A weird trick for getting a clean cut on a tight back leaner

Had a job yesterday with a big maple leaning hard over a fence. The usual notch and back cut was a no go because of the angle, and I didn't want to risk it barber chairing into the neighbor's yard. I remembered an old guy at a training in Boise talking about using a shallow plunge cut from the back first, before the face notch. Sounded wrong, but I was stuck. I made a really shallow plunge about two inches deep on the compression side, right where my back cut would go. Then I cut my normal open face notch on the other side. When I went to finish the back cut, the tree sat down on the hinge like a dream, no splitting. It felt backwards, but that little relief cut stopped the fibers from pulling apart. Has anyone else tried something like this on a nasty leaner?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_lucas9d ago

That Boise method sounds like a great way to get a saw pinched.

-2

river_burns9d ago

Depends on the wood. It's a softwood trick that gets real sketchy in hardwood.