directional falling

**weisyboy** · 16th July 2012, 07:28 PM

i was asked to cut down this small (300mm) spotty tree that was shading the solar pannels on the house of bloke next door to where we were milling at the dub, he was not game to try it himself as had a heavy side lean towards the house with a big branch back towards his veggie garden beds.

i used a cut called a mortice tennon, the tennon means that teh tree cannot go sideways and by putting the plunge cut in first and driving a steel wedge in before making the 2 back cuts.

with the tennon holding and a good 10% holding wood you can wedge a good lean on it before it lets go.

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**MAPLEMAN** · 17th July 2012, 11:17 AM

Nice work....saw a bloke the other day fell a tree against it's natural lean and into a strong headwind

...and yep,it (log) came backwards and jammed his saw

...and he said he was experienced

... keep up the good work and advice weisy

**rustynail** · 17th July 2012, 11:23 AM

This method works quite well on species with interlocking grain. Not much good on straight grained timber like Stringy etc.

**Andyh77777** · 25th July 2012, 06:59 PM

I tend to reach for the long & heavy rope, and maybe the Tirfor, in these situations.

**johnnyroberts** · 25th July 2012, 09:44 PM

Originally Posted by Andyh77777

I tend to reach for the long & heavy rope, and maybe the Tirfor, in these situations.

me too

**jimbur** · 26th July 2012, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by johnnyroberts

me too

ditto.

A friend of mine who was a tree feller came across one tree which was growing around a chainsaw.
Cheers,
Jim

**weisyboy** · 26th July 2012, 07:11 PM

iv heard of a lot of things growing into trees but i find a chainsaw hard to believe.

for teh tree to "jam" a chainsws it has to be 90% cut, and will not survive.

not to say i dont like a good tall story

**jimbur** · 27th July 2012, 12:17 AM

He was absolutely trustworthy especially when drunk

**rustynail** · 27th July 2012, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by weisyboy

iv heard of a lot of things growing into trees but i find a chainsaw hard to believe.

for teh tree to "jam" a chainsws it has to be 90% cut, and will not survive.

not to say i dont like a good tall story

It doesnt have to be a pinch to jamb the saw. A bit of wire or a nail can do a good job, as can a blunt blade and high rakers.

**jimbur** · 27th July 2012, 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by rustynail

It doesnt have to be a pinch to jamb the saw. A bit of wire or a nail can do a good job, as can a blunt blade and high rakers.

Inexperience, stalled saw, ranger on the prowl etc

**spray-tech** · 27th July 2012, 11:35 PM

A tree growing around a chainsaw - ever heard of un-bolting the power head

anyway, getting back on topic, here's a youtube link to a vid of how the cut works
Tongue and Groove Tree Felling Technique - YouTube

cheers

**dai sensei** · 28th July 2012, 10:23 AM

Great link, shows the technique well

**weisyboy** · 31st July 2012, 07:56 PM

i have seen that vid before, but purposely did not put up a link or explain how to do it because these cuts should only be tried by experianced fallers as no matter how carefull you are things can go badly wrong.

plunge cuts especialy in the horasontal can cause severe kickback.

if you car goign to try it please be carefull.

i would also recomend cutting teh plunge from teh back.

**spray-tech** · 31st July 2012, 09:25 PM

Originally Posted by weisyboy

i would also recomend cutting teh plunge from teh back.

that's what I thought would be the way to go as well. doing a pluge cut through the scarfe on a small diameter tree could go bad real quick

**Bushmiller** · 1st August 2012, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by weisyboy

plunge cuts especialy in the horasontal can cause severe kickback.

Ain't that the truth. I have never tried this mortice felling technique, although it looks very interesting, but I have morticed quite a few fence posts. I wouldn't be too keen on the cut using a "full size" saw.

Morticing was usually undertaken with the smallest saw you had. The trick is to never contact the top "corner" of the bar, but as the power of the saw increases the accidental chance of this occurring and the consequences become all too apparent.

As you said, "Only for the experienced."

Regards
Paul

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