CS31: Check the tree out...

In the last post we took a quick dive into choosing the direction of fell for your tree; but before we get too far ahead of ourselves, in this post we'll chat about inspecting the tree.

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Before you take chainsaw to tree, you really need to know what you're dealing with; we've already looked at how the tree canopy (or the tree's form) can affect the weighting and therefore the felling cut used, but there's a bit more to check out first.

Completing a quick visual tree assessment is a great idea; you're looking for potential hazards (dead wood in the tree or hanging branches that might come down), anything that might cause loss of control of the tree (rot caused by fungal growth - see the image at the top) and whether there are signs of birds nesting, hornet / wasp / bee nests, bat roosts and so on. Look for signs of old remedial work on the tree... are there wire braces in it? Indeed, are there any other wires running to it, or through it (power lines, telephone lines, aerials, etc.). Once you have this information you can take the appropriate action, which may mean talking to the local council, government agency, landowner or other relevant authority before commencing work.

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CS31: Before you start the saw...

There's always a great clamour to get out into the woods and fell the biggest tree! But just stop and think for a moment... is that really the best thing to do if you've only just started your CS31. Cutting down a big tree requires a lot of clearing up! If something goes wrong during the fell, how are you going to deal with it? You can also get away with being slightly less accurate in your cuts with bigger trees, masking potential problems that you might have with your cuts. So, before we even start the saw, let's work through the next few posts discussing how to make it safer, as well as ensuring that you get the most out of the training that you're doing.

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The first thing to do before you take a saw to the tree, is just to look at it, and the surrounding environment. Ask yourself questions such as... "Are there powerlines or other cables within two tree lengths?", "Are there public footpaths or bridleways that might require the use of a banksman, as well as signs?", "Are the weather conditions conducive to maintaining control of the tree during the felling operation?".

Of course, this is just the start of the process, as you need to be thinking about the direction of fell, the state of the tree, the weighting of the tree and so on.

In this post, we'll take a quick look at deciding on the felling direction. There are always instances where it doesn't really matter which way you fell the tree, but certainly on your assessment, the assessor will want to know which way you want to fell it. If you lose control of the tree and it falls down in a completely different direction, then that's not going to look good!

Of course, in many circumstances you are limited in your choice, be that due to other trees, buildings, fence lines, public areas or just the form of the tree. All these things, and more, need to be taken into account when you decide which way to fell the tree. Here's a quick tip to help you decide if you need to consider whether the weighting of the tree is definitely going to be a factor when choosing the direction of fell and the type of felling cut...

If you've got an idea of the direction you wish to take the tree down, then it's not a bad idea to walk in that direction and look back at the tree, checking for anything that might get in the way of it coming straight down... branches from another tree, a powerline, etc. But here's the real tip... now walk over to a point at 90 degrees from the tree (i.e. to the left or right of the tree) as this will allow you to properly assess the weighting of the tree canopy. Remember, if you only look at it from one direction you might not notice that the weight of the tree's canopy means that it actually wants to fall in completely the opposite direction!

With the direction sorted, and the weighting of the tree assessed, you can choose which type of felling cut to use. In the next post, we'll take a look at visually assessing the state of the tree.

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Blast From The Past

Just before Xmas a friend of mine turned up at DriveLink HQ with this saw - cheers Glenn! It's an old Stihl 08 and we thought it might be worth cleaning it up and checking it out - not that we're going to use it as by today's standards this thing is seen as unsafe. Find out more after the jump...

I've not actually had a chance to look over it yet, I just popped it on top of some logs to take the picture above, but one thing is for sure... it's lacking in what we would consider to be modern safety features! There's no chain brake for starters. There's no AV mounts (at least none that are immediately obvious - perhaps I'll find some once I start disassembling it). And it weighs a ton compared to modern saws, being built entirely out of metal. Oh, there's also no safety throttle, and you can put the saw to full power and then lock it in that position.

I'll post back about this saw occasionally, let you know what I find and if it's worth restoring / repairing it then we'll do that and you can up-to-date with the proceedings.

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Back To The Future: Bore Cuts (3)

Continuing on with these bore cuts... one problem that I come across time and again is poor hand position when gripping the saw. It's not only bore cuts that can go awry with poor hand position, but sink cuts too. So how can we improve our chances of getting accurate cuts? Find out more after the jump...

Looking at the picture at the top of this page, you can see how the hand at the rear of the saw is not twisted, and the throttle is being operated by the inside of the thumb. The hand on the front handle has been moved right around the handle, which you can probably see better on the image below (yes, I know I'm not wearing gloves, but the saw is not running and I wanted to make the hand positions clearer...).

Try to get in the habit of holding the saw in these positions when you're either doing the horizontal bore cut, the bottom cut of a sink, or the back felling cut. It will help you keep the saw level.

