Barberchair Intentional vs unintentional

This video shows the use of an intentional barber chair to aid in the falling of two trees into the street on a cul de sac. While barber chair is considered to be one of the greatest dangers faced by loggers, it has properties that may be helpful in a controlled situation. This video shows several unintentional barber chairs downloaded from youtube and along with one successful and one failed attempt at inducing a barber chair with a high pull line and skid steer loader. This video is more of a warning about the dangers of barber chair than a recommendation for its use. Illustrated examples of a bypass Dutchman in the face cut causing barber chair are shown. Please don't try this at home.

[@xjohnson42]

Thumbs up for being a genuine, good-intentioned, hard working, professional with a dangerous job.Trying to improve your field. wonderful.

[@docktorleaky5869]

I have found, from watching other tree felling videos, that many times people will use their car or truck to cushion the blow, so the tree will not damage the road or driveway.

[@donmoore7785]

And their homes, in some cases.

[@fleepss2407]

LMAOO

[@greglees4011]

😆🤣😆🤣

[@samtimo3002]

😐😑🤨

[@BachelorCigarTalks]

I'm just glad the tree was okay

[@MeyersCTR]

I've been using chain saws for 40 years. If I learned one thing from this video, it's that I've been lucky.

[@michaelmcnaughton1535]

God yes. My Dad and I used to do a fair amount of logging tho we knew very little technical about it. The good lord was watching over us.

[@antoniocortez2697]

WILL THINKING COULD B WRONG BUT IF THEY TRIED IT THIS WAY MIGHT B BETTER WHERE EVER THE BROKEN PART OF THE TREE IS TIE A CHAIN UP THERE SO THEN ANOTHER ONE BELOW IT DO NOT CUT ABOVE THE CHAIN CUTTING BELOW CAUSE THEN THE TREE WILL COME APART INSTEAD IT SHOULD FALL LIKE IT WAS A TOTALLY WHOLE TREE B MORE SAFER THAT WAY IN WHATEVER YALL R DOING TRY IT OUT OK,,,

[@EwMuva]

@@antoniocortez2697 what happens when you get knocked unconscious by the chain when it pings off from being under so much pressure

[@jonathanfarmer2362]

Same here

[@BrotherTay]

You should probably stop using a saw then

[@countrylifetales2700]

I'm 60, female and just a part-time landscaper who does cut some small trees. I want to say that this is the most informative video, out of the thousands of YT arborist's videos, that I've ever seen. Thank you for being so detailed.

[@gsfbffxpdhhdf7043]

CountryLifeTales better be carful old lady this is a young mans game. Old men need to leave it to us to do tbe job they cant do nothing

[@RosenrotRtLiebchen87]

@@gsfbffxpdhhdf7043 no need to be a jerk

[@Johnnydoxx]

Thanks for the diagram showing the potential danger of a Dutchman. I.e., not just someone being picky. Good information throughout.

[@ScottLRoyal]

I needed to see your drawing of the bypass Dutchman. Knowledge is power. Thanks for sharing.

[@happycamper6352]

A similar thing can happen with the angle cut going too far also. On his drawing it was the cut parallel to the ground that went too far, which is a really bad thing, but having the angle cut bypass can also cause a problem too.

[@bp4170]

Best explanation of an unintentional dutchman. Thank you

[@Caledwyn]

Superb video Daniel. A very clear explanation of what causes Barberchairs and, more importantly for beginners in tree work, an exposition of the dangers of a Dutchman, which I think is less well known in general.

[@MrThenry1988]

Lost a friend's dad to this. He cut wood all my childhood. I've cut firewood for 20 years. I've only seen it one time and I was ready for it. I didn't know it was gonna happen, I was just ready.

[@kennethsizer6217]

Thank you! One actual, real experiment is worth a month of arguing, debating, and theorizing about what *would* happen. You should definitely consider this an incredible success -- because all of us watching gained a lot of wisdom. Possibly life-saving wisdom.

