Start Small
Start Without The Chainsaw
No matter which saw you start with I urge everyone to start small. Getting to the goal of, how to cut down a small tree with a chainsaw, is a laudable goal but there is a lot to know before cutting down even a relatively “small” tree. In my experience, the Sawzall is a great tool to practice felling small trees(1″-6″), delimbing, and bucking. I use a pruning blade which makes quick work of processing trees. I think the real benefit of initially using the Sawzall for felling trees is gaining a feel for the physics of a falling tree and seeing how crucial hinge wood is. Starting small also gives you an understanding of how every tree is unique and comes with its own complications. Some of the many complications are covered on the Know Your Tree page.
Some common complications when felling a tree are a tree that is limb locked with another tree or has a potential hazard in its falling radius. You may feel silly making these assessments on a tree only five feet taller than yourself, but if you can build the habits and muscle memory it could help you avoid real dangers in the future. If you have a limb-locked small tree you can witness in a small scale the potential danger of a Widow Maker branch when you scale up.
When you drop your first 13”+ diameter tree it is an intense adrenaline rush. My first tree of that size was close to my house which may have added to the intensity. However, every time I fell a tree it is a pulse-racing event in which I take the cuts slowly and always have an eye on the tree’s canopy when wedging over a tree.
Practice Makes Perfect-ish
I spent most of a spring practicing the Conventional Undercut and occasionally the Humboldt undercut. The Humboldt can be a pain as the bottom cut is an undercut. The Humboldt makes it possible to save the maximum amount of board feet if that’s your goal. Though if your goal is to get the tree on the ground safely and use it for anything else than professional timber harvesting I suggest the Open face cut.
I recently discovered that the Open face cut is the safest cut. This is because it allows for the maximum range of travel before the two face cuts meet. The Conventional cut is also serviceable, but the trunk tends to jump off the stump before it hits the ground. This is because of the Conventional wedges’ flat bottom cut which considerably limits the falling trees’ range of motion before breaking free of the holding wood.
Honestly, getting the two face cuts to match up perfectly (not overlapping causing a Dutchman) and not cutting through your hinge wood with the back cut is a victory. I’d reference the K.I.S.S acronym when you’re trying to overcomplicate things. Attached are a few of my practice cuts. I found that Bark Beatle larva when I cut that Cedar down. They are a pest that is thinning out many forests in our part of the country and can kill whole forest stands.
Knowing When To Get A Chainsaw
There will come a time in any project that you realize you need “the right tool for the job.” I probably kept using the Sawzall a bit too long for practice but only you can tell yourself when your ready to make that switch. I mean no offense to the gentleman in the video with the unsafely modified Sawzall, but there is a much better tool for the job. The reciprocating saw can take you only so far regardless of the size of the blade attach. I have the same saw as the gentleman in the video and it is a workhorse. However, if you’re cutting through a 13” log you are overworking the saw and yourself too hard.
