a Year's Vacation. I haven't used the Plunge Cut Method yet, mostly because i haven't had to cut one bigger than 24" across. On the back cut normally i'll go toward the hinge at a slight angle. Great information and Nice video...
Thank you for your instructive videos, Sir. You are a really skilled man.The more I wonder that plunge cut technique is new to you. It`s common here in europe when cutting bigger diameters or hangers.
I've been a hobbyist woodworker for ~17 years now and am quite surprised at the color variation between the heartwood and sapwood in that white oak. Not that I've worked white oak much (QSWO is pretty spendy around here), but I never realized it had such color variation. Was under the impression that only black walnut had a color difference that pronounced.
Chris, this is Garry Oak from Oregon, you are correct it has vastly different colors than Eastern White Oak - very perceptive of you. We also have Black Oak out here too, as well as some Black Walnuts. Here's a nice slab that would fool most: www.vanurbantimber.com/slabs-inventory/garry-oak-46f
When your back cut is too high above the undercut it contributes to barberchairing. I quite frequently cut down small hard leaners by cutting 1/3rd of way on compression side and then cut the tension side on the same plane. Like bucking a log. This practice may be frowned upon but it i do it successfully. The same goes for small pistolbutts.
I absolutely love your videos and am amazed at how much craftsman stuff you know! Will you please be my Dad so we can do metal/wood work stuff all day and you can teach me stuff?
Plunge cutting is standard training nowadays. Still times to not use it, but if the tree is big enough to plunge, it’s a good idea to use it, even if you finish the cut with a back cut finishing into what was plunged first.
Hello sir thank you for the great video, I cut wood in Vermont and there are a bunch of different ways to keep nice trees and veneer grade lumber from splitting but one thing I strongly suggest is to avoid the humbolt notch. the traditional and small notch seems to work well for me (cutting the notch facing up). Logger wade is on youtube and is a smart guy to watch fall a tree, he borecuts big timber and even though I don't do it anywhere near the same way he does and I think borecuts are pretty dangerous I like watching him fall wood. thanks again for the video and I like your saw.
For your leaner, why did you cut right out from the back? Totally on board with bore cut to take tension out the wood. But we over here are taught to leave a strap or dog tooth at the back you can nip off.
A guy I commonly watch (Logger Wade on RUclips) does all sorts of those neat cuts. They do exclusively hardwood, and I see the plunge cut commonly, as well as things like a triple-hinge which I don't even know what is.
Great videos!!!! I was wondering, i love my 044 and was thinking of going with a 32 or 36" bar. Are you running a skip chain on your set up? And what are your thoughts on the bar?
I just took another look.. you may want to be a little more careful about bypass on the face cuts.. Even a slight bypass can make the difference on a tree prone to BBC.. I personally suck at cutting humboldts, but you could use a lower face and cut it with a traditional or open face and end up with the same log for milling... Either way the bore cut is a good way to prevent BBC and you could center bore the hinge rather than take out the sides to prevent fiber pull... You also get more control on side leaner by leaving the outer portion of the hinge in tact and taking out the center.
Yeah - I love the humboldt because the log stays better, not to mention that’s how I learned but in either case a bore cut a couple inches behind the hinge (ideally with wedges but logging is rarely ideal) saves you some log and in some cases your life. Also the worst part about his bypass is that it was actually up from him, meaning if it were severe enough to cause the tree to go sideways he could end up squish squashed
When I do the plunge cut I always stop before I'm all the way thru and finish from behind. I also often drive in a wedge before the final cut as it takes a lot of time and possible damage to the sword getting your saw unstuck. This lets me stand as far back as I can while maintaining good balance. This is especially important when felling windfall (is that the correct word in English?) I am always prepared to throw the saw and jump away when I do this. Logging is serious business. Inexperienced loggers should take a course, our local forestry office provides beginner and advanced training, and it's mandatory if you're working professionally. This is in Norway, but I don't think that it's that different in the US
Sometimes I have to do some of the cut from inside the wedge, the hinge is not compromised by this. Here most people use a 14" sword, anything longer becomes unwieldy in the terrain, especially when removing branches after felling. Amost none of our forests are on flat ground like in this video.
