So today I will be cutting what may be the most dangerous fallen tree that I've ever ventured. Wish me luck.
A red oak 35 feet long and 20 inches thick that is driven into the railroad track, approximately 4 feet underground and pinned on the other end against the steep hillside, which caused it to bow in the middle. It's an immensely unstable 3.5 tons of tree waiting to unleash it's pent-up energy, but there's a lot of oak firewood there. I think I have the physics figured out, and I cleared an escape route, but who knows with mother nature?
I grew up in rural Tennessee where a lot of people made a living logging. People wouldn't believe how dangerous it is. It's not just felling the tree and being careful with chain saws. Back in the day people had to snake the logs with mules over uncertain terrain. Then there are ticks, chiggers, yellow jackets, wasps and the occasional hornets to contend with.
@UnderLockDown @Tastyfrzz @MarineBob @Piper @exexec @Magenta @Teslin I've been cutting for over 50 years and have had everything bad happen to me that can happen or be imagined without actually getting killed. And I still never know for sure what a fallen tree under stress will do. I put upward pressure on the bow with my grandfather's old mechanical railroad jack pictured below. On my second partial cut where it was buried in the ground, the tree shifted left and pinned my chainsaw bar. The railroad jack has a free fall release, so I set it to fall and threw a brick from about 10 feet away and tripped the down lever. The tree crashed downward, shifted right, and it's own weight snapped the tree right where the bar was pinched, releasing the saw. The tree then sprang upward, separated from the underground part and miraculously dangled from the hillside, off the ground, stable and waist high. I safely lopped off 16 inch chunks and the logs rolled harmlessly down the hill to the tracks. I got two hugely overweight truckloads home and unloaded. I'll get the rest tomorrow morning if I'm not too sore. I'm bushed.
@exexec Logging is one of the most dangerous occupations in the world. I field welded for many logging outfits in the Allegheny National Forest. From repairing loader buckets and equipment to making skids and pontoon bridges. I have a 30+ year old Echo CS440. Best chainsaw I ever owned. Every bit as good as a Husqvarna or a Stihl.
@RogueLodyte Our logging was 50 years ago with no safety gear at all. Injuries were rare, but we did have one serious incident when a swinging hook hit a guy in the head.
@Tastyfrzz I'm cutting it up for firewood IF it cooperates. I plan to make several cuts 3/4 of the way thru in hopes it will shift and it's weight will slowly and gently crack or break itself. It will also be jacked up and blocked in a few key places.
