Classic Barber Chair Tree Falling Mistakes

This video examines the number rookie mistake in tree falling: the unintentional bypass Dutchman.

[@yacobshelelshaddai4543]

It’s as simple as that. Perfectly explained, well done. Literally saving lives with a video like this good stuff. 👍

[@Jonathanengr]

I'm a "professional homeowner", and I do a decent amount of clearing in the woods around my house. I've taken a few safety courses in tree cutting, but this is the *first time* I have seen a clear and comprehensive diagram of what causes a barber chair and the physics behind why it happens. It's made me realize that I'm pretty lucky I haven't had this happen to me before. Thank you so much for taking the time to put this information together and share it with others.

[@murphy4trees]

same for me.. I cut one and watched it and only found out years later why

[@JohnnyIDive37]

what is a professional home owner?

[@TheToolnut]

An unintentional bypass on the gob is only one reason a barber chair may accour.

[@user-se9im4vs8l]

​@@JohnnyIDive37I was gonna ask that lol

[@murphy4trees]

@@TheToolnut definetly... I AM going to write about it...

[@Vikingwerk]

Wow, an actual explanation of what, why, and how to avoid. In only a few minutes, rather than 15 minutes blabbing. You are a national treasure!

[@murphy4trees]

I know what you'r talking about.. it gets tiring...

[@hippymoustacherides]

Probably not worth watching a long explanation to stay safe. Have fun out there slugger.

[@Iatolaazzahola]

You sir, just saved a number of lives with this precise info. Thanks for the clear description of a Dutchman and what it can cause. Bravo!

[@unclemoe5733]

As a retired tree Superviser, i can say this is a very well explained tutorial. Their are way too many inexperienced tree workers out there that have no idea what a Barberchair senario is! Great job!

[@murphy4trees]

ya.. many have never seen one... and I'll bet there's been more than a few deaths from BC where the person hadno idea what just happened to the tree...

[@unclemoe5733]

Yes, i was almost one of them! Fortunately for me, the 20" Ash decides to fail on the opposite side of where i was cutting it. Me and my whole crew were speechless when it happened. I would have been driven into the ground like a nail. Never had any idea it could happen back then. Their was little education about it at that time.

[@jimmyb207]

I’ve seen a lot of videos on tree falling. They would talk about getting rid of the Dutchman, but never once explained what the hell it is. Now I know. Over the last 20 years, I’ve probably cut down close to 100 cords of firewood. 90% of it red oak. I now know that I have fallen trees with a Dutchman in the notch…many times. Never had a barber chair because of luck or tree species, but it does explain the behavior of the falling tree at times. Like the video, I’ve had a few start to fall then stop just like your video and never realized there was a barber chair danger. Wow. I always thought that risk was confined to leaners. Now I will be more attentive and make sure there is no Dutchman and remove it if there is. Thank you so much.

[@sgtfish49]

Excellent video. Thank you.

[@mr.dr.k3148]

Dang, glad that guy didn't get hit. Very comprehensive video regarding the dangers of A Barber Chair and breaking it down so as to understand the root cause and not make this mistake. Great Job.

[@WeGoWalk]

I took the 30-video tree-felling course on KZbin published by a Canadian tree-felling company, and they showed something similar to this regarding avoiding a Barber-Chair mishap. You did a great job with your drawings and video demonstration!

[@murphy4trees]

Do they use much video from real tree jobs or is it all stages and mocked up?

[@mariosebastiani3214]

Very well explained. I see 2 errors there: the first one, causing the barber chair. The second, running away with the chainsaw instead of dropping it instantly.

[@Trevor-ps2oe]

This is the first time I've seen a demonstration, or heard an explanation of the consequences of cutting a Dutchman. I've heard a lot about not doing it and now that has been explained. Very informative and useful. Thanks.

[@user-ty1iv6ot7j]

I wish more videos were as brass tacks as this one. To the point critical knowledge to stay safe. Thank you.

[@murphy4trees]

no lack of information on my end.. don't know why these guys have to ramble on endlessly..

