Barber chair at The Barbers

40 in White Oak Barber chair. There was a slight lean over the hill and a very heavy lean actually more towards the camera. Try to meet in the middle with the notch and also had a line pulling in the opposite direction to try to make up for the heavy Lean. I believe because the line was tight on the base of the trunk it actually kept the Barber chair from splitting even higher. We either were pulling too hard on the compensation line, didn't have a deep enough notch, or did not have enough power in the saw to cut it fast enough.

[@briansanders6950]

Just a little piece of advice. If you haven't cut many big trees as far as diameter goes. You have to make sure your face cut is perfect and plenty deep. If you can't see to line up your back cut with your face cut. Take your saw and scrib a line from one side to the other to help line up your cuts. Dont cut directly with the lean nor directly out of the lean. Wedges are your friend. Big timber is a learning process that can kill. Stay safe and always look up! Good luck.

[@robertcope9494]

Right! With this tree you can see the line on the tree to be aware of. Some trees like cedar are prone to this so you have to do a 1/3 - 2/3 cut. Also I've found you can't have too many wedges.

[@billp.365]

Didn't he go a bit high on the back cut as well? I find that if you go too high on the back it will cause the same issue but I'm not a professional logger. Just a question.

[@briansanders6950]

@@billp.365 So if they had a bigger deeper face cut, the slightly higher back cut wouldn't have been as big of an issue. Especially if you aren't felling for a logger or a mill because you could pull more wood and then have to buck more off the butt. Long story short. If the face was bigger and the tree didn't bottom on the face and stop. It most likely wouldn't have barberchaired near as bad if at all. Hope that made a little sense.

[@billp.365]

@@briansanders6950 thanks my man. I'm always watching bucking Billy Ray on y tube. Can never learn to much.

[@briansanders6950]

@@billp.365 I love Buckin's channel and everyone they do. Amazing information and great people.

[@WASTED__POTENTIAL]

I just bought my first homeowner grade chainsaw yesterday, so I feel I have the required expertise to say that was an inadequate notch.

[@MountainsBreath]

It looked like the tree was already spilt as the had lashed it about 10ft up.

[@gofindyourself6568]

Good on you for posting. Showing the dangers in tree felling might just stop that next guy considering tackling a similar job without the right knowledge or equipment and look for safer options. You're always going to get the big-noters and critics slagging you off when ever you post online. I think it is very valuable and helpful to post those experiences and say, yes, this is not what we wanted to happen and this is what can go wrong.

[@RoodFeller]

That's my thoughts exactly. I appreciate your comment.

[@mariusbjerkenas9338]

This comment section is KZbin at it's best! Just a bunch of like minded friends pointing out lessons identified and lessons learned, all in good intention, no bs. This almost inspires me to make a video about three trees I recently cut down in my garden, explaining what I learned from that experience.

[@TheBanjoShowOfficial]

It’s the worst, everyone is a backseat KZbin professional and everyone knows exactly why everything went wrong and then they go on to say why they should never cut down another tree again

[@WillBravoNotEvil]

@@TheBanjoShowOfficial After 20-odd years on YT, I see very little of what you described. But I curate my feed; that might have an impact.

[@setsappa1540]

Yes. Thank you for showing this!

[@hosslane320]

Years ago big storms came through area , about a week later a double wide homeowner and his buddy bought a new chainsaw , a cooler of beer . 15 trees went fine , then # 16 didn't want to play right. Showed up with Crane to lift # 16 off of four legs of the two guys, laying there blaming each other, sauced pretty good . They were happy that they got the 15 before it happened. One said ,we weren't professionals when we started , the other said , and were not now ! The e m s and police and others were laughing Purdy good on that verbiage. Bless ya'll from hooterville, n.c.

[@nathandettweiler9560]

Loved not when we started and still not professional! Glad they lived to laugh about it!

[@kevinshipman6494]

Hendo

[@leroyedwards10]

My buddy got killed 20 years ago on a barber chair,no matter how good u think u r ,things can go wrong,never quit learning guys and gals

[@444gtb]

Good learning video. Thank you for sharing.

