Basic demo climbing?

[davidwyby]

I have always been hesitant to learn to climb, at least with ropes for work. I grew up climbing trees and am still about half monkey. Most of my tree work is dead tree demo. Lugging a bucket lift trailer around is a hassle and I often can’t get it where I need it…and when it breaks, oh boy. I’m thinking about getting spurs and a flipline and basically doing limbing my way up the trees and topping down when I don’t have room to fell them. Pretty much just with straight conifers.
Where to start? I guess with @gf beranek vids eh?

 

[lxskllr]

Fundamentals is a good book regardless, but it's a little dense for a quick overview. Tree Climbers Companion covers the basics pretty well, but isn't comprehensive.

 

[flushcut]

Run up it, speed line the limbs, set a line and pull it over. Done..

 

[gf beranek]

Limb it up, top it out, chunk it down.

Tree demolition 101.

 

[SeanKroll]

With a climbing line, HitchHiker, flipline, chainsaw, handsaw and the Beginner Tree Climber thread.

 

[davidwyby]

I wish I was brave, skilled, crazy enough to try to drop it thru that hole but even if I did the explosion of brittle limbs would probably cause damage.

 

[SeanKroll]

Come up for a couple days when I'm working, I'll get you up to speed. Taught a couple to climb thru the years.

 

[Altissimus]

I wish I was brave, skilled, crazy enough to try to drop it thru that hole but even if I did the explosion of brittle limbs would probably cause damage.

... proves you have an eye for the work , worth learning to climb as it makes any Tree yours.

 

[gf beranek]

That's a good way of putting it, Dave.

 

[davidwyby]

Come up for a couple days when I'm working, I'll get you up to speed. Taught a couple to climb thru the years.

I am flattered, that would be awesome. I'm the only saw/tree head I know anywhere near me, haven't hooked up with Jomo yet. Would be a nice break from the summer weather down here. We are still trying to decide where to vacation this summer, but it might be back home up that way. If nothing else, I could probably take a couple days off and fly up myself.

 

[Treeaddict]

What everyone else said and Buckin billy ray and Jacob rodgers have some good long videos for 1st time on spurs.
Just read the directions when you get your spurs for the proper setup. I had alignment friend in the neighborhood check out my spurs, flip line, and saddle before I went up. He said everything was right and the way I went! If I can do it, anyone can.

 

[SeanKroll]

Recoates channel on youtube.

Reg Coates.

He had spur tips and dead tree tips videos.

Used to be a member here.

 

[SeanKroll]

I am flattered, that would be awesome. I'm the only saw/tree head I know anywhere near me, haven't hooked up with Jomo yet. Would be a nice break from the summer weather down here. We are still trying to decide where to vacation this summer, but it might be back home up that way. If nothing else, I could probably take a couple days off and fly up myself.

If you can put together a saw from a box of parts, you can teach me a lot.

I've got a blown up ms660 in a box, and i need to learn to tune saws.

Once upon a time, i could adjust saws with a tachometer, working from below sea level to 8000'... around Nevada and Lake Tahoe, plus a bit in Death Valley.

Now, below sea level is underwater, and I generally work below 350' above sea level, depending on the height of the tree.

 

[davidwyby]

I have watched some Reg. Blowing up danger trees, wee! Plan to search up his posts here.

Could probably do something with that Stihl and tuning for sure. I started with a tach but with enough youtube vids and practice I can do it by ear now. Brad Snelling (Snellerized Performance) probably has the best vids for tuning. I have some not as good, just for ear reference mostly, and Samish Saw Works has some good ones too.

I'm usually about 75' under water, haha...this time of year I try to get to 8k as much as I can.

 

[davidwyby]

@gf beranek maybe it's in the book, and I haven't gotten to it yet. Most of the felling I have done is goofball shaped trees except a few conifers in Idaho. Those were pretty easy. Felling relatively straight, predictable trees, is there an expected variation from the gun/lay? Assuming the cuts were measured from a target stake and cut exactly "by the book". Possible cause of variation that comes to mind are knots, etc. in the hinge...

Thanks

 

[Treeaddict]

David, do you mean “ assuming we were felling a telephone pole and we performed perfect cuts by the book, would there be any deviation to the gunned lay”?

 

[SeanKroll]

Something to remember, if you are gunning, look as far away as possible.

If you're double-cutting a wide tree, say 4', your targets should be about 5' , maybe a little more apart.

 

[Burnham]

I'll be interested to hear what Gerry has to say.

In my experience, odd grain can produce results that vary some from what would be expected. But usually not by a great deal. Once in a rare while, it can be more pronounced.

But the fact of the matter is, there are so many variables in play with real world trees. Some of which are obvious and some that are more subtle, and most interact with each other to some degree.

So it's really hard to be certain what actually produced a result that doesn't quite meet one's expectations when otherwise your cuts seem perfect for the situation.

Thus, it may be pretty hard to give a definitive answer to David's query, for the real world.

 

[Burnham]

Both good points, Sean. Here's a good discussion of that issue there...

Parallax problems | The Tree House (masterblasterhome.com)

 

[Treeaddict]

Sean, usually when felling I put a stick in the ground once I triangulate the length of the lay. This becomes my aiming point (taking into consideration the sights aren’t centered on the tree) Is this far enough or is further better?

 

[Burnham]

Much further is better. Especially for trees that are not real tall...like 200 feet tall.

 

[davidwyby]

I want to emphasize I’m not just eyeballing or gunning with the saw. I’m a machinist/welder. The method I would use to ensure precision is to measure from a stake in the lay to each side of the tree and cut to the marks accurately.

I shouldn’t have said “gun”.

 

[Burnham]

That's going at it pretty precisely. I've never heard of anyone doing it that way...not to say it hasn't been.

Not a method that would work very easily in uneven and/or steep terrain covered in trees and brush, like where I worked .

 

[davidwyby]

Yeah…I got it from the fundamentals book…I don’t remember the name of the other method where one lays out the tree with folding sticks.

 

[davidwyby]

I guess I’m open to accuracy ratings for open sights gunning as well. I haven’t done it enough to say, “yeah, on a 100’ tree I can be within 5’. I think that would be more dependent on the skill and experience of the faller using his sights.

I do see some guys dropping trees in some very narrow spaces…


Speaking of which, do any of you use the 90* handles on Jonsereds or just go with the sights cast into the plastic…and variation one to another? I spose the handle could get bent.