[@davidcooke8005]

Awesome explanation. I have a cottonwood leaning over my driveway. What I learned from this video is to just hire someone competent, I don't wanna die any time soon.

[@timothy24287]

Cottonwoods are extremely prone to barber chair. I had one go on me a few years ago and now wrap them with a ratchet strap for insurance.

[@matttown4251]

This is the best explanation I’ve ever seen about why a barber chair occurs and how to avoid it. Great job! Thanks!!!

[@murphy4trees]

my pleasure

[@sgt_kissekatt6686]

A few days ago I was taught by a friends father how to fell trees. He never mention "dutchman cut", but did make sure that I didnt over cut one side when making the wedge. I wasnt quite sure why, but always checked that I didnt overcut and if so I corrected. Now I know what have a potential of happening if you dont! Thx, very good video!

[@user-df6wx9ke6d]

Good job, people need to understand the danger in tree falling. Thanks for the knowledge, and love to see more.

[@murphy4trees]

Thanks, there's pleny out there.. just got to look around

[@Mike-jn2es]

Life saver. Especially with the sawdust remarks. Literally life saving info

[@garettstahl]

Im a farmer primarily but do logging in winter. Ive fallen more trees then your average trees remover but less then your average logger. I had this happen once on a more recent timber track. I really like thus explanation and diagram. Having a better understanding now this video might save my life on the next stick I cut

[@murphy4trees]

good.. glas to hear it... amd no one except a logger has dropped as many trees as your average logger.. It looks like we're doing the same kind of work, but it's a much different game..

[@bobcameron23]

Best explanation of why a barber chair happens in simple terms. Great video example.

[@murphy4trees]

Glad you liked it!

[@pinecone5058]

Explained well, easy to understand, and it only takes a few minutes to clean up notch, to avoid any accidents, thanks for your time

[@hjy1709]

Very helpful with exellent demonstrations and pictures.

[@michaelswope2863]

When a swinging Dutchman or some other cut is required on a tree that is prone to barber chairing and you really need to avoid the split in the wood (causing you’re using it for lumber) use heavy ratchet straps on the log above your cut. The tension keeps the fibers together. I’ve never had a barber chair happen after I’ve strapped the tree.

[@murphy4trees]

ya, a strap is 100% effective as long as it's strong enough to keep th tree from splitting... if the trunk can't split, the tree cannot barber chair... Good cuttign technique will prevent most trees from BC< but a heavy front leaner with structural issues, the strap is the only way to be sure. I try to wrap it around two or three times, as many as possible for extra strength.

[@winstonskafte5505]

you can also bore in cut the center leave side tabs of holding wood and cut back out as long as you dont have enough wood in the center to hold it from falling it wont barber chair but its kind of a learn as you go art , yes unintentional dutchman poor practice I had better luck chopping out a chunk of the wedge and reinserting it if I wanted to use dutchman to swing around now I guess they just jack .

[@FatherOfTheParty]

Excellent explanation of what causes a barber chair *and* why it's so important to have clean notches.

[@Stannos_Adventures]

Excellent explanation of the Dutchman! So clear and concise.

[@Raul28153]

the best instructional I've ever seen on the topic

[@murphy4trees]

thank you... ;)

[@chriscastle683]

Exceptional video:. Topic. Explanation. Example. Conclusion. Thank you. Good bye. We'll done. C

[@teosinghsyiem9426]

short and beautiful explanation, CRYSTAL CLEAR . Thank you sir.

[@murphy4trees]

glad to know it works for you.

[@JM-jd7yp]

Good video on a very important subject. Working with trees is all about precision and understanding the forces acting on the tree. You have explained this very well. Thank you.

[@johndurant8687]

Really good info here Daniel! Very good film work and diagrams. This kind of education will really help newbies advance quicker. Great job!

[@lovelightcontinuum]

As clearly explained and illustrated description of this dangerous thing as I've seen. I've seen some of your other videos involving barber chair, which are excellent. This one however, emphasizes what causes it and how to avoid it, while the previous ones, for me at least, highlighted the dangers.

