gutted hinge

[murphy4trees]

Been kinda quiet here lately so here's an oldie but goodie..

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[pete mctree]

Why do that? Saw was big enough, so pointless yes?

 

[lumberjack]

We sometimes gut to make the tree easier to get over.

 

[cory]

The backcut was high, wasn't it??

 

[emr]

 

[woodworkingboy]

Murph likes the get it over quick method, rather than the slow steady as she goes method. He mentioned that preference before.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

We sometimes gut to make the tree easier to get over.

This....

 

[MasterBlaster]

I'm trying to think of the last time I did it. It was when my bar was too short, for sure.

 

[HolmenTree]

Felling some DED American elm I have gutted the hinge thru the facecut in a last ditch attempt to relieve the stubborn tough hingewood.

 

[murphy4trees]

backcut was within an inch or two, reason I gutted the hinge was becasue I didn't like the limb that the pull line was in.. it was one of those funny maples with no real center... had to make sure that the hinge was weaker than the limb. It was going to take some force to get her over, especially with all that back lean... tree was pretty well balanced side to side so no worries there..

 

[Al Smith]

Felling some DED American elm I have gutted the hinge thru the facecut in a last ditch attempt to relieve the stubborn tough hingewood.

That stuff will bend like a noodle before it breaks .Lately some of these dead ash trees can be almost as bad .A solid 18" you might have to cut them down to 3/4" of hinge before you start pounding wedges . A 3 footer isn't as bad because you have the weight of the tree to help you out .

 

[Marc-Antoine]

I use it often, it's easier to pound the wedge when there is only 2 quarters of the hinge to bend instead of the whole length.
It's useful with the backleaners, back-heavy crown (not too much though) or logs in the tree (I don't climb with the sledgehammer!). The saved force on the wedge is welcome, either for me or for managing a little bigger offset weight in the tree.
But I prefer the letter box style, boring during the back cut, assuming my bar is long enough.
And nice add, it leaves some room for the wedge if it has to go a little beyond the hinge.

 

[HolmenTree]

But I prefer the letter box style, boring during the back cut, assuming my bar is long enough.
And nice add, it leaves some room for the wedge if it has to go a little beyond the hinge.

Yes that method saves the tip of the wedges from getting bent, but you gotta be careful Marc, hammer that wedge too far through the hinge and you could lift those small trees right off the stump

 

[Al Smith]

--feet don't fail me now --

 

[Jack]

what a great thread this has become

 

[Al Smith]

Oh I've lifted them off the stump early on .You got no idea where that SOB is going then .Once had about a two feet diameter hickory walk around the stump and likened to made me soil my tighty whiteys .