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any chainsaw safety tips??

Buck-Man

Buck-Man

Member
Besides the obvious, like being careless, what else should a novice be concerned about?
Ive cut down a few 10-20" inch wide trees cutting out a wedge and hinge cut a several dozen trees 3-10" and so far havent really had any issues besides one dead tree that snapped off up top and landed were I was cutting .Last one of those I cut.
Anything taboo I shouldnt be doing?
Thanks
 
Don't cut above your head using one arm trying to reach as high as you can.

Mobil Cooter using IW
 
Quit when your tried. And you already found out dead trees are bad. You never know what they'll do.
 
Buck-Man said:
Besides the obvious, like being careless, what else should a novice be concerned about?
Ive cut down a few 10-20" inch wide trees cutting out a wedge and hinge cut a several dozen trees 3-10" and so far havent really had any issues besides one dead tree that snapped off up top and landed were I was cutting .Last one of those I cut.
Anything taboo I shouldnt be doing?
Thanks
Click to expand...


Just finishing up on 30 acres of TSI. Mostly by myself but had a few good buddies help me sporadically during the coarse.

Make sure you get your safety gear like CI mentioned. You might also get a pair of safety glasses to wear under the face shield.

Do not and I mean do not cut without it.

The first thing you need to do is always look up for widow makers (alomost took me out) and which way the tree wants to drop. Wind direction can also play a part. Dead trees and branches are notorious for falling when a tree goes down.

Make sure you wedge the bigger trees. If other trees have toppled on your tree be careful of other trees falling with the one you cut.

If a tree is pinched be careful. When you cut it, it will want to kick back on you. Had a low one yesterday actually come back and hit me in my knee and slightly hyper extended it.

Careful of trees that are rotten in the middle. If you girdle them they will twist and crack. Never get yourself in a pinch point when cutting. Always have an out.

If you are unsure about a tree girdle it and move on.

If you fall with the saw keep it from hitting you.

These are just a few of the items that I remember from the last 10 weeks.
I am a novice at best and others with more experience will also have some items I have missed.

Be Careful and Good Luck.
 
Having just sat through my annual Wildland Fire Chainsaw refresher this past Friday, I only have a few extra things to offer that haven't been offered up yet. And everything offered up above is GREAT! I highly recommend the chaps, especially if you are like me and have a habit of bringing your saw out in the direction of your facing leg. I've seen a firefighter drag a running saw across their leg while wearing chaps. WOW!

If you don't use a helmet with a face shield (we don't on firelines, but that's TOTALLY different), use a good helmet with good safety glasses or sunglasses that are shatter resistant (our requirement). Hearing protection is a must (required for us). Wear long sleeve shirts (also required for us). Wear good leather boots that are 8-10" high and make sure your chaps cover up to 2-3" below your boots. That's about all I can think of for PPE that hasn't been covered.

If you are moving from tree to tree with the saw running, always put the brake on. Walking up hill, point the blade/bar downhill. Walking down hill, point the blade/bar in front of you.

If you have someone cutting with you (swamper), make sure everyone is farther than 2x the height of the tree you are falling if people are out in front of you working, etc. Escape route for you and swamper (if he's working beside you) should be at 45 degree angles and at least 20 feet from tree. Check your chain frequently to make sure it stays tight.

Size up your tree, checking for its lean, where you want to lay it (typically falling the lean), hanging branches, etc. Sound it (hit it with an axe or something) to see if its dead inside. Always be careful when/if you fall a snag. When cutting (pie/wedge w/back cut is best) always look up to see what is happening up top (or have your swamper looking up for you). I've cut snags before and it can be done safely, you just have to be careful. Don't cut with the tip of the bar, especially the top corner of the tip. That's the best way to get hit in the face with kickback. If you are bucking a tree, cut from the uphill side if you are on a slope.

Like Risto said, be careful and good luck!!
 
Cooter said:
Don't cut above your head using one arm trying to reach as high as you can.

Mobil Cooter using IW
Click to expand...