[@XDWX]

Im so glad you showed the diagram with how to correct this.

[@JasonVladimir]

Awesome illustration! Makes sense now! Thanks for sharing!

[@murphy4trees]

Glad you liked it!

[@robpotter1355]

Fantastic explanation, understood the physics coming into play and it seems so obvious afterwards, thank you.

[@murphy4trees]

There are many more things like that in this biz.. so few people really don't understand the "Why".. they just do it or even teacd it because that's the way it's always been done... I always look for the why.. once you understand the why, the door opens to a world of new possibilities

[@robpotter1355]

@@murphy4trees weird you saying that, you sounded like me last week explaining how train brakes work to a new starter. Understanding is a mile apart from just doing. I’ve been felling trees for over 30 years and always made a neat face cut not understanding how important it actually is. Again, thank you

[@btbb3726]

I very very rarely get involved in tree cutting and when I do it’s typically helping a friend. That said, I find these this video very interesting. It doesn’t hurt to learn something just in case. I think this video does very good of explaining - narration, graphics, video/stills - what is going on. 👍🏻

[@terrancemccune1424]

I agree with the other commentary below , The most well explained and visual example of its subject on the net from a pro thank you

[@murphy4trees]

my pleasure

[@fabzacres-blackcat]

A species that’s prone to barber chair may do so even IF perfect cutting techniques are employed especially if it has considerable lean / canopy weighted to one side, bore cuts are an option , however a robust strap / chain secured snugly about a foot above the back cut is the safest way to do the job imho. Even IF the holding fibers give way the strap/chain will “hold it all together”. I’ve split a shit ton of ash by hand and some of it is extremely easy to split , just “drop” the axe or maul on it and it splits in half … IF this is the case in the hinge (and forward leaning / heavy canopy ) it has a high probability of barber-chairing - even with PERFECT cutting technique let alone Dutchman bypass . It only takes a few minutes to secure the strap and potentially avoid an unpleasant situation

[@samiam159007]

Can you link an example of the wrapping of the chain?

[@murphy4trees]

@@samiam159007 kzbin.info/www/bejne/pmGXpKusqr-obac

[@samiam159007]

@@murphy4trees Awesome, that was great, Thanks Daniel!

[@joco4488]

Best explanation I've seen to date!

[@donready119]

This old tree feller thanks you for showing my ignorance. I never worried if the notch was not perfect but no more!

[@gregblackburn4280]

FINALLY! A video that seems to cover this well enough. Thank you Mr. Murphy!

[@murphy4trees]

happt to help bro!

[@chaswarren7239]

Brilliantly explained. Thank you Daniel.

[@murphy4trees]

someone has to do it ;)

[@smirkinatu5512]

Thank you for recording and posting this valuable educational video.

[@murphy4trees]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lashlarue7924]

Best explanation I've ever seen. Great job, hats off to you.

[@murphy4trees]

Glad it was helpful!

[@johnhume5465]

I really found this upload very informative and helpful as I wondered what causes the barber chair scenario. Very well explained and easy to understand. Cheers.

[@BobHerres]

Wow. I was 1/2 way through your video, and I wasn't catching on. Then it hit me! That's phenomenal. If you had not replayed it three times, I would have had to do it myself 3x! I've never fully understood the barber chair causes, and I've never fully understood why, some cutters "brush out" the sawdust, after the first wedge cut.... Now, finally, all this makes sense. All this in less than 4 minutes. Thank you so much! /A New Subscriber.

[@murphy4trees]

Gopod to hear and welcome... there's a lot of good info here if you look around a while...

[@joelasee1773]

Highly informative, great lesson. Thank you, another thing to keep at the front of thought when I'm making firewood.

[@murphy4trees]

Glad it was helpful!

[@gwmgbwi]

Awesome explanation. Really really well done sir. Comprehensive, short, interesting. Good job.

[@Jop_Kop]

Perfect explanation. Finally clear to me. Thanks

[@murphy4trees]

it all mkas sense when someone finally explains it... One of the reasons I can recognize it when I see it is because I've done it.. back before I knew better.

