osage tree cutting procedure

[dismount]

 O.K. Got a BIG osage to cut in a few weeks. I"ve cut lots of trees but this one is close to a structure the land owner is fond of. (doesn't look like a very nice tool shed, but he's fond of it) Any way what do you think about cutting right above the trunk, about 6' above the ground, let it fall then cut the trunk. Any ideas would be appreciated. Don't want to get crushed or maimed. I have a very healthy respect for 2000 lbs. of tree coming down.  Dismount

[Pat B]

You probably won't have much control of it if you do it that way plus you won't have solid footing. Study the tree from all sides. See where the center of gravity is. That is the way it will want to fall. You can "steer" the fall a bit by notching it on the side you want it to fall. Start your back cut and cut more to the side away from the direction you want it to fall. If his structure is on the same side of the center of gravity, you better let someone else cut it. That is where Murphy's law comes into play!

[dismount]

mmmm.. Well it doesn't matter where it falls if I cut it high. Just wondering if the tree might do something funky if cut high.  Does that make any sense? I just like my existing bone structure as it is. Thought about tying a rope up the tree and hook a comealong to pull it down. '' Comealong'' sic. (oklahoma talk for a hand operated winch.)   Phil

[Pat B]

You don't want much tension on the tree while cutting Once it starts to move then you can pull it to get it going the right way.
   I wouldn't try cutting it 6' high myself. Too risky for me. You won't have much control of it.

[ballista]

yeah i think a rope is your best bet. my neighbour, and ironicly, bowhunter, is a tree trimmer and does it part time along with UPS. i worked with him all summer, we didnt cut any trees down persay, but chopped big limbs off (i's say some were near 1000)- but i think if you tie off the near top f the osage and tie it off to another stump or tree, there shouldn't be a problem with direction, maybe you could get another person to hold the rope, and once you cut it (you using an axe or chainsaw?) he can pull it toward him, or if you have a levey, maybe you can tie that to a tree, cut the tree, pull the rope and it would fall away from you... just a few suggestions. good luck, -jimmy

[dismount]

O.K. I think I'll just cut regular way and use my wedges to control the fall. Thanks for advice! I was hoping someone would talk me out of it! Going to help him take his stuff out of the shed though. Murphys law being what it is. Because I never studied law in school.     Phil

[dismount]

 Yep, new plan cut the tree at the base and have a rope strung in the tree for someone to help pull it in a safe direction. I knew you guys would figure it out!  Phil

[El Destructo]

You can always cut it like I do when they are between Buildings or in a tricky spot...climb them and Limb them first....lowering all the Branches to the Ground....and cut the  Main Limbs and Trunk into large enough piece to use for Staves...this takes more than one person to do safely....but this is the way that We (Dad and Brother) always removed Trees from Established Yards back Home....and it always worked...even on 100 foot tall Mountain Ash....so it should work on a Scraggly Hedge Apple too......

[dismount]

El Destructo. thats a good idea also. Also might help it from hanging on other tree limbs and making roll around to a direction I don't wnt it to go.Phil

[Pat B]

Mike, That is a good idea for a professional but could be deadly for a novice without the proper equipment.  I worked for a tree service and have seen 100' long leaf yellow pines taken down between houses that way. Limb it as you go up. Remove the top 10' and take chunks out on your way down...or live oak limbs hanging over a house. Each 12" thick round was at least 1000 # and each was lowered to safety with ropes and pullets.
 Dismount, If you can drop it safely, go for it. If not, it ain't worth the risk for a few staves. Your choice.       Pat

[Pappy]

If it is like most  Big Osage I have cut you need more than a man and a rope to make it go where you want,it is kind of like a big bear in the woods,it will go where it wants to. Like Pat said
look at the center of gravity and then decide if where it is headed is OK. It usually don't twist
on the stump unless you try and pull it in a direction it don't want to go.And by the way it is way more than 2000 lbs if it is a big one.Just be careful and always be ready to throw the saw and have a good escape rout. 
   Pappy

[jape]

I've been cutting all sorts of trees, softwood, hardwood, dead and alive in UK and Aus for forty years and the only way to go with what you are talking about, without pics to see better, is as Pat B and El Destructo suggest. You need all the gear, all the equipment and a lot of experience. If you don't have that, my advise is simple: DON'T DO IT. A hundred grand repair to a house, or people injured or dead is NOT worth the risk. Please don't take the chance. 2 tonne is too much to play with and even a small tree can break a limb, blind, trap. I know what I am doing and with winches, top-limbing etc. I have seen a gust of wind come from nowhere and turn a leafless tree on its base and drop it 180 degrees from where it was aimed, snapping 10 ton steel cables as it went, seen a new rope snap and drop a 6 inch by 6 foot branch through a car engine block and many, many minor mishaps. I have seen a trunk explode for no apparent reason into splinters and shrapnel as it was cut and a thirty years experienced limb-lopper slip, cut through his safety ropes and fall, very luckily into a soft pig yard full of crap. He also cut through new teflon trousers and badly ripped into his shin. Chain saws are lethal, trees are unpredictable, fate is chancy and an experienced tree feller will weigh it all up and charge you a couple of hundred while you have a beer and watch a DVD.

[Hillbilly]

I've done a lot of tree work over the years, and in a situation like that, I do what El Destructo said-start at the top and chunk it as you come down. You need safety/climbing gear, though, and I wouldn't recommend it if you don't have experience. You can run a rope through a high fork and tie it off to each limb as you cut it, and lower each one down. I sure wouldn't try cutting it 6' above the ground, if nothing else, you're liable to split the trunk all to bejeebies. Next best thing would be to put a strong rope high in the tree, notch it, and have several people pull it as you make the felling cut.

[GregB]

If you're going to climb the tree, you might wear some thick clothes to go along with the safety harness...osage has stickers!

I think I'd opt for PatB's advice and look at the center of gravity and notch the tree in that direction first. Make sure you have a good escape route and keep your body out from behind the tree in case it kicks back.

[Eric Krewson]

I have dropped dozens of trees from next to houses. I do it as a favor to friends I know who don't have the experience. I use a cable and come-along placed about 15 feet up the trunk. I put a little tension on the cable , notch the tree the way I want it to fall, put put a little more tension on the cable then cut through the rest of the trunk very slowly while adding more tension to the cable. When the tree starts to lean from the stump I have it going in exactly the direction I want it to fall. No problems so far but I wouldn't want to do this type of work for a living.