Those stress lines took me back over 30 years to when I was studying stress in beams during an engineering course. Thank you for putting these videos up!
I just became mesmerized with the stuff in this series! I am definately going through these and crunch the numbers before going to attack any bigger trees.
This is excellent series! If only everybody learned this theory, risk of fatal injuries would be much lower. Everything clearly explained with great detail. I believe this videos will save many lives! Thanks so much for that.
Oh wow I should have just watched this video instead of bothering you with question. Super nice that you have an engineering background to explain this. Thanks!
Great work, thanks for sharing your knowledge on your channel, I'm certain it will helps save people from the pain (literally, and figuratively) of having to develop this knowledge from scratch.
I really like the way you explain things. I'm a kind of physics/math geek, so the diagrams and force vectors help me understand. And while I'm unlikely to do much tree felling myself, the solid foundation of concepts might help me recognize a dangerous situation in the future - thanks!
This was great, I hadn’t seen load diagrams since college. Now I’m trying to figure out the dynamics behind the tapered hinge on side leaning trees. Maybe in another video?
I know it sounds geeky, but I was looking for a video that discusses the forces at work at different parts of the tree trunk at different moments. Especially how they effect the tree in relation to the hinge. Just something I was thinking about today as I dismantled a big rotting ash.
When talking about the effect of cutting away the center of a hinge something I did not see addressed was the effect of removing that section on the weight component of the reduced support area. Instead of being 16% of the original cross section it is now reduced to a bit over 10%. That leads to the conclusion that each square inch is now supporting about 200 lb of static load. When combined with the side forces of an off-center tree that would offset some of the net tension and thus make the hinge less likely to fail under tension. I'm probably missing something but it seems that removing that center has made the hinge less likely to fail.
@11:55... I found that out a couple of months ago with a 23ft tall broken off pine (about 60ft tall originally) with a little back lean, was surprised at how much wedging force it took using an 8# sledge to get it moved over plumb...I'm sure it would have been easier if I had bored out the center of the hinge.
Fascinating! I would like to learn more about the practice of cutting the center of the hinge. To include actual woodcutters employing and demonstrating the practice. This is the first I’ve heard of it and I can see the great benefit of it. Following through in my mind it would seem the bar width when plunging would be critical and varies according to the diameter of the trunk. Certain small trees would require a very narrow bar which is not available and very large trees would require a cut slightly wider than the bar. The width of this cut is based on the diameter of the tree as well as other factors.
Al, There are a few European videos which show the practice. I think I've only seen one American video of the practice. Purely in terms of taking the tree down, it will generally not be needed on smaller trees, as the hinge will be easier to bend than on a large tree. If you're trying to maximize lumber production and the tree is well balanced, you can take out more of the center of the hinge, opening up the possibility of using the technique on smaller trees that are well balanced and still of lumber-producing size.
Watched almost all your videos and i have to say , good job and thanks for the clear, precise information / teachings your providing. I would like to know if its possible for you to make a video about felling rotten trees. I have a wood lot with mostly maple and yellow birch and some of those have a hollow centre from trunk to avg 10 feet up the tree. I dont have enough material to do a plunge cut as they are leaning and am afraid that after i make my notch it will split.. help ?
Thanks Gilles. Rotten trees are big concerns for both fellers and climbers, especially because it can be nearly impossible to assess how much strength the tree has remaining and how that compares to the stress it is already under. Yours is the second question I have received on this issue, so that is sufficient to put it on my wish list of videos to do when Spring arrives. I'm assuming that since you said woodlot, you feel free to fell them in any direction you wish. If I had to deal with a rotten leaner in your wood lot and wanted to play it safe, I would get a long rope with which I could try to pull the tree down in its direction of lean and get the rope to a pull point at least 20 to 30 feet up in the tree. (Thrown through a crotch and tied around the trunk, above where I'd cut.) Then I'd try a really good pull to see if I can get the tree down. If it comes down, Problem Solved! If not, the tree has told me it has enough strength so that I can do a bit of cutting. I'd do a bit of cutting, then pull again. Test pull. Nibble. Test pull. Nibble. Test pull. Nibble. Repeat until one of those pulls brings it down.