[@mattetor6726]

Thank you for sharing!

[@cheryljason9617]

Always pay attention you could see the lines in the bark of the tree and the way the tree grew ... you guys dodged a bullet on this 1

[@dp1381]

I believe the reasons this tree barber-chaired are three-fold. 1. The rope may have been too taut and pulled the tree over before the hinge was thin enough to bend over and break. 2. The wedges were pounded in too far before the hinge was thin enough to bend over and break. And 3. The back cut was too high, which prevented the hinge wood from bending easily. The back cut should be even with the apex of the undercut or up to 1" higher but no more. The main thing is that the hinge must be reduced to the appropriate thickness (10% of tree's diameter) before the tree begins to fall over. If the hinge is too thick, it will begin to bend but won't be able to break as the tree falls over which is why there is the huge piece of hinge wood remaining on the stump after this tree barber-chaired.

[@jongray3797]

I agree, plus a bore cut would have helped here as well.

[@michaelhutin5451]

I agree with number 3.

[@mturner221]

This man knows what hes talking about. All 3 could've been contributing factors. I mean he made the back cut in like 10 sections. Gotta eat up the wood quick and finesse the last bit of hinge wood to avoid barberchair.

[@phi376]

#3 for the win. Would like to add that if obvious vertical cracks in the stem/trunk, wrap a very heavy duty (like 4 to 6" wide) nylon ratchet strap around it several times and tighten like hell. (Like the big ones trucker's use on flatbed loads). Glad you got it down without anyone or anything getting hurt. Keep on keeping' on!

[@JoelAtkins1983]

The face cut wasn’t deep enough. He only went in maybe a foot. I would have gone in almost half way. Also a lot of tension on the rope

[@whilomforge3402]

I always plunge cut with a face cut that shallow. It happens to everyone at some point, though.

[@MegaBrokenstar]

This comment section is really wholesome. No hate or bullying, just genuine constructive criticism, most of if meant to give advice to other viewers more so than to judge the poster. Love to see this incident that scared a few being turned into a great learning opportunity for many.

[@eclark53520]

Plain and simple too much line pull too early. The face cut was OK(not great but would have worked fine) and the back cut, although higher than ideal, also would have worked. The hinge was too thick when the tree started moving on it's own. You had plenty of purchase/leverage on that tree(good job!) and good on you for using wedges. There was no need to be pulling on it while cutting. When pulling a back leaner, I always get some light tension on the line to assure good rope placement. Then make the face cut. Once the face cut is made I watch the crown of the tree and have the person in charge of the pull line apply tension until I see the crown move. Once I see the crown move I know I have enough leverage. At that point I make the back cut, setting wedges as I go. We do NOT apply more pressure with the pulling device while making the cut, this is dangerous for more than just barber chairs. Once I have the hinge set appropriately, we will then apply pulling power to the pull line. I keep the wedges pushed in as the tree moves just in case the line breaks or a limb snaps in the canopy or any number of other ways we could lose purchase on the tree via the rope. Once the tree passes over center and starts to fall on it's own, I move away on my escape route. You did ALMOST everything right in this situation. I can't tell from the video but you may have also had a Dutchman...those can cause problems as well. Make sure your two notching cuts meet 100% cleanly. If they don't right away, clean them up with he saw before continuing. What were you pulling with? I'm guessing a truck. Have the person in the truck sit still until you have set the hinge. Then tell them to pull steadily on the line until the tree comes over.

[@RoodFeller]

I really appreciate this comment. I think you're right on. I think the biggest problem that I had is I was using the homeowner on a rope puller. I was cutting the tree for him as a favor. I didn't realize that he was cranking on the Rope puller as if his entire livelihood depended on it. Weather my saw was not sharp enough or not powerful enough to cut it fast enough I think he was able to build so much tension as he continually cranked. It actually was not a back leaner but a side leaner so we are pulling at an angle to try to counterbalance the sideling

[@eclark53520]

@@RoodFeller You're absolutely right. Hey, the tree still went generally in the correct direction. A solid learning experience has taken place not only for you but for everyone that watches this and reads the comments. You might even think about re-posting the video with some voice over explaining what you learned and what you would do differently to avoid that particular outcome in the video.