[@lincolnprojectnemesis3253]

I have gotten away with inadvertently leaving a dutchman because I didnt understand what it was and worse yet, the potential hazard. Thank you for the clear explanation.

[@dave_in_florida]

Best explanation I have seen

[@murphy4trees]

me too.... and thanks!

[@TLBF]

Excellent video! Thanks for posting!

[@DaBinChe]

great example/demo, now I finally understand barber chair

[@awkerper]

Great film! I'm new to chainsaws and tree felling so I didn't know about the barber chair and mistakes to avoid when felling.

[@1greenthumbgardeningtwba]

Hi Daniel, thanks for the quick and extremely good explanation. Awesome video. Thanks Scotty

[@AgnesMariaL]

Thanks! I've been doing a fair amount of falling since becoming a landowner, and somehow kind of instinctively always tried to avoid cutting too far when chunking out my pie pieces, but didn't think it would be a big deal if I did accidentally go too far. Seeing this, I'm gonna be even MORE careful!

[@simonmills2375]

I understand now. Very well explained. Thank you

[@jackmorrison8269]

Gotta love all these logging videos where they try to make it look like rocket science.

[@johnnybrace]

awesome simple explanation of physics in falling. be safe out there

[@dan-dan-da-treeman]

Exactly! Also I've seen a tree go almost 90° off the lay because of the bypass. He missed about an inch fiber on the side it fell.

[@murphy4trees]

Me too, though it was about 45 degrees and just a little bypass in the far corner filled with sawdust so I didn't notice it

[@user-un5my5bw4j]

This video really helped me and was straight to the point. Cutting down some white oaks and red oaks on my property that the gypsy moths got to before they go completely south on me punking around the outside like they will do. I didnt have any major barber chair occurrences but some very minute ones ruining first 5' of the first log or having split cracks in the center of the heart wood. Thank you for this

[@murphy4trees]

I have BC a couple knowing that wouold make the splitting for firewood easier, but only when I could finish the cut and induce the BC from a pull line set to heavy truck or loader... not worth risking being anywhere a tree when it BCs

[@larryweinberg1191]

good illustrations to clarify narration. Most cutters in PNW that have stayed with it have close call stories with Red Alder.

[@murphy4trees]

right... would ahve been better to keep cutting if you were expecting the thing to split, but a bad face cut was still the culprit.

[@freeplayfrank7736]

Good job explaining that. You probably saved someone's life already.

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

Great explanation, I'm gonna pay more attention to this and chack out more of your videos.

[@FromSteelToWood]

Thank you very much, very well explained! Although I never experienced any barber chair with falling leaning white ash (ideal species for that!!!), I think I was just lucky so far, because I did not know yet about that bypass. From now, I am going to be very careful about that! Thanks again!

[@niklar55]

I've been felling trees on my land, intermittently, foe over 20 years, and I'm pleased that I have never made THAT mistake!

[@dougreid2351]

Excellent, succinct and superbly illustrated. Go to the front of the line! DOUGout

[@squirtjosie7]

Thanks for good, clear explanation.

[@archur111]

Great explanation! I believe this is most common with cutting conifers.( soft wood)

[@jimr7120]

Wow! Thank you! Now I get it! I had one split last year, now I can see why.

[@smurface549]

We had a neighbor falling a tree, which hit the edge of our barn. He managed to undercut both, the angled cut AND the flat cut. Well, there was a way too deep noth in the first place, and he somehow managed to cut the hinge away from the sides as well...

[@ian9toes]

I’m no professional but I’ve seen videos of pros putting a ratchet strap above the cut when they have reason to believe a barber chair might happen. Especially if it’s on a big lean or an old tree. Another way they avoid it is to make the back cut from the inside out, bore cut, establish the hinge then cut towards the back of the tree. That way the “strap” at the back prevents it from leaning until the strap is finally cut.

[@matthewsanders6499]

This was surprisingly easy to understand for the layperson

[@murphy4trees]

Thanks.. god to hear.. it's amazing to me that the best instruction in chainsaw techniques come from KZbin. The industry trade organizations are terrified of touching anything outside of the narrow little box of their 40 year old cutting techniques.

