As a retired faller who used to jack big trees on a regular basis, I would like to offer up a Bit of advice that may save you some trouble. When you have a heavy lean in the wrong direction such as the Cedar in the video, NEVER put your undercut in before you start your back cut. You can cut most of your final cut first, cut the notch for the jack next, being carful to make the notch just big enough to slip the jack in without losing precious lifting distance of the jack. The jack needs to be placed in such a way as to not push the root and collapse and fall out, as well. Next lift the tree with the jack. Then cut your undercut, lift the tree, cut, lift, cut and lift. Go slow with the cutting, and follow with the jack and wedges. Also, don’t try to swing the tree with a dutchman or any felling trick like that. Try to go 180 degrees opposite of the lean, and NEVER trust a Cedar to keep a hinge at the stump. Your undercut should be about 6 inches below the final cut to allow the hinge to flex a bit more with all of the tension you’re putting on the hinge. Again don’t trust Cedars. Good luck, be safe!
It's always nice when you have people with more experience helping with constructive advice. It's what se seem to be losing as a society, the willingness to listen to people with more experience (wisdom), who've mad the mistakes we are about to make. I hope your message is seen, I truly miss the days where people giving advice wasn't an insult, but help to avoid catastrophic mistakes.
That sounds like the voice of experience talking. And it all makes so much sense. As much as I admire Jake, I admire this comment just as much! Lotsa love from 🇨🇦 .
@Bushman9 the humps or bulges around the base of the tree. It's better to place Jack's and wedges in the crease of those humps because the outter most sections can break off
These types of videos are so important. Not every arborist would share something they are not proud of, but Jake does to help educate the viewer. Awesome job boys!
Filming is just like felling trees, public speaking, or anything else. Once you do it enough that your comfortable with it, it doesn't really affect your mental state. In the very beginning it might have increased pressure and been distracting, but he's been filming long enough that it's just a matter of pushing a button before making the cut. Once he made that back-cut it became his responsibility to get that tree down one way or another with or without the video. He ended up in a situation where the safest thing to do was still pretty dangerous. Every tree worker ends up in that situation sometimes which is why it's the most dangerous profession in the US (and why tree work is expensive). Fortunately everything went Ok and he was able to bring us along. Once your used to filming I don't think the GoPro makes matters any more or less dangerous, but certainly you should prioritize safety if there is ever a situation where that is the case.
With a second person doing the filming, Jacob was just broadcasting his own internal dialogue for the benefit of people who still want to learn and he's so used to letting that internal flow come out of his mouth already. The backup of a second experienced person behind the camera is also why talking helps as it provides an instant second opinion to bounce ideas off. I also know that Jacob will ditch the whole filming part if it becomes a distraction from the job. Personally, I'm grateful for the insights due to the level of information that you can learn from the video 😊
Ppe is sometimes a cause for concern. But speaking from personal experience, metal chip in the eye, is not a pleasant thing. I was lucky, but if i look a certain way, i can see the scar on the cornea. This makes it really easy for me to put up with the draw backs of glasses and/ or shields,(mesh or clear.) I figure i need both my eyes and not an eye, with a patch. Each to their own. I am not out to change peoples work habits. But i will wear ppe, everytime i use my chainsaws.
Thanks for posting this Jake. As the homeowner who has been walking around this tree for 20 years, I'm glad I hired you and its finally down safely. Now I need to figure out how to get that big ass log out of there. Thanks again.
Hey Jake- Love your videos and how open you are with both learning and sharing. As a 20 year Seattle area tree service owner this one was particularly interesting to me-Truth is we don’t usually have such understanding/flexible homeowners around here to bail us out of any miscalculations by letting us fell additional trees. Since you sent a guy up this tree already, why not have him just continue limbing it up to avoid this? You even referenced a video you made where this happened to you before and correctly said it was the lack of momentum that was the issue here. It ended without injury or property damage but it was really sketchy for you to fell those other trees holding this one up. Thats why it’s so important to plan ahead but also have a contingency plan. Once into this one, to be safe and not remove other trees here, I would have used a spider lift and pole chainsaw to trim those branches holding it up. Me and many other guys around would have helped you out with just a quick call. You got a lot of “great job” comments on here and I’m not being mean or a know it all, just straight with you. You never want to depend on luck to get home to your family in this business. You and I both know/knew guys who had their luck run out. Since you get so many views from novices maybe an edit on this video is in order to say “don’t fell trees under other partially felled trees- it’s extremely dangerous” also for the love of god- wear eye protection. Thanks for sharing. Be safe.
Old climber here. While you were up in the tree limbing it to reduce weight, why not go up a little higher and put a line in it? Tension on it would have helped your lay.
As a former faller don't ever go out in the line of fall and turn your back on the tree. I know of some fallers who have died doing that. Take care and be safe I care about you.
A brilliant artist at the National Film Board convinced a generation of Canadians not to turn their back on a falling tree. He probably saved thousands.
I don't know anything about felling trees - but I thought that he should have put another person by the big tree to listen for signs, and shout if it was showing signs of movement.
Notice that the camera man was in direct (opposite) line of the fall. Because inertia, this is one of the places where it would go if something went wrong.
Interesting work. I have cut a lot of trees down using very similar techniques. None quite this big, although some of the oaks were 2.5 to 3 ft in diameter. I use steel splitting wedges to fell, but you must keep the saw away from them of course. And an 8 or 10# sledge to drive them in. If the wedge is not enough, a second wedge on top the first on each side (ie 4 wedges) can be used to help push the tree over. Always show up with lots of wedges. Sometimes a wedge might pop out at you, so watch for that. Never had a failure. I also used another technique on severe leans if the tree is not too big. Go up the tree with rope, and pull up heavy log chain, 15-20 ft or whatever needed. Run chain out to the base of another tree in the direction of fell. Tighten it with come-alongs. Then connect another chain the middle perpendicular, And go to another tree in that direction. Tie the rope there (18,000 # rope, the diameter of barn rope, big) at the tree, and through a pulley connected to the first log chain, and the end back out to a tractor in that perpendicular direction and far enough out to be safe. Start the cuts and keep tension with the tractor, not much, but just enough. And as the cut proceeds, a little more tension on the tractor. Gradually, you can pull the tree in the direction of felling and at some point, it will go. Always keep enough wood in the hings that it cannot break free at the hinge. Never had a failure here, and took down several trees leaning over buildings. I could put a stake out in the direction of felling, and hit it. Proved it to a neighbor. I have one more to do for myself, and that will be my last. Getting too old for this work LOL.