Frode Haugsgjerd dude there is no mandatory training here but you can go to college for forestry or logging. Most people learn the trade on the job here. Most timber cutters in the logging industry in the united states will use at least a 28" bar on their saw. Most will be a 32" or 36" bar on a stihl 044/440, stihl 066/660, or even 372xp/385xp husqvarna. If it is older timber you will even see lots of big 90-100+cc saws with 48" or larger bars like MS880's and older 090's. When you drop down to arborist services and residential land clearing/tree removals youll see smaller saws in the 50cc/20" bar range and 12-14" bars on top handle climbing saws.
You can plug a mic into your iphone somehow. There are youtube vids on that. I'd encourage you to get real camera equipment though. Your content is outstanding and deserving of good capture. Small still cameras with excellent video capability are the way to go I think and then you can interchange lenses. The perfect camera for the kind of stuff you're doing here and the stuff I do is not out yet, but there are cameras that are close and something truly capable and near perfect, yet affordable will be out soon. I still use on camera sound on my sony cameras. Not the best, but adding external sound adds extra work and hassle in post production.
I am by no means an expert. watching previous videos about you and Father and various logging experience which I truly enjoyed. my relevant question, you use a downward face cut. I seem video on using a 70° face cut. your thoughts or is there a time to use either? that cut recommendation came from Husqvarna video. thank you for sharing really enjoy from an old carpenter myself
The 70 degree notch is so the stump stays attached to the tree, gets u more into the living part of the tree. Fibers bend more kinda thing. I never use it, good for rookies to learn though
I've felled quite a few trees in my day but I seldom think things through like you can. I wish I was more clear headed. I tend to simplify most things. Maybe this is bad, maybe this is good. I reckon it's subjective. I remember once felling a perfect veneer red oak about 2 foot DBH with a clear 20 foot at least to the fork. Damn thing split right up the middle just as pretty as if a laser cut it when I dropped it. Sound logs, sound tree, fork hit just right and it was like magic. But I about threw a fit.
I learned a very good lesson this Christmas. Up in Glide I saw and committed on two pines that looked dead to me. One up hill to my shop and one down hill to my road. During that high winds Saturday we had both trees came down. One blocking my road and the other came down across my shop broke off 20' in the air. Glad no one was hurt. I was riding my dirt bike high up on the mountains above the ranch. I took a break had my helmet off enjoying the clear windy day. Heard that tree break and crash down hard on some structure with a metal roof perhaps. Yes it was my shop that the tree fell onto. Lesson learned the hard way.
I may have missed it, but any reason for the humboldt cut? I've been playing with both the plunge back cut and doing open faced face notches. The open face notches seem to make for gently falling trees. Sometimes they don't even quite detach from the stump or just sort of sit there, which could be good or bad. Do you ever use them? I just saw someone use it and started using them to find out what happens. The plunge back cut seems better all around if I can get the saw started in safely. It's fun too. I leave a trigger though and release the trigger from the outside. Learned that on youtube as well! Looks like we live in similar habitat, probably not too far away. My neighbor has one of those white oaks down. Planning to get over there and cut some choice pieces for wood working and lathe wood. I'm going to try making axe handles with it as well. I've heard that the old time handle wood around here, and also used for axels and other places where a tough wood was needed, used the Maul Oak, AKA Canyon Live. I've worked on it a little and it seems stringy and tough like hickory. The Oregon White you're cutting Seems similar. Also, I know white oak was used for axe handles on the east coast. Different species of course, but same group. Those logs look outstanding. I have a few similar that I may be able to harvest at some point. I love those open white oak woodlands. One or our more beautiful habitats here.
I'm in NorCal, but I figured you were somewhere between southwestern Oregon and here, though I guessed closer. Thanks. There is so much to learn and so much local preference. some of it is probably for good reason and some is probably just doing what other people do and teach us. The internet is broadening our horizons.