[@julesjames593]

@@eclark53520 Lesson learned: don't let the gung-ho homeowner help!

[@JoelAtkins1983]

This is the correct answer

[@jeremiahyoung6608]

Exactly!!

[@robsmith7681]

I like the lady that called it. 💪🏽

[@57fitter]

I liked it ,too!

[@maryrood7830]

Thanks! Lol

[@rgthomson100]

Notch to small, under 30% and backcut to high, could have been worse

[@bobsinger7127]

No, he didn’t bore the middle out. When that tree fell, all that should’ve been holding a couple of fibers of wood no bigger than a fist. Rookies.

[@willalot]

I would say its under 20 percent by quite a bit, should be at least 25, you are correct.

[@bobsinger7127]

@@willalot I’ve been harvesting timber for my family business since high school and I’m in my 30s. You guys are all hung up on the notch and that’s not what is important. I’ve had to notch a tree such as a 40 inch White Ash at less than ten percent because of rot or it being hollowed out, but you still need to bore the center out or it will split and then the lumber is useless on the good log. In this situation, the tree split and splintered because the feller didn’t bore out the center and it split right where his back cut ended. The center of that hinge should’ve been gone and he would’ve saved the log/lumber.

[@TurboDieselFury]

My thoughts exactly. He got it down...no damage or injuries...that's a win, but you are right it could have gone badly.

[@willalot]

@@bobsinger7127 I agree less holding wood would also improve that situation so boring the centre would be smart. His undercut was shallow though. I am following BC falling standards and I am a certified faller.

[@jacobpaschal6758]

First thing; glad that no damage was done and no one was hurt, that is the most important part of tree felling. There can be hundreds of reasons/ errors for a tree to do something unexpected, and we could all pass judgment, however if any so called "professional" said something unexpected hasn't happened then they haven't been cutting trees long enough or not true professionals. Next thing is from the angle of the camera the face cut seems shallow which might of prevent the tree from falling sooner. The backcut looked higher than what it should have but, I've had a slight J cutting chain that made my backcut end higher than my horizontal cut of the face cut. Yes as some people have said a bore-in-cut would help prevent a barber chair, but is a more advanced cut and done incorrectly can lead to bigger problems (kick-back). The tree didn't look like a leaner so I wouldn't have done a bore-in-cut. However you can see the stress fracture in the tree so for that reason a bore-in-cut or chain (not rope) would help. With all that said we all are learning and anything can happen.

[@TheLloyz]

Any videos you would recommend beginners, gonna start clearing my property.

[@RoodFeller]

I have a playlist on my profile that's called The New Guy I've been trying to make a collection of videos when I take on new people. There's lots of things in there like tying knots and stuff but there's a couple of really good tree felling for beginner videos.

[@TheLloyz]

@@RoodFeller thanks I subbed will check your vids out, appreciated 👍

[@steppoffaith8426]

Ya if your production cutting!!!!!!!! And are a profesional!!! But 1 tree all day or even week to plan. Then stand there like that tree won't jump backwards like a ricket!

[@steppoffaith8426]

@@TheLloyz yes watch the B.C training videos.

[@davidcox9115]

Cool video!! Cutt'em downs the easy part now ya gota cut it up.lol....stay safe and God bless

[@CarlWinzil]

The higher the back cut the more the tree wants to hold on. The tree wants to fall and stay put at the same time, resulting in a barberchair.

[@me005003]

Close your eyes & listen to the sound of the saw & imagine some kind of flying insect buzzing in your face.

[@Belbury101]

Back cut too high is the main issue? Bore cut first to set the hinge up exactly right, work back to just leave trigger wood and it's generally good. Done a lot of leaning Ash like that. I'd probably also do a steeper angle face cut to give a longer hinge controlled fall before closing the face makes hinge break.(Or a Humboldt)

[@connorcoyle6592]

Hing also looked like it was placed right on a deformity (can't tell if its a crack or what)

[@paulcoote3094]

Nailed it

[@ian9toes]

What’s a good rule of thumb for how high the back-cut should be? Cheers.