I've been a pro faller 13 yrs .Jack's and caders don't mix . Cut them flares loses hold wood .. block face is good idea but open it up more o. Low side of face cut. .
That crack is the hinge breaking, and breaking because the jack was not centered in the tree. You jacked it off the hinge sideways. The jack should’ve been placed where your wedge went. Your undercut was too shallow, and you could’ve placed the jack in the back before you made your face cut to not allow the tree to sit back. Cedar is brittle and doesn’t hold the hinge well.
Yea I completely agree, especially on the depth of the undercut. Deeper undercut will move the tipping point back and make it a ton easier to bang over
Not much to add. If you worked for me some of your work habits would change. The first change would be your faith in luck. You have a lot of good qualities, you'll make a good tree man and a good leader.
Absolutely no need to apologise for any of that! This tree was a fantastic teaching aid of what to do when things aren't going right. Even though you had to fell those extra trees, your communication was spot on, and your exit strategy put you behind solid trees within a couple of steps. Good job, Jacob! 😊👍👍👍👍👍
I was a bit concerned that positioning the jack under that protruding section could result in a vertical split a bit like a barber chair and make the jack useless , seeing as cedar is a fairly brittle . Glad to see that didn't happen , that first big crack! sound made me stop though , whew !
Very nicely done. I might have opted for another 1.5" depth on your front cut but you can't argue with results that good. Jack placement was in wood that was not likely rotted, gave leverage on the "wrong way" side,,,,, hence jack not likely to sink into the wood, buckle or move...Good choice despite but what other Monday morning quarterbacks might say..
Man Sally’s customer service is above and beyond! I called to ask a question and didn’t leave a message and Lucas called me back. Ordered my son a full kit on the spot and won’t go anywhere else
Limb locked trees are miserably hard to predict, a small well placed limb in the tree can be all it takes to hold it on the stump. Nice job…all went well no day is ever perfect Jake:)
I recognize the handle on your short axe; it's from West Coast Saw. These handles are so ridiculously good. The quality of the wood, grain orientation, and BLO treatment make these one of the best deals in replacement handles.
I've done my fair share of power saw work over the years and still have all my skin and fingers. But that 592 with a 42 inch bar would scare the hell out of me. You have my compete respect Buddy. Stay safe.
Great video and explanations! Was scary just watching you cut those other cedars in front of the already cut up much larger cedar. Obviously dangerous and not something you wanted to or had planned on doing. Thanks for post this!
I hope that you said Sorry to the tree before cutting it down. I always did if i had to fell a magnificent trèe on my property. Its called RESPECT. 😊🎉🎉🎉
Western red cedar. A log that size would make excellent timber, planks especially for outdoor uses. Sheds, cladding, greenhouse wood and for smaller stuff beehives and shingles! Very valuable wood.
This is some good ole raw and true footage that didn’t edit anything out. Way to go keeping it always honest. Every job is different and unique when jacking big trees, especially swelled Cedar’s. I probably would have been in the same situation Jacob. Good job man!
For this kind of thing you'd be hard pressed to find a professional arborist who would wear eye protection. There is essentially 0 risk of anything hitting you in the face when making cuts like these.
I farm for a living and watching your videos has given me the knowledge and confidence to start dropping trees so i can increase my tillable acres on my farm. I’m super appreciative of what you do and all you’ve shared.
Eye protection, they're precious. Also, anyone notice that large trip hazard! C'mon guys, Safety! Safe wishes from a 50 year veteran arborist. ( Retired of course)
Safety glasses, ... hung ups r dangerous. One at a time,,,Felling 2 is bad, 4 is uncalled for. Much safer if you fell 1,2,3 before 4th. U were in a very dangerous area, did you have an escape route planned before. Tricky to watch out for 4 multiple trees. I like using ropes and comalongs to pull tree in proper direction. Glad you didn't get hurt, and no damage to the house or fence.
Good job. With a large tree like that, where you have room for wedging and the jack, as a safety measure it seems that a deeper face cut can give you more hinge wood to hold the tree to overcome the lean. A gap hinge you used has good holding wood properties though, more fiber folding before breaking.
When cutting in danger area best to have assistant with air horn to aarn if tree starting to fall. Can hear air horn over running saw and bail out in safe direction.
I think if your hinge was more toward the middle, it would have helped you a lot. The center of gravity was hard to get that far over to the side of the tree because it was leaning toward the house. Put your jack in first and cut your notch last and you would be able to go a lot deeper to get the hinge more near the middle of the trunk. Scary stuff to get under one that's ready to fall. You got it anyway, great work! Buy a cheapy harbor freight bottle jack that you can stick in there and block up when they get that close too! Great video, I'm watching more!
Love the dude in the smiley face get up. Random stuff out of nowhere cracks me up and is always a good way to start the day. It also amazes me how that little wedge, sometimes with just little hits, can knock over or start the tree moving no matter how big it is. Good stuff. Nice piece of wood also, I can’t wait for scratch and sniff RUclips
Wow, what a fantastic video. That was a wild conclusion, just a few extra fibers on the cedar and that biggun went down. Really happy to see the reality of felling.
Suggestion: have a secondary taller/longer piston less tonnage capable jack to insert and lift wood higher. When your jack maxed out height, it wasn’t high hydraulic pressure, so tag team it with a taller jack.
As someone who doesn’t post my tree work on social media, I can safely say that felling this whole thing from the ground was a bad idea. Take 2 days and show that tree the respect it deserves, should’ve just climbed her and taken at least the top off down small pieces at a time.
You kept your composure quite well great job and kudos on your will power to stay away from sugar. My wife bought a tin of Danish butter cookies home from Sam’s and man them things didn’t last a week.
First of all, good job. No one got hurt and nothing was damaged. Now if I may, say/suggest a thing or two.. Number 1, safe is paramount...! Number 2, the leading indicator(s) in incidents and accidents is/are "slips, trips and falls". That being said, I'd suggest that one would have the immediate area around tree to be felled, clear of any and all tripping hazards. One other safety tid bit, everything is "preventable". I would remind my crue to not put themselves in the position, that later down the road, they won't have to start their story off with , "Well this one time"..... Again good job, please take care and as "Always" be safe.
this is why you use a bull rope instead of a jack and wedges. Just too many factors to rely on really weak wood to do the job for you. A 3/4" rope with a wyeth-scott 3 ton come along makes this job alot easier. hell a cedar can't even take the forces of hitting the ground without breaking all to pieces there's no way I would trust it beside someone's home.
