Some advice, please

[Old Monkey]

Silly Carl, you put it in reverse first.

 

[darkstar]

Just my 2 cents .
Make the cut about two feet higher if possible .

 

[tntree]

You want to see a mini go sky high?

Ahhhhhh . . . . . drop a jeep, and we'll need a man of stature such as yourself to operate.

 

[lumberjack]

Operate aka "hold it down"?

 

[Old Monkey]

Carl = ballast.

 

[Stumper]

He is such a ballasturd.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I would have made more of a 45 degree face cut from the lean not 90 and used one more line like Erik suggested.

 

[sotc]

I was hoping there would be more disscusion on this most excellent thread

 

[Frans]

consensus seems to be use two ropes and don't taper the hinge wood quite so much

As for the width of the face or how the face is oriented (flat or in-line with the lean) those are things I will play with.

Its nice to have trees which I can play with and not be driven to get the job done in the fastest way possible.

Usually with me, the clock is ticking on the job. Wages and stuff make me always take the most efficient route and not take the time to set two ropes or what have you to get the tree down.

 

[wiley_p]

One question. Was the top still in the tree? If so I would try a sidehill cut next time. I'm not sure how effective it would be without the top and ropes pulling, But I use it all the time to dump head leaners at least 60 degrees off the lean. Never got 90 off but way better than chasing the damn logs down the hill.

 

[Frans]

One question. Was the top still in the tree?

Yes

If so I would try a sidehill cut next time.

Whats a 'sidehill cut'?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I know what you mean Frans about having trees to play with. I love when we get thinning jobs or field drops (very often) and get to see how and what we can do dropping them at no risk

 

[wiley_p]

Yes


Whats a 'sidehill cut'?

It's a local trick, though I believe the same technique is used all over the West. Basically, you make a very steep face that is about 90 degrees off the head, then your "backcut' or more correctly your "topcut" comes in at a very radical angle in line with the bottom of your face. Sounds crazy but it works like a charm. The tree pulls like it might barber but then swings into the face, and you will be amazed at the amount of movement you can get.
Leaves a high ugly stump, but removes the hazard of barber chair, and gets your tree into or much closer to lead. I learned it a few years ago when I had a strip of Alder and no amount of swing dutchmans, quarter cuts, or swizwills was keeping the damn things from either blowing up on me or rocketing down the slope, crossing my lay.

 

[sytherstrike]

It's a local trick, though I believe the same technique is used all over the West. Basically, you make a very steep face that is about 90 degrees off the head, then your "backcut' or more correctly your "topcut" comes in at a very radical angle in line with the bottom of your face. Sounds crazy but it works like a charm. The tree pulls like it might barber but then swings into the face, and you will be amazed at the amount of movement you can get.
Leaves a high ugly stump, but removes the hazard of barber chair, and gets your tree into or much closer to lead. I learned it a few years ago when I had a strip of Alder and no amount of swing dutchmans, quarter cuts, or swizwills was keeping the damn things from either blowing up on me or rocketing down the slope, crossing my lay.

I've seen that done many times, by a guy I worked for. He used that style of cut on quite a few trees evan though they didn't have a crazy lean to it. When the tree is straight up and down and he'd cut it like that it'd fall until the tree hits the ground and then the butt would break from the stump, depending on type of tree and what not.

 

[Burnham]

It's a local trick, though I believe the same technique is used all over the West. Basically, you make a very steep face that is about 90 degrees off the head, then your "backcut' or more correctly your "topcut" comes in at a very radical angle in line with the bottom of your face. Sounds crazy but it works like a charm. The tree pulls like it might barber but then swings into the face, and you will be amazed at the amount of movement you can get.
Leaves a high ugly stump, but removes the hazard of barber chair, and gets your tree into or much closer to lead. I learned it a few years ago when I had a strip of Alder and no amount of swing dutchmans, quarter cuts, or swizwills was keeping the damn things from either blowing up on me or rocketing down the slope, crossing my lay.

Diagram, or pic?

 

[sotc]

Diagram, or pic?

Me too! Please

 

[Frans]

I always called that a spear cut.

...or swizwills

Whats a 'swizwill'?

 

[Stumper]

Whats a 'swizwill'?

Yeah. What? I hope it is more pleasant the a swillwiz.

 

[Frans]

Ah, got it!

All I had to do was ask this fella!

 

[wiley_p]

Frans, you got the idea. Except a spear cut does not involve a face nor a hinge. The angle of the cuts is similar. A swizwill is a boring cut below the apex of the face on the pull side of a swing dutchman, it helps create a post, that hopefully helps pull the tree to the intended side. This pic shows the placement for the bore, should have been a touch higher but it worked. The Cottonwood missed the light pole that was right in front of it.

 

[wiley_p]

I'm looking to see if I got any pics of a sidehill. I'm too lazy to go out back and make a mess right now.

 

[Burnham]

Hope you can find something, Dave...I'm not sure I'm with you at all on this "radical angle".

 

[wiley_p]

I hear you Burn. When it was shown to me I thought the guy was kidding. It works, I don't fully understand why, but it works great. My favorite cut on leaning Alders. Think of it as a Strip/Coos Bay cut. But instead of cutting the sides of the strip flat, you have a steep face on the bottom on the side of intention, and a steep face on the top, meeting at the holding wood that is pointed right at the lean of the tree. Crazy, and kind of unnerving doing it the first few times. But its good to go.