My first big job

[DeWALT378G]

Ok, this isn't a big job for you pros out there, but it was for me. My main thing is home remodeling. If ever I do small trees for yard clearing and I do firewood for personal use. I figured this job was worth posting. I'm no pro so let me know what you think. I could probably use some pointers.

First pic is about halfway through the job. I had to take four 80' trees. The next I'm getting ready to top-out the canopies. The next few posts are some action shots.

 

[DeWALT378G]

falling

 

[DeWALT378G]

finishing out canopy

 

[DeWALT378G]

chunking down some

 

[ropensaddle]

Ok, this isn't a big job for you pros out there, but it was for me. My main thing is home remodeling. If ever I do small trees for yard clearing and I do firewood for personal use. I figured this job was worth posting. I'm no pro so let me know what you think. I could probably use some pointers.

First pic is about halfway through the job. I had to take four 80' trees. The next I'm getting ready to top-out the canopies. The next few posts are some action shots.

Ok ever hear of a brain bucket? Topping out canopy's?:monkey:
So does that mean you trimmed them? Many questions come up
in my mind if you a a carpenter wtf are you doing in a tree?
I am not sure I have read into this correct so your going to need
to post more info.

 

[DeWALT378G]

more chunking and a stump

now if somebody were to call me a faller it would most likely be for falling out of trees, but i think that's a pretty good stump there.

 

[DeWALT378G]

Ok ever hear of a brain bucket? Topping out canopy's?:monkey:
So does that mean you trimmed them? Many questions come up
in my mind if you a a carpenter wtf are you doing in a tree?
I am not sure I have read into this correct so your going to need
to post more info.

yeah you are right. i kept losing it.
I like learning and doing all kinds of trades. Carpentry, yes, but that's not all I'm limited to and I find your comment somewhat insulting. I'm sure other people here do more than just cut trees. I wouldn't hold it against you if you did a crap job at installing cabinets as long as you've made your best effort. I've done quite a few smaller ones in the past and It wasn't like I just decided I was gonna be joe tree cutter that day. These were just a challenge for me and am quite proud of it. That might not agree with you and that's ok. If ever I would appreciate some constructive criticism. I am aware of the safety aspect and, you're right, I could have done better. It's a matter of learning which I'm open to along with everything else.

 

[polexie]

Get a helmet, looks like you are not wearing protective trousers, shoes/boots, forgive me if you do.

One handed sawing, aaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!

While you are sawing in the last pictures, looks like you´re only tied with one rope around the trunk. Hope this is not true.

Lex

 

[DeWALT378G]

Get a helmet, looks like you are not wearing protective trousers, shoes/boots, forgive me if you do.

One handed sawing, aaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!

While you are sawing in the last pictures, looks like you´re only tied with one rope around the trunk. Hope this is not true.

Lex[/QUOTE

I had to look at those again as I did this some months ago. Good eye it looks like I was and I can't prove/remember otherwise. Throughout the job I would always try to tie in twice either by the climb line and the flip or a strap around the trunk and the flip. Keep the comments coming though. The more I can learn from you guys the better.

 

[limbwalker54]

Let me ask you a few quick questions so my comments are not insulting:

1. Has anyone formally trained you?
2. Are you willing to learn a little from constructive criticism?
3. Do you have two hands?


I'll happily write back with a few pointers if you want.

-Mike Platt

 

[Nailsbeats]

I commend your effort. It is very obvious you aren't an expert so let me clue you in on a few details.

When you are cutting off horizontal limbs and using a snap cut (which you are) you need your top cut to be even or slightly behind your bottom cut. You are top cutting further out on the limb which will cause you to eventually lose a saw.

Don't leave stubs unless you have a use and a plan for them.

Get a hardhat on, you know that one.

You need a second tie in when running the saw. I will admit I don't do this absolutely 100% of the time, example being if I am reaching way out away from my rope to make a quick cut. With those chunk cuts I saw you need to have a secondary. That one cut you made very close to your lanyard, you best get a second lanyard or climbing line lower. You could also put a climbing line in the next top and use it to rappel as you chunk down.

Lay off of the excessive one handing. It happens, I know, but for some of those cuts it wasn't even close to necessary.

It looks to me like some of those tops/limbs were hanging up on adjacent trees as they fell and wanted to come back on you. If this is the case, you need to make an adjustment because it will get you.

Forgive me if I am seeing something wrong and apply what you can. Good luck on future ventures.

I do some carpentry too, for what it's worth, lol.

 

[ropensaddle]

yeah you are right. i kept losing it.
I like learning and doing all kinds of trades. Carpentry, yes, but that's not all I'm limited to and I find your comment somewhat insulting. I'm sure other people here do more than just cut trees. I wouldn't hold it against you if you did a crap job at installing cabinets as long as you've made your best effort. I've done quite a few smaller ones in the past and It wasn't like I just decided I was gonna be joe tree cutter that day. These were just a challenge for me and am quite proud of it. That might not agree with you and that's ok. If ever I would appreciate some constructive criticism. I am aware of the safety aspect and, you're right, I could have done better. It's a matter of learning which I'm open to along with everything else.

