At work, we cut almost every tree this way. Yes it works well for leaners, but it also works with straight trees. I can't really think of a reason why you couldn't use it. Edit: I did not watch this posted vid. I am commenting on the plunge method with trigger concept, not knowing exactly what this vid portrays... Kimberly, if you look at Brand M's pics up top, find the one with the top view of the stump. He marked the trigger with a red line, its on the right side of the stump.
Yep some people like to use it a lot. I’ve never really understood the utility of doing it for straight trees. You get more leverage on the wedges at the back of the cut as opposed to the side. Plus in the back you can hammer in your wedges more as you cut deeper pushing the tree into the direction of fall. Can’t do that with a trigger holding the tree. JMO YMMV
1+ I’m a hack, but I really enjoy watching and learning from pros. One of the things I’ve picked up is to be methodical. The speed for their production work comes from not making mistakes. The guy I’ve worked alongside the most exemplifies this style. When I find myself going directly from bore-cut to cutting the trigger without pause, it is one of my signs to perhaps switch to doing something different for a while.
Totally agree with all. Wedges with the trigger method can get a little tricky, since they're not straight to the line of fall, and you have to do a bit more finesse cutting to not ruin wedges. I used to face cut, then bore from the back into the middle of the hinge, open a wedge pocket and place wedge(s), then start taking out the sides or wings up to the hinge. More movements like that, and touchy trying to get hinge even. The trigger, when done correctly, can allow the tree to be totally stable till the feller decides its time to come down.
Flamestead, you make two great points in your previous posts...the first is methodical... To me that's reading the tree, figuring out what you have to do to safely get it on the ground where you want it, and then methodically making the necessary cuts and motions to carry that out. Too many times people get carried away and too fast, meaning they think they've got to hurry (im not necessarily talking about production timber fellers here), but at the same time they dont take the time to constantly evaluate whats going on. They get too zoned in, sucked into the motions, and i see that us a lot of times ehen those mistakes show up. I think this is an even more valuable statement and self assessment/ evaluation. A lot of people don't/ can't (or don't want to) see this in their work, some times it comes from complacency, or being comfortable (perhaps too comfortable) with what they are doing. And going straight from bore cut to cutting the trigger... that takes away the value of having that trigger there...it lets you take a second/minute or whatever time you need, to catch a breath, or reevaluate the situation....to do whatever is is you need before the total commitment of the tree taking the journey from vertical to horizontal, and all the hazards that can be associated with that short time period.
This thread got me thinking about an upcoming felling job to help a friend. He has two large elms he wants down and don’t think he has a big enough saw. Problem is that he wants them to go pretty much opposite of where THEY want to go. His neighbor has a Cat 966c front end loader and planning to put a cable as high as can be reached using it & then use it to pull the desired direction. Power company will let down the lines free of charge. The power lines are in the direction the trees want to go. I guess it’s easier to let them down than to repair wreckage. So the question is should I bore & trigger? I need to go take a much harder look at the whole deal and give it considerably more thought
The style of cutting was brought over from Scandinavia by Soren Eriksson he was a logger turned instructor for logging safety EG " The game of logging" it was the premier logging safety program still taught today
Kimberly If you are not a little nervous when felling you should not be doing it logging is one of the most dangerous jobs every tree is different I was a land clearing hand cutter for years our feller buncher would cut everything up to 24" everything above that had to be hand cut and every tree I cut always made me think a second about what would happen or could go wrong working in the residential tree removal business is even worse because a lot of the removals are hazards to start with JB
Sandhillbilly Around here if there are trees that are hazards to power lines, I call the electric coop and let them know about them and they will send a crew out to take care of the trees. If the trees natural lean is towards the power lines it would be in their best interest to get them down.
If the power company is willing to let down the lines, it makes me think the tree is a hazard to the line. But i am guessing that they are not dead, or else the power company would handle all of it? I obviously dont know the people you are dealing with, but i get much more...concerned...when i start dealing with other folks around my work area, especially that are "helping " and with equipment... Since you're considering helping, im assuming you know what you can or cannot do based on the tree size (height, diameter and mass up high), lean and work area. A knowledgeable feller can do a lot with wedges. If you are talking about the cat hooking up and just providing constant tension, then you could TRY the bore and wedge with trigger. If the cat operator is thinking he's gonna help by pulling, then he and the trigger method wont work well together, and he could be a hazard to you. All depends on how much lean there is, and how much you can do to throw the tree. Letting lines down, even if you try to go against the lean, is a no brainer to me since they will do for free. Even the best of plans and execution can go awry when fighting mother nature....
I know the guy that would be in the loader and he can be kinda crude. The more I think about the whole deal the more nervous I get. I’ll have to go out and survey the job with a really critical eye. I would rather he just took down the fence, had the power company let the lines down, and drop them where they want to go. I think cleaning up the mess is the reason for going against the natural fall. Trees are still alive.
I know what you mean about that kind of guy in a piece of equipment "helping". To be honest, "crude" is not an adjective for a person that i prefer to have helping me when I'm running a saw. I am not trying to preach to anyone, and hope I have not negatively influenced you towards the job you were going to perform. A critical eye is necessary, and an honest assessment of the situation and skill level of all individuals involved is even more important. I have always told the folks i have spent time with sawing at work 2 things that i want them to remember above all the standard saw safety stuff. #1. Never be afraid or ashamed to walk away from a tree that someone wants you to cut. I have looked at trees before, something not feel right...pat that tree and say not today babe. Next day get there, read it again, feel good, and tree is laying on the ground in 10 minutes. Sometimes, the walk away from a tree thats still standing is the final action. #2. Never confuse bravery with stupidity. Courageous, ballsy, many words could be substituted for bravery. Stupidity pretty much stands alone, except for maybe ignorance.
All very well said. I’ll get out there and take a look and decide from there. He might have abandoned the whole deal because I heard that it was being sold, and I thought he owned the place
You sound like a good carpenter you just hit the nail on the head I felled many trees with machine assistance excavators ,log skidders etc the person in the machine no matter how good they think they are MUST remember you make the calls when you are on the ground period !!! in years of tree removals I have walked away from more than a few that were too dangerous or the person who wanted it down were unrealistic in the way they wanted it down STUPIDITY and EGO are 2 things that do not mix in most situations