[@paulcoote3094]

@@ian9toes for this tree he should have had it close to level with the face cut.

[@CarlWinzil]

@@ian9toes 3/4 to 1 inch< humbolt. 2inches< conventional. That's a general idea, they can vary. Just don't go under the face cut.

[@sheeznutz2254]

Just a tad bit of fiber pull! Well we can still make chip board out of er Billy Bob!🤠

[@terryhale9006]

It was impressive.

[@killingoldgrowthsince]

Fiber pull hilarious. That's a barber chair. LOL

[@danielkazic6043]

Well first off his notch was too shallow and I don't know wtf kind of roping technique that was...

[@WORDversesWORLD]

The comments are more interesting than video, I mean where else can you find so many professional lumberjacks with their infinite wisdom, lol.

[@rugerfarming5387]

That tree looked to cut up for it to barber chair but it did. Suprised me. Hard to tell the details in the video tho. Glad everybody was fine.

[@ricksanchez3176]

Guys, I am glad you shared, takes guts to put mistakes for everyone to see hoping someone will learn something. Sincerely, do you think that scratch where there should have been a notch had something to do with it, in combination with what you mentioned in the description? 1/3 brother, if it isn't blowing out rotten sawdust, 1/3 deep will never get you. I shouldn't say never, but as little chance as crossing the street. Pulling that hard, bore cut?

[@ClimberinChrist]

Deeper face. Less tension until your hinge is set. Or just plunge cut. Or call a pro

[@shermanhofacker4428]

I haven't read all the comments so someone else may have pointed out that a bore cut into the notch ( something I do with most white oaks to prevent the pulls )would have decreased the chance of this happening. Since there wasn't a lot of lean and the split started long before the notch closed I am assuming there was already a split in the trunk. I would have probably also have bored in and out the back for the felling cut.

[@burp1914]

What do you mean by bore cut the notch? That is mentioned by many in the comments.

[@sheeznutz2254]

This guy sure moves fast

[@duniaserkel8732]

Good

[@outdoorswithlarryrobin]

Scary! Glad you both ok! Just subscribed 🚜👍🏼🇺🇸

[@Woodman_Custom_Sawing]

That could have been avoided. Stay safe.

[@TreeSawyer]

1:34 “barber chair”. Ha Ha. Atta girl.

[@thejackel1844]

I see that preventive measures were taken to prevent a (much) worse barber chair situation, it went where it was supposed to go, that's all that really matters...(Chain binding would have been better).

[@randymagnum8721]

That is a fart in the wind there buddy. He only tied it there to anchor it for the pull.

[@Kevin-wt8qr]

Looks like it was pre-split all the way up before you started. When it started to go over the split followed the natural fracture. Perhaps

[@AquaMarine1000]

You should never back horizontally. Cut the scarf about one-third in and then back cut down at thirty degrees from level towards the scarf point. At this point, understanding the hinge point the felling line can be corrected. This way, a back stop is created, and wedges become redundant. Cheers

[@lorenzoghinelli7018]

In my opinion there are two mistakes only: the first one is a too small face-cut and the second and related one is a too wide hinge.

[@Gouliasboy]

I cut hardwood for 25 years and have seen this happen in videos and read all comments and just shake my head. With hard wood and especially veneer quality wood with straight grain you have to cut your corners. By this i mean you have to cut in a couple of inches on both sides through the sap wood connecting to the corners of your notch and then the back cut a couple of inches higher than your notch so that if the top of the tree catches on another tree the butt can't slide backwards off your stump and get you. Yellow Birch was about the worst for barber chairing off the stump if you didn't cut your corners. Soft wood like pine you can get away with not cutting your corners because the wood fiber is not as strong and pliable as hard wood and just splinters off at the hinge.

[@stevet8121]

That all makes sense. I listen to anyone with 25 years experience.