Enjoy watching your videos used to helicopter log cedar blocks all around Enumclaw area on Weyerhaeuser property mostly back in the 90s beautiful country brings back a lot of memories
*A couple questions **_(if you don't mind)._* 1 (Should the worst happen) Do you insist that the home is empty when you cut one this close to a house? 2 How much does insurance cost you? Thanks!
I'm amazed the tree was still standing after all the ones it was leaning on were cut. It always amazes me how much thin branches can hold. You weren't rushing and you were paying attention when it didn't go as planned. Good work Jake 👍
Love your videos! Please don’t ever stop sharing the mistakes along with the successes! Not everyone shares the bad with the good, but it’s refreshing to see someone who does. You’re obviously really good at what you do and it helps the rest of us to see how you work through problems. Keep it up and stay safe!
Not an enviable situation but still went okay in the end, enjoyed watching that. I have a large Ash to cut at my place next spring, with house on one side of fell zone and power lines on the other, will be an interesting drop, patience and well planned should get the job done.
Jake is my 2nd favourite tree feller fella. I'm 🇬🇧. The difference between a professional and an expert like August is an expert can subconsciously estimate C.o.G and forces. Pecking away at a 2 " part of a face cut on a tree that size was like wiping away sawdust. A 2"X2" piece of steel in that pivot point would be twisted like candy.
Its nice to see instructional vids like this.. I would of got my jack postioned first . Then face cut. Back cut. Jack. Bang the wedges. Trim a little more of the holding wood. Jack. Bang wedges. But it was fell on a good spot. No damage.. job well done. Enjoying the content as well😊
A suggestion for premarking your cut line: wrap a rope around the tree, tighten, spray paint over the rope, then remove the rope. This will leave a nice line where the rope was.
great job Jake. great video from Kevin. not all trees behave like we want, but it did come down safely & that is the most important objective - that there are no injuries or worse
It’s Kevin ! Always liked that guy ever since seeing him from your old channel. It’s funny no one in the comment section mentioned his name, does no one remember him ? Gotta give Kevin some credit for the quality filming. Always helps to have a great filmed on site. Anywho, I just went through all of your old videos on the old channel until I found him because some reason I couldn’t remember his name- I’m a face guy 😅 nice video Jake. some folk apparently know it all in the comment section as well, looks like you did the best you possibly could and adjusted accordingly. That’s tree work!
Sorry, but as a professional timber faller in Oregon for over 40 years it doesn't matter about diameter for jacking or wedging. You want pressure on the tree PRIOR to putting the under (face) cut in. Otherwise you are behind from the get go. Your face isn't deep enough. Use a bigger saw with a longer bar, MUCH more accurate!!! Then you know how much holding wood you have and not double cutting. I used up to 60" bars cutting trees up to 9 foot on the stump and 270 feet tall of merch wood. Glad the owner was happy. You got lucky with your jack coming down, usually if you went over the blue line on Silveys they wouldn't and had to be rebuilt. Used up to 6 rams and two pumps on some of those big old growth.
Great job Jake! I was going to say, nothing worse then getting hung up on branches, but an unexpected hallow interior is deadly. Thanks for showing this video and educating us via the journey.
I always love your videos I hope I can become a tree worker like you I have cut trees all my life with my grandfather and was interested in the Industry thanks to you as well
It’s absolutely awesome how you remain focused and undeterred. Maintaining an even strain and working the process to its best outcome is really adrenaline pumping and gratifying to see a professional work out the details in your thinking, thank you.
I used to teach safety classes - this is not a good example Both were way too much into "how to get it on film" than watching step by step what is going on.
Just sharing my experience here, I know you handled that just fine. We’ve got a 12k winch on a receiver sled. It’s a bit of a workout but we’ve packed it and a battery a couple times and strapped it to another tree to use it to pull a hung tree like that. Obviously a throw ball cannon is good to have for that trick.
Hi jake, i was wondering why you didnt temporarely remove the jack so the tree would sit on the wedges, and then add a piece of wood under the jack so you could keep on jacking the tree over? Is this because you didnt fully trust the wedges and the tree would go the other direction again? Anyway, epic video, stay safe!
That's a great alternative plan. Only saw Jake & Gordy use the Traeger jack on one other video. If memory serves me right, didn't Gordy say they weren't being made any longer and replacement parts were almost non-existent.
The tree is so big you climb over 15-20 feet you screw in a big 🔩 bolt for a pulley system and a rope leading to the way you want the tree to fall. Attach another pulley to the closest tree and back to where your cutting the tree Just another way to make sure you go in the right direction
I know hes a good buddy of yours but man. I was just thinking the other day. I miss watching Jed like new videos. If he was just so peaceful to watch amazing man, I never met him. I would have loved to but. Yeah I was just thinking about that the other day god bless jake
Great video. Have you considered adding a time lapse camera to your setup for big jobs like this? It would have been cool to see that slowing moving from a distance.
Been working with certified arborists for 27 years. There’s a lot of ways to fall a tree. I build golf courses and we remove thousands of trees a month. We use jacks etc
It's always a pleasure watching you even if things don't go as planed "exactly " it worked, no destruction and your safe, what more entertainment can a person ask for. Miss that Randy man. Lots of love. Afriend.
I came across your channel a few months back and really enjoy the content. Recently upgraded my old sears 18" saw to an Echo 620PW with a 27" bar. Finally got to use it today and wow. I've gotta hand it to you guys running the 36" plus bars. Thats a lot of saw. Keep up the excellent content.
That’s the first thing I thought is that undercut was real shallow. Not sure how much it would’ve mattered if a limb was hanging the tree up, but you can usually do a deeper face on a bigger tree like that and save some wedging.
It's crazy to think that tree could've stood there for 300, 400 years if it got lucky. I have trees in my yard that I'll literally mourn when they die, I love them and so did my family before me
i've spent 20 thousand dollars trying to save 5 huge trees at my farm from an infestation of beetles that was killing them from within. unfortunately, it was for naught. that plague of beetles is relentless. poor trees, they were beautiful, and provided awesome shade. now it's going to take 90 years to get new ones to where they were.
