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Tools Needed to Fell a Tree
Safety Equipment Needed to Fell a Tree
Planning the Felling to Cut Down a Tree Safely
Planning Escape Routes When Felling Trees
Notching Theory for Felling a Tree
Planning the Wedge & Escape Routes On-Paper for Tree Felling
Tying a Rope Anchor when Tree Felling
Loading Rope Tension to the Tree
Cutting the Notch in the Tree to Fell it in the Desired Direction
Listening to the Tree to Cut it Down Safely
The Proper Angle for the Felling Cut of a Tree
Using a Felling Wedge When Cutting Down a Tree
Felling a Tree Without a Rope
Removing a Widow-Maker Tree with a Rope
Removing a Widow-Maker Tree with a Rope: Part 2
Summary: Learn how to plan the process of a fell and how to safely cut down a tree in this free how-to video on felling trees.
George Finn is an expert in mechanical systems. He has a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. George is a licensed engineer and licensed...read more
"Hi! I am Drew Finn here for Expert Village.com. We are going to discuss how to cut down a tree safely today. This video is brought to you by Black Dog Video. You can visit it on blackdogvideo.biz. Obviously you know where you are going to fell a tree and what the tree naturally wants to fall by itself and whether you have to encourage it to go one way or another. We will show you trees felling; both types of trees today. One that will obviously go the direction we want it to and another one we are going to encourage with a cable. Now we are going to explain how the notching would work. What we do is cut a notch in here in the direction facing the direction we want the tree to fell. The notch will be V-shaped and once it is cut, if you put a square on here, it’s going to point the direction the tree should fell. Now, this tree is leaning this way. We are going to notch it that way. So, it might end up sort of in this location but that is a general area we are going. Now this particular tree, there is some rock down below where it had been damaged one time. We are not going to cut notch into that because that adds too many variables. We will cut it a little higher. I usually cut the trees right near the ground. But in this case for safety we are going to cut it higher and then we are going to fell it. We can cut the bottom off later. When you have a bottom of a tree that has partially rotted unless you really know what you are doing, you could get into a lot of trouble with that. So, we are going to notch it. You don’t want to notch more than a third of the way into the tree and so that’s the notch in the direction. Then we are going to cut the back, the felling cut. When we cut through, I cut it in a slight angle. You want to come in right above where the notch is… for the best fell. You never want to cut below the notch. We have the notch in here. It will come in an angle about like this."
eHow Article: Planning the Felling to Cut Down a Tree Safely
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Comments
jleasor03 said
on 8/11/2008 The face cut needs to be more open. Clean the cut and dont cut the holding wood. CLean that cut and do not leave a dutch men. Also your backcut should be two inches above your apex, and not slated. The slated back cut does not give you and lift and the face cut should be mor open and allow tree to leave stump. Also use your gunning sites on the saw. Wear chaps, gloves, ear plugs, and HELMET and Eye protection
jleasor03 said
on 8/11/2008 I have to agree with jimmy. This guy is using improper methods. People its doangerous and do your research and learn correct methods. Please be safe and research and ask a real expert.
jimmy32 said
on 8/2/2008 Hi its David agian I ran out of room and was not finished yet. Countinued from first comet, On making a diagonal back there is no reason for this practice, it can result in uneven hinge wood and coming low on the back cut, always just square up evenly. On climbing trees and rigging them this is a practice best left for professenals. Using ladders to rigg trees is a very unsafe pratice. Well that it is just some of the things that I saw being down incorrectly, rember tree work is very dangerous it takes proper instruction and alot of practice.
jimmy32 said
on 8/2/2008 Hi my name is David, I am a climber/timer faller for a tree service company in Oregon. I have watch all of Drews videos and I am concerned. I saw many things being done in correctly and in an unsafe manner, for example he was not wearing a hard hat, in making his faces he was not using the sights on the saw for direction of the fall, on the diagonal cut he was squaring up on his cuts witch was leaving a kerf on one side of the of the cut, which can result in uneven hinge wood and cause also leave a kicker witch can cause the tree to kick to one side.
jimmy32 said
on 8/2/2008 Hi my name is David, I am a climber/timer faller for a tree service company in Oregon. I have watch all of Drews videos and I am concerned. I saw many things being done in correctly and in an unsafe manner, for example he was not wearing a hard hat, in making his faces he was not using the sights on the saw for direction of the fall, on the diagonal cut he was squaring up on his cuts witch was leaving a kerf on one side of the of the cut, which can result in uneven hinge wood and cause also leave a kicker witch can cause the tree to kick to one side.