[@NatureBound]

Finally someone who knows what they're talking about. I'm a third generation logger, it's in my blood. Listen to Gouliasboy

[@peterlundberg439]

This a perfect example of what can happen if the front and back cuts Donald line up. Could have gone much worse.

[@benm2081]

I think it has more to do with the gigantic crack.

[@mikecubes1642]

the notch was not deep enough to start with and thats part of the reason it split. everybody turns into a beaver when they run a chainsaw

[@patdenney7046]

There’s a lot of things not right you’ll learn!

[@martinavrdoljak6030]

Today in Croatia one 64-year old man got killed this way. Crazy thing is I was looking yesterday a bunch of theese vids and left a coment: me cut always 45°, and ofcourse someday it will crack and kill when leaning. Also wrote better put a fat chain over where you want cut

[@Squirrellynutz]

The face cut should have been deeper. However in this situation “shallow face cut” the barber chair could have been avoided if the hinge was cut thinner before pulling the tag line. Perhaps 1”-1.5” thick before pulling.

[@steppoffaith8426]

That tree would have still barberchaired with 1 in henge at henge location!!

[@bobwilkinson1217]

Looks like a homeowner job --- definitely not a lumberjack's. Should have done some inside plunge cuts to prevent the barber chair. Plus, you could have put a tight chain around the butt a foot or two above the cut.

[@donmoore7785]

Notch looks to be only 20% or so. Backcut was high and got higher as it went. You were pretty successful, just not perfect. Building is still standing, people were not injured. *edit* others pointed out the line tension was too high, and I now see that. I don't pull hard on my trees early, so I never had this problem. Always something new to learn with felling trees!

[@JimsEquipmentShed]

Well, judging by the lower limit line, I’d say you kinda thought this might happen, and kind of dealt with it. If that line wrapped around was a little tighter, would it further limit the chair, or would the rope just snap?

[@RoodFeller]

I'd say you're right but it is hard to say if it would have broke or not. Definitely a mighty tree.

[@brianroupp1472]

So that rope is used as a base tie configuration for pulling. They choke the stem with a running bowline or a daisy chain hitch. Then they Shoot the other end of the line through a strong union up top and pull from that end. So as the tree falls towards the pull and the pull line slacks the choke around the stem would simple slide apart. I don't know that a half inch line could have stood up to that but I would argue anything bigger maybe able to handle it, a rope is only as good as your knot, it is estimated you lose 60% of you rope strength at any given knot.

[@reillystsb]

I've got an appointment at the Barbershop........ I saw that whole thing happened before it happened

[@steppoffaith8426]

Exactly what happens when you don't know what your doing. Death isn't far behind it.

[@kriswright1022]

That saw was DULL!

[@steppoffaith8426]

@@kriswright1022 ok sharpen it!! Borecut it plenty of options.

[@jakemesa3211]

Jesus there are a lot of know it all’s on here!…

[@Ithzzz]

This comment section is why ppl dont want to post falling vids on youtube jesus christ

[@donmoore7785]

Actually, there are several good comments here. Just toss out what you don't like.

[@MrThenry1988]

You can see that coming for sure. Didn't matter I reckon. Especially if pulling to hard.

[@jkgkjgkijk]

That tree was trouble from the get go because of the lean. It was a mousetrap.

[@michaelswenor7208]

Don't tell me what to do, I got the hard hat!

[@jasonjason5184]

Yes I would have done this one slightly different. First I would have picked up the phone and call a professional that was fully insured 👍

[@bogey19018]

Why did it do that?

[@baswordfish]

predictible... Now the wood is ruined...

[@unclefuddelmer9224]

1st if all Good Final outcome!!! The #1 problem was the face cut isn't deep enough and should've been about 45* counterclockwise from the vertical split And the natural lean. 2nd, not enough wedges. The wedges should be almost shoulder-shoulder and driven Deep.

[@johnparkhurst1141]

Great video. a first for me for this channel. popped up in my suggestions. Beautiful scenery, what State?

[@RoodFeller]

Thank you I appreciate you watching and commenting. This is actually in Evans West Virginia.

[@johnparkhurst1141]

@@RoodFeller beautiful country!