Terry Hale , Thanks for the advice Terry, i see what your saying and yes it is my own wood lot so I can fell the tree were i want. I however dont undestand the part about the tying near the crotch near the trunk though? also what would u use to pull in order to get enough force for the tree to come down as they are medium size trees and I would think need enough force to break ? Thx again ☺
Gilles, UA-cam has been really annoying me for the last month. It won't let me see any of the replies I have ever made and it is not letting me read half of the new comments people are making, except for the first half sentence they display in the notifications section. I can only read your followup as far as "I don't understand..." Thanks a lot, UA-cam!
You want to have a long lever arm when you are trying to pull the tree over, so you want the rope high in the tree. You don't have to climb the tree, though. You can toss the rope through a high crotch. The end of the rope that falls through the crotch can be tied around the trunk. The pulling does not have to be so strong as to poll the tree over. It merely has to be strong enough to let you know you can safely do some more cutting without worrying about a barber chair. Eventually, that hand pull WILL be sufficient to pull the tree down.
Terry Hale , Great Terry! i know what u mean now as i just watched your video on pulling a tree down with a rope. I will be getting the necessary equipment over the winter and come early summer i will try my luck at putting those scary ones down ☺ Thx again for the great advice 👍
Interesting video! The use of a step is new to me. Is it common to use this step as a general precaution or only when cutting down deciduous trees that is likely to hit another tree, with the risk of kicking back?
The step is used as a general precaution. It is important when there is a likelihood of a firm contact with another tree. When cutting for lumber production, the length of the butt log is economically important and the step is often minimized or skipped, but that adds slightly to the felling risk. The use of the Humboldt cut reduces the kick-back threat.
Is there a recommended height of the step to prevent kick back? Or is that what t represents in the W=8t formula ? In that formula I'm not certain if the view is from the top or from the front of the hinge. Thanks. Your videos are a great source of information . I watched them years ago. Now am watching them again, and getting more out of them now that I have more tree falling time under my belt.
Hi, Collector. The w=8t is just a rough relationship for the shape or aspect ratio of the hinge in plan view (seen from above). It should be around 8 times as wide as it is thick. As for the step, for a tree with a diameter of up to a foot, a 1" step would be reasonable. Above that diameter, the height should probably increase to around one inch for each foot of diameter. Part of that is to account for the back cut not ending up precisely where it was intended to.
Mr. Hale, a few curiosity questions if I may please. From your teaching, diction and oratory skills I would guess that you have teaching experience as well as real world arborist experience. So my question is: what is your professional background? I am not in the tree business but have always been intrigued by logging and general tree work as well as the tools and equipment relative to the industry. Thank you for your professional and educational videos. Bud G from south central Nebraska.
Hi, Bud. As an 8-year old, I wanted to become a lumber jack. Alas, events conspired to direct me to become a civil engineer and computer programmer. That early flame kept burning, as did the wood stoves in each of the houses we've lived in. Now, at 67, I'm still loving my job and trying to set aside time for my passion to emulate climbing arborists. Though I'll never get to be good at it, I do love being up in a big tree that needs to be dismantled. When I can find the time and think I can offer something that someone might enjoy learning about, I appreciate the opportunity to share what I think I've learned.
Sir, regarding a thicker hinge for leaners on the side of the tension wood.... did I miss it, or have you already explained it fully somewhere? Is it good to leave the tension side of the hinge thicker on side leaners? .... or does the extra force required to bend/break the thicker hinge nullify the holding effect of the thicker hinge side? .... would you please elaborate on the hinge for side-leaners or please direct me to the video where you do thoroughly cover this? (I call myself having watched all your videos about trees if not *all* your videos. Thank you.