As a landowner with huge trees including redwoods, yes it’s painful but sometimes necessary for the safety of all. I am willing to bet those people can sleep at night now. These things can’t be helped and no sense looking back.
I haven't cut down a lot of trees so I'm not an expert, but when your jack maxed out I was thinking you could have cut a second jack slot and placed a second jack. If you only have one jack you could also wedge the gap and move the jack to the new slot. Might not be enough to get it past those cedars, but I think it could have been worth a try.
With hind-site, would you have considered trimming some of the top branches that would be likely to hang up in the other trees. I see that back weight branches have been trimmed.
Yeah I should have had Kevin limb it up further, he even asked me “are you sure?” When I said “okay I can fall it now”. I should have had him leave a rope up there as well
You have a good channel. Now stop beating yourself up. You're good! I always say if you don't learn something everyday there is something wrong. So hang in there. I have a small forestry mulching business and I learn something every day. Take care buddy! You make good videos!😊
Wow. Scary. Glad everything came out okay. I was genuinely nervous watching this one! We had a place in Skamania County that had two big stumps from logging in the '30s. One was 4 1/2ft diameter, the other was 5 1/2 ft., one in the front yard and the other in the back. It must have been a sight when those two came down.
20 years i cleared a lot of land for people that didn't want a dozer to come in and do it. we were all standing back one day waiting on a coworker to finish, so we could watch this slightly over 30" wide tree fall. quarter way through the fall looked great, but somehow the right side of the tree held on and turned that tree from falling to 12 o'clock to almost 3. craziest fn thing i ever seen. be safe brother
great job taking down that cedar , that was a big tree to take down. it was scary how the little ones were holding the big cedar up. once removed the big tree fell clean stay safe, and healthy!
I enjoyed this video! Just wondering if you could have wedged up to maintain the existing gap, then lower the jack and insert something between the jack and the tree and then try jacking again.
great work, it's when the unexpected hits that the experience comes in, the way you let those little trees get taken out by the weight of the larger one to give you time to extract was brilliant!
Since you were up in the tree, why didn't you put a pull rope up there? I don't know what was in front of the tree but you could have used a come along to pull it down or a snatch block and pulled it with your vehicle. Any time I'm near a house, pull ropes are my extra insurance. It also looked like your jack was in the wrong place but I wasn't on site so I don't want to sound like a back seat driver. I've had a branch or two on large hard maple and oak that held them up even though they had a good lean and I didn't think I needed a pull rope so I've been there too. Looks like you opened up a window with a nice view so hopefully, the home owner will enjoy it. Be safe!
Not sure if the tree closed on your shallow face cut but that could have been a problem too. Posting the clip helps us all learn so keep up the good work. @@GuiltyofTreeson
THis was a very good video .. not very often to see how to handle a felling job that does not go perfectly as initially planned. This was very good to see how to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. Thank you for sharing this video. Weel Done.
I know that adrenaline rush when you have to go behind the safe zone and do some sketchy stuff. And I don't have the pressure of a camera, homeowners are bad enough 😂 You did really good though, pretty much perfect execution as far as the order of smaller trees to balance staying safe and possibly saving an extra tree or two (didn't happen this time but you tried)
Jake, Assuming there are plenty of wedges in place to hold the tree, does the manufacturer offer flat metal plate shims to place under the jack after its travel is max'd out? That must have been a hard leaner!
..ya im glad to see ur taking safety serious, a bicycle helmet and a leather jacket sure is enugh to stop a chainsaw trow... not to mention that cool t-shirt...
When I was a commercial tree surgeon, I'm retired now, I would always fell difficult trees using a wire rope Turfer hand winch, so much better and safer than wedges. Everyone to his own I guess
As a retired faller who used to jack big trees on a regular basis, I would like to offer up a Bit of advice that may save you some trouble. When you have a heavy lean in the wrong direction such as the Cedar in the video, NEVER put your undercut in before you start your back cut. You can cut most of your final cut first, cut the notch for the jack next, being carful to make the notch just big enough to slip the jack in without losing precious lifting distance of the jack. The jack needs to be placed in such a way as to not push the root and collapse and fall out, as well. Next lift the tree with the jack. Then cut your undercut, lift the tree, cut, lift, cut and lift. Go slow with the cutting, and follow with the jack and wedges.
Also, don’t try to swing the tree with a dutchman or any felling trick like that. Try to go 180 degrees opposite of the lean, and NEVER trust a Cedar to keep a hinge at the stump. Your undercut should be about 6 inches below the final cut to allow the hinge to flex a bit more with all of the tension you’re putting on the hinge. Again don’t trust Cedars. Good luck, be safe!
It's always nice when you have people with more experience helping with constructive advice. It's what se seem to be losing as a society, the willingness to listen to people with more experience (wisdom), who've mad the mistakes we are about to make. I hope your message is seen, I truly miss the days where people giving advice wasn't an insult, but help to avoid catastrophic mistakes.
That sounds like the voice of experience talking. And it all makes so much sense. As much as I admire Jake, I admire this comment just as much! Lotsa love from 🇨🇦 .
Excellent advice from a veteran.
Could I get you to elaborate on placing the jack so it’s “not pushing on the root”?
Thanks
@Bushman9 the humps or bulges around the base of the tree. It's better to place Jack's and wedges in the crease of those humps because the outter most sections can break off
These types of videos are so important. Not every arborist would share something they are not proud of, but Jake does to help educate the viewer. Awesome job boys!
There was no need to kill this tree. Move the house instead. The tree was there a long time before. Shame on you all
@symonsmith3497 Go live in the woods then.
@@symonsmith3497I hope you're not living in America because you appear to be white and the Indians were here first.
@@symonsmith3497you probably don’t know how fast trees get to this size on west coast. It’s quick
woooow. you are as dangerous as them
Dang dude, please don't let the filming get in the way of your safety. We don't wanna lose you brother❤
Filming is just like felling trees, public speaking, or anything else. Once you do it enough that your comfortable with it, it doesn't really affect your mental state. In the very beginning it might have increased pressure and been distracting, but he's been filming long enough that it's just a matter of pushing a button before making the cut. Once he made that back-cut it became his responsibility to get that tree down one way or another with or without the video. He ended up in a situation where the safest thing to do was still pretty dangerous. Every tree worker ends up in that situation sometimes which is why it's the most dangerous profession in the US (and why tree work is expensive). Fortunately everything went Ok and he was able to bring us along. Once your used to filming I don't think the GoPro makes matters any more or less dangerous, but certainly you should prioritize safety if there is ever a situation where that is the case.
