How to cut a large tree trunk?

[pat32rf]

If I had a 55" oak I would definitely be phoning some local lumber mill. Think of the table tops, chair seats etc. Around here we have red and white oak. After laying on the ground for 10 years a 12" oak log is still well worth putting thru a sawmill, with maybe a little bit of rot around the edge. I bet that 55" log will still be there after 100 years unless you help it along....

 

[dragoneggs]

If I had a 55" oak I would definitely be phoning some local lumber mill. Think of the table tops, chair seats etc. Around here we have red and white oak. After laying on the ground for 10 years a 12" oak log is still well worth putting thru a sawmill, with maybe a little bit of rot around the edge. I bet that 55" log will still be there after 100 years unless you help it along....

ditto

 

[IndyIan]

I assume it's a fenceline tree? 55" dbh and 40' to the first branch might get a sawmiller interested. 8' to the first branch, and might have metal in it, not so much.
If you don't burn wood then you could see if anyone on the arboristsite or forestry forum is interested in it. There are portable mills designed to set up on a large trunk like that, maybe someone local has one.
I cut up a pair of 4' diameter fence line ash trees with my 372 and a 3' bar with full skip chain for firewood. It was 10-12' to the first branch and most of that wood was pretty clear, but I did find a bit of wire that was put onto the tree when it was a 6"er 80-90 years ago. One did most of my heating last year and the other is most of my firewood this year, so its kind of worth dealing with a big tree as one round is like 300-400lbs, just don't get hurt doing it.

 

[Kyle241]

I agree about an arborist may be interested. Post it on craigslist as free wood and you'll get some interested parties, you pick the one who seems to have the best knowledge and even better if they have insurance in case they hurt themselves!

 

[clemsonfor]

rent a bigger saw or buy a bigger bar and get some skip chain! Or buy a bigger saw like us saw junkies!

 

[schmism]

if you know how to fell trees then rent a larger saw. MS440 with 28" bar sound about right.

 

[deerseeker001]

i have a very large maple that towers over the house and shades the whole thing.i have a guy coming to take her down,dead limbs hanging over house.i will hate to see her go but would take out whole house if she came down.he is using a bucket truck to take it down from the top down.he is insured so we are covered.i cut trees down for 25 years and burned wood.i would cut 10 full cords a year so i know what i am doing but this one is to close to the house,needed to take from top down.

 

[crazyal]

I'm not sure if a sawyer will touch that log unless you are deep in the woods. The chances of something like a nail being in it and ruining a blade will offset any money they could make. Plus they would need to get it out of the woods. If you are going to cut it make a series of cuts a few inches apart and then take an axe and clean out between the cuts until you have a wide enough slot to cut further with your chainsaw. Like others have said, be careful.

 

[clemsonfor]

No one is going to come to your house to pick up 1 tree?

Cut it to firewood, find the spot you can cut through, then as soon as you cant cut through go to the end and cut a block out of it by noodeling to the spot you failed to cut through then get that block off then you can get your powerhead closer to the log to finish the cut. But this is a lot of work for someone that your not possibly going to use.

But i agree you can rent a ms440 or 441 or a husky 372xp size saw with a 28 or 32" bar. I bet your local rental yards will rent those size saws.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Root ball tip ups are really dangerous when you have other people in the area. I seem to recall a story a year or two ago where a grandfather lost his 6 or 7 year old grandson who was playing in the hole when the trunk popped up and crushed him.

I think I'd work my way one fireplace-length log at a time from the top end toward the base. That way you'll avoid most problems with a twist unraveling explosively on you or a quick tip up when it over balances the root ball. I've been able to handle trunks with a diameter just shy of two saw blade lengths (coming at them from both sides), but you have to be hyper-aware of kickbacks. As long as the blade's going in at an angle, and not totally perpendicular to the bottom of the cut, you should be able to handle it. Anything bigger and you're going to need a bigger saw with a longer blade.

 

[Buty]

Here are the pics guys.

 

[zing]

Here are the pics guys.

Looks reasonable accessible. Can you start from the sides and knock as much dirt as possible off of the root ball with your tractor FEL if you have one? Once you get most of the dirt off of that, it is much less likely to want to fall back into the hole. Especially if you push the dirt back into the hole after you knock it off of the root ball. If it is close enough to the house you might be able to use a long hose and water to knock a lot of the dirt off too. A sawzall on a pole will let you separate some of the roots that are trying to pull it back into the hole too.

Not saying this solves all of your problems, but it would get some of the pressure off of the tree if you do decide to cut it up.