Robert, This was something I had struggled with a good bit before I chose to not emphasize the point. At first blush, it makes sense to leave one side of the hinge stronger to resist the side lean. The problem is that a thick hinge (on one side) won't let the tree move much in the felling direction until the hinge has begun to tear and thin. By the time the tree has fallen through as little as, say, 5 degrees, much of that thick side will have torn, bringing both sides of the hinge closer to the same thickness. Tearing starts at the back side of the hinge and will attack the point of strongest resistance first. With only five degree of movement done, there is still plenty of time for the side lean to act on the weakened hinge. While I am not thrilled with it, my conclusion was that starting with the hinge thicker on the side away from the lean probably does provide a temporary resistance to the lean, but it can't be relied on throughout the fall. I do leave the hinge a bit thick on the side away from the hinge, but I doubt that it helps me that much
So when falling placement for a side leaner is important (tree is leaning toward a house or toward a road), per your other video(s), would you say the best "insurance" for controlling the side lean during the fall would be a rope up in the tree and tied off away from the lean... i.e. parallel - in line - with the hinge? .... so as the tree falls, the rope will stay tight, holding the tree away from the lean -- allowing the hinge to do it's work normally and guiding the tree to the ground?
Mr. Terry Hale, would you please comment on (or please redirect me to info on) the "breaking" or tensile strength of a rope or device, vs. the Working Load Limit .... (which is 1/10 of the breaking strength(?)) .... this 1/10 "working" limit seems to defeat the purpose of the breaking strength of the rope -- rendering it impossible to get anything done with it. e.g. a 1/2" polyester rope having a 5000 lb breaking limit, should only be used for 500 lb (?!) Am I misunderstanding? Thanks!
Robert, No, you are not misunderstanding. The ultimate strength of many things, such as rope, cable, chain, concrete, and structural steel, are usually determined by actual or representative testing of the materials under ideal circumstances. In actual use, however, those things will wear, deteriorate, creep, and fatigue over time. Additionally, the configuration in which they are used may subject them to higher stresses, or concentrated stresses that were not present during the simple tensile testing (or compression testing for concrete). To account for these various factors, each industry recommends using lower loads /stresses so that there will still be confidence that material will perform adequately. Concrete and steel don't get their allowable stresses knocked that far back below their ultimate stresses, but rope really does. This is only right, since ropes get frayed and some can suffer "awesome" deterioration due to the UV from sunlight. Polypropylene can get nailed by prolonged exposure to sunlight, while nylon is much more resistant. In addition to concern for safety, the industries also have concern for liability. Would you sue if they said the rope was tested for 5000 lbs and you got badly injured when it broke at 1300 lbs? They are off the hook if the packaging says, "Don't exceed 500 lbs." P.S. If there is a risk of injury, do your best to work within the limits they state.
The primary purpose of the notch is to allow the trunk to "fold" about the hinge. If only a cut was there, the trunk would only be able to bend about one degree before the cut closed. As somewhat of a secret, the cross-section of a trunk is never under uniform stress. The outer portion is usually under greater compression than the inner portion. Merely cutting the notch will often induce the tree to lean a tiny bit in that direction due to the loss of compression where the notch was removed. For an initially well balanced tree, that will usually be sufficient to induce it to fall in the direction of the notch. In all other cases, the tree needs further inducement to move in that direction. That is typically provided by driving wedges into the back cut, pulling with a rope, or both. Unfortunately, a lot of inexperienced fellers have disasters when they assume that, just because they cut the notch where they want the tree to fall, that will convince the tree to do so. Other inexperienced fellers, seeing the tree is not yet starting to fall in the desired direction, make matters worse by cutting away too much of the hinge, thereby losing control of the direction of fall.
@@terryhale9006 thank you, I know the function of the notch, but I did not know that the weight was on the sap wood. So that makes sense then that the tree would lean towards the notch even though the hinge is also on that side of the center. I always wondered about that and could not find an explanation, thank you!
