Felling Diagrams

[John Mc]

A widow-maker hanging on one side of the tree can make that the "bad" side also. Nothing like a dead branch coming down on you to ruin your whole day.

[HolmenTree]

In the industry what John meant was the "bad side" is usually side lean over top of the tree faller and as John Mc said about a widow maker.

[Ianab]

Whatever the actual hazard, it's the side you don't want to be standing as the tree starts to fall.  ;)

[HolmenTree]

Whatever the actual hazard, it's the side you don't want to be standing as the tree starts to fall.  ;)

Your right Ian, from experience I can see "without even thinking" how the butt of the tree reacts before the tree even hits the ground. ;D

[John Vander]

Thank you gentlemen for all the replies. The words were truly encouraging and I'll continue with my research. I put quite a few hours a week into this, trying to find safer and more effective methods. Where you find dangerous practices in my diagrams, feel free to mention it. Where methods have been improved, or new ones invented, I'd love to hear from you. Here in Japan the average faller has little training and they do really dangerous stuff. In the future, I would like to produce a booklet of sorts in Japanese that would encourage safer techniques. Maybe the Forestry Forum can also publish a booklet or manual in the future for the purpose of promoting safer working methods.

[shootingarts]

Thank you gentlemen for all the replies. The words were truly encouraging and I'll continue with my research. I put quite a few hours a week into this, trying to find safer and more effective methods. Where you find dangerous practices in my diagrams, feel free to mention it. Where methods have been improved, or new ones invented, I'd love to hear from you. Here in Japan the average faller has little training and they do really dangerous stuff. In the future, I would like to produce a booklet of sorts in Japanese that would encourage safer techniques. Maybe the Forestry Forum can also publish a booklet or manual in the future for the purpose of promoting safer working methods.

John,

I think there would be a real demand pretty much worldwide for a real basic little hip pocket manual that was sturdily made and resistant to weather and sweat. Not a tome, maybe twenty to thirty diagrams, perhaps a larger book to accompany it that explained each figure in the "working book" in more detail. Might expand slightly on the smaller book in a second section of the larger book but I think twenty diagrams or less properly applied would cover over 95% of situations. Anything not covered by those diagrams is probably best answered by walk away or start climbing. Any book should probably start off by first and foremost emphasizing to walk away if not sure the results of the approach you are trying are safe.

The amateurs all over the world do some amazingly stupid things usually out of pure ignorance. That definitely includes me. When I first started using pull chains I figured more pressure was better. I had a big enough John Deere to pull down many twenty inch or larger trees and the first time or two pulling I put a major bow in the trees before starting the cut from the back of the tree working alone. I soon learned just the weight of the chain was enough. Had I been standing behind those first couple while cutting . . . Mostly we learn the hard way, some learn offhandedly or worse! A commonly accepted handbook carried at most dealers would be a wonderful thing. Machinists, pipefitters, many trades I suspect, have a little pocket "bible" they generally keep with them for reference. Perhaps fellers already have one but not that I know of.

Hu

[John Vander]

With the tech these days in printing, an all weather pocket sized book will be cool. I found a notebook the other day at a stationary shop that fascinated me: The paper felt like plastic and is hard to tear. The shop keeper told me that there is a stone-like powder mixed into the paper. It was a bit heavy though, but the shop keeper convinced of the quality when she put a bucket filled with water on the counter, handed me a pen and said, "try it". Was a first for me to write under water, but it worked well. A durable pocket manual including a log weight chart and ratios on a variety of rigging methods would be useful.

[beenthere]

Called Rite-in-the-Rain all-weather paper. Seen in this link...

http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/search.asp?vend=115000

[John Vander]

beenthere, thanx for the link. I'll check it out.

[killerman]

Thanks for this info. Been a huge help. I appreciate you taking all the time to make these images.

[DMcCoy]

John,
I fell the worst tree in my limited experience, a 26" 150'+ Western Hemlock that leaned 10-15 deg.  I have always used a safety chain and plunge cut behind the hinge and cut backwards.  Even so I usually the trunk splitting and have to firewood out my now bound up chain.

I used your method for cutting big heavy leaners.  It went so much better, no split and the safety chain was easy to remove.  Thanks!!!

