Sizwill? Sizwheel? Whizzy? WTH (What the Heck)

[davidwyby]

My understanding is yes. The tree starts off in the direction it wants to go and swings around to the lay. I think the soft Dutchman is a series of pizza slices on one side of the face. All the points are aligned, and each step lower is a wider slice.


I have forced over some leaners with wedges lately and those cuts would be fiddly and time consuming but a lot less sweat…if they worked. Makes sense out in the woods.

 

[SeanKroll]

Doug-fir has great hinging characteristics.

Species and location are important.




Lots of things can be taken from the woods to residential settings weighing the risks and rewards.

 

[cory]

Doug-fir has great hinging characteristics.

We don't get many here but when I cut down my 1/year, they sure do hinge well

 

[davidwyby]

So this comes up today….

 

[gf beranek]

Antonne's reasoning is logical.

He's a local timber faller in my neck of the woods. Has more lives than a cat.

Though the example presented is not definitive of the whole concept of swinging trees. .

But it was good example of one scenario. I'll surely give him that.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Used a soft dutchman on this head leaner today to swing it off a apple tree and shed. Favor was toward the oak below it and a tad towards the apple. Faced it to the right of the apple. Threw in a two curf soft dutch to swing the tops more to the right and hopefully pop the butt off and jump down hill a smidge. Good hinge wood in a canyon oak. Placed her nicely and only scared the targets. Fiber pull pretty appearant on the uphill of the hinge.
The other three stems were limb locked, so I crippled the small lead and let the larger twin pull it into the desired lay. Head was 90 out to the left. But not much of a tree ...

Drop and walks for a friend that needs more light on some solar panels.

 

[stig]

Nicely done!

I spent last saturday climbing trees and letting light in to solar panels.

The amazing thing was, the client called me BEFORE he installed the solar panels.

 

[biggun]

The amazing thing was, the client called me BEFORE he installed the solar panels.

Very nice. As many know that isn't usually the case.

Why is tree work so often an afterthought?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Seemingly alway. I've been called in to advise about a structure being built next to trees, advise remove all or part and advise about root cutting. Ignored. And then told, Hey, you were right. How much to remove it? more oft than not.

 

[chris_girard]

A Swizwill is a Dutchman.

God, I miss Jed and not having him here.

He was the first one to show me and post about the sizwheel cut here way back in 2013 (I can't believe it's been 11 years). I am still trying to find the origins of this cut!

@wiley_p I think that we can all agree that the sizwheel is more than just a Dutchman (soft or otherwise). When I took the Game of Logging course decades ago here in the Northeast, Soren Erikson and his disciples were not teaching it, that's for sure! In fact, Dent had pretty much stopped advocating for the Dutchman as well, because of its unpredictability.

So, any idea where and when this cut first was used AND documented?

 

[davidwyby]

God, I miss Jed and not having him here.

He was the first one to show me and post about the sizwheel cut here way back in 2013 (I can't believe it's been 11 years). I am still trying to find the origins of this cut!

@wiley_p I think that we can all agree that the sizwheel is more than just a Dutchman (soft or otherwise). When I took the Game of Logging course decades ago here in the Northeast, Soren Erikson and his disciples were not teaching it, that's for sure! In fact, Dent had pretty much stopped advocating for the Dutchman as well, because of its unpredictability.

So, any idea where and when this cut first was used AND documented?

I think it’s been in use for a very long time by guys who weren’t the type to document. West coast logging I’d imagine.

 

[SeanKroll]

Wiley_P hasn't been here in years

 

[Burnham]

Sadly.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I have him on Facebook. Whenever I order from WesSpur, I tell my rep to say hi for me.

 

[chris_girard]

I still don't trust the sizwheel in an urban environment by itself.

 

[davidwyby]

I still don't trust the sizwheel in an urban environment by itself.

No parlor tricks when it counts.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

 

[davidwyby]

That’s Patrick Cherry on YT IIRC. I liked that bar tip plunge and lever trick when I saw him do it on that vid years ago and have used it a few different times and ways.

 

[cory]

Mad skillz, if only that resource were sustainable.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

News flash Cory. Trees are indeed a renewable resource and logging is sustainable if properly regulated and practiced with that in mind.
Maybe not old growth, but you need to promote saving "generations" as its done along with some old growth.

 

[SeanKroll]

I've been using a sizwheel with double-hinge and a farside/compression dutchman on snappy doug-fir limbs to swing them into a dropzone.

 

[flushcut]

You’re thinking outside the box? Lol

Sizable limbs?

 

[SeanKroll]

Yes. One that would require rigging, not cut and chuck.

A long, diagonal to the grain hinge

 

[cory]

News flash Cory. Trees are indeed a renewable resource and logging is sustainable if properly regulated and practiced with that in mind.
Maybe not old growth, but you need to promote saving "generations" as its done along with some old growth.

News flash Stephen?

Fully agree about logging and trees and that old growth is not renewable, which was my point. I've have probably cut tens of thousands of trees in my logging and tree work career, or a least I'd safely guess 10k+ trees so arguably I have a viable perspective on trees, their cutting as well as their hugging. I don't know everything about anything but having trod the earth for 68y thus far, and having a strong interest in trees and logging as well as wilderness, plus an interest in the machinations of big bidness/ corporations who ply their trade by turning old growth forests on steep ground into industrial operations with profit as the first and biggest objective, then Yes I smell a rat when I see 220-400 y o trees being cut in this day and age. I suspect doing so is extremely short sighted and not serving in civilization's best interest going forward. If the old growth is on private ground, what then? It's a fraught issue of course but my understanding is, for example, that Canada has produced a law that prohibits cutting old growth within certain parameters which sounds like a wise outlook but in fact the law is regularly, currently ignored without reprecussion; see the Fairly Creek blockade.

Now if my concerns about impending removal of virtually all remaining old growth outside of parks is unfounded or baseless regarding the presumption of long term, serious ecological harm, then I say hooray, I've stressing for nothing. And hey, cutting massive, old, live trees is definitely fun and challenging and provides a working man's living, but to what end.

What did you mean by "you need to promote saving "generations" as its done along with some old growth"?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

You stagger in different generations of trees along with saving old growth. If you only leave one generation of trees, such as old growth, something will inevitably evolve to kill them. Allowing generational growth adaptation to environment, and keeping the forest floor healthy, along with less fire fuels; trees will adapt resistance to conditions, preditors and pathogens. Naturally. Old growth is important, but so are future generational growth. Each carrys survivability a step forward. Harvest trees with that in mind, and you will have heathy forests for generations to come. 300 years from now, you'll have old growth ponderosa pines. 1000 years from now, 2000 years from now. old growth in other species. Everything was a sapling or adolescent species at one time or other.