You guys are right it was the angle back cut. I took tape measure out. It was 14 inches across and 37 feet tall.
Yeah not much of any hinge/holding wood that I can see. The face was about the correct depth, maybe a hair deep if it was leaning back, but definitely OK in my book. Good on you to go back and have a look and posting up what you found. That's not easy on forums as some can be overly judgmental. On the other end it seems like most young people can't take constructive criticism, you sir don't have that problem and have earned my respect.
Andyshine77 and others.. I just wanted to make sure I knew what went wrong and treated as a learning experience and I appreciate the more experience guys tell me what went wrong. Live in learn is a good theory. But you got a learn to keep living
Andyshine77 was right on the money with his assessment. FWIW, I do a critique of every single tree I fell to see what was correct and what isn't. Often people get careless putting the face cut in and overcut or undercut. To be more accurate I do the downward cut first, then site down the kerf to see exactly where the bar is in order to make exactly matching cuts. I try and think of balancing a glass of water on the bar to make sure it is level when making the horizontal cut of the face and back cut. Try it, you might be amazed how far you are off.
Unless a tree falls on you and kills you or you sever an artery with your saw and bleed out there is no such thing as a bad wood day! That being said some work on those felling cuts will go a long way towards a happier wood day.
This reminds me of my experience I had today. I was cutting a load dumped by a tree service. I am always careful and aware of what is around me, and I do my best to clear my space while I work. Sometimes these loads resemble the game “pick-up-sticks” more than a load of wood. So as you guys know, it’s important to be careful. Well, I will admit that I have a bad habit of not always using my chain brake when I should. I am hyper sensitive to the fact that I have running saw in my hand and how dangerous it is. My saw stalls more often than I would like when I engage the brake, which is why I have developed this bad habit. Today while cutting I took a misstep and and hit a piece of wood with my foot that I did not realize was there. It through me off balance and I stumbled to the side a bit. I didn’t fall because I was able to stabilize myself on a large round nearby. But the first thing that went through my head was that I had a running saw in my hand and how stupid am I that I didn’t engage the brake. I was prepared to toss the saw off to the side if needed, but the reality that sometimes things can happen so fast that there might not be time to react. You can bet I used the chain brake as needed the rest of the day, and didn’t get upset the couple times it caused the saw to stall. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That is scary. Sometimes we get/need a good reminder of how practically everything involved in making firewood is dangerous. Im mind full to engage the brake about 90-95% of the time if it is not in a cut and idling...especially if cutting in the woods. Lots of times with just the back of my left wrist engaging it. Good reminder/lesson learned and glad you are okay. It couldve gone South real fast! Thanks for sharing!
Ouch! Not a great day for sure but if the only casualty was a saw, be grateful. All the rest just makes you more experienced and less likely to take a beating the next time. Washing down with a few beers puts the day back on course as far as I'm concerned.
Yep, angled back cut and hinge chewed out + crown weight = spin. Glad y’all came out of it intact.... clean shorts not included.
Glad to see the only injuries involved here were to a saw and your brothers pride Canadian border VT! Lots of great advice here. Also thanks for being willing to share. Its amazing how much us "younger" guys can learn from this site (does mid-30's still qualify as being a younger guy??)
Good reminder. I was at our local coffee shop this am, and see a funeral notice for a man who was only 66. Apparently he was using his open cab tractor to push over some trees in his pasture with his wife, and one came back on him. Not sure what exactly happened, but he was stuck in the head somehow. I am thankful I found this group of friends and have learned lots on how to be safe. But I’m still very cautious every time i fall a tree or start the saw or splitter. Lots of things can go wrong. Be safe out there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'll chalk that up as a compliment. Although I do have trouble admitting i am part of the 'millenial' generation
Hey always willing to learn..We normally talk about trees before we drop them. This one is best described as a wooden telephone pole. There was not a branch on it about that height and diameter. And yes 30 is still young
30 may be considered young but at 72 I am still learning, sometimes from those who may be younger but have more experience cutting wood. This is a great site where all may share experiences and all learn from others. Stay safe everyone.