[@buckeyeViews]

You needed a deeper notch and maybe a little less tension on the pull rope a bore cut would have prevented this though

[@tooge47]

strap it closer to the base with something substantial

[@northeasterndirtandpropert7974]

Id like to know why the tree was cut down in the first place.What a majestic oak.

[@blockededited8280]

That's either a power line overhead or a hair on my screen.

[@quercus417]

The black line going up the bole of the tree shows it is unstable. Cracked and possibly rotten.

[@damonwebster6099]

It looked compromised

[@donmoore7785]

There is always one in the bunch. Congratulations!

[@user-md4ok5tp4j]

Back cut was too high above the undercut.

[@brandonjoseph6407]

Looks like somebody had a rope tied in it they was pulling too fast before they could get it cut

[@randymagnum8721]

Naw that's one of those times where having a faster saw could have got you killed. It can give you more weight on the wrong side of the split and it would have chased you down. You may as well have not even made a face cut with it that small. With a proper hinge you would have had a safe pivot point for the rope pull. 1/3 would have been good.

[@Rotaris1]

I know very little about felling trees. But for you pros I have a question: With a tree that could barber chair (pick any reason) would having a chain around the tree about 2 feet above cut stop this from happening. Just a idea?

[@hd4ms]

I don't think I would do that unless the core is rotten. You just do everything right so you don't need a chain. When she starts falling, get the heck away to a safe place and let her do her thing. It can't hurt you if you're a safe distance behind her.

[@davidchisholm1179]

Yes a chain, typically what I do is the face cut first. Then I hang the tail of the chain over the facecut so no chance of hitting it with the saw. Basically what this guy did with the rope was ineffective.

[@thomasdavenport508]

Face cut too shallow. No reason to cut that low. Work comfortably at waist high where there's no root flare. Deal with the stump after the tree is safely down. Too much line pressure for sure. I'm takin down at least four 45 foot piss elms next to an interstate frontage road tomorrow! 30" to 40" DBH's. It's gonna be fun! There's so much room for activities!

[@thomasdavenport508]

*back cut too high as well. That plus excessive line pressure is what caused the barber chair.

[@charlestaylor8566]

It looked like it had a long split in it and pulling to much to keep up with saw , as they say , shit happens !

[@willett786]

Sharper chain, bigger notch

[@retiredwelder1971]

Chain binders and bore cut. All that matters is it’s down and nobody’s hurt.

[@rhymereason3449]

You can see the tree had a major vertical defect and they anticipated issues by wrapping a chain around it. I think they should have just put the chain down lower though.

[@brianroupp1472]

That is a base tie my friend, for pulling. I don't think they did anticipate the trouble. He wouldn't have left a 6 inch stump shot otherwise.

[@ajpsawmill4314]

I had one explode on me years ago. Now I bore cut them to avoid that

[@zapblamvern2317]

Notch. Bore. Back strap. Easy way to prevent barber chair and maintain full control untill strap is cut.

[@thebullgoose6099]

Yep, sound advice. And if we then release the back strap with an axe we'll be that much further away from any nastiness.

[@gregtaylor8327]

Silly boys lots of things to think about here.

[@johncampbell9120]

I have big white oaks to cut and I'm crapping my pants afraid of them. I am 55 now yet this task has me as nervous as a school boy. I need the money from selling them but I don't want to die I just got two new grandbabies and that's what the money would help with. What is a reasonable rate to pay someone per tree to cut them down then into 8.5 feet lengths?

[@RoodFeller]

It's really hard to know what kind of advice to give not knowing all the circumstances. I would imagine the best thing for you to do would be to get in touch with a logger.

[@johncampbell9120]

@@RoodFeller thanks for the response...it's 20acres of hilly with white red and chestnut oak, $750 per thousand white oak here close to Bristol TN....I have the log arch to transport to sawmill 2miles from my acreage. I have saws galore it's just that the 36inch trees are worth a lot many are veneer so I'd hate to ruin them. You are right I should look to to a pro and make a deal. I like your channel.

[@terran5569]

That wedge cut was a joke. He's gotta learn!