 

[Jeembawb]

Thanks for the pics buty. I agree access doesn't look too bad but it's hard to tell slopes etc from pics. Did you say there was a slope? Did the tree fall uphill? I don't know what oaks are like for furniture wood etc up there but normally oaks are good right? And that tree looks like it would make some decent slabs. Now I haven't done a whole lot of milling - I have a double header Alaskan chainsaw mill that my dad converted to hydraulic drive driven through hoses from a Subaru powered power pack and I have started collecting all the parts for a bandsaw mill like a wood mizer which is on my bucket list - I also have 9 saws as I said (plus 4 dozers that don't quite go yet ) and have a fair amount of experience with trees (got taught by an old timer before I was 10) - so yeah, I have got the gear and some know how and would sure have a go at that tree and turn it into something good.

Some ideas - 1st thing, clean up a decent area all around and under that tree (even the pile of branches looks a little close, you can burn most of that though but keep some larger logs to use around the big log). Then get some more photers of the rootball and the hole. The aim after that is to take the pressures off each end so an idea may be to get some notched logs parked under the tree then I would suggest getting a bloke that is tree wise with a big saw to give you a hand to top and tail it (could be a little tricky - will want to be planned) - if that bloke has a portable mill as well it all could work out well. How is access to the site though? Oh yeah, one idea for the rootball could be to lay a few logs across the hole so if it flops back into the hole it will stay up out of the hole and when the dirt washes off it will fill the hole OR if you knock off the dirt first you can fill the hole with sticks and light a fire when the stump comes back on top?

Just some ideas - I'm sure there will be some good ideas from the arborist type guys

 

[compact]

The roots that are still connected are like springs on a mouse trap. You need to cut close to the base so it can't kick the trunk up, using a long enough bar (like a 30") to permit working off to the side, and cut the tree using a felling cut (wedge etc.) as it it were standing, plus make side cuts so it can't split because if it splits lots can go wrong in a hurry. That tree wants to stand back up in a big way. Be very careful of feet etc. because some of the roots in front may be lifted. Can be done realtively safely but not a good tree to learn on and not a good tree to use a small saw on as your body will be in places it shouldn't be in.

 

[ENC]

Using your FEL you might be able to lift it back upright with the ball pulling it back into the hole.?. You can also cut a chunk out of the trunk near the base I am betting it might be hollow. Starting to rot and die from the inside out ground up. If so its possible with the shorter bar.

 

[Coyote machine]

Hire a pro to cut the log free from the root ball. Then you're done with the dangerous part. No fear of harm to you and what you pay will be for peace of mind and body.
Life is short, that tree could make your's shorter.

 

[dragoneggs]

Wow... now that looks like trouble! Thanks for posting the the pics. We don't get twisty oaks let alone that big here in the PNW and I am always up for challenge but I think I would let my ego suffer and leave it alone or hire a professional to claim some awesome wood for furniture. Good luck and be careful.

 

[Oliver1655]

First I would do a test cut to determine it it is hollow. If it you are on easy street. Cut the top quarter of the diameter. Then you should be able to reach from the ground to cut each side keeping in mind the potential for spring action.

If it is not hollow: You can get-r-done with a 20" bar, it will just take a couple of steps. Going from the top to the bottom cut 2 parallel cuts 12" apart on each side of the trunk, you then use boring cuts to remove the wood between the cuts. This will provide you space to reach your saw further into the trunk allowing you to cut all the way through the trunk. As you are cutting always have a firm 2 handed grip on your saw so you will be ready for a sudden jumping if the potential for springing/ snapping of the trunk should occur.

If you are not familiar with bore cutting. Check out the videos on YouTube.

 

[Coyote machine]

If there is no way to persuade you to hire a pro just to cut the root ball loose, then I would clear the area around where you cut of all vegetation and a path away for escape from unexpected forces. Then take some wood or whatever and support the tree's trunk at a safe distance from the rootball, say 3 feet, and this will allow the trunk to come to rest on your support structure so the saw won't hopefully get pinched when the cut is nearly complete. The intent is to allow the rootball to flop back to the hole and the trunk to maybe shift a little but not have full twisting/dropping/kickback forces at play. Have a buddy nearby in case something goes wrong.

Also, show pics of rootball from bottom side in case further directions are needed, and some close up shots of where you might be cutting, 4' or so from the trunk/rootball connection.

 

[Buty]

Just wanted to make an update. Thanks again for all the replies. I listed the trunk on craigslist for free firewood and it turns out a lot of people actually wanted it. After speaking with a few of the gentlemen, I agreed to let get one guy come and cut some of it. Since I could load it for them with my FEL, it was a little easier for him. He had a 24 inch saw that he just started on the end making slabs. So far so good he's managed to cut out about half of the trunk and it's still hanging about 5 feet off the ground. This person has his fill of wood so I am waiting for the next person to come and cut some. I believe the rest will be fairly safe and easy judging by the first half. The the rootball has fallen into the hole and appears to be holding very firmly.