[trapper]

[John Vander]

DMcCoy, I'm glad to hear it worked out well. I had a crappy experience yesterday. I'm doing some silvics for and old guy on his small woodlot. (I get the cut trees for firewood.) Turns out that (situated in a small valley next to a small stream) the area was an old rice field. Since we have a lot of rain here, the place was a mess with all the mud. I was covered in mud when I got home. No machine can get in there due to the depth of the mud. The trees (cedars) were planted so close to each other (which is a common problem in Japan) that felling space was quite a challenge. I aimed it well and it fell but due to lack of space it got caught on the branches of a nearby tree. ( Cedars usually fall through the branches of other cedars easily.) Due to the mud I had so little space to move. With axe and saw I battled and finally got it loose. Japanese cedars don't have strong side-branches, but the tree itself has incredible flexibility. Top branches intertwine with the branches of another tree when it gets hung up. So, even if you pull with a rope, the tree just bends with the pull but doesn't come loose. I was tired from having to go up and down slopes and mud. I got the tree down, packed my gear and went home. I'll cut it up some other time. :D

[HolmenTree]

John, good to hear from you again.
I've had days like that and there's nothing tougher then doing tree removal on slopes with mud thrown in. We call our wet areas muskeg which is bottom less, throw some clay soil in and you have a real"soup".
I carry enough bull rope in my truck tied together to cover a thousand feet if needed. My truck or rope puller come along does the pulling.
But I'm  looking into getting one of these Honda powered units
www.portablewinch.com

[John Vander]

Thank you for the reply Holmentree! That winch is exelent! So many places I work is inaccessable to vechiles. Holmentree, I need some advice:  As for the mud...I was thinking on taking some of the cut branches from the cedar I felled and laying it over the mud. Will that help? I have also been thinking on pulling some of those trees with my minivan. (My little 4x4 minivan can sometimes get close enough to some trees.) I'm just wondering...I've hardly ever pulled over trees with a vehicle. My worry is that I might get my little car pulled along when the tree comes down . How does one do it safely?

[HolmenTree]

John I wished my last computer didn't  crash because I had lots of good rope redirect pics on it.

Yes branches may make a bed.
Here's a pic of a pull rope on a redirect pulley I used pulled with my truck up the hill .


 

[Real1shepherd]

Great book...maybe out of print now, but found online easily I suspect: Douglas Dent/Professional Timber Falling; A Procedural Approach(that's by memory, hope it's correct). This book is the Bible when it comes to tree fallin'. You may think that because this book was written a long time ago, it would be outdated...you would be wrong and wise to read it. A lot of new ideas here are just old ideas being recirculated. 

Dent died just a few yrs ago...Bailey's carried the book forever. That book and the mentor that taught me, probably saved my life a dozen or more times in large scale timber.

Kevin

[Ozarker]

Dent's web site is still operational, and his book is still available from Bailey's. There's also a DVD series available, but it is expensive.  :-\

[DMcCoy]

Working in soft mud is just no fun at all.
An old timer told me they used what he called a 'luft' when using under-powered equipment for the job at hand.
I cannot find a good reference on line, but I use it as needed, even use a double luft to pull trees over where I want the stump out.
Using a couple of snatch blocks and multiple lines or creative stump wrapping and a single line it will give you 2x the pull, or 4 x the pull with a double luft.

edit  Still not finding anything that shows what I do.  Basically a double line pull with a second snatch block connected to the line you would pull  on giving you 4x the power.  Limits are line length, strength of lines-blocks-anchors, # of snatch blocks available. each addition snatch block gives an extra 2 x (2x,4x,8x, 16x)  Gets a little scary at 8x - great way to find the weakest cable or that you pull your anchor out.  Don't ask how I know this.

[HolmenTree]

DMcCoy, 
This helps explains mechanical advantage and lift.


 

[DMcCoy]

 

 

H,
Block and tackle, I have used those before and yes give addition mechanical advantage for certain. 
What I do is a bit different, using individual snatch blocks,
The 'Luft' doubles pulling power with each additional snatch block.  The most severe stress is on the line and blocks attached to the object to be moved, and I use my heaviest stuff there working toward lighter tackle on what ever it is I am pulling with.  I have found 8x pulling power to be a game changer(!!!) if the lines can take it without breaking.  It's a lot of setting up so I only do that when I have no easier option, but it does work!

The biggest disadvantage are the distances you either need to travel or can't travel while pulling, because of the method being used.  This can be a big downside at times.  The stump anchor point doubles as a cable length adjuster - very handy.

[Banjo picker]

John I am glad I found this post this morning, It has some very worth while information all through it, from you as well as from some of the others on here.  I will use some of your diagrams in the future.  Banjo

[2StateTrigger]

Nice to see this info....Tag to follow...

[Real1shepherd]

Dent's web site is still operational, and his book is still available from Bailey's. There's also a DVD series available, but it is expensive.  :-\

Yeah the DVD is expensive , but on a show full of fallers it would more than pay for itself. I think the cost of the original movies was over $300ea....so really the DVD with them all is a deal these days. If I wasn't almost semi-retired, I'd spring for the DVD just to have it. Cost of a good used saw....

Kevin

[John Vander]

Thank you gents. I need to work on my rigging skills a lot more. Due to inaccessability to so many of the places I work, I have to carry my rigging gear on my back. Being heavy, and working on steep slopes (usually 30deg.plus) I can carry only so much. I'll post a pic soon of my rigging rack that fits on my back. (Maybe I posted a pic some time ago...don't remember .