Great video, but you're basing your calculations on dry timber. Probably more accurate for dead trees than live. Wet wood is a lot more forgiving. Cheers
Hello Terry, could you do a video on the dutch-men techniques? soft, swing and kerf dutch-men i utilize them and want to make sure I am doing it correctly ua-cam.com/video/tbN1sKN7IlI/v-deo.html, this geltelman is an extremely skilled feller, I hope to someday be as knowledgeable and skilled as you both :)
DIESELMAN8V92 Hi Diesel. You're exposing the limits of my experience. I will look into the technique. I'm guessing you have to be selective in what trees you try to use it on. It really relies on having some good tensile strength in what little of the hinge is left. You probably wouldn't want to use it on a dead tree and would probably want to limit its use to long-grained conifers, rather than short grained hardwoods. My biggest challenge will be finding a few trees at a forest edge that are leaning parallel to the edge, rather than perpendicular as they strive to get light.
Those stress lines took me back over 30 years to when I was studying stress in beams during an engineering course. Thank you for putting these videos up!
I just became mesmerized with the stuff in this series!
I am definately going through these and crunch the numbers before going to attack any bigger trees.
This is excellent series! If only everybody learned this theory, risk of fatal injuries would be much lower. Everything clearly explained with great detail. I believe this videos will save many lives! Thanks so much for that.
Truly excellent: accurate, clear, and informative. So much advice on felling is weak or unhelpful - very happy to see some really good advice!
Great work. I've watched these many times over the last few years
Excellent series. Great information very clearly presented. Thanks for posting.
Thanks Jon!
Amazing explanations across this whole channel. Thank you for your effort, Sir!
Thank you, Oliver!
Oh wow I should have just watched this video instead of bothering you with question. Super nice that you have an engineering background to explain this. Thanks!
Great work, thanks for sharing your knowledge on your channel, I'm certain it will helps save people from the pain (literally, and figuratively) of having to develop this knowledge from scratch.
I have loved your technical explanations in your videos. Thanks!
Thanks Peetre.
Excellent engineering analysis. Thank you Mr. Hale.
Thank you for explaining the function and mechanics behind how the hing works. :-)
Thank you, Morten.
Love this video, puts math to practices we have used for decades w/o a true understanding WHY they work :)
Excellent video series. Thanks!
I really like the way you explain things. I'm a kind of physics/math geek, so the diagrams and force vectors help me understand. And while I'm unlikely to do much tree felling myself, the solid foundation of concepts might help me recognize a dangerous situation in the future - thanks!
This was great, I hadn’t seen load diagrams since college. Now I’m trying to figure out the dynamics behind the tapered hinge on side leaning trees. Maybe in another video?
Excellent suggestion. 👍 Terry does your knowledge cover tapered hinges?
Hoping you will talk about application of leaving thicker hinge on tension side of side leaner in upcoming video(s).
Great Channel, excellent information, I watched almost all of your videos, I fell some trees last weekend, your videos definitely helped me, thanks!
Thanks, Carver! Delighted to hear it!
Great video! Thank you for sharing.
This is the video I've been looking for. Thanks!
Cool! (Makes me curious as to why.)
I know it sounds geeky, but I was looking for a video that discusses the forces at work at different parts of the tree trunk at different moments. Especially how they effect the tree in relation to the hinge. Just something I was thinking about today as I dismantled a big rotting ash.
Inquiring minds! Sorry the ash is rotting. A great firewood past its prime.
Excellent explanation, very clear. Thank you!
When talking about the effect of cutting away the center of a hinge something I did not see addressed was the effect of removing that section on the weight component of the reduced support area. Instead of being 16% of the original cross section it is now reduced to a bit over 10%. That leads to the conclusion that each square inch is now supporting about 200 lb of static load. When combined with the side forces of an off-center tree that would offset some of the net tension and thus make the hinge less likely to fail under tension. I'm probably missing something but it seems that removing that center has made the hinge less likely to fail.
@11:55... I found that out a couple of months ago with a 23ft tall broken off pine (about 60ft tall originally) with a little back lean, was surprised at how much wedging force it took using an 8# sledge to get it moved over plumb...I'm sure it would have been easier if I had bored out the center of the hinge.