[@beebob1279]

Thank you for showing the barber chair. I saw one afterward when trees fell as a result of storms. Saw a safety film earlier of a man getting killed by this.

[@jturtle5318]

Thank you for the diagram. I was taught to notch trees, but never saw what an improper notch would do.

[@murphy4trees]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mrgallagher7072]

"Nothing we can do wrong" Famous last words

[@garycsfunlife]

Definitely one of the better explanations I've heard for this thank you

[@tjlovesrachel]

Thought the mailbox was gunna get it

[@Swansontrees]

Very informational, thank you!

[@jasonroku4219]

Best vid i have seen on the subject. You are likely saving lives

[@niagra898]

Holy crap this is fascinating-love this stuff,just started watching Bucking Billy Ray! Thanks for doing this 😃

[@dannylake4357]

Watched several videos on this subject. You have explained it very well thank you.

[@murphy4trees]

Glad it was helpful!

[@monica911turbo]

Great video! Great explanations and fantastic footage . Thank you very much. You learn so much about proper, safe techniques when you understand why failures happen. The knowledge will shared with us will make anyone who never understood how a barber chair occurs, become a safer tree cutter!

[@WilliamAlanPhoto]

This helps me understand this better! Thanks.

[@garybecker7246]

Good Information. Thank you for the video. I have never had a tree barber chair since I have been cutting, but knowing what to look for and how to avoid one may save my life one day. Thanks again

[@raydreamer7566]

Great video. Your drawing and explanation were exactly what I needed. Thanks.

[@Brian-Outdoors]

Great informative video. Thanks for making it.

[@tillkrieger1048]

Very good idea, you were extremely informative and really detailed. I agree that I don't think the barberchair technique will be used ever really. It is pretty dangerous and so it makes sense, but the properties you were explaining are really interesting. Thank you for this informative video!

[@lennie8098]

I use the barber chair intentionally on a tree that is up to 12" diameter at the base and 3 to 4 feet high so I can cut the tree slowly so I dont damage a lawn or because I want the trunk of the tree to be off the ground to cut it up easily.

[@jack19931970]

Very educational. Thanks!

[@travisthiboutot4943]

Very informative video and thank you thank you thank you for toning down the saw sound! No one does this lol

[@shawnbarker6463]

The more I learn about tree work the more I worry about the new guys on the jobsite. There's just so many dangers that must be considered. It's a wonder I'm still alive after being a self taught owner of a local tree service. Great video.

[@jackfiercetree5205]

I cut my gums in hip deep snow, clearing widowmakers from the NE ice storm in the late 90's. Luckily I was young and inexperienced enough, I had NO IDEA how dangerous everything I did was. There was someone knowledgable guiding me, but looking back after everything I've learned, I was totally riding the seat of my pants for weeks.

[@arbitrage2141]

Ive seen several videos of injuries/close calls where the bottom of the trunk swings back and up like that. Always wondered what caused it and this is exactly it. Im doing land clearing at a ranch and its my first job ever getting hands on felling trees, we've already had some minor incidents and small injuries so I started looking into things like this. Thank you so much for this video

[@auxpowerunit]

That was the best explanation of Barber Chair that I've seen !

[@loukinistino9010]

Much appreciated the study of the wrong cuts.

[@billybm0]

Great information here! Thanks Daniel!

[@lucfournier3939]

Thank you for sharing this☺

[@Dinoxt12]

He's a expert at what he does 4Sure...thanks for the lesson . Ash trees make for good base ball bats also in the straight sections of the tree sometimes.

[@helenbruno6157]

Very informative thanks learned a lot appreciate you showing me film

[@natoyilively9379]

thank you for this video, very informative

[@wayneallan2550]

Interesting, educational AND brave. Thank you!

[@topsaw]

Great, love getting walked through an intentional barberchair

[@davegillett7135]

I worked as an arborist for around 17 years and never saw a barber’s chair. Thank you for showing and explaining so well. Not pleasant cutting at head height!

[@wilfdarr]

That diagram was really educational. Thank you for taking the time

[@samsngdevice5103]

Smart idea to wrap the trunk with rope. Ammetures should probably do that always.

