Here's a group of photos showing the very simple and
very safe felling technique called the split backcut, or 1/4 cut.
It was taught to me and the two other guys in the firm I work for by a forestry trainer when we completed our tickets for advanced felling of dangerous trees. When I finally track down the shots from that training done in State forests I'll post them cause I think they're pretty cool.
Any way here's the steps for the split back cut: 1 assess the tree to be felled, used a palm cause that's what we did today.
DSCF7775.JPG
2 Make the face cut as normal aimed in the direction you intend the tree to fall (since the palm is as good as vertical no adjusted gun here..see EKKA's video for that one)
DSCF7780.JPG
3 Then make the first back cut only cutting into the tree 1/2 way across the back, effectively cutting 1/4 of the timber behind the face cut. You leave the normal 10% hinge wood (since the palm was sound with hardly any lean) you watch the bar of the saw all the time to ensure you don't cut through the hinge!!
DSCF7781.JPG
4 A wedge is driven into the back cut hard
DSCF7783.JPG
5 Then moving around the back of the tree begin cutting the second part of the back cut matching the first cut accurately, and cutting in to match the hinge wood across the width of the tree.
DSCF7785.JPG DSCF7786.JPG
6 The tree is then sitting on the wedge (or wedges) and can be felled under perfect control by driving the wedges.
DSCF7788.JPG
Close ups of the stump and hingewood (me thinks Tim left more wood on one side, perhaps it was leaning slightly to the left)
DSCF7789.JPG
Oh yeah, someone has to dock the trunk and head and I'm taking photos so its not going to be me
DSCF7791.JPG
SF