Fascinating! I would like to learn more about the practice of cutting the center of the hinge. To include actual woodcutters employing and demonstrating the practice. This is the first I’ve heard of it and I can see the great benefit of it. Following through in my mind it would seem the bar width when plunging would be critical and varies according to the diameter of the trunk. Certain small trees would require a very narrow bar which is not available and very large trees would require a cut slightly wider than the bar. The width of this cut is based on the diameter of the tree as well as other factors.
Al, There are a few European videos which show the practice. I think I've only seen one American video of the practice. Purely in terms of taking the tree down, it will generally not be needed on smaller trees, as the hinge will be easier to bend than on a large tree. If you're trying to maximize lumber production and the tree is well balanced, you can take out more of the center of the hinge, opening up the possibility of using the technique on smaller trees that are well balanced and still of lumber-producing size.
Good stuff!
Watched almost all your videos and i have to say , good job and thanks for the clear, precise information / teachings your providing. I would like to know if its possible for you to make a video about felling rotten trees. I have a wood lot with mostly maple and yellow birch and some of those have a hollow centre from trunk to avg 10 feet up the tree. I dont have enough material to do a plunge cut as they are leaning and am afraid that after i make my notch it will split.. help ?
Thanks Gilles.
Rotten trees are big concerns for both fellers and climbers, especially because it can be nearly impossible to assess how much strength the tree has remaining and how that compares to the stress it is already under.
Yours is the second question I have received on this issue, so that is sufficient to put it on my wish list of videos to do when Spring arrives.
I'm assuming that since you said woodlot, you feel free to fell them in any direction you wish. If I had to deal with a rotten leaner in your wood lot and wanted to play it safe, I would get a long rope with which I could try to pull the tree down in its direction of lean and get the rope to a pull point at least 20 to 30 feet up in the tree. (Thrown through a crotch and tied around the trunk, above where I'd cut.)
Then I'd try a really good pull to see if I can get the tree down. If it comes down, Problem Solved! If not, the tree has told me it has enough strength so that I can do a bit of cutting. I'd do a bit of cutting, then pull again.
Test pull. Nibble. Test pull. Nibble. Test pull. Nibble. Repeat until one of those pulls brings it down.
Terry Hale , Thanks for the advice Terry, i see what your saying and yes it is my own wood lot so I can fell the tree were i want. I however dont undestand the part about the tying near the crotch near the trunk though? also what would u use to pull in order to get enough force for the tree to come down as they are medium size trees and I would think need enough force to break ? Thx again ☺
Gilles,
UA-cam has been really annoying me for the last month. It won't let me see any of the replies I have ever made and it is not letting me read half of the new comments people are making, except for the first half sentence they display in the notifications section. I can only read your followup as far as "I don't understand..." Thanks a lot, UA-cam!
You want to have a long lever arm when you are trying to pull the tree over, so you want the rope high in the tree. You don't have to climb the tree, though. You can toss the rope through a high crotch. The end of the rope that falls through the crotch can be tied around the trunk.
The pulling does not have to be so strong as to poll the tree over. It merely has to be strong enough to let you know you can safely do some more cutting without worrying about a barber chair. Eventually, that hand pull WILL be sufficient to pull the tree down.
Terry Hale , Great Terry! i know what u mean now as i just watched your video on pulling a tree down with a rope. I will be getting the necessary equipment over the winter and come early summer i will try my luck at putting those scary ones down ☺ Thx again for the great advice 👍
Exceptional explanation of hinge physics. 👍❤😁
Great real-world example of physics.
your vides teach me stuff and help me not get killed
Lovely, your video!
Puja Nithyananda Thank you Puja.
Interesting video! The use of a step is new to me. Is it common to use this step as a general precaution or only when cutting down deciduous trees that is likely to hit another tree, with the risk of kicking back?
The step is used as a general precaution. It is important when there is a likelihood of a firm contact with another tree. When cutting for lumber production, the length of the butt log is economically important and the step is often minimized or skipped, but that adds slightly to the felling risk. The use of the Humboldt cut reduces the kick-back threat.
