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Hardwood Logs: Tree Felled with Notch and Back Cut, Limbed and Bucked
Logs come from a felled tree. Cut a V-shaped notch on the side you want it to fall, then a back cut from the other side toward it; the strip left between them is the hinge that steers the fall. Then cut off the branches (limbing) and saw the trunk into logs (bucking).
The picture: fallers on springboards beside a notched conifer, Clallam County, Washington, about 1905 (MOHAI 5981): the notch is the same on any tree.
Advanced
A day
Instructions
1
1
Plan the fall
Plan the fall
Choose a sound hardwood tree such as oak, maple or beech. Look at its lean and the wind, pick a clear line to fall it on, and clear two escape paths back and to the side.
Materials for this step:
Tree - Deciduous1 pieceTools needed:
Hard Hat2
2
Cut the notch
Cut the notch
On the side of the fall, chop a V-shaped notch about a quarter of the way into the trunk (our choice). Its back line sets the direction.
Tools needed:
AxeHard Hat3
3
Back cut, leave the hinge
Back cut, leave the hinge
Saw in from the opposite side, a little above the bottom of the notch. Stop short, leaving a strip of wood uncut: the hinge. Tap a wedge into the cut to tip it. Walk away along your escape path as it goes.
Tools needed:
Crosscut Saw
Wooden Felling WedgeAxeHard Hat4
4
Limb it
Limb it
Cut the branches off flush with the trunk, working from the base toward the top, standing on the other side of the trunk from the branch.
Tools needed:
AxeHard Hat5
5
Buck into logs
Buck into logs
Mark the lengths you need with the chalk line and saw the trunk through at each mark. Prop the trunk so the cut opens and does not pinch the saw.
Tools needed:
Crosscut Saw
Chalk LineWooden Felling Wedge6
6
How much wood is in the logs
How much wood is in the logs
Loading Jupyter Notebook...
7
7
Limits
Limits
Notch, back cut, hinge, limbing and bucking follow Wikipedia's account of tree felling; the notch depth is ours. A falling tree kills: fell only trees you are able to, with no one inside two tree-lengths.
Materials
1- 1 piecePlaceholder
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