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I was sure you had to cut a full notch for a heavy leaner, but a shallow one worked better
Had a big maple leaning hard over a fence in a tight backyard last week. Everyone says to cut a deep notch, at least 70 degrees, to control the fall. I was worried about it barber-chairing, so I tried a shallow notch, maybe 30 degrees, with a bigger hinge. The tree sat down on the hinge exactly where I wanted it, no drama. Has anyone else found that the standard deep notch advice doesn't always hold up on leaners?
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stellaa691mo ago
Honestly I had the same thing with a big pine leaning towards a shed. Everyone told me to go deep on the notch but it felt wrong. Tbh I went with a shallow face cut and left a thick hinge, just like you said. The tree sat back on it real slow and gentle, no barber chair at all. Sometimes the textbook method just doesn't fit the real job.
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Totally get it. On a heavy leaner, that shallow face lets the hinge work longer and control the sit-back. The standard advice can get you into trouble when the tree really wants to go.
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400 hours of YouTube videos and my back still hurts.
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felix_williams711mo ago
Did you try a really shallow face cut on that? I saw this arborist guy on a forum talk about how with heavy leaners, you want the notch to be like 1/3 of the tree instead of the usual 1/5 or whatever. He said it gives the hinge way more time to bend and control the fall. Maybe it's just me but I always picture the hinge like a door hinge - it needs room to swing.
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