I have definitely noticed that fiber tear on a humboldt is fairly immediate. ANother way to put that is that the traditional or open face will hold on an addition 10º or more after the face closes while the hinge fibers break. Because it takes longer to break the hinge fibers the exact point of separation s less predictable. For this reason I like to use the humboldt on jump cuts, its more predictable when separation will take place, and almost certainly takes less energy to break the hinge, allowing the momentum of the top to continue with less slow down. There are a few other reasons that loggers prefer the humboldt, not the least of which is that its much less likely to split the trunk, if the but slides off and hits ground before the top. great for loggers. we don't get paid for timber so I prefer the open face in general
The main reason for the Humboldt ( undercut ) cut , is a safety factor when felling timber uphill, the tree is less likely to back up over the stump, and wind up in your lap ...
Had this happen once on a huge hollow eucalypt, any suspect tree now gets bound with chain and dog cramp above the cut, works fine ,,, no more nasty surprises.
Quit using Humboldt notch. Use open face notch for control clear to the ground. You don't want it to brake as it's falling. If your hinge breaks you have no control. Like a door with no hinges won't swing where you want it.
Not much you can do if your tree has a different idea of coming down than you have. Be careful is not good advice. Be careful by plunge cutting is one piece of good advice. I'll bet experience with other aspects is also important.
I watched this video a couple of days ago and there were a couple of things that kept bugging me. Another way of preventing barber chair is to wrap (a good sized) ratchet strap or cable around the butt log just above your cut essentially eliminating the chance of splitting. Second, I thought about the "pulling of core fibers, two things come to mind. 1) if the opening of your notch is too small (narrow) then the hinge will close before the tree has fallen far enough to break off. I know that there are some advantages to this, as the tree will tend to "jump" off of the stump, I personally don't like that, but this could be why the core is being pulled out like that. 2) Perhaps your notch is too shallow, there are as many arguments about this as there are sawyers, personally I go about 1/3 of the diameter for my depth, and have not really had an issue with this condition. (white oak is one of the most common trees in my area). One other note, the plunge cut is great, until you run into a tree with a rotten core. I have had the tree sit down on my saw and had to use a second one to drop the tree. Thanks for the great videos!
I have had to cut trees with splits in them already and used chain and binder to hold it together. Getting it unhooked after the tree is on the ground is a chore!
a more useful response would be to point out that they may restict movement, and can be hot. However in the plunge cut (other than the entry) wazza gonna happen? You are far more likely to end up with the saw trapped, than have it kick back and hit you in the upper body, and I am not sure how you would have it cut your legs. In the undercut, the whole tree is blocking you from cutting your legs, and the tip isn''t in to get a kick. I find I need them more for general rushing around limbing and clearing. They only saved me once, and that is enough, but it was probably me being tired. Felling a few specimen trees isn't all that hard on the body, the hard part is cutting them into planks with the alaska mill.
Damn. This guy is an actual genius. So many trades, so much knowledge.. You think... "It's just cutting a tree down.. cut it, don't let it fall on anyone. Boom. Done. What could be so hard about that!?" Boy is that ignorant. I had no idea there was so much to chopping a tree down... he thinks of stuff average people wouldn't, god I'd absolutely kill someone if I tried this, I didn't even consider looking at the upper foliage, checking for branch direction and weight... in hindsight that obviously would affect the balance of the tree, and its center of gravity. Incredible. This guy has more knowledge than 50 average idiots who sit on Facebook all day. I wish I could be his intern, or go-fer for a year and absorb his knowledge! That would be incredible. If EC and Jimmy Diresta ever met, I think the world would implode.... Then the two of them would repair it, with a bandsaw, and a giant anvil! Hahaha
I'd like to see you wedge over a back leaner with a 1/3 depth undercut. Not trying to sound like a jackass, but the actual formula being taught is: 1/3 for front leaners, 1/4-1/5 on straight or side leaner and 1/6 for back leaners. The deeper the undercut is, the less leverage you have and less space for wedges. With 1/3 if you have to wedge a tree not only do you tend to run out of space for wedges you also don't have as much leverage going for you.
I can see that you are the consomet (?) professional. Namely you break the rules only when you need to and you do it foreknowledge. Barberchairing is not something I've ever delt with. It seems to happen only ? in hardwoods. So !!! could you prevent it by securing a collar tie (ie heavy chain) ,around the base of the tree just above your cut line ?
thank you for the compliment.. That was really nice to hear.. Lots of ways to skin a cat and so nice to be able to give and receive these videos... stay safe and stay in touch
Been a carpenter my whole life from deep generations. We seem much alike but you my brother are like no other. Always an honour and a pleasure. Cheers
What CAN'T this guy do?
plasmathunderdx Maybe fly.
