Fell a big maple with a notch cut on the wrong side, still worked out

Last month I was taking down a 30 inch maple near Derry and got my face cut facing the lean instead of the drop zone. I didn't realize it until the wedge was already in, so I just committed to the hinge and let it go. The tree actually pulled straight back off the stump and landed exactly where I wanted, but my heart was pounding for a solid minute after. It taught me that a good hinge and slow wedging can save a bad notch, but only if the butt is free and the wind is calm. Has anyone else had a misfire that ended up fine, or did you have to problem solve a hung tree after?

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stellac971mo ago

Count yourself lucky and don't turn it into a lesson that a bad notch can be saved. That face cut being on the wrong side means you got no control over how the hinge bends, and the tree falling your way was luck, not skill. A 30 inch maple has a lot of weight up top, and if the wind had picked up or the butt had been hung on anything, that thing could have barber chaired or gone the other way on you. Telling people that slow wedging and a good hinge can cover a wrong notch is bad advice, because the hinge only works the way it's supposed to when the notch points where you want the tree to go. I've seen guys try this same thing and end up with a tree on a fence or worse, so the right move is to walk away and re cut a proper face before you ever touch the wedge. You got a good story out of it, but the takeaway should be don't repeat it, not that you can out-finesse a bad cut.

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