Why my shift to bore cutting on leaners has the crew split

I started bore cutting for heavy leans, and some say it's safer while others call it slow, so what's your take?

2 comments

2 Comments

Watched a big maple start to sit back early on a standard cut last season, heart absolutely dropped. Switched to a bore cut on the next one like it, and the difference was night and day. That hinge stayed open, gave me all the time I needed to get my wedges in and tapped without any panic. The guys who call it slow have never felt a kerf pinch shut two inches into their back cut. For heavy leaners, it's just the right way to work.

davis.jason7h ago

Argue that slow is better than dead. If a heavy leaner has weird pressure, a standard face cut can close up before your back cut is done, and then you're dancing. The bore cut lets you leave a solid hinge and set wedges while the tree's still supported. Yeah it takes an extra minute, but that's time spent reading the wood fiber instead of guessing. What's their wedge setup like on a standard cut for those leaners anyway?