Cue next week's video where he builds a working replica of the Wright brother's first plane with the wood he just harvested.
He can't cut the kind of trees I can haha LOL
Be my grandpa :(
He's a Life Long Learner!! Who I'd bet reads a lot, watches other tradesmen and asks questions about their craft. Curiousity is a great thing!
I am so happy I've found your channel, you seem to have a great deal of knowledge on a variety of topics. Thank you for sharing, I am a young guy in my 20's so I'll listen to this kind of experience any chance I get
Is there anything you can't do/don't know .... man, you are a gift to the next generation, thanks for passing your knowledge on
Absolutely good advice from a fellow professional timberman. I miss those days although on occasion I do get called to come make difficult and dangerous cuts. Got a job this summer with 2 big popular standing with heavy lean over a church. They are easy access so I feel should be pretty straightforward job. Controlled directional felling takes knowledge experience and confidence in what you can do.
It's just amazing all you need to know about falling a tree. So many hazards..Not for amateurs by any means!
The plunge cutting technique is standard fare in the Game of Logging training... Particularly useful with leaning trees. I haven't had a barber chair yet with the technique.
I was just going to say this. I learned the technique from Soren Ericsson. He says he invented it, I can't confirm that, but it does work well.
Being able to "read" a tree before even sticking a saw in it tells you how you can and should cut a tree.That's everything from say a rock you see sticking out of the ground that may be grown into the tree and possibly making the bottom hollow,to a limb missing and there is bark worn off around where it used to be which would probably be at least a squirrel den and also possibly rotted the tree.Then you have imperfections in the bark,was it a nail,was it split by a gust of wind and grew over?
It takes a good while to learn how to "read" them,then the easy and my favorite part starts.
It's great dropping 5-6-7' dia trees with a 24" bar.It's the only size bar I've ever needed here on the East Coast logging.
I was just gonna recommend the bore cut or “trigger cut” as we call it. Nice safe cut
You should check out buckin billy ray smith, he's a true professional
Thanks for showing this, it will give me food for thought.
Daniel Murphey is the man I have watched and learned from his videos even though he says they are not "training videos" the widow maker trip is something I learned before I needed it thankfully
I'm really liking your videos so far! The Skil saw tips and tricks are the ones that are immediately useful as well as the one on square spikes. Your metal shop is awesome. Had I know about you three or four weeks ago I would have stopped by as I was in northern CA. Keep up the great work! I also suggested your channel to my son.
I enjoy the variety in your videos, it's useful to us contractors who are in to a little bit of everything. I'm looking forward to new videos.
Black Oak Barberchair at 42 to 45 seconds: Photo taken July 26, 2011, Jefferson County Illinois. I do not know if the cutter came back to get it down. I would have had to think a while on how to do that safely! Always glad to share! David N
Good video even without the autostabilization. Your content is more important to me then a perfect video feed.
Love all your videos, more of these please.
Another vid with great information passed on and of value to your viewer's, awesome!
I always enjoy your videos and learn something new, will keep that in mind for my next tree cutting project
The plunge cut is called a bore cut. A lot of guys will use it on green, springy trees and trees with a lot of lean. Nice lumber in your future!
I was a wildland fire fighter sawyer as a prisoner for cal fire. Out of my few thousand hours running a wee 24" bar on a sthil ms461,a few hundred of those hours were dedicated to mop up after containment line is in order. For a Sawyer,mop up was taking the hazard trees,cat faced,burned,still on fire,snags,widow maker havens,etc. California is home to many diff. oaks, and all are to be sounded and canopy checked,respected and feared. They are killers,mainly because of the uneven weight distribution/heavy lean. This brings me to the boring back cut. Our best method to avoid thee " barber chair". Wedge early and wedge often works with firs,but oaks...better left to those who understand physics and tree biology.