[@spelunkerd]

Best review I've ever found.

[@pipersmitty87]

What a great video! Great passing of some good knowledge.

[@oldguysrock2170]

I have a lot of Aspen / Popple trees. They naturally “Barber Chair” when they fall. Being a self taught logger on my very wooded property, I take them down by starting to process them at the tree tops until their own weight brings them down. When I see one, I really evaluate the tree before any cutting. I actually had a very large maple Barber Chair that fell split30’ up. The hinge was the part that Barber Chaired and the tree remained connected. When I cut the top branches off, the tree kept dropping where it was connected with each under cut. To this day, the tree is still hung up on itself as it is to risky to mess with.

[@dirtyshirtinfo]

Man, that was a fascinating experiment. I noticed I was not breathing normally until after the video ended, lol.

[@dougreid2351]

Ihave no earthly idea why this showed up in my suggestions today, two years later but I am VERY grateful. Always informative and easy to watch, your humility is very endearing. But this takes the cake, the Blue Ribbon one, the Best in Show trophy. How can I repay you?

[@murphy4trees]

Your praise is plenty. Just be careful and always do the right thing!

[@TheJrmelo11]

very informative great video i definitely learned something thanks

[@mikeharlow2908]

Extremely interesting! I’ve seen trees do that, but did not know what it was called! I’ve been cutting trees for years just using common sense and my limited experience, but still gleaned a lot of knowledge from your vid! It was very professional how you explained your process! Thanks!

[@andrehak]

Interesting stuff. Especially how to avoid an unintentionally. Thank you sir!

[@glenparks5175]

My father was awesome at felling trees, I wish I would have learned more from him while I was young, and I haven't cut in awhile and learned last weekend, my eyesight not that good anymore and cut too much hold wood out, and had a back leaner that hold wood let loose and jumped off stump and went totally wrong way, but at least nothing or nobody hurt, at least I learned a lesson!!!!!

[@kennethsizer6217]

Amen! Those days stay with you, don't they??

[@louislax14]

A while ago I saw a logging documentary in the alps where they would use somewhat of a barber chair to keep the foot of the trunk from slipping off and rolling down the slope, and to lay several tree across the slope into/over each other to create natural avalanche barrier with the trunks. Can't find the footage, but I do think like you said, a barber chair, even in controlled conditions in nowhere near enough control to fall a tree! Stay safe, and thank you for sharing your experiments and experience.

[@erichsh58]

I just watched another video where the logger used some kind of step cut method for falling an ash tree that was leaning heavily. It had lots of favorable comments from other experienced loggers and arborists, but nobody explained why he did what he did or what could happen if it wasn't cut properly. I never heard of a "barberchair" until this video and your excellent explanation.

[@ScottWConvid19]

Excellent video with critical information. Thank you

[@Excalibur-hp1kp]

Wow! Talk about skill. I have a tree in my back yard I really want to fall myself. About the same size if not taller.. But I'm a little leary.

[@rigginrat6102]

I wonder how many people kill or hurt their sleds watching this guy............... if you need trees cut get a timber faller.

[@s1914]

Excellent video 👍

[@MrThenry1988]

Glad I saw the bypass info. I cut 15 cord a year to burn. I've done this very thing. No big barber chair. But tough to walk back up to a tree that hangs up.

[@alexreifschneider6709]

Even if your just falling a tree to get it down and are unconcerned where it falls. IT CAN CHAIR ON YOU! Good video.

[@pw3543]

I learned a lot thank you.

[@bellgab]

I've been cutting trees for decades. My grandpa taught me how to log. You can wrap the tree with a chain with a grab hook above the cut, or wrap with heavy poly line. I've seen people cut a cuved leaner like alder and the stump kicks back 10 feet.

[@TheWtfnonamez]

Back watching this video again and its still fascinating. The way the cordage performed was brilliant really. I guess its a lesson in mechanical advantage. I would not think for a second that rope would contain all the force of a falling tree, but I guess every wrap around the trunk multiplies the mechanical strength of the cordage.