@@CrayOutoorsthat is the time you get hurt if you dont think
With a second person doing the filming, Jacob was just broadcasting his own internal dialogue for the benefit of people who still want to learn and he's so used to letting that internal flow come out of his mouth already. The backup of a second experienced person behind the camera is also why talking helps as it provides an instant second opinion to bounce ideas off. I also know that Jacob will ditch the whole filming part if it becomes a distraction from the job. Personally, I'm grateful for the insights due to the level of information that you can learn from the video 😊
When I first saw the title of the video I was thinking "Oh no!" But everything turned out fine.
Well working in.tshirt is not very good
I have alots of metal in my arms, Fortunately they didn punch my veins.
Ppe is sometimes a cause for concern. But speaking from personal experience, metal chip in the eye, is not a pleasant thing. I was lucky, but if i look a certain way, i can see the scar on the cornea. This makes it really easy for me to put up with the draw backs of glasses and/ or shields,(mesh or clear.) I figure i need both my eyes and not an eye, with a patch. Each to their own. I am not out to change peoples work habits. But i will wear ppe, everytime i use my chainsaws.
Thanks for posting this Jake. As the homeowner who has been walking around this tree for 20 years, I'm glad I hired you and its finally down safely. Now I need to figure out how to get that big ass log out of there. Thanks again.
see if you can find someone to turn it into lumber/slabs.
i wodner if you have any amish around, theyd be mroe than happy ot cut it and build a barn or shed for ya lol
Send it to the sawmill.
Call a tree service
Chainsaw mill onsite
Hey Jake- Love your videos and how open you are with both learning and sharing. As a 20 year Seattle area tree service owner this one was particularly interesting to me-Truth is we don’t usually have such understanding/flexible homeowners around here to bail us out of any miscalculations by letting us fell additional trees. Since you sent a guy up this tree already, why not have him just continue limbing it up to avoid this? You even referenced a video you made where this happened to you before and correctly said it was the lack of momentum that was the issue here. It ended without injury or property damage but it was really sketchy for you to fell those other trees holding this one up. Thats why it’s so important to plan ahead but also have a contingency plan. Once into this one, to be safe and not remove other trees here, I would have used a spider lift and pole chainsaw to trim those branches holding it up. Me and many other guys around would have helped you out with just a quick call. You got a lot of “great job” comments on here and I’m not being mean or a know it all, just straight with you. You never want to depend on luck to get home to your family in this business. You and I both know/knew guys who had their luck run out. Since you get so many views from novices maybe an edit on this video is in order to say “don’t fell trees under other partially felled trees- it’s extremely dangerous” also for the love of god- wear eye protection. Thanks for sharing. Be safe.
10/10 comment, really well said. Stay safe
Thank you. I really hope Jake reads it and adds a disclaimer for the novices…..
Old climber here. While you were up in the tree limbing it to reduce weight, why not go up a little higher and put a line in it? Tension on it would have helped your lay.
Great learning video. Thanks!
Paragraph guy!
It's a small detail, but when that first axe swing went clean into the chainsaw cut I gave it a standing ovation. Mentally.
I know I noticed that too, that's accuracy for you right there, I cant even cut two slices of home made bread for sandwiches even.
@@martyreking5487 You cut sandwiches with an axe?
Yes, I was also in awe of the accuracy of those axe swings.
LP l@@DownhillAllTheWay
As a former faller don't ever go out in the line of fall and turn your back on the tree. I know of some fallers who have died doing that. Take care and be safe I care about you.
A brilliant artist at the National Film Board convinced a generation of Canadians not to turn their back on a falling tree. He probably saved thousands.
…and make wooden wedges when you need to. There cheap and act as added safety for wide back cuts when jacking. And jacks can fail.
I don't know anything about felling trees - but I thought that he should have put another person by the big tree to listen for signs, and shout if it was showing signs of movement.
Notice that the camera man was in direct (opposite) line of the fall.
Because inertia, this is one of the places where it would go if something went wrong.
Interesting work.
I have cut a lot of trees down using very similar techniques. None quite this big, although some of the oaks were 2.5 to 3 ft in diameter.
I use steel splitting wedges to fell, but you must keep the saw away from them of course.
And an 8 or 10# sledge to drive them in. If the wedge is not enough, a second wedge on top the first on each side (ie 4 wedges) can be used to help push the tree over. Always show up with lots of wedges. Sometimes a wedge might pop out at you, so watch for that.
Never had a failure.
I also used another technique on severe leans if the tree is not too big. Go up the tree with rope, and pull up heavy log chain, 15-20 ft or whatever needed.
Run chain out to the base of another tree in the direction of fell.
Tighten it with come-alongs.
Then connect another chain the middle perpendicular, And go to another tree in that direction. Tie the rope there (18,000 # rope, the diameter of barn rope, big) at the tree, and through a pulley connected to the first log chain, and the end back out to a tractor in that perpendicular direction and far enough out to be safe.
Start the cuts and keep tension with the tractor, not much, but just enough. And as the cut proceeds, a little more tension on the tractor. Gradually, you can pull the tree in the direction of felling and at some point, it will go. Always keep enough wood in the hings that it cannot break free at the hinge.
Never had a failure here, and took down several trees leaning over buildings.
I could put a stake out in the direction of felling, and hit it. Proved it to a neighbor.
I have one more to do for myself, and that will be my last. Getting too old for this work LOL.
I am always amazed just how much work the wedges actually do in felling trees. Even trees as massive as this one.
If you do the physics math - the force wedges hammered in with axes is pretty incredible.
I've been a pro faller 13 yrs .Jack's and caders don't mix . Cut them flares loses hold wood .. block face is good idea but open it up more o. Low side of face cut. .
That crack is the hinge breaking, and breaking because the jack was not centered in the tree. You jacked it off the hinge sideways. The jack should’ve been placed where your wedge went. Your undercut was too shallow, and you could’ve placed the jack in the back before you made your face cut to not allow the tree to sit back. Cedar is brittle and doesn’t hold the hinge well.