Next subject: drop start(the controversies)
thanks for the tip on Daniel Murphy's channel. I've been enjoying your channel so much, I've burned through all your posts. So, I'm re-watching from the beginning.
..Mi-Tee beautiful part of the country yall have there!! We call a tree that splits like that a Widow Maker or a Year's Vacation. I haven't used the Plunge Cut Method yet, mostly because i haven't had to cut one bigger than 24" across. On the back cut normally i'll go toward the hinge at a slight angle. Great information and Nice video...
Thank you for your instructive videos, Sir. You are a really skilled man.The more I wonder that plunge cut technique is new to you. It`s common here in europe when cutting bigger diameters or hangers.
How is this guy a master at everything he does 😱
Keep them coming, love the channel so far
I've been a hobbyist woodworker for ~17 years now and am quite surprised at the color variation between the heartwood and sapwood in that white oak. Not that I've worked white oak much (QSWO is pretty spendy around here), but I never realized it had such color variation. Was under the impression that only black walnut had a color difference that pronounced.
Chris, this is Garry Oak from Oregon, you are correct it has vastly different colors than Eastern White Oak - very perceptive of you. We also have Black Oak out here too, as well as some Black Walnuts. Here's a nice slab that would fool most: www.vanurbantimber.com/slabs-inventory/garry-oak-46f
I've cut a few tall trees down, and fell them exactly where I wanted them to go. But I DO NOT LIKE IT! "Be careful" is a huge understatement.
Still think your notch should be 70-90 degrees or else it will be more likely to tear the wood.
Scott is a true -to-life American!!!!! GOD loves him!!!
Amazing videos! Thanks for all the insights! Keep up the good work.
the man knows his stuff.
When we cut trees, I was learned to bore out the heart it works too
When your back cut is too high above the undercut it contributes to barberchairing. I quite frequently cut down small hard leaners by cutting 1/3rd of way on compression side and then cut the tension side on the same plane. Like bucking a log. This practice may be frowned upon but it i do it successfully. The same goes for small pistolbutts.
You just taught me some things I did not know !
I absolutely love your videos and am amazed at how much craftsman stuff you know! Will you please be my Dad so we can do metal/wood work stuff all day and you can teach me stuff?
Plunge cutting is standard training nowadays. Still times to not use it, but if the tree is big enough to plunge, it’s a good idea to use it, even if you finish the cut with a back cut finishing into what was plunged first.
nice, hope I have occasion to use this knowledge some day. thanks for sharing
Gotta love old stihls. Looks like an 044 or 066.
Hello sir thank you for the great video, I cut wood in Vermont and there are a bunch of different ways to keep nice trees and veneer grade lumber from splitting but one thing I strongly suggest is to avoid the humbolt notch. the traditional and small notch seems to work well for me (cutting the notch facing up). Logger wade is on youtube and is a smart guy to watch fall a tree, he borecuts big timber and even though I don't do it anywhere near the same way he does and I think borecuts are pretty dangerous I like watching him fall wood. thanks again for the video and I like your saw.
For your leaner, why did you cut right out from the back? Totally on board with bore cut to take tension out the wood. But we over here are taught to leave a strap or dog tooth at the back you can nip off.
A guy I commonly watch (Logger Wade on RUclips) does all sorts of those neat cuts. They do exclusively hardwood, and I see the plunge cut commonly, as well as things like a triple-hinge which I don't even know what is.
Great video, watched it 3 times so far. Would it be better to cut these in winter when MC is lower?
Thank you for not crushing your dog. Scared the crap out of me to see the dog running free during the felling of the tree. One of my nightmares!
Kids and old people are worse, but yes!
Well done!
This may sound dumb, but could one wrap a chain or heavy strap around the tree, above the cutting location to prevent barber-chairing?
Great videos!!!! I was wondering, i love my 044 and was thinking of going with a 32 or 36" bar. Are you running a skip chain on your set up? And what are your thoughts on the bar?
Looks like a 36" bar standard chain. No skip
I'm a programmer. Why am I watching so many of these videos? :)))
Because you want to change jobs.
How about join the two?
Like make a tree felling video game?
You got it, man. :)
same dude
I learned a thing or two here even though I cut down a bunch of wood. Thanks.
