Springpole: Potential Face Smasher!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 พ.ย. 2021
- We got lucky and created a nice demonstration springpole with one of the trees we dropped. Practice this technique on a sapling with a helper to hold it over, and you will be an expert in short order.
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I just spent a few days visiting my wife’s stepmother on the farm in PA. Because of COVID we haven’t been there for a couple years, sadly. We were sitting our first morning over coffee catching up before I went out to stack firewood. Coincidentally she was telling me how last year a professional tree service guy got killed while working nearby when he cut a spring pole. (Apparently he didn’t realize it was there.). Anyway, There is much value in your advice on how to approach a spring pole. Lifesaving knowledge.
Thank you for the great knowledge. 👍
Love these short safe effective methods that you share, remembering them at the right time is the problem sometimes so I'll come back and watch one of your videos before I cut anything that is loaded, leaning or just something I'm not comfortable with, thanks David stay safe and healthy out that way 👍
I was taught that to find the optimal place to cut or shave the compression wood of a spring pole, visualize a horizontal line across the highest part of the bend and a vertical line up from the root end. From the point where those two imaginary lines meet, go a 45 degree angle down to the tree. Shave the compression side so the bend is at that spot and both ends will align after the tension is released. Wood reacts to the speed it is cut. Fast cuts means fast reaction so take your time. Once it starts to move, step back and let the tension release slowly. And never cut the tension side. Love your videos.
I've heard it said that even a springpole the diameter of your thumb has the potential to kill under the right (or wrong) circumstances. The way I typically deal with a springpole uses a very similar principle, but instead of cutting a notch and slowly deepening it, I do what I call an accordion cut. I just make a series of very small kerfs on the compression side, not deep enough to get the bar pinched, and the tree will slowly start to fold up on itself. You continue to make small kerfs in the material left between your previous kerfs until all of the compression has been taken out. I find it's hard to mess it up even when your arms are tired from holding a big saw up in the air like that.
In the unfortunate circumstance that the area with the most tension/compression is too high to reach, I make a shallow cut on the compression side at a comfortable working height, and then make a very steep, downward angled cut on the tension side that meets it. It makes a sort of backstop that holds the tree in place even after all of the wood fibers are severed. At that point, I stand off to the side of the stump and I get the longest pole/handled tool I can find and push the tree off the stump away from me. Even at arm's length + the length of a McLeod, shovel, etc. it still feels a bit close for comfort when the springpole releases, but unfortunately it's the best way I've found to do it when the area of maximum tension is too high to reach.
I do the multiple nip method, too, and it is good.
A springpole the size of my thumb I will step on at the base and break it off with my foot lol
We respond to disasters and I'll try this cut next time we go out. I've always cut spring poles from the tension side but, often in a big tree with limbs made into spring poles inside the tree, sometimes you can't get to the tension side and stay safe. Thanks for the tip. I'm teaching a disaster cutting class soon and will try to recreate this.
I had some of these develop last year during an ice storm that took down many trees. Especially in tangles you can have fairly large longs under spring tension. Had a large log spring directly at me an fortunately only bruised my leg but it I had been inches closer it would have broken it. Had a similar what you are calling a springpole that the thing was nearly knocked to the ground. I cut it at the stump and the trunk shot over the trunk and straight out about two feet. Fortunately I was using a pole saw so I was well out to the side. Actually I have found that my Milwaukee electric pole saw with a 10 inch blade has been safer to do the final few inches of cut in several situations. Cut about 80 or 90 percent with the big saw and finish with the pole saw with my body an additional 6 feet away from surprise movements. Has saved me a couple of times.
Enjoying your channel.Thank you.
That was cool. Thanks for sharing!
You are Welcome! Thanks for visiting!
Great job! I hate springers. From 3:07 to 3:24, nothing. Then, cut by cut, you see the base try to stand up straight. You dropped the tree at 4:19 and the base was still moving until 4:30.
Hi David. I wrote to you about those big white pine blown over in what I think is a microburst. One pine on the ground I paced 45 steps and is about 32” close to the base. It took down 3 20 plus diameter oaks and several smaller trees. I have sat studying it to come up with a safe and practical plan. They are all a tangle mess but I am pretty confident about cutting them up/down but for one. It is about 5” in diameter and probably 25 to 30’ still standing for the most part but in the tangle above. It has about a 10 degree lean for about 8 to 10 feet and then at 8 to 10’ point bends about 50 degrees upwards into the tangle above where I loose sight of it in the tangle. I can’t get up to that 8/10’ point and shave the compression side. I am wondering if shaving closer to the ground is the best option. Or may there be a better option?
A five inch tree is one you could use the shave method for. Shave out enough that you think it should start popping fibers, and go to the house. Check it the next day. You might have to shave a little more, but it will probably be down. You will make many sweeping cuts, so beware of arm fatigue while you work. You might also use the angled bore cut to make your hinge. If you guess your hinge in too narrow, that tree will settle down on your bar and you will need another saw to extract it! th-cam.com/video/i4Zm497d28A/w-d-xo.html
Gerry Plante: I had to scroll through my videos and finally found the one I wanted for you! It is a series of still shots I took in 2009 that I think will be the solution for you. The tediousness of this method is why I started using a vertical or angled bore cut to drop small diameter leaners. This works, though! Just get it moving a bit, or popping a few fibers, then leave it alone until it is down. th-cam.com/video/Xx7J3JMlZlU/w-d-xo.html
I will check the stills you suggested. I am sure it will be helpful. We’ve had 3 to 4 inches of wet snow so I am going to delay tackling this until I can get a better view of everything. Its not safe to work this right now not to mention everything including me getting wet. Thanks for getting back to me. You keep me thinking.
@@DavidN23Skidoo I am curious to this method and hopefully it went well. Stay warm. As always, the wood stove keeps us comfortable. We are expecting 7” of snow. Not so bad.
A lot of use of the kickback zone around 4:00, and a couple of decent kickbacks. Was that intentional?
Afraid so! I didn't want to be pinched, so I was walking the edge. Keep a tight grip with thumb around the top handle. Light touches.