[@dr.emilschaffhausen4683]

Would an extra two inches of notch depth have prevented it?

[@RoodFeller]

There's definitely a lot of things that could have been done differently. One thing I think people don't realize is that there's a lot more going on than what you can see in the video. A deeper Notch I think could have helped but I think it was the least of the worries.

[@dr.emilschaffhausen4683]

@@RoodFeller I appreciate the reply! I'm learning more every day from great people like you.

[@RoodFeller]

Thank you I really appreciate that

[@CalPhotoGuy]

Your face cut should never be less than a third of the way in. 40 to 45 percent is better. That fall was doomed from the start.

[@xenaguy01]

Not a logger, or arborist, or chainsaw user. But: 1) face cut (wedge cut) not deep enough for that tree, with the vertical fault. 2) back cut (felling cut) too high, by at least two inches. On big (fat) trees, use a chalk line or other way to make a horizontal line 1" above the base cut.

[@garyanvil2354]

I was a hit in the head by a tree that Barber chaired when I was very young and inexperienced cutting a trees for a neighbor on a cliff it barely missed my jaw on the way up and ripped maybe 15 feet up didn't even have time to look when it hit me directly on top of my head luckily the tree was only 8 to 10 inches around or so... I ended up going to the hospital the whole top of my head was swollen luckily I'm still here to tell about it I escaped without Serious injury but it's no joke

[@peterh4446]

In forestry school I was taught to make side cuts a couple inches deep before starting the felling cut. We never used plunge Cuts.

[@zacfiroved8069]

And yet there's a couple of purposes that is the only practical thing to use plus a plunge cut tells you if your center is rotten faster than any other way so if for no other reason the plunge cut and sawdust I cup my jhand as I do it most times barring doing a stunt $#@ upside downie plunge cut Which I find is never justifiable disc ord gathering sawdust real quick and checking the center it's only for when you intend to Finsh Backwards as the plunge cuts meant I feel as though the Heartwood gathering should be done on all big big trees min. over 48" measured from at least 2 ways directly away or from another unless another direction Disfavors the Scoring of My Buck MORE THAN OPPOSITE) THEY USUALLY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A LOG THAT'S AT LEAST 56 58 IN ONE WAY AND 48 THE OTHER AND CUTTING THE STUMP OFF AT 4 IN ON THE HIGH SIDE LEAVES A 24 OR 28 INCH STUMP ON THE LOW SIDE SORRY I PROBABLY GOT A TINY BIT STONE AND OVER EXPLAIN THE F****** S*** OUT OF HIM WHAT I MEANT MY BAD

[@zacfiroved8069]

My bad on the typos I'm sure you're a way better father than I ever could be I'm not even a dad and I'm a s***** Uncle even though I tried hard

[@zacfiroved8069]

FALLER, I meant to say...SIR!

[@patrickfurlong9169]

I thought that old fart with the wedge was going to get ripped to shreds.

[@rockofagesusa7942]

That’s why ya Don’t cut above the notch cut , but it happens

[@stevenblake6939]

That has nothing to do with this situation!

[@rockofagesusa7942]

BS

[@killingoldgrowthsince]

Not a clue do you have

[@williammackey7243]

shallow wedge

[@09rja]

Was this thing dead? That could have been a contributing factor as well.

[@RoodFeller]

The tree wasn't dead and I don't believe it was rotten either. I think I've come to the conclusion that there was a little bit of a lean and lots of heavy limb weight. We are pulling with a rope in another Direction but I think we also Amplified the lane with the pole line.

[@09rja]

@@RoodFeller Good theory. At the least, it shows why I always have a escape route set up. :)

[@miketee2444]

Could see the tree was split from way back. Wrap a chain around that thing just in case. It only takes a minute.

[@DanielNorris-yz7zk]

There making topicks

[@notuern]

The undercut is way too shallow and that hinge is what? 15cm? Should have been about a third at most.

[@LaChoocharina]

Too small face cut??

[@MrJonrocker]

Notch wasnt deep enough...

[@robertdillon9989]

They f’ed up eh !