I just took another look.. you may want to be a little more careful about bypass on the face cuts.. Even a slight bypass can make the difference on a tree prone to BBC..
I personally suck at cutting humboldts, but you could use a lower face and cut it with a traditional or open face and end up with the same log for milling... Either way the bore cut is a good way to prevent BBC and you could center bore the hinge rather than take out the sides to prevent fiber pull... You also get more control on side leaner by leaving the outer portion of the hinge in tact and taking out the center.
Yeah - I love the humboldt because the log stays better, not to mention that’s how I learned but in either case a bore cut a couple inches behind the hinge (ideally with wedges but logging is rarely ideal) saves you some log and in some cases your life. Also the worst part about his bypass is that it was actually up from him, meaning if it were severe enough to cause the tree to go sideways he could end up squish squashed
Beautiful channel sir!
You should’ve used Wranglerstars “bottle jack method” 😂
(This is a joke btw)
Shoud take it to sawmill, oak makes great rot ressistant wood for weather exposure and it looks good
When I do the plunge cut I always stop before I'm all the way thru and finish from behind. I also often drive in a wedge before the final cut as it takes a lot of time and possible damage to the sword getting your saw unstuck. This lets me stand as far back as I can while maintaining good balance. This is especially important when felling windfall (is that the correct word in English?) I am always prepared to throw the saw and jump away when I do this.
Logging is serious business. Inexperienced loggers should take a course, our local forestry office provides beginner and advanced training, and it's mandatory if you're working professionally. This is in Norway, but I don't think that it's that different in the US
Sometimes I have to do some of the cut from inside the wedge, the hinge is not compromised by this. Here most people use a 14" sword, anything longer becomes unwieldy in the terrain, especially when removing branches after felling. Amost none of our forests are on flat ground like in this video.
Frode Haugsgjerd dude there is no mandatory training here but you can go to college for forestry or logging. Most people learn the trade on the job here. Most timber cutters in the logging industry in the united states will use at least a 28" bar on their saw. Most will be a 32" or 36" bar on a stihl 044/440, stihl 066/660, or even 372xp/385xp husqvarna. If it is older timber you will even see lots of big 90-100+cc saws with 48" or larger bars like MS880's and older 090's. When you drop down to arborist services and residential land clearing/tree removals youll see smaller saws in the 50cc/20" bar range and 12-14" bars on top handle climbing saws.
James Griffin Spot on, Here in Wa.
You talked about milling these logs on the video. Did you make a video of the milling process?
I beg of you please don't autostabilize the video! Really awkward to watch that wavy camera motion. Otherwise a great video and great information!
You can plug a mic into your iphone somehow. There are youtube vids on that. I'd encourage you to get real camera equipment though. Your content is outstanding and deserving of good capture. Small still cameras with excellent video capability are the way to go I think and then you can interchange lenses. The perfect camera for the kind of stuff you're doing here and the stuff I do is not out yet, but there are cameras that are close and something truly capable and near perfect, yet affordable will be out soon. I still use on camera sound on my sony cameras. Not the best, but adding external sound adds extra work and hassle in post production.
+Essential Craftsman, can you please do a brief video on what setup you chose and why?
great videos thanks for doing them where are you located NW?
I am by no means an expert. watching previous videos about you and Father and various logging experience which I truly enjoyed. my relevant question, you use a downward face cut. I seem video on using a 70° face cut. your thoughts or is there a time to use either? that cut recommendation came from Husqvarna video. thank you for sharing really enjoy from an old carpenter myself
The 70 degree notch is so the stump stays attached to the tree, gets u more into the living part of the tree. Fibers bend more kinda thing. I never use it, good for rookies to learn though
That hinge though 👌
Thank you!
I've felled quite a few trees in my day but I seldom think things through like you can. I wish I was more clear headed. I tend to simplify most things. Maybe this is bad, maybe this is good. I reckon it's subjective.
I remember once felling a perfect veneer red oak about 2 foot DBH with a clear 20 foot at least to the fork. Damn thing split right up the middle just as pretty as if a laser cut it when I dropped it. Sound logs, sound tree, fork hit just right and it was like magic. But I about threw a fit.
