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I was working on a big oak in Springfield last fall and the hinge wood just gave out
It was a removal job for a big old white oak, maybe 30 inches across. I had my notch cut, my back cut started, and I was feeling good. Then the whole thing just cracked and sat back on my bar before I could even get a wedge in. My ground guy yelled, and I jumped back. The tree went the opposite way I planned, right over a fence. It missed the neighbor's shed by maybe two feet. I stood there for a solid minute just staring. I realized I got lazy and didn't check for internal rot on the side facing away from me. Now I always drill a small pilot hole on the back side to check, even if the bark looks fine. Has anyone else had a tree sit back like that from hidden decay?
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thea_bell5mo ago
Tbh that sound absolutely terrifying.
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mason.drew5mo ago
What helped me was just focusing on the next small step. It gets easier once you start moving.
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skyler2175mo ago
Ugh, I totally get why that feels scary. Sometimes even a small step feels like way too much to handle. It's like your brain just freezes up and won't let you start anything.
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parker_hall52mo ago
Jumping in to add a different take here. That cracking sound in a solid oak is definitely terrifying, @thea_bell, no argument there. But for me, that's exactly the kind of thing that keeps you sharp for the next job.
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