Been there done that, while in the tree myself. Hanging on with one hand and cutting with the other. Not smart.
 
chainsaw safety

I had a very good friend who was killed back in november while cutting down trees, he had been cutting wood his entire life and had a freak accident were a ash tree spit about 20 feet up and it hit him killing him instantly. It was a very tragic scene i pray i never see again, be very careful, i prefer to cut trees that are already on the ground after that
 
All great tips above. Use common sense.:way:

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ima
 
If you are doing TSI in a hilly timber (most here are) start at the bottom and work your way up the hill, dropping the trees down the hill.
 
Several things. WEAR YOUR PPE (chaps, safety glasses, earplugs...)
Plan your escape route BEFORE you start cutting.
Don't cut from a ladder
If the tree is taller than 15 feet, put a pull rope in the top of it. I don't care if its leaning in the direction of fall. Safety first. A pull rope is simply that. A rope tied into the top of the tree used to pull the tree in a certain direction.
Also, use the 80/10 rule. When you are cutting a notch out of the tree (in the direction of fall) the opening or apex of that notch should be 80 percent of the diameter of the tree. EX. if you have a 10 in diameter tree, your notch should be 8 inches from one side to the other (left to right) with one inch of wood showing on each side.
The 10 is for 10 percent holding wood or a hinge. This is the wood YOU DO NOT CUT THROUGH when you make a back cut. It is what holds the tree on the stump as it falls. If your tree is 10 inches in diameter, your hinge will be 1 inch wide. if your tree is 20 inches in diameter, your hinge will be 2 inches wide. Make sense? If not you'll have to pm me and I'll send you some diagrams.
Please be careful.
 
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All good tips! When a tree is on the ground be cautious of bent limbs. Some grow that way but others are under pressure and can cause serious injury when you cut through them. I have been whacked pretty good before and had a buddy that broke his nose when a loaded limb snapped back and thumped him in the face. Keep chains tight and sharp and wear boots with good deep tread. :way:
 
Clear stuff behind you might have to move fast.Watch kick backs.Each type of wood cuts and falls diffrent. Locust thorn are nasty.
 
All good suggestions; one mistake I see many beginners make is they don't wrap their thumb under the top handle. If your thumb is wrapped, you can prevent kickback.
 
All of the above are great comments , full safety gear is a must , I used to take the log safe courses that were required when I worked in northern MN .Most of the class was gory pics and story's to make a point. The one stat that I always remember is 90 percent of accident occurred within 3 feet of the stump. Don't be there any Longer than needed and take the time to cut a clear escape trail in at least two directions. Also if it is tsi don't tackle any trees that you are unsure of just girdle and go on. One last thing good rule to follow is if you need to take more than 2 steps set the chain brake .
 
Much good advice here already, but I would emphasize the safety gear too. Not until this year did I spring for a pair of safety chaps and that was poor thinking on my part.

I just spent the past 3 days in the timber with the chainsaw, based upon that and previous experience, here are a few things to consider...

If you are just starting out, start on the small stuff. Don't cut the big guys right off, come back to them when you have some experience and more familiarity. Any tree over say 8" diameter has the real potential to greatly harm or KILL you. You can do a lot for your timber if you only focus on the 1"-3" diameter trees.

Don't get too hasty, make a plan on where the best place is to start before cutting anything. To me, one of the biggest dangers is when a tree that you are falling hangs up, partially down. Leaving it as is can be dangerous, but dropping it once it is "loaded" may be even stickier. Avoid this by giving the tree a good place to fall, unblocked by other standing trees surrounding it.

A well planned sequence of cuts can lead to easy falls. Sometimes just knocking out one or two smaller trees to start can pave the way for subsequent trees to safely fall in the "void". Avoid hangups as much as possible. I don't have any stats on this, but I would suspect a great percentage of accidents come from hangups.

Although trees are nor leafed out now, do know that leaves present on the branches present other challenges. (Note - I am not recommending cutting much during leaf out time due to the potential to lead to disease like oak wilt, but I realize someone may use their chainsaw during the summer, etc.) Trees are far heavier with leaves on, so things can happen "faster" and the downed tree can be even "springier". It is hard to describe, but a growing tree with leaves on it can "bounce" and "hop" once it falls and it make come back towards you!

Finally, see if you can go with someone experienced that can give you a lesson or maybe find a seminar on chainsaw safety first.

PS. Love that pic, Shovel!! Anyone can see that that ol' boy needs his safety glasses on before starting that saw!! :D That was the point, right? :D
 
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