Yea I completely agree, especially on the depth of the undercut. Deeper undercut will move the tipping point back and make it a ton easier to bang over
these children dont have a clue. accidents looking for a place to happen
Not much to add. If you worked for me some of your work habits would change. The first change would be your faith in luck. You have a lot of good qualities, you'll make a good tree man and a good leader.
Watch the video again. The jack was exactly centered.
I had a concern as well pertaining to his placement with the Jack!!!!
Absolutely no need to apologise for any of that! This tree was a fantastic teaching aid of what to do when things aren't going right. Even though you had to fell those extra trees, your communication was spot on, and your exit strategy put you behind solid trees within a couple of steps. Good job, Jacob! 😊👍👍👍👍👍
I was a bit concerned that positioning the jack under that protruding section could result in a vertical split a bit like a barber chair and make the jack useless , seeing as cedar is a fairly brittle . Glad to see that didn't happen , that first big crack! sound made me stop though , whew !
Glad you shared this one Jake. Great job as always staying calm, assessing the situation, and overcoming troubles. You always get em down in the end
jake is a child who should not run mens equipment
Very nicely done. I might have opted for another 1.5" depth on your front cut but you can't argue with results that good. Jack placement was in wood that was not likely rotted, gave leverage on the "wrong way" side,,,,, hence jack not likely to sink into the wood, buckle or move...Good choice despite but what other Monday morning quarterbacks might say..
Man Sally’s customer service is above and beyond! I called to ask a question and didn’t leave a message and Lucas called me back. Ordered my son a full kit on the spot and won’t go anywhere else
Awesome thanks for using SAPPY :)
Don't be sorry. You had a tricky situation, and you handled it like a true pro, and got it down safely and without undue damage! Love your videos!
Limb locked trees are miserably hard to predict, a small well placed limb in the tree can be all it takes to hold it on the stump. Nice job…all went well no day is ever perfect Jake:)
I recognize the handle on your short axe; it's from West Coast Saw. These handles are so ridiculously good. The quality of the wood, grain orientation, and BLO treatment make these one of the best deals in replacement handles.
I've done my fair share of power saw work over the years and still have all my skin and fingers.
But that 592 with a 42 inch bar would scare the hell out of me.
You have my compete respect Buddy. Stay safe.
Retired now but the thrill I used to get controlling the fall to earth between 2 structures is the only thing I miss. Keep safe.
Great video and explanations! Was scary just watching you cut those other cedars in front of the already cut up much larger cedar. Obviously dangerous and not something you wanted to or had planned on doing. Thanks for post this!
I hope that you said Sorry to the tree before cutting it down. I always did if i had to fell a magnificent trèe on my property. Its called RESPECT. 😊🎉🎉🎉
People respect nothing.
dipshit jeff could care less about God's trees.
Western red cedar. A log that size would make excellent timber, planks especially for outdoor uses. Sheds, cladding, greenhouse wood and for smaller stuff beehives and shingles! Very valuable wood.
This is some good ole raw and true footage that didn’t edit anything out. Way to go keeping it always honest. Every job is different and unique when jacking big trees, especially swelled Cedar’s. I probably would have been in the same situation Jacob. Good job man!
You did not appear “ freaked out” very calm and deliberate looking from here. Great job Jake!
Man I just love your eye protection. Remember, "safety, always off" -Cyrus.
Yep, all it takes is one unfortunate incident.
For this kind of thing you'd be hard pressed to find a professional arborist who would wear eye protection. There is essentially 0 risk of anything hitting you in the face when making cuts like these.
I farm for a living and watching your videos has given me the knowledge and confidence to start dropping trees so i can increase my tillable acres on my farm. I’m super appreciative of what you do and all you’ve shared.
Eye protection, they're precious. Also, anyone notice that large trip hazard! C'mon guys, Safety! Safe wishes from a 50 year veteran arborist. ( Retired of course)
Really nice saw. It is great to see videos where stuff goes wrong. I love educational videos . Helps save lives of newbies.
Safety glasses, ...
hung ups r dangerous. One at a time,,,Felling 2 is bad, 4 is uncalled for. Much safer if you fell 1,2,3 before 4th. U were in a very dangerous area, did you have an escape route planned before. Tricky to watch out for 4 multiple trees.
I like using ropes and comalongs to pull tree in proper direction.
Glad you didn't get hurt, and no damage to the house or fence.
Not every arborist would share something they are not proud of, but Jake does to help educate the viewer.
The teamwork and quick thinking at 5:10 made all the difference! Well done! 😊✨
Good job. With a large tree like that, where you have room for wedging and the jack, as a safety measure it seems that a deeper face cut can give you more hinge wood to hold the tree to overcome the lean. A gap hinge you used has good holding wood properties though, more fiber folding before breaking.
He broke the 1/3 rule for the undercut, it’s a critical mistake . I watch a lot of fallers not cut it deep enough . 👍🇨🇦
Good work, sir. Safe ending, no property damage to structures = success!
When cutting in danger area best to have assistant with air horn to aarn if tree starting to fall. Can hear air horn over running saw and bail out in safe direction.
Good job👍
I think if your hinge was more toward the middle, it would have helped you a lot. The center of gravity was hard to get that far over to the side of the tree because it was leaning toward the house. Put your jack in first and cut your notch last and you would be able to go a lot deeper to get the hinge more near the middle of the trunk. Scary stuff to get under one that's ready to fall. You got it anyway, great work! Buy a cheapy harbor freight bottle jack that you can stick in there and block up when they get that close too! Great video, I'm watching more!
Love the dude in the smiley face get up. Random stuff out of nowhere cracks me up and is always a good way to start the day. It also amazes me how that little wedge, sometimes with just little hits, can knock over or start the tree moving no matter how big it is. Good stuff. Nice piece of wood also, I can’t wait for scratch and sniff RUclips
Wow, what a fantastic video. That was a wild conclusion, just a few extra fibers on the cedar and that biggun went down. Really happy to see the reality of felling.
Suggestion: have a secondary taller/longer piston less tonnage capable jack to insert and lift wood higher.
When your jack maxed out height, it wasn’t high hydraulic pressure, so tag team it with a taller jack.
Pull the jack. Nail a 2x4 in place. Replace jack. Gained another 1" and a half.
one thing keep area CLEAR don't leave tools where you can trip over them if you got to move FAST, cleared many large trees.
You have nerves of steel. Kudos for not stopping the video. I noticed that your ever-present laughter wasn't this time. Happy for your success. Rich
Thanks! I certainly thought hard about not posting this 😂
The "What if ?" are the real lessons in life. I learn more from mistakes as what can happen.
