I was looking at walnut cut around here this winter and was wondering about the cutting method. It looks like a plunge cut is made straight through and then the trunk buttress's are cut vertically. How do you control the direction of fall this way? Bob
When I fell a tree with buttresses, I make a vertical cut and then a horizontal cut, removing most of the buttress where I want the face/wedge. Then I cut a normal face/wedge from there.
If it has extreme buttresses, you might do that all the way 'round to reduce the diameter.
If you are interested in selling any of that wood from the stump, the buttress' are part of the cuts used in creating rifle and gun stocks.
If it's a solid tree (not extremely hollow), I always cut all the buttress supports off first, all the way around the tree. After that's completed, proceed as normal. As Tom wrote, those larger pieces have some really gnarly grain for gunstock makers. Maybe these could be turned, too?
The way that you describe the logs is how we cut most of the walnut. The tree is bore cut on all sides except for 2 or 3 root buttress theses are cut vertically with the last one being the side away from the direction of fall. There is no notch and definetly no hinge. It seems on real valuable trees the risk of splitting is high with standard notch hinge.
How do you control the direction of fall if it is leaning the wrong way? Bob
Quote from: postville on April 28, 2011, 08:02:15 AM
How do you control the direction of fall if it is leaning the wrong way? Bob
They don't. They just let it go where it wants and deal with it then. Personally I would never cut any tree over 4 in. dbh without a notch. No tree in this world is worth the risk. I would think if they are splitting the trees they are doing the notch/hinge wrong.
I'm all confused. I read this post a few days ago and looked up buttress in the FF dictionary. I guess I don't have many buttresses on my trees or in my area. ??? At first I thought I under stood,but than I read where it can grow up the tree???
Quote from: thecfarm on April 28, 2011, 09:20:35 AM
I'm all confused. I read this post a few days ago and looked up buttress in the FF dictionary. I guess I don't have many buttresses on my trees or in my area. ??? At first I thought I under stood,but than I read where it can grow up the tree???
Maybe these photos will clear things up?
http://timbergreenforestry.com/walnut%20stump%20evans.jpg
http://timbergreenforestry.com/walnut%20stump%20and%20top.jpg
Personally, I would be shaking in my boots cutting down a large tree that way, but I guess it's worth it if you can make a veneer log and not get killed in the process :)
Cutting this way is different,heavy leaners are a problem. I try to cut flatter than the pics show and then use wedges to encourage it to go where i want. Fiber pull and split at the hinge are very common with walnut. The mills and walnut buyers in this area "southern iowa" want all the good trees cut that way. on trees that are high risk I will still hinge and bore cut but keep the hinge way on the outside to avoid damage to the center of the butt log . I do alot of tsi projects on my own land and practiced on cull trees.
Now I understand. I cut my stumps low,but not that low. But can see why it would be done.
I have cut trees like that. Simple explanation is to just keep cutting from front to back. Once everything is free, just cut the holding wood. The tree will fall, the butt will be perfect. No splinters, nothing.
Downside, You can't place the tree, no consideration for the next crop.