Is there a recommended height of the step to prevent kick back? Or is that what t represents in the W=8t formula ? In that formula I'm not certain if the view is from the top or from the front of the hinge. Thanks. Your videos are a great source of information . I watched them years ago. Now am watching them again, and getting more out of them now that I have more tree falling time under my belt.
Hi, Collector. The w=8t is just a rough relationship for the shape or aspect ratio of the hinge in plan view (seen from above). It should be around 8 times as wide as it is thick.
As for the step, for a tree with a diameter of up to a foot, a 1" step would be reasonable. Above that diameter, the height should probably increase to around one inch for each foot of diameter. Part of that is to account for the back cut not ending up precisely where it was intended to.
KInd of like watch a sport. You can appreciate some things a lot more if you have experience doing it yourself.
Mr. Hale, a few curiosity questions if I may please. From your teaching, diction and oratory skills I would guess that you have teaching experience as well as real world arborist experience. So my question is: what is your professional background? I am not in the tree business but have always been intrigued by logging and general tree work as well as the tools and equipment relative to the industry. Thank you for your professional and educational videos. Bud G from south central Nebraska.
Hi, Bud. As an 8-year old, I wanted to become a lumber jack. Alas, events conspired to direct me to become a civil engineer and computer programmer. That early flame kept burning, as did the wood stoves in each of the houses we've lived in.
Now, at 67, I'm still loving my job and trying to set aside time for my passion to emulate climbing arborists. Though I'll never get to be good at it, I do love being up in a big tree that needs to be dismantled.
When I can find the time and think I can offer something that someone might enjoy learning about, I appreciate the opportunity to share what I think I've learned.
Thank you. I love learning about the backgrounds of those I enjoy.
Terry Hale l
Sir, regarding a thicker hinge for leaners on the side of the tension wood.... did I miss it, or have you already explained it fully somewhere?
Is it good to leave the tension side of the hinge thicker on side leaners? .... or does the extra force required to bend/break the thicker hinge nullify the holding effect of the thicker hinge side? .... would you please elaborate on the hinge for side-leaners or please direct me to the video where you do thoroughly cover this? (I call myself having watched all your videos about trees if not *all* your videos. Thank you.
Robert, This was something I had struggled with a good bit before I chose to not emphasize the point. At first blush, it makes sense to leave one side of the hinge stronger to resist the side lean. The problem is that a thick hinge (on one side) won't let the tree move much in the felling direction until the hinge has begun to tear and thin. By the time the tree has fallen through as little as, say, 5 degrees, much of that thick side will have torn, bringing both sides of the hinge closer to the same thickness. Tearing starts at the back side of the hinge and will attack the point of strongest resistance first. With only five degree of movement done, there is still plenty of time for the side lean to act on the weakened hinge.
While I am not thrilled with it, my conclusion was that starting with the hinge thicker on the side away from the lean probably does provide a temporary resistance to the lean, but it can't be relied on throughout the fall.
I do leave the hinge a bit thick on the side away from the hinge, but I doubt that it helps me that much
So when falling placement for a side leaner is important (tree is leaning toward a house or toward a road), per your other video(s), would you say the best "insurance" for controlling the side lean during the fall would be a rope up in the tree and tied off away from the lean... i.e. parallel - in line - with the hinge? .... so as the tree falls, the rope will stay tight, holding the tree away from the lean -- allowing the hinge to do it's work normally and guiding the tree to the ground?
If it's a good strong rope, definitely. The hing can take up some of the load from the side lean and the rope can take up the rest.
Mr. Terry Hale, would you please comment on (or please redirect me to info on) the "breaking" or tensile strength of a rope or device, vs. the Working Load Limit .... (which is 1/10 of the breaking strength(?)) .... this 1/10 "working" limit seems to defeat the purpose of the breaking strength of the rope -- rendering it impossible to get anything done with it. e.g. a 1/2" polyester rope having a 5000 lb breaking limit, should only be used for 500 lb (?!) Am I misunderstanding? Thanks!
