Watch just a few chainsaw videos and you will hear the cutter talk about "Turning" a tree. I have yet to see it happen in videos or in the woods, and I have looked at a lot of stumps and treetops. If a tree turns (deviating from the aiming of the hinge), that means that the hinge has failed and the tree is going where gravity will take it. That is a bad situation, and you give up your control over the tree if that is your method. Aim the hinge where you want the tree to fall, make it long enough and the proper thickness. Use a trigger to put the tree in motion so you can get away quickly.
The tree in this video is a very dead pin oak, and a fancy new pit toilet is just out of view. I had to not crush that! The wedges were placed to give support to the hinge, just in case the wood had rot that could allow it to crush. This was at Sam Dale Lake, Wayne County, Illinois, eleven years ago. I had a spare saw warmed up and ready to go, just in case I had trouble.
