Dropping A Problem Elm

 This big ungainly elm sort of got away from us, and presented a big removal problem when we realized we needed to take it down.  It does have nice forward lean, though, and it's nice not having to pound wedges.

 Here's the problem.  It's a double stemmed tree; both stems have enough side lean to take them in the wrong direction, and each stem had the potential to strike a building.

 But...the stems shared a common stump, and appeared to be joined strongly enough that they would fall in the direction of a hinge, balancing out each other's side lean.  An open face cut would have weakened the joined stump, so I took out a box shaped piece to form the front of the hinge, leaving the stems hooked together at the junction.

They stayed together and fell the way we wanted them to....

...and didn't break apart until they hit the ground.

UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE!

A question in Comments inquired about the aiming cut I used. In order to keep the stems tied together well at the stump, I did not use my normal Open Face Cut, but instead established the front of the hinge with a vertical bore cut, then made two horizontal cuts to take out the rectangular piece seen in the photo. Unless you have X-Ray vision, this cut requires some cleanup to make the two sides match, but it is not difficult. It is a handy technique to have in your toolbox.

2nd UPDATE!

In Comments, KurtP mentions using chains to bind together problem stems.  Very Good Point, Kurt!  Serious woodcutters should have high-test chains and binders in the back of the old pickup for  problems like this.  Click the photo to go to a post about this split ash tree.  Be sure to visit Trainwreck In Maxwell on your daily blogwalk; Kurt know how to get things done!