Sorry to sound insulting but topping canopy's was misleading and I am still a little uncertain I follow you. Did you top and drop or top and leave the ones you mentioned topping the canopy on? Was this for hire or just on your own trees? Are you licensed insured to do tree work or cheating the business that are? I understand your pride and it seemed except for safety you did ok but balz in this bus = death and maiming and raises our rates for insurance.I will ask have you any formal experiance? In your pictures you seem at ease in trees but why did you notch the chunk instead of snap cut it? Anyway I am glad you survived and will say you got balz

 

[JONSEREDFAN6069]

when falling the tree, GET OUTA THE WAY!!!!!!!! that tree could have changed direction and come towards you in an instant. nice work though, i've been cutting for 12 years and would not even think of tackling a job that big.
good luck on your future jobs and wear the lid. when climbing get one with a chin strap.

 

[limbwalker54]

Ok Here's my quick list:

1. No helmet
2. Two points of tie in when running the saw!
3. TWO HANDS ON SAW!
4. Snap cut for blocking down small to medium sized wood (Notch and pull line or notch and block with bull line for larger)
5. Keep yourself in the cut zone, meaning use the saw from your shoulders to waist if possible. It keeps your face out of the kickback zone.
6. Your notch is terrible. Please practice BEFORE you're up in the tree. 45 degree top cut and flat bottom cut. Make the bottom first, set your depth by the 1/3 rule or one of the other many commonly followed notch depth rules. Meet with the 45 on top and you'll be fine as long as you make that back cut a little above the bottom cut.
7. DONT LEAVE STUBS. They are BOUND to screw you up. You have spikes, a lanyard, and a climbing line. You CAN get down.
.....did I miss anything?


Mike Platt

 

[Nailsbeats]

No Mike, I think you covered it. Pretty much the same as my list.

 

[limbwalker54]

Cool. Hope it didn't sound too harsh, I like to be constructive with an "edge" sometimes.

 

[limbwalker54]

And if i read the thread a little closer I would have realized you already had that list just as you said there Nails! Good we think alike however!

 

[DeWALT378G]

Sorry to sound insulting but topping canopy's was misleading and I am still a little uncertain I follow you. Did you top and drop or top and leave the ones you mentioned topping the canopy on? Was this for hire or just on your own trees? Are you licensed insured to do tree work or cheating the business that are? I understand your pride and it seemed except for safety you did ok but balz in this bus = death and maiming and raises our rates for insurance.I will ask have you any formal experiance? In your pictures you seem at ease in trees but why did you notch the chunk instead of snap cut it? Anyway I am glad you survived and will say you got balz

What I did was cut all the limbs off then started cutting down the trunk until I felt it was a safe height to fall. I did this job for a friend of mine. I am not a tree guy and since my experience on something this big was limited I only charged him for lunch and some beers afterwards. As for cheating the business that was not my intention. In my defense and as a licensed contractor I could very much say the same about remodelling. This job was entirely about the challenge and experience for me. Balls had nothing to do with it. In fact, my friend asked me to do this three years ago. I got half way up the tree and said "no friken way!" Three years and some experience later I figured I would give it a try. As for formal experience I can't technically/honestly say yes. I notched cause there was some lean to the trunk and wanted to use that to my advantage.

 

[DeWALT378G]

when falling the tree, GET OUTA THE WAY!!!!!!!! that tree could have changed direction and come towards you in an instant. nice work though, i've been cutting for 12 years and would not even think of tackling a job that big.
good luck on your future jobs and wear the lid. when climbing get one with a chin strap.

Yes i know......I did a lot of running that week...lol. In fact, on my last fall the trunk spun off its hinge a little and i could tell it was going to hit another tree. Believe me i dropped that saw and ran like crazy. In that pic you are referring to it doesn't look like I was far enough away but that was as far as I could get running around that small wall there. I had to turn around at some point to look to make sure nothing else was coming at me. by that time i knew where the tree was going.

 

[DeWALT378G]

Ok Here's my quick list:

1. No helmet
2. Two points of tie in when running the saw!
3. TWO HANDS ON SAW!
4. Snap cut for blocking down small to medium sized wood (Notch and pull line or notch and block with bull line for larger)
5. Keep yourself in the cut zone, meaning use the saw from your shoulders to waist if possible. It keeps your face out of the kickback zone.
6. Your notch is terrible. Please practice BEFORE you're up in the tree. 45 degree top cut and flat bottom cut. Make the bottom first, set your depth by the 1/3 rule or one of the other many commonly followed notch depth rules. Meet with the 45 on top and you'll be fine as long as you make that back cut a little above the bottom cut.
7. DONT LEAVE STUBS. They are BOUND to screw you up. You have spikes, a lanyard, and a climbing line. You CAN get down.
.....did I miss anything?


Mike Platt

1. yes, that was covered
2. i think i aswered this one already, but yeah I think I'm just on my flip line there, but throughout the job I always tried to tie in in more than one place.
3. can't argue that one. in some cases i had to use a hand to grab onto something cause the trunk would swing after dropping the weight of the limb.
4. are you suggesting for this job or just letting me know? i'm assuming you're suggesting as this would be considered small/med size wood.
5. i can see you're really on me about that pic with the horrible notch. much is wrong there.
6. yes i know. i do much better notches than that. look at my last pic of the stump. it doesn't say much for my notch but nice hinge wood can give you an idea. in this particular case i was opting for more of an open notch so that there would be more control over the fall as the notch closed.
7. lol... yeah i learned that by now. but don't misjudge me on using stubs as a crutch to get out of a tree. i left the stubs to give me options as i worked my way down. they also came in handy as something to push/pull on to right myself in the before i made a cut cause the tree had some lean. for the record i used to do recreational rappelling. spikes or not, getting out of the tree is easy.


Thanks for all your commentary. It is exactly what I was looking for and need. I didn't post these pics to be macho.