[@charlesgrizzard5095]

cool video. Thank you

[@kivaswander5537]

This video could save lives

[@blondemommyvomit]

Very interesting. Thanks.

[@sireliot2149]

Excellent content! Subscribed after watching just this video.

[@limerind7493]

A question for the more experienced. I have a forward leaning ash and was thinking about tightly chaining a heavy log chain around the tree about 18" above my back cut to prevent/reduce splitting and barber chair?? A larger face cut?? Its 20 inch diameter tree

[@doctorbea]

This was a very insightful video. Thanks for the share!

[@murphy4trees]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ugaurbanag]

Nice discussion of barber chair, very nice. But what a dangerous mess!

[@jkeips78]

Great video. It would be interesting to see if you could bore vertically to set your "hinge" so to speak on something like that gum which is less prone to splitting than ash. Good to see your doing well still.

[@markusgarvey]

I can't tell you how many trees have BC'd on me. Good video. I treat trees like a stick of dynamite, I have clear escape routes, and as soon as it starts to fall I'm outta there. Little trees will kill you just as dead as a big one. I had a big Madrone that was at least 12' at the base, growing horizontal. as soon as I was 1/4 way through, that thing popped so fast I didn't have time to do anything. The butt went around 20' in the air and stopped less than a foot from my head. The only thing that saved me was i was below the bottom over the stump because I was in a creek bed. It came straight back down on the stump. I had a lot of Ash trees BC on me as well.

[@matthogarth7126]

Nice video! Thanks for sharing

[@AndyL940]

Great video thank-you. I didn't realize the seriousness of making a mistake on the undercut. There is so much danger falling trees, and to think inexperienced people are doing this every weekend on their blocks of land or homes it makes me cringe thinking about it.. PEOPLE PLEASE LEAVE IT TO THE PROFESSIONALS !!!!!

[@murphy4trees]

Ya its amazing we all made it this far ;) I started believing in Angels in my early 20's becasue it was the only logical explanation for how I made it through my crazy teenage years unscathed!

[@jonpaulison2283]

Great video thanks .... makes me want to be way more safe in my woods

[@aidansharples7751]

first time ive seen someone barber chair the same tree on two seperate occasions.

[@TillyOrifice]

Interesting. Thanks.

[@Drose221]

best education ive seen ty and god bless you

[@murphy4trees]

that means a lot... really appreciated

[@CeterisMakesMusic]

Even without it being a safe or generally practical technique, this video did a good job at explaining and demonstating barberchair and how and why its dangerous. Something like ultrasound may be useful for checking a trunk prior to cutting to avoid the first situation where there was an unseen hollow in the tree.

[@therealandrewcano]

You're that good that you could not intentionally barberchair that tree. Pretty cool

[@Corrupted]

I have 0 interest in tree cutting but this was a great video and I enjoyed it throughout lol, good job man!

[@SonicBoone56]

Same

[@georgew2432]

Yes, and don't let this video get you anymore interested. Very dangerous and a very distasteful vid to put out to an audience of mostly novice/amateur chainsaw users.

[@dyscea]

These videos remind me how HEAVY trees are.

[@kennethsizer6217]

Ain't that the truth! I know greenwood is not as heavy as steel or slate, but when you're a bag of meat and water, you are NO COMPETITION. It's important to remember that at all times.

[@AjLloyd-uy2tr]

good stuff Brother. I tree trim and find barber chair useful to control the fall. Not around tree or limb when felling. (I use winches) Thanks for posting.

[@ericchandler90]

3:14 did someone just crack open a cold one?

[@turtlezed]

ha ha ha yeah sounded just like it.....

[@fee8255]

I can’t seem to find a video of he “Murphy “ cut. The time saver cut. I seen it once and didn’t save it. Could you please direct me to that video. Your videos help me daily, along with other tree 🌲 folk. Much appreciated.....

