First Coos Bay cut and dealing with broken limbs

[pantheraba]

Alex and I landed a job with 3 aspects to it:

1. an oak with a heavy head lean over a driveway..owner was afraid he would be trapped when it eventually falls.

2. a broken maple limb hanging over the same driveway.

3. a broken oak limb that landed in the top of his prize 20 foot beech tree.

Here is some video of #1. We bound the spar, pulled the head of the leaner out of a nearby pine and made the Coos Bay cut. I learned I need to stay in the "pocket" a little longer and chase the cut more. I thought once it started moving (and I saw the trunk start opening as it tried to split) it was time to skeedaddle.

Or is bailing out like I did best (and then go back and nip the back cut to finish the fell)?

I'll work up some video of #3 next week...#2 was pretty straightforward..climb up through the mess, whittle away at it until I could bomb it.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/fSLTIBod_bw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[MasterBlaster]

Ha! I thought that was the underbed, there at eye level. A tropical illusion!

 

[Peter]

Got the job done!

Did you have any trouble with the side tension pinching the bar?

 

[pantheraba]

Yes, it tried to pinch some at one point...I saw myself in the video snatching it out (with resistance) before the back cut.

 

[Peter]

Thought so.

From the perspective of my armchair, I might have used a narrow conventional face in the direction of pull, pulled it out of the tree it was resting in and then let it fall off the hinge sideways into the lay.

 

[pantheraba]

It wasn't resting in the pine but would have been if we didn't pull it away from it. Without the side pull it would have (with my luck and Murphy) certainly gotten hung up.

I wonder if I should have pointed the Coos Bay more towards the truck pull? As it was, I pointed the cut in the direction of the leaning weight of the tree.

When we interject side pull to a head lay, how should the Coos Bay cut be aimed?

 

[oldtimber]

Thanks for the good look at the stump........Bill

 

[pantheraba]

No problem...I was glad to see the triangle. After the tree fell the post looked square which perplexed me a bit.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

From the stump before and after the trunk is freed, it looked like you cut the tension wood as you came around to the second side. Am I reading that right?




I am with Peter. I'm taking the narrow face meaning that the face will close, the hinge will pop, and it will fail sideways to the face, in to the intended layout.

Seems you might stand the tree up on the hinge, away from the pine, then coos bay cut the hinge, if the situation dictated for some reason.

 

[Burnham]

Always aim the Coos Bay directly to the head lean, any other way and you most likely will be bound when you make the side cut on the side that is to the lean. If that isn't the direction you can lay the tree to, the Coos Bay isn't the felling cut to make.

You really should stay in the hole a bit longer on the back cut with the CB. Remember, the reason you are using this cut is to avoid a barberchair, and leaving any more wood on the stump than you can manage by cutting fast and deep is asking for a 'chair. Last thing you want to do is be sneaking back for one last nip, and have the stem explode on you before you get in and back out. Use as little of the bar as you can get by with on that back cut, and be sure the chain is sharp, the saw has plenty of fuel and is running well. Get moving out of there when the remaining wood pops and the tree surges forward strongly...a few little noises ahead of that point can make you want to skedaddle...watch for the tree to move aggressively to the lay and then beat feet down a preplanned and clear path 45 degrees or so away from the back of the stump.

 

[pantheraba]

Thanks, Burnham...was hoping for your input. I'll pass that info along to my son as well.

 

[cory]

... Last thing you want to do is be sneaking back for one last nip, and have the stem explode on you before you get in and back out. Use as little of the bar as you can get by with on that back cut, and be sure the chain is sharp, the saw has plenty of fuel and is running well. Get moving out of there when the remaining wood pops and the tree surges forward strongly...a few little noises ahead of that point can make you want to skedaddle...watch for the tree to move aggressively to the lay and then beat feet down a preplanned and clear path 45 degrees or so away from the back of the stump.

That covers it!

I agree the CB can be a little scary. I did one last week (only do one about once a year it seems), a 60'x20'' oak growing at a very hard angle toward the lay. Not 45* angle but a huge lean nevertheless. So I did a CB, but I was so leery of making the back cut lest the thing explode despite the CB, I did a plunge cut then released it with a backcut slightly below the plunge and it worked well but was still a bit scary. The stump pulled where the release cut was and the thing went violently but with no barber chair. Maybe a plunge with the CB is pushing things too much, but again the thought of making that back cut to finish the CB was scary. Black oak barber chairs fairly easily.

 

[Cfaller]

This is my first time posting here. I've learned a lot from many of you so I guess I should pay some info back. So is this what you wanted the stump to look like when you were done?

When doing this cut two things will cause you problems. One is side lean and the other is the two side cuts not at the same height. The side lean is easy to fix with a wedge.


To try and get the side cuts level I'll mark them first.


Hope this helps.

 

[cory]

That stump looks good to me.

Why do you want the back cut higher than the side cuts?

 

[Cfaller]

The side cuts and the back cut are the same height. If they are off it will slow down the back cut because you are cutting more wood.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Welcome, Cfaller! Good to see you posting!

 

[cory]

Agreed. Your "H" template made it look like the backcut was to be higher, but the stump looked like the cuts were level.

 

[Cfaller]

Ya, a little operator error.

 

[Burnham]

Good post, Cfaller. USFS cutter, might I assume?

 

[Cfaller]

Good post, Cfaller. USFS cutter, might I assume?

B, I'm Qualified with the state.

 

[Burnham]

And that would be?

 

[Cfaller]

The great state of Montana. I went to an advanced faller class a few years ago and spent some time cutting with Doug looking over my shoulder. I learned a lot from him. He was one of the best teacher I have been around.

 

[Burnham]

Consider yourself lucky.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

 

[rskybiz]

Cfaller nice to see your post. Thank you and welcome to the house!
Joel