Danger, Will Robinson.
Despite the fell not going completely according to plan, a lot of things went right. Clearly you know what you're doing.
As someone who doesn’t post my tree work on social media, I can safely say that felling this whole thing from the ground was a bad idea. Take 2 days and show that tree the respect it deserves, should’ve just climbed her and taken at least the top off down small pieces at a time.
You kept your composure quite well great job and kudos on your will power to stay away from sugar. My wife bought a tin of Danish butter cookies home from Sam’s and man them things didn’t last a week.
First of all, good job. No one got hurt and nothing was damaged. Now if I may, say/suggest a thing or two.. Number 1, safe is paramount...! Number 2, the leading indicator(s) in incidents and accidents is/are "slips, trips and falls". That being said, I'd suggest that one would have the immediate area around tree to be felled, clear of any and all tripping hazards. One other safety tid bit, everything is "preventable". I would remind my crue to not put themselves in the position, that later down the road, they won't have to start their story off with , "Well this one time"..... Again good job, please take care and as "Always" be safe.
this is why you use a bull rope instead of a jack and wedges. Just too many factors to rely on really weak wood to do the job for you. A 3/4" rope with a wyeth-scott 3 ton come along makes this job alot easier. hell a cedar can't even take the forces of hitting the ground without breaking all to pieces there's no way I would trust it beside someone's home.
Wow, when trees decide not to follow the plan, it's a stark reminder of nature's unpredictability. Eager to see how this was handled! 🌳😲
Enjoy watching your videos used to helicopter log cedar blocks all around Enumclaw area on Weyerhaeuser property mostly back in the 90s beautiful country brings back a lot of memories
*A couple questions **_(if you don't mind)._*
1 (Should the worst happen) Do you insist that the home is empty when you cut one this close to a house?
2 How much does insurance cost you?
Thanks!
I'm amazed the tree was still standing after all the ones it was leaning on were cut. It always amazes me how much thin branches can hold. You weren't rushing and you were paying attention when it didn't go as planned. Good work Jake 👍
Love your videos! Please don’t ever stop sharing the mistakes along with the successes! Not everyone shares the bad with the good, but it’s refreshing to see someone who does. You’re obviously really good at what you do and it helps the rest of us to see how you work through problems. Keep it up and stay safe!
Not an enviable situation but still went okay in the end, enjoyed watching that. I have a large Ash to cut at my place next spring, with house on one side of fell zone and power lines on the other, will be an interesting drop, patience and well planned should get the job done.
Jake is my 2nd favourite tree feller fella. I'm 🇬🇧.
The difference between a professional and an expert like August is an expert can subconsciously estimate C.o.G and forces.
Pecking away at a 2 " part of a face cut on a tree that size was like wiping away sawdust.
A 2"X2" piece of steel in that pivot point would be twisted like candy.
Its nice to see instructional vids like this..
I would of got my jack postioned first . Then face cut. Back cut. Jack. Bang the wedges. Trim a little more of the holding wood. Jack. Bang wedges.
But it was fell on a good spot. No damage.. job well done.
Enjoying the content as well😊
A suggestion for premarking your cut line: wrap a rope around the tree, tighten, spray paint over the rope, then remove the rope. This will leave a nice line where the rope was.
that's a 100% waste of time.
great job Jake. great video from Kevin. not all trees behave like we want, but it did come down safely & that is the most important objective - that there are no injuries or worse
It’s Kevin ! Always liked that guy ever since seeing him from your old channel. It’s funny no one in the comment section mentioned his name, does no one remember him ? Gotta give Kevin some credit for the quality filming. Always helps to have a great filmed on site. Anywho, I just went through all of your old videos on the old channel until I found him because some reason I couldn’t remember his name- I’m a face guy 😅 nice video Jake. some folk apparently know it all in the comment section as well, looks like you did the best you possibly could and adjusted accordingly. That’s tree work!
Sorry, but as a professional timber faller in Oregon for over 40 years it doesn't matter about diameter for jacking or wedging. You want pressure on the tree PRIOR to putting the under (face) cut in. Otherwise you are behind from the get go. Your face isn't deep enough. Use a bigger saw with a longer bar, MUCH more accurate!!! Then you know how much holding wood you have and not double cutting. I used up to 60" bars cutting trees up to 9 foot on the stump and 270 feet tall of merch wood. Glad the owner was happy. You got lucky with your jack coming down, usually if you went over the blue line on Silveys they wouldn't and had to be rebuilt. Used up to 6 rams and two pumps on some of those big old growth.
Great job Jake! I was going to say, nothing worse then getting hung up on branches, but an unexpected hallow interior is deadly. Thanks for showing this video and educating us via the journey.
Amy project - if it goes "well" - it's eazy. But solving " problems" takes experience. Well done.
I just cut down my first tree and now I am watching you cut down a tree. Life is good 😊
I always love your videos I hope I can become a tree worker like you I have cut trees all my life with my grandfather and was interested in the Industry thanks to you as well
We all care about you be careful and love the job done there. God bless.
It’s absolutely awesome how you remain focused and undeterred. Maintaining an even strain and working the process to its best outcome is really adrenaline pumping and gratifying to see a professional work out the details in your thinking, thank you.
I used to teach safety classes - this is not a good example Both were way too much into "how to get it on film" than watching step by step what is going on.
I’ve been cutting trees for 25 years but in the woods. The thing I look for when hiring a professional in an urban setting is Liability insurance.
Love that little Jack for sure....... lot of fine wood in a tree of that size ! Good Job. Fell Safe !
Just sharing my experience here, I know you handled that just fine. We’ve got a 12k winch on a receiver sled. It’s a bit of a workout but we’ve packed it and a battery a couple times and strapped it to another tree to use it to pull a hung tree like that. Obviously a throw ball cannon is good to have for that trick.
That stump size is only about the size of a dutchman used on the first growth cedars we were falling on the North coast of BC back in the 1970s
That was badass. Thanks for sharing these videos - I'm learning so much and they are fun to watch.
GREAT JOB, FUN VIDEO, HAPPY HOMEOWNER‼ Vinny (Boston)
Hi jake, i was wondering why you didnt temporarely remove the jack so the tree would sit on the wedges, and then add a piece of wood under the jack so you could keep on jacking the tree over?
