Thanks! As for my checking the end of the bar, actually I was checking the thickness of the hinge. I have a habit of cutting though them on one side which also redirects the fell. N this saw, just pull on the throttle for a second on a polpar and it cuts a couple of inches. Kind of exciting and scary at the same time. But yep, that was pretty stupid of me going around the front of the tree like that. If I had heard one crack or felt any movement, I would have been gone like a fart in the wind. I may be an old lady with legs that don't really work very well, but in an emergency situation, I'm long gone.
That's what I meant checking the hinge thickness or where the bar tip is. If you would get the larger spikes for that saw it would be easier to stick on the tree and put in the face cut.