Robert, No, you are not misunderstanding. The ultimate strength of many things, such as rope, cable, chain, concrete, and structural steel, are usually determined by actual or representative testing of the materials under ideal circumstances. In actual use, however, those things will wear, deteriorate, creep, and fatigue over time. Additionally, the configuration in which they are used may subject them to higher stresses, or concentrated stresses that were not present during the simple tensile testing (or compression testing for concrete). To account for these various factors, each industry recommends using lower loads /stresses so that there will still be confidence that material will perform adequately. Concrete and steel don't get their allowable stresses knocked that far back below their ultimate stresses, but rope really does. This is only right, since ropes get frayed and some can suffer "awesome" deterioration due to the UV from sunlight. Polypropylene can get nailed by prolonged exposure to sunlight, while nylon is much more resistant.
In addition to concern for safety, the industries also have concern for liability. Would you sue if they said the rope was tested for 5000 lbs and you got badly injured when it broke at 1300 lbs? They are off the hook if the packaging says, "Don't exceed 500 lbs."
P.S. If there is a risk of injury, do your best to work within the limits they state.
Ya teacher! Nice video. Liked it.
+JC Cheloven Like your chelo.
+Terry Hale
Noted: "Chelo", not "cello" or otherwise. Definitely a learned man.
Thanks! :-)
So I’ve recently cut down some rather sizable trees and had no whiskers left on the stump. Is this a good or bad thing in your opinion?
Tough call. Could be a bad thing, if it indicates you are sticking around long enough to cut through everything rather than cautiously retreating.
Terry Hale ok understood . Thank you for your response
The 6 thumbs down couldn't follow the information given.
7
@@sweet65mustang sorry Andy, I had misread your statement.
Why is the hinge on the fall side? The weight of the tree is on the wrong side, how does the tree fall toward the notch?
The primary purpose of the notch is to allow the trunk to "fold" about the hinge. If only a cut was there, the trunk would only be able to bend about one degree before the cut closed. As somewhat of a secret, the cross-section of a trunk is never under uniform stress. The outer portion is usually under greater compression than the inner portion. Merely cutting the notch will often induce the tree to lean a tiny bit in that direction due to the loss of compression where the notch was removed. For an initially well balanced tree, that will usually be sufficient to induce it to fall in the direction of the notch. In all other cases, the tree needs further inducement to move in that direction. That is typically provided by driving wedges into the back cut, pulling with a rope, or both.
Unfortunately, a lot of inexperienced fellers have disasters when they assume that, just because they cut the notch where they want the tree to fall, that will convince the tree to do so. Other inexperienced fellers, seeing the tree is not yet starting to fall in the desired direction, make matters worse by cutting away too much of the hinge, thereby losing control of the direction of fall.
@@terryhale9006 thank you, I know the function of the notch, but I did not know that the weight was on the sap wood. So that makes sense then that the tree would lean towards the notch even though the hinge is also on that side of the center. I always wondered about that and could not find an explanation, thank you!
Wondering*
I just about kept up
I feels ya dawg
Great video, but you're basing your calculations on dry timber. Probably more accurate for dead trees than live. Wet wood is a lot more forgiving. Cheers
Nowhere in the video are calculations based on the timber being green or dry.
Hello Terry, could you do a video on the dutch-men techniques? soft, swing and kerf dutch-men i utilize them and want to make sure I am doing it correctly ua-cam.com/video/tbN1sKN7IlI/v-deo.html, this geltelman is an extremely skilled feller, I hope to someday be as knowledgeable and skilled as you both :)
DIESELMAN8V92 Hi Diesel. You're exposing the limits of my experience. I will look into the technique. I'm guessing you have to be selective in what trees you try to use it on. It really relies on having some good tensile strength in what little of the hinge is left. You probably wouldn't want to use it on a dead tree and would probably want to limit its use to long-grained conifers, rather than short grained hardwoods. My biggest challenge will be finding a few trees at a forest edge that are leaning parallel to the edge, rather than perpendicular as they strive to get light.
I would prefer less math talk and more cutting I was board and did not finish the video
Sorry the title misled you.
@@terryhale9006 Perfect response.