[@nickmaclachlan5178]

Face cut/notch not deep enough and back cut looked a little too high from this armchair arborist! Got 'er done though.....

[@NH1969GOAT]

Plunge cut, people....

[@looloo6322]

Too shallow on the front cut, too slow on the back cut.

[@rock5464]

Abbott and Costello

[@michaelmeden9117]

Is nobody going to comment about the fact he had it tied off above the cut in the event of a barber chair? I believe he knew it was a good possibility and took the prevention of binding the tree. Chain would have been better but it was still a good fell with a difficult tree.

[@jeremiahyoung6608]

Thats not why he tied it, it was tied to get the pull rope in the tree. Its called a butt tie.

[@AugustHunicke]

@@jeremiahyoung6608 zactly

[@RoodFeller]

@August Hunicke I really appreciate you watching my video even though it's somewhat of a botched job. Definitely learned a lot since then. Especially through situations like this. It would be really cool if you'd watch this other video. Watch my 20" panther bar ms 250 video kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHqvhomYgdh1qMU

[@treemands]

Coulda already had a crack in it. Saw looked dull...throwing powder it seemed.

[@RoodFeller]

Yeah I've had that thought as well. And I really can't remember how sharp the chain was. Since then I've tried to either have brand-new chains or make sure the chain is absolutely right before I go cutting something that big.

[@treemands]

@@RoodFeller also next time try to have the back cut come right into the v of the notch. You came in too high and you lose the hinge below that high cut.

[@RoodFeller]

Yeah I think you're right however I was only about 2 in up I have a picture of it but I'm not sure how to add it to the comments

[@RoodFeller]

I really shoot for has level as I can. I think I either didn't care at the time or maybe I couldn't tell until it was too late because of the size of the tree

[@treemands]

@@RoodFeller maybe that guy with the wedges and the sledge had you distracted. No need for any wedges if you have a pull rope properly set up. Sometimes I put 2 in as 1 is a back up in case one fails with a house behind it like you had. But it helps to run a line with the saw on a surface/bark depth cut from the bottom of the notch cut around the tree keeping the saw level to show you where your back needs to come in. A big enough bar and chain help a lot too. Everybody has had a tree barber chair but usually leaners. I doubt if you were overtorqued on the pull line (to create the mechanics of a front leaner) as it was a back leaner and it was a large tree. I think it was already fractured.

[@harryclark8320]

That must have been absolutely fucking terrifying. Looks like the saw didn't cut quick enough meaning the hinge was too thick ?

[@williamdavidson9009]

The hinge should have been made first by boring the correct distance behind the notch. Then the back cut can be finished from the notch to the back of the tree and it will never barber chair. You are correct the hinge was too thick so the tree split but any saw would work if it was done correctly.

[@harryclark8320]

@@williamdavidson9009 You're right...something like a dogs tooth cut would have been more appropriate ?

[@williamdavidson9009]

@@harryclark8320 I am describing the "Game of Logging" technique. It is very effective to prevent this situation

[@harryclark8320]

@@williamdavidson9009 I hadn't seen this technique before. I would think it would work on a nice straight pine but on a heavy leaner I would have thought the tree may still start to barber chair before you finish that back cut. If you did something like a dogs tooth bore cut and left enough of a back strap, the tree may have stayed up long enough to do that last cut. Just my thoughts..

[@williamdavidson9009]

@@harryclark8320 What you do is an open face notch. It doesn't need to be deep just open enough so the notch doesn't close before the tree gets close to the ground. Then bore in behind the notch to make your hinge and cut to the back. then you can zip the back strap and get away. The idea is that the hinge is made so you aren't trying to race the tree falling and you can be away from the tree before it starts to move. Done right it is very effective even on heavy leaners. These guys might have been OK with a faster saw but they are still risking barber chair. It is very dangerous and if that was a sawlog or veneer they made it into firewood.

[@elliottkirkman7593]

Bore cut, bore cut, and more bore cut

[@michaelantoniak6763]

Its the end of the world as we all know it

[@logicVSpassion]

should have bore cut or kept a strap... NOVICE felling