"Dave tried to get too cute"? WTF? There's an a-hole in every bunch, I guess...

This was excellent except in the beginning when Dave tried to get too cute. One thing that you might want to add is if the tree is evenly balanced you might get within 1 1/2" of the notch and the tree will not fall. If this happens you get your trusty wedge and pound it into the kerf with a sledge hammer. Then you say "timeber" and run.

just bought a couple of acres . . . lots of scrub pine trees. Wife won't let it go so I've started taking some of them out. You're site/How to's are a big part of helping me do it efficiently and safely. Thank you for time spent putting it all together.

Yes, but only to a limit. There are several factors involved. In addition to the lean, other considerations are the density/balance of the canopy, the direction you face the notch, how much wood is left during the back cut, and wind velocity. It's always safest to have a rope as far in the top as possible to pull the tree in the desired direction of fall.

Can you steer a tree away from the way it is leaning just by how you cut the tree?

You didn't say Timberr!!!! I like your coughing trick too. That must be a popular one amongst lumberjacks.

Well, put simply...homeowners ask me to. When I encounter a customer who would like to have trees cut down because they "are afraid they will fall" on their house, or "they're too big", I always do my best to encourage them to prune them or install a structural support (ie, cables or screw-rods). The tree in this video was over 80 feet tall, was growing in very rocky terrain and it was leaning significantly toward their house. The homeowner was adamant about having it removed. The purpose of this video was to assist a homeowner in safely cutting down a tree on their own property. This is my profession. I am considered an arborist; not just a "tree cutter", and I don't make a habit of meandering through the wilderness on my free time looking to cut trees down for my amusement. Thanks for your interest!

Why are you cuting down trees?

Wow Dave, you made that look hella-easy!

Awesome video Dave....nice job.....

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