[@murphy4trees]

There are a few cuts.. not sure which one you're thinking about. Vertical snap cut, plate cut, short bar technique ... got any more details?

[@carmendematteo2020]

Daniel always a very informative video...work safe...More videos please..

[@craigslitzer4857]

I've seen intentional barber chairs done by wildlife & conservation professionals to lay a tree over while keeping it alive sort of like a giant hedge row to create a deer run.

[@brians7355]

Your respect to the blacktop is admirable.

[@murphy4trees]

haha

[@ArsonistArborist]

I have intentionally barberchaired an elm over an old crappy fence, the preservation of which wasn't of great importance.. it worked fairly well, like mortise and tenon, but as you observed, the results are inconsistent. So only useful in situations where a customer maybe says "I dont really care about that flower garden or sidewalk or fence or whatever, but if you can avoid it, great. If it breaks, it's not a big deal"

[@REDMAN298]

Anybody who`s felled trees has a bit of luck going for them if they survive. You never know for sure where it`s going to drop. Good video.

[@faerieSAALE]

Don't you just Love it when a demonstration plan FAILS!

[@ottawagardening3298]

Amazing video... How'd you get Ron Pearlman to act though? Figured he'd cost a fortune.

[@maryvalentine9090]

I tell you for real, as a person who grew up in timber country in Oregon, knowing a lot of loggers… Seeing a tree barber chair, whether it’s intentional or not, just about makes me pass out. I had a beloved brother-in-law who was a trusted, well respected, very experienced tree faller. Just an all-around nice guy who had been in the woods all his life. One day, he was taking down a VERY large ponderosa pine on a job. It got hung up and when he was inspecting what needed to be done next it suddenly barber chaired and killed him instantly. Even experienced fallers can be killed in the woods faster than you can say knife. It is a profession not for the faint of heart.

[@murphy4trees]

so sorry to hear that. I lost two friends to trees in the last month. One was highly skilled. The other was more of a site work guy, but had been doing tree work too for 40 years. They were two of the nicest human beings you could ever hope to meet. Seems like God takes the sinners and the saints early. The rest of us still have a purpose here.

[@Jjosephda]

very informative video. I appreciate the time spent to go over the little details. definitely helpful.

[@ricksylvester8065]

Nice honest vid. Thanks

[@stevenm3141]

Exciting to say the least! Very good demo. Question: run the saw all the way around the trunk into two inches deep. This will be a good indicator if the rot is on one side or around it. Always have a clear way to run away!

[@murphy4trees]

If I;m checking for rot, I plunge in with the bar upright.. the amount of potential hlding wood removed is close to zero

[@pcdubya]

Very interesting the way you know how to read trees and what they are going to do which you have to in your line of work. And showing the unintentional where that that logger at 1:50 cutting about a 60 incher that does that, holy cow, I'll bet he called a day after that one.

[@porcus123]

basically, from the mechanics I understood, it happens when you go over the hinge on the wedge and cut the base of the tree core. It laminates the core and topples with a vertical cut. I can see it happen when the wedge is shallow and the logger tries to cut from the other side, ending up with an hinge thats not align with the core edit: would some bands help keep it from splitting near the base if you put them further high up? the image at 10:11 is my worst nightmare

[@750rocketman5]

Your inventing another light bulb, good job man

[@Johnny82ify]

Doesn’t take much to get a white Ash to slab out.

[@eastcoastoakes2232]

Your life comes first before the rd

[@garagemetalshop7975]

Great video. How long did you wait on the gum for it to start falling? What would you have done had it not fallen right away? That tree was a nail biter to the end. Thank you so much for providing this unique and helpful video for those of us who want to study the barberchair effect.

[@murphy4trees]

My small contribution to the tree care industry ;) not sure how to answer those questions.. it's been a while .. thanks for watching. glad to eha that it helps

[@kinzieconrad105]

Lol didn’t exactly barber chair, though good explanations on what to avoid.

[@copperjacket00]

yes I have used barber chair many times to save on damage, but only smaller trees

[@murphy4trees]

you are one of the few