I learned a very good lesson this Christmas. Up in Glide I saw and committed on two pines that looked dead to me. One up hill to my shop and one down hill to my road. During that high winds Saturday we had both trees came down. One blocking my road and the other came down across my shop broke off 20' in the air. Glad no one was hurt. I was riding my dirt bike high up on the mountains above the ranch. I took a break had my helmet off enjoying the clear windy day. Heard that tree break and crash down hard on some structure with a metal roof perhaps. Yes it was my shop that the tree fell onto. Lesson learned the hard way.
Ouchhhh!! The wind definitely got right with it down in Roseburg!!
I wrap a chain above my cut and drive wedges into said chain to tighten if a barber chair situation is even hinted at.
I may have missed it, but any reason for the humboldt cut? I've been playing with both the plunge back cut and doing open faced face notches. The open face notches seem to make for gently falling trees. Sometimes they don't even quite detach from the stump or just sort of sit there, which could be good or bad. Do you ever use them? I just saw someone use it and started using them to find out what happens. The plunge back cut seems better all around if I can get the saw started in safely. It's fun too. I leave a trigger though and release the trigger from the outside. Learned that on youtube as well!
Looks like we live in similar habitat, probably not too far away. My neighbor has one of those white oaks down. Planning to get over there and cut some choice pieces for wood working and lathe wood. I'm going to try making axe handles with it as well. I've heard that the old time handle wood around here, and also used for axels and other places where a tough wood was needed, used the Maul Oak, AKA Canyon Live. I've worked on it a little and it seems stringy and tough like hickory. The Oregon White you're cutting Seems similar. Also, I know white oak was used for axe handles on the east coast. Different species of course, but same group. Those logs look outstanding. I have a few similar that I may be able to harvest at some point. I love those open white oak woodlands. One or our more beautiful habitats here.
I'm in NorCal, but I figured you were somewhere between southwestern Oregon and here, though I guessed closer. Thanks. There is so much to learn and so much local preference. some of it is probably for good reason and some is probably just doing what other people do and teach us. The internet is broadening our horizons.
Essential Craftsman
hey
I have definitely noticed that fiber tear on a humboldt is fairly immediate. ANother way to put that is that the traditional or open face will hold on an addition 10º or more after the face closes while the hinge fibers break. Because it takes longer to break the hinge fibers the exact point of separation s less predictable. For this reason I like to use the humboldt on jump cuts, its more predictable when separation will take place, and almost certainly takes less energy to break the hinge, allowing the momentum of the top to continue with less slow down. There are a few other reasons that loggers prefer the humboldt, not the least of which is that its much less likely to split the trunk, if the but slides off and hits ground before the top. great for loggers. we don't get paid for timber so I prefer the open face in general
The main reason for the Humboldt ( undercut ) cut , is a safety factor when felling timber uphill, the tree is less likely to back up over the stump, and wind up in your lap ...
FELLING
Had this happen once on a huge hollow eucalypt, any suspect tree now gets bound with chain and dog cramp above the cut, works fine ,,, no more nasty surprises.
Nice cuts
I was certain someone would’ve commented on the tune of Free Falling
.. and I’m treeeee
Bravo !
Fantastique!
More logging videos, please!
That's the way my great-uncle used to fell all veneer logs
you should watch "game of Logging" video - this is a standard practice, with a 70° face cut
Absolutely love your channel, but didn't someone notice the dog.
Quit using Humboldt notch. Use open face notch for control clear to the ground. You don't want it to brake as it's falling. If your hinge breaks you have no control. Like a door with no hinges won't swing where you want it.
I never knew falling a tree was so complicated - mostly because I never cut one so big or of such hard wood.. whoa..
Could a tree cutting machine (shear) cut an oak tree that size?
Not much you can do if your tree has a different idea of coming down than you have. Be careful is not good advice. Be careful by plunge cutting is one piece of good advice. I'll bet experience with other aspects is also important.
I watched this video a couple of days ago and there were a couple of things that kept bugging me.
Another way of preventing barber chair is to wrap (a good sized) ratchet strap or cable around the butt log just above your cut essentially eliminating the chance of splitting.
