Thursday, March 25, 2021

Quick Method Of Taking Down A Springpole

 Wood floating up in the air isn't really a trick. The trick is getting it down, and if it is in a place where there are people, you must bring it down. In this instance, the top of a tree we cut was being held up by an understory black walnut, and that tree was made into a springpole by the weight of the wood it was holding. Springpoles and extreme leaners need to be cut in special ways so they don't break and smack you in the face, so I did a face cut, a vertical bore cut to establish the hinge, (The walnut was too small in diameter for a conventional bore cut.) and a release cut. Chainsaw trainers will teach you to repeatedly shave the compressed side of a springpole, and that is fine on sapling size trees, but when they become large saplings or bigger, shaving and nicking can become very tiresome, and fatiguing your arms while running a saw is a bad thing. I have been using this vertical bore cut method of dealing with springpoles for several years now, and it works for me every time. On small diameter trees like this little walnut, as you punch through, the tree will settle a bit and pull your rpms down a bit on the saw. Be ready for that, keep it wide open, and pull back a bit, then finish. Pull out and sever the backstrap.


No comments: