An old climber told me to stop gunning the saw on my back cut, and it fixed my hinge

Drew Bennett · 2026-10-21T15:15:05.254912+00:00

I was dropping a leaner in a client's yard in Akron last month and an older guy from the next property walked over while I was setting up. He watched me make my face cut, then said straight out, "you're racing the saw through the back cut, slow down and let the hinge do its job." I'd been fighting a 10 inch red oak that kept wanting to sit back on me, and I figured my notch was off. Turns out I was sawing so fast the hinge was thinning out before I could wedge it. He showed me how he cuts at maybe half throttle through the back, keeps a fat hinge, and just reads it. Tried it on the next two trees and both tipped clean where I aimed them. Any of you got a rule of thumb for how thick you leave the hinge on a really leaner vs a straight one?

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An old climber told me to stop gunning the saw on my back cut, and it fixed my hinge | Arborists - Chatter Central