After having to wait for better wind dirrection and moving a whole bunch of things, tanks, barrels, wooden structures, warehouse freight carts and hand trucks, the stars finally lined up for about 6 hrs. Now the wind is starting to get gusty and erratic, but the tree is down. I’m glad I took a logging training 2 day course about 20 yrs ago. Before that I always cut the notch dirrecting the tree towards where I wanted it to land and just cut in from the back, attempting to keep the hinge equal. Now, using that training I first cut the hotch, confirmed by a square to point exactly where I need it to land. Then about half way between the hingse I want and the back of the tree I do a plunge cut, once thru the trunk I then work slowly forming the hinge so it’s not thicker at one side and thinner on the other, I recheck to be certain the hinge is good, then I cut from that plunge cut out the back, that helps make it certain that the tree won’t start falling before I’m ready. It also helps prevent the dreaded “barbor Chair”, that’s when the trunk splits and the hinge isn’t cut enough to be a hinge yet, and a lonf part of the trunk flips up as the tree falls and it creates a difficult, often dangerous situation. My method I use now has so far always put a tree exactly where I plan it to land. (In fact in our training course those 20 yrs ago, I actually hit a stake I had placed for the tree to hit, I won a safety helmet for hitting it.
I have not yet cut off the butt log and pulled it away, that will come soon. I do still have a hemlock that’s leaning towards the front of my shop but I’ll wait to cut that after I get the syrup finished, I have about 20 mor gallons of dark to pack, then I need to do a barrel of Amber. Then I’ll address the hemlock and buck the butt log on the big sugar maple. The important part is that it will not get blown down, uprooting the tree and vland on a tank or 2 or the sugarhouse, along with the head tank and a few SS empty SS barrels.
I’ve never cut a sugar maple in the past when the sap was still flowing. While the trees have mostly budded, ending the season this leaners had not yet opened bud. As I cut the notch vsap ran out in a pevcil size stream for about 5 minutes before it slowed down to a small stream. Once I had the tree on the ground the top of the stump was pumping sap like crazy, but no way could it be used, because the chainsaw puts out a lot of bar oil.
I’ll be doing more syrup tomorrow and will post when it’s available.