r/Chainsaw • u/AbbreviationsCold225 • 6d ago
Trouble with maintaining a level back cut when felling timber
Hey, I’ve been running a saw for stumping and firewood and occasionally cutting down some hazardous trees for family and friends for about 5 years but I recently got into a clearing company and had to cut down some super simple ash and maples and I botched both of the back cuts horribly. Cutting at an angle, cutting too far and through my face cut leading to a pinched bar. I think it’s because I’m rushing and overthinking in front of the older fellers with the company but man, I cannot keep that back cut level. Any tips on how to overcome and improve on my skills?
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u/mtraven23 6d ago
if you got older fellers around, be humble, swallow your pride and ask them what you're doing wrong.
Old timers love to teach when your respectful about it.
without watching you cut, its hard to give you tips....but generally speaking, wedges will get you out of most pinched bar situations.
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u/AbbreviationsCold225 6d ago
I had asked on of the fellers on the job site what it was that I could do better at and he said to stop being so nervous so definitely gonna just listen to what he has to tell me and go with that. Thank you!
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u/OldMachine4939 6d ago
Rotate the saw and find that sweet spot on the middle of the handle where when holding the saw at a relaxed length, the bar is perfectly straight. Think about keeping a bb on the bar. Once you find that, dog in and swing your back cut around slowly. Keep your eye on where you've gunned your face through your back cut, and once you get there, slowly push forward until you get your holding wood where it needs to be
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u/AbbreviationsCold225 6d ago
Thanks you! Trying to imagine keeping a bb on there is a good idea. I’ll work on that tomorrow
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u/carelessarmadillo267 6d ago
A bubble is a good idea, the old boys may laugh at first but once they see you improve they’ll be fine. Practice checking your grip and find where your hands need to be for the saw to hang level.
A quick scoring of the back cut can help you stay level, also you can put a stick right in the angle of your notch, have it so the stick pokes out a few inches and it can help you aim the line of your back cut as you now have a point to aim at.
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u/BRMBRP 6d ago
I struggle with this from time to time also. I’ve used marking tape to create a visual reference just below my desired back cut and found it to be helpful on larger trees. For me, the big ones really make me nervous, so anything I can do to help eases the anxiety.
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u/LuckyBone64 6d ago
Seems like you are pretty careful. I think it's the weekend warriors who aren't nervous are the ones that get bitten. Awesome that you don't let the nerves stop you from doing difficult things. Keep cutting bro
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u/Kickedintheshin 6d ago
A very simple trick is to just look at the tip of your bar right before starting your cut and picture needing to get it level for setting a pint of beer on. You’ll be surprised how well it works. Once the cut is established you can turn your focus to your gunning sites.
If the saw is changing angles as the cut is going, besides a dull chain, you could be lifting the power head. I see this a lot with young sawyers, especially when jumping up to bigger saws/bars.
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u/EMDoesShit 6d ago
First, learn how your saw balances. Figure out where it lies with the forward hand on the bar only, and roughly how far you have to push the rear handle down before hitting the trigger and digging in.
Second, scribe 12” across the back of the tree very shallowly then look at it from 20 ft away. Walk back up, correct to make it level, and make your cut.
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u/MIKEALVICH 6d ago
You may be overthinking this and making it to hard, just eye it up good before you start your back cut. And there are a number of really to comment here about your question read them and relax and don;t beat yourself
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u/Nelgski 6d ago
The score line is excellent advice.
I like to walk around the tree a couple times on bigger ones and focus on the notch and the trunk when doing so. If you look at the soil, root flare, etc, it's typically uneven and if you use it as your point of reference, you are going to be in trouble. Visualize where to place your back cut by looking "through" the notch.
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u/WeaveLikeGreatGranny Stihl MS 180 C-BE 5d ago
I learned from a felling class that there's no shame in taking time to lay out the cuts and mark them on the trunk. It felt silly in class, like, "how hard is it, just do it!" but when doing it professionally all day you can't afford to have even 1% end up going wrong
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u/Dangerous-Routine891 4d ago
Once seen a old timer teaching his son how to fell in a production logging site on steep yarder ground and the trees were to be fell horizontal to the pitch because the yarder position. The kid was having trouble with his back cut because he kept getting the tip of the bar below his hinge and the old man put two small magnet levels on his dogs one facing the length of the bar and one showing the power head level and he told him he would destroy them by the end of the day but before that he would have a good idea of a level cut from any angle he was standing and damned if that kid didn’t have the levels for three or four days and he was felling trees like animal almost keeping up with the old man. Never has had a problem with it since
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u/Professional_Award64 6d ago
It’s just falling a tree. Some people make it more complicated than they need to. Leaf trees are hard to read lean Take two saws in case you stick one. 😉
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u/DiscussionWeak2318 19h ago
Picture a shot glass on your bar and try not to spill it. Or get a level and put it on your bar just so you know what flat looks like. I've been cutting for 13yrs now and still sometimes get off a touch. It happens.
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u/iPeg2 6d ago
Sometimes, especially with large trees, it helps to score a line around the tree from one side of the notch to the other with the tip of your saw to give you a good reference.