Second, I thought about the "pulling of core fibers, two things come to mind.
1) if the opening of your notch is too small (narrow) then the hinge will close before the tree has fallen far enough to break off. I know that there are some advantages to this, as the tree will tend to "jump" off of the stump, I personally don't like that, but this could be why the core is being pulled out like that.
2) Perhaps your notch is too shallow, there are as many arguments about this as there are sawyers, personally I go about 1/3 of the diameter for my depth, and have not really had an issue with this condition. (white oak is one of the most common trees in my area).
One other note, the plunge cut is great, until you run into a tree with a rotten core. I have had the tree sit down on my saw and had to use a second one to drop the tree.
Thanks for the great videos!
I have had to cut trees with splits in them already and used chain and binder to hold it together. Getting it unhooked after the tree is on the ground is a chore!
Nice job, and nice informative video, I'm slowly getting addicted to your channel, excellent videos on the channel.
do you live in oregon?
Wow! I knew something before you did. Lol. Score for me.😁
You sir are a badass
why didn't you just strap tightly steam above cut with ratchet strap to avoid spliting??
That's how I learned.
Awsome
What kind of oak is that? So dark I think of walnut....
you need to look up what is called an open face cut....even safer than notching! be safe out there!
Open face is not used for lumber trees bc you loose more log to it. Humboldt face is the standard.
Check out my name!lol!...softwood Humboldt.....or open face.....hardwood ...open face!
@@leehorselogger don’t see how your name is relevant to the fact you loose board feet using an open face.
plunge cut is the only cut
I noticed that you weren't wearing your chain saw pants. How come? Safety first!! btw, I love your videos. You are a true craftsman!!
a more useful response would be to point out that they may restict movement, and can be hot. However in the plunge cut (other than the entry) wazza gonna happen? You are far more likely to end up with the saw trapped, than have it kick back and hit you in the upper body, and I am not sure how you would have it cut your legs.
In the undercut, the whole tree is blocking you from cutting your legs, and the tip isn''t in to get a kick. I find I need them more for general rushing around limbing and clearing. They only saved me once, and that is enough, but it was probably me being tired. Felling a few specimen trees isn't all that hard on the body, the hard part is cutting them into planks with the alaska mill.
Damn. This guy is an actual genius. So many trades, so much knowledge..
You think... "It's just cutting a tree down.. cut it, don't let it fall on anyone. Boom. Done. What could be so hard about that!?"
Boy is that ignorant. I had no idea there was so much to chopping a tree down... he thinks of stuff average people wouldn't, god I'd absolutely kill someone if I tried this, I didn't even consider looking at the upper foliage, checking for branch direction and weight... in hindsight that obviously would affect the balance of the tree, and its center of gravity.
Incredible.
This guy has more knowledge than 50 average idiots who sit on Facebook all day. I wish I could be his intern, or go-fer for a year and absorb his knowledge! That would be incredible.
If EC and Jimmy Diresta ever met, I think the world would implode....
Then the two of them would repair it, with a bandsaw, and a giant anvil! Hahaha
Well i mean if you don't want the tree to split maybe don't make your undercut 1/2 the depth of the tree?
I'd like to see you wedge over a back leaner with a 1/3 depth undercut. Not trying to sound like a jackass, but the actual formula being taught is: 1/3 for front leaners, 1/4-1/5 on straight or side leaner and 1/6 for back leaners. The deeper the undercut is, the less leverage you have and less space for wedges. With 1/3 if you have to wedge a tree not only do you tend to run out of space for wedges you also don't have as much leverage going for you.
seeing all that white oak reminds me of how much $$ I have spent buying quarter sawn lumber...
Maybe put a good ol' ratchet tie around the tree before cutting it?
I can see that you are the consomet (?) professional. Namely you break the rules only when you need to and you do it foreknowledge. Barberchairing is not something I've ever delt with. It seems to happen only ? in hardwoods. So !!! could you prevent it by securing a collar tie (ie heavy chain) ,around the base of the tree just above your cut line ?
was there a dog running around out there?
1:25 there is a bear
Cut notch bore heart then back cut
Why cut down these beautiful old trees?
This is kind of an obvious technique when you think about it.