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Merry Christmas!

I'd just like to thank everyone who reads this column, wherever you are in the world. I'd also like to thank all those that inspire me to keep on going with this, whether you're a student, a work colleague or an assessor.

I'd also like to wish you all the best over this festive period, and wish you a successful and happy new year.

Happy Christmas!

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Back To The Future: Bore Cuts (2)

Now that I've started on this route, I guess I'd better finish it! So here is the second 'bonus' posting - but only because I didn't get to finish it all of in the first posting about bore cuts! In this article we'll have a look at the second of the bore cuts that you'll need to be able to demonstrate and use for the CS31, and quite likely for the CS30 too. That's CS30 as well, as opposed to CS32... just sayin'. That second bore cut is the vertical bore cut, and I feel that it's appropriate to let you know hat this one has the potential to be very dangerous, as you'll be cutting very close to the kickback zone and even with it. Be careful with this one. Find out more after the jump...

Why would we use a vertical bore cut? Easier to watch a demonstration than listen to an explanation, but I'll give it a go... Look at the image at the top of this page, you can see that the underside of this piece of timber is not touching the ground and yet there was not enough room to get the bar and chain under the timber, without the chain running into the ground. In this case, with the compression cut already made on the top of the timber, we needed to cut from under the timber, back up to meet the compression cut.

To get over this problem of a lack of space, we can bore into the timber and then cut downwards and out of the bottom, as there is enough space for the chain to pop out from under the timber without striking the ground.

The other thing that you can see from this image is just where the bar and chain are positioned - note that the cut will be started slightly behind the kickback zone, and not on it.

Ensure that the saw is running at full speed whilst you do this cut, it's actually safer, and also make sure the saw is sharp. But perhaps the best advice for this cut is keep your head out of the line of the bar. Start the cut and allow the saw to cut a little way in, before levelling the saw out and pushing through the timber completely. Now you can come out of the bottom of the timber, before cutting up to the compression cut (in this case).

Try to do this in one fluid movement, saw at full speed and head out of the way - it doesn't bear thinking about what would happen if you had kickback... Also, be confident with this cut and hold the saw securely and comfortably.

I will be revisiting bore cuts, especially as now that I've started to write about them, the more I can think of to tell you!

Keep safe.

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Back To The Future: Bore Cuts (1)

This is a bit of a bonus posting, as I've got 10 minutes free to quickly add an article! And so, in this post we're going to go back to the future and look at bore cuts. Why 'back to the future'? Well, bore cuts currently form part of the CS30 chainsaw maintenance course, but are heavily used during the CS31 (and CS32) felling courses; because of this, it'll be useful to both groups of people - those undertaking CS30 and those doing CS31. I'll try to put together a short video of completing a bore cut as it's much easier to see it, rather than describe it, but for now you'll have to make do with text! Find out more after the jump...

There are two types of bore cut: horizontal and vertical. The image at the top of the screen shows the horizontal bore cut, and is used a lot in conjunction with felling techniques (rear-weighted, forward weighted, medium and large fell). The vertical bore cut is used to cross-cut timber, especially where there is not enough room under the timber to physically fit the bar and chain, and you want to cut upwards; although there is enough room to bring the chain out of the bottom of the timber without it hitting the ground.

The Horizontal Bore Cut

The horizontal bore cut is slightly safer than the vertical bore cut, but is perhaps more difficult to get all the levels correct. You will need to keep the saw level from the tip of the bar back to the rear handle, as well as keeping it flat from side-to-side.

This is easily achieved by positioning your hands correctly on the handle; remembering that your thumb on the left hand must remain around the handle (see the Bad Habits: Thumbs Up! post). First off, getting it level from side-to-side is just a matter of moving your left hand right around the handle as far as practicable, this will automatically put the saw in the correct position. Easy!

Now for getting the saw level front-to-back. Many operators continue to hold their right hand in the same position (finger on the throttle) and twist their wrists to account for using the saw on its side. However, this often results in the rear handle being held higher than the tip of the bar and so the saw is not level. Instead, as you twist the saw on to its side, getting it ready for the horizontal cut, allow the rear handle to move around in your right hand; you should find that you can operate the throttle with your thumb.

Stand so that the underside of the nose of the bar will be introduced into the timber, then cut down to about where the nose sprocket rivets are. At this point, keep the nose of the bar in the same place and swing the rear handle around so that the saw is now directly pointing into the timber. Now push. Not too hard, and keep the saw running at full power until you have bored through to the required depth.

Allow the chain to stop in the bore cut before pulling it out of the wood (it might be wise to flick the chain brake on too at this point). Now, we are going to need to refine this a little bit but that'll be what the video is for... I just need to shoot it first ;0)

I reckon my 10 minutes is definitely up, and I'll leave vertical bore cuts for another post...

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