Is this because you didnt fully trust the wedges and the tree would go the other direction again?
Anyway, epic video, stay safe!
No that’s a really cool idea, I just didn’t think of it 😞
That's a great alternative plan. Only saw Jake & Gordy use the Traeger jack on one other video. If memory serves me right, didn't Gordy say they weren't being made any longer and replacement parts were almost non-existent.
The tree is so big you climb over 15-20 feet you screw in a big 🔩 bolt for a pulley system and a rope leading to the way you want the tree to fall. Attach another pulley to the closest tree and back to where your cutting the tree
Just another way to make sure you go in the right direction
I know hes a good buddy of yours but man. I was just thinking the other day. I miss watching Jed like new videos. If he was just so peaceful to watch amazing man, I never met him. I would have loved to but. Yeah I was just thinking about that the other day god bless jake
Great video. Have you considered adding a time lapse camera to your setup for big jobs like this? It would have been cool to see that slowing moving from a distance.
Very professional and brave. Takes a lot of knowledge and strength. 😊
Been working with certified arborists for 27 years. There’s a lot of ways to fall a tree. I build golf courses and we remove thousands of trees a month. We use jacks etc
It's always a pleasure watching you even if things don't go as planed "exactly " it worked, no destruction and your safe, what more entertainment can a person ask for. Miss that Randy man. Lots of love. Afriend.
I came across your channel a few months back and really enjoy the content. Recently upgraded my old sears 18" saw to an Echo 620PW with a 27" bar. Finally got to use it today and wow. I've gotta hand it to you guys running the 36" plus bars. Thats a lot of saw. Keep up the excellent content.
That’s the first thing I thought is that undercut was real shallow. Not sure how much it would’ve mattered if a limb was hanging the tree up, but you can usually do a deeper face on a bigger tree like that and save some wedging.
It's crazy to think that tree could've stood there for 300, 400 years if it got lucky. I have trees in my yard that I'll literally mourn when they die, I love them and so did my family before me
i've spent 20 thousand dollars trying to save 5 huge trees at my farm from an infestation of beetles that was killing them from within. unfortunately, it was for naught. that plague of beetles is relentless. poor trees, they were beautiful, and provided awesome shade. now it's going to take 90 years to get new ones to where they were.
As a landowner with huge trees including redwoods, yes it’s painful but sometimes necessary for the safety of all. I am willing to bet those people can sleep at night now. These things can’t be helped and no sense looking back.
That tree is probably 50 or 60 years old.
I haven't cut down a lot of trees so I'm not an expert, but when your jack maxed out I was thinking you could have cut a second jack slot and placed a second jack.
If you only have one jack you could also wedge the gap and move the jack to the new slot.
Might not be enough to get it past those cedars, but I think it could have been worth a try.
Was limb locked, a second jack no help.
Great stuff, holy cow! This is some great education for us weekend warriors!
With hind-site, would you have considered trimming some of the top branches that would be likely to hang up in the other trees. I see that back weight branches have been trimmed.
Yeah I should have had Kevin limb it up further, he even asked me “are you sure?” When I said “okay I can fall it now”. I should have had him leave a rope up there as well
You have a good channel. Now stop beating yourself up. You're good! I always say if you don't learn something everyday there is something wrong. So hang in there. I have a small forestry mulching business and I learn something every day. Take care buddy! You make good videos!😊
Wow. Scary. Glad everything came out okay. I was genuinely nervous watching this one! We had a place in Skamania County that had two big stumps from logging in the '30s. One was 4 1/2ft diameter, the other was 5 1/2 ft., one in the front yard and the other in the back. It must have been a sight when those two came down.
20 years i cleared a lot of land for people that didn't want a dozer to come in and do it. we were all standing back one day waiting on a coworker to finish, so we could watch this slightly over 30" wide tree fall. quarter way through the fall looked great, but somehow the right side of the tree held on and turned that tree from falling to 12 o'clock to almost 3. craziest fn thing i ever seen. be safe brother
Been there you think it should go and you don't want to compromise your hinge. Good job!
great job taking down that cedar , that was a big tree to take down. it was scary how
the little ones were holding the big cedar up. once removed the big tree fell clean stay safe, and healthy!
I enjoyed this video! Just wondering if you could have wedged up to maintain the existing gap, then lower the jack and insert something between the jack and the tree and then try jacking again.
great work, it's when the unexpected hits that the experience comes in, the way you let those little trees get taken out by the weight of the larger one to give you time to extract was brilliant!
Since you were up in the tree, why didn't you put a pull rope up there? I don't know what was in front of the tree but you could have used a come along to pull it down or a snatch block and pulled it with your vehicle. Any time I'm near a house, pull ropes are my extra insurance. It also looked like your jack was in the wrong place but I wasn't on site so I don't want to sound like a back seat driver. I've had a branch or two on large hard maple and oak that held them up even though they had a good lean and I didn't think I needed a pull rope so I've been there too. Looks like you opened up a window with a nice view so hopefully, the home owner will enjoy it. Be safe!
I should have put a rope in it for sure. Bad decision on my part!
Not sure if the tree closed on your shallow face cut but that could have been a problem too. Posting the clip helps us all learn so keep up the good work. @@GuiltyofTreeson
THis was a very good video .. not very often to see how to handle a felling job that does not go perfectly as initially planned. This was very good to see how to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. Thank you for sharing this video. Weel Done.
I know that adrenaline rush when you have to go behind the safe zone and do some sketchy stuff. And I don't have the pressure of a camera, homeowners are bad enough 😂
You did really good though, pretty much perfect execution as far as the order of smaller trees to balance staying safe and possibly saving an extra tree or two (didn't happen this time but you tried)
Jake,
Assuming there are plenty of wedges in place to hold the tree, does the manufacturer offer flat metal plate shims to place under the jack after its travel is max'd out? That must have been a hard leaner!
..ya im glad to see ur taking safety serious,
a bicycle helmet and a leather jacket sure is enugh to stop a chainsaw trow...
not to mention that cool t-shirt...
There are a BUNCH of nice cedar cookie tables and stuff in that wood. Probably a lot of closet paneling as well if you knew a custom mill.
Good lesson for all. Thanks. Everything is a learning experience
When I was a commercial tree surgeon, I'm retired now, I would always fell difficult trees using a wire rope Turfer hand winch, so much better and safer than wedges. Everyone to his own I guess