[@Be_Good_Do_Good]

As most folks have already stated, thank you. I’m now smarter and safer.

[@murphy4trees]

that nice to hear... and why I made the video

[@brettblack7049]

Good stuff. You can also see it moving just above his head, which clearly shows it was equal movement there as at the top indicating that wind was most likely not a factor. Have a great week.

[@michaelheyward7668]

Great video! Short and to the point.

[@murphy4trees]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AvocaSingleTrack]

Thanks Sir . One more bit of knowledge in my bag. Appreciate it.

[@disillusioned070]

Great explanation and video. It also looks like his facecut is pretty shallow which added to the vertical stress.

[@philkelly4306]

Clear explanation, thank you

[@murphy4trees]

Glad it was helpful!

[@alanratay4583]

I’ve recently seen people put heavy duty ratchet straps or chains around the trunk to prevent this as well.

[@mattetor6726]

Excellent explanation! Thank you!

[@murphy4trees]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bruce-le-smith]

Cool review/tutorial, thank you!

[@murphy4trees]

Glad it was helpful!

[@spelunkerd]

Great explanation. I notice it stopped moving, it is the unexplained pause in momentum.

[@murphy4trees]

I've seen enough tree failures on the job to know that the tree will often asorb an initial impact, and then with some delay, often deconds, sometimes minutes the fibers will just give up. So the delay is the not unexpected in many scenarios. This is aperfect example.... even that little forward movement and then sudden stop as enough to rip that trunk in half, but it took few seconds.

[@D0praise]

Nice video, quick and to the point

[@slowdancer5563]

Lifesaving information. Thank you.

[@arcticbeak]

I learned something today, thank you.

[@joeblow1934]

Well explained!

[@RayRay-dr7og]

Great video, this helps A LOT of people!

[@mrpush2532]

Good stuff. I'm sure lots of barber chairs are caused by this without knowledge of the feller.

[@murphy4trees]

my forst one was, and it was years before I figured out why...

[@othellolagkage]

Really good explenation!

[@davebloggs]

Great video nicely done.

[@murphy4trees]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@brunolamarche100]

LIKE. --- This is an extremely important video!

[@murphy4trees]

thanks.. though rare a BC can easily kill the faller, especially for those that are unaware of the potential

[@go5582]

Hi handsome. Great illustration and vocabulary. More videos . ❤

[@christopherbright1048]

Very well done, I heat with firewood and cut down many trees. I am not a logger so I really appreciate any info to make it safer for me. Thanks

[@shootstraight29]

Very educational video … THANK YOU

[@canadianforged839]

Excellent video. This type of info saves lives....

[@sawdustadikt979]

Great explanation, its three cuts, each one needs to be done correctly, not close enough.

[@murphy4trees]

of course it all depends... you can get away with cutting some corners in a given scenario, but you have to know the why, which includes all the things that can possibly go wrong.

[@samuelluria4744]

Excellent explanation. I would differ with you however, on the movement of the top as the kerf closed....to me, it didn't seem so slight, but almost drastic.

[@ROMAN-oy5ju]

Great info here! Thank You

[@murphy4trees]

My pleasure!

[@effthegop]

My thoughts are, this is a GREAT video!

[@mischaeidmann4036]

Very strong video 💪🏻 helped me rookie a lot. Thanks a lot

[@larkinoo]

Excellent explanation of the cause of barber chair. There really is quite a bit of knowledge required to safely and successfully felling trees. Not to mention skill in handling a chainsaw. Thanks, good vid !!! I have seen a number of vids portraying novices " doing it wrong " and I always post to them that they need to get some tutorial on how to do it safely. The last one I watched where a novice was cutting down a tree he, on the back cut, cut almost completely through his hinge. I was yelling at the screen " STOP, STOP, STOP !!! ". Somehow, and by the grace of God, that tree fell just fine, though I do not know how !

[@FerociousSniper]

You learn something everyday!