Reminder to be careful!
- Thread starter indiansprings
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Thanks for this post! You know... It serves us all a message; that on occasion, we all have brushes with fate, and in response, we should pay attention and learn from what happened. I had a similar event cutting up some preloaded - tornado damaged trees, and I'm thankful to God to be standing right now. Glad your story worked out the way it did!
Thanks for this post! You know... It serves us all a message; that on occasion, we all have brushes with fate, and in response, we should pay attention and learn from what happened. I had a similar event cutting up some preloaded - tornado damaged trees, and I'm thankful to God to be standing right now. Glad your story worked out the way it did!
andydodgegeek
The stool maker
Glad to hear you didnt get hurt, makes me think I need to be more aware of winds when I am cutting myself. Most of the time when I am sawing I am alone and I know that is not really a good thing either. If I was to get injured I would have to rely on my cell phone, which is back in the truck or where ever. I always try to be carefull but as we all know accidents can happen. I am ordering myself my first set of safety chaps as soon as I am done with this thread. Be safe everyone.
Glad you are fine, and thanks for posting. I had my first close call this year after 30 years with next to zero issues, and ran a thread about it. All I got was a bunch of white stuff from my Husqvarna chaps all piled up in the chain of my 262XP. I was back in action in a couple of minutes. Without the chaps, I'd have been OUT of action for weeks, or even months.
I would add here that I am the Chief Investigator for the Coroner's Office here in Knox County. We've had a few accidents that went really, really bad, all involved falling trees, at least one was in pretty windy conditions......FWIW......Cliff
I would add here that I am the Chief Investigator for the Coroner's Office here in Knox County. We've had a few accidents that went really, really bad, all involved falling trees, at least one was in pretty windy conditions......FWIW......Cliff
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I cut standing dead oak for firewood probably 85% of the time. A year and a half was cutting a big dead oak that was leaning about high chest high. It was in a thick crove of small white pine. I was cutting away didn't see a limb it was leaning on because of the white pine, when wham. It came crashing down. Threw the saw away and went back as far as i could in a split second. In that second waited for the impact. Thought for sure it would nail me. Really, Really stupid not completely checking my whole surroundings better. Same day read in the paper a guy in N.H. got a tree in the face and died. That could have been me. Just the Grace of God!! How many more close calls have we all had over the years to still be here sharing? Glad you're still with us indiansprings!! Take care. And thanks for the heads up!
Being careful
How useful is it to use a "sounding device" like a hammer or a baseball bat(wood--not aluminum) for locating possible hollow areas in standing dead timber?
How useful is it to use a "sounding device" like a hammer or a baseball bat(wood--not aluminum) for locating possible hollow areas in standing dead timber?
If center rot is a possibility I normally make a vertical bore cut or two. This will give you a really good idea of how much heartwood you have to work with.
indiansprings it sounds like you had a close one, glad you're still with us.
indiansprings it sounds like you had a close one, glad you're still with us.
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Yep, good friend of man got tangled in some brush he had neglected to clear when a tree acted up. Lost his leg over it.
indiansprings
Firewood Purveyor
Went back today after church to drop as many as possible for the upcoming week, thank goodness it was a calm day, no winds over 5 mph. Dropped prolly 18-20 without a hitch, but I sure paid a lot more attention to the solidness of the trees, escape routes and the condition of the dead limbs in the tops. Took the time and steps that I should have taken in the other day. The entire day went off without a hitch.
I did fall a live tree that the landowner had marked that had to be the most "wind shook" twisted oak I've ever cut. It was impossible to split with a maul, a couple of the guys tried, but couldn't even begin to split it. It was one twisted piece of wood, it was only about 20"dbh. I usually do all the falling, unless it's just pecker poles. Starting this week, I'm going to pass the torch and teach what little I know to the younger guys, they've watched me do it many, many times, but I finally realize I've got a responsibility to teach these young guys how to get it done safely while I still can. I don't know how it is in other area's but we get several call a month were a person wants a tree felled only, they'll work it up and remove the debris, and split the firewood. We actually do several trees a month like this, I'm not in the residential tree removal business and won't touch one where it has the possibility of doing any property/structual damage as I don't carry insurance for that type work. It's surprising how many people are uncomfortable dropping trees. I can't imagine dropping the trees those boys in the PNW have to belly up to, that takes some real cojones, I have the deepest respect for them. My biggest drop was a 50-52" dbh about 90' to the very top, I was nervous as a cat crapping razor blades.
I think we all take just how dangerous a saw can be, regardless of how long we have or haven't run one, so many ways to get hurt if your not focused on the task at hand. My biggest issue is always trying to hurry to push as much production as possible, today we actually sat down a couple more times and took a little more of a break than usual. I've never been a fan of chaps myself, but after this last week, I think I'm going to buy the crew a couple of sets and make the guys running saws wear them.
I did fall a live tree that the landowner had marked that had to be the most "wind shook" twisted oak I've ever cut. It was impossible to split with a maul, a couple of the guys tried, but couldn't even begin to split it. It was one twisted piece of wood, it was only about 20"dbh. I usually do all the falling, unless it's just pecker poles. Starting this week, I'm going to pass the torch and teach what little I know to the younger guys, they've watched me do it many, many times, but I finally realize I've got a responsibility to teach these young guys how to get it done safely while I still can. I don't know how it is in other area's but we get several call a month were a person wants a tree felled only, they'll work it up and remove the debris, and split the firewood. We actually do several trees a month like this, I'm not in the residential tree removal business and won't touch one where it has the possibility of doing any property/structual damage as I don't carry insurance for that type work. It's surprising how many people are uncomfortable dropping trees. I can't imagine dropping the trees those boys in the PNW have to belly up to, that takes some real cojones, I have the deepest respect for them. My biggest drop was a 50-52" dbh about 90' to the very top, I was nervous as a cat crapping razor blades.
I think we all take just how dangerous a saw can be, regardless of how long we have or haven't run one, so many ways to get hurt if your not focused on the task at hand. My biggest issue is always trying to hurry to push as much production as possible, today we actually sat down a couple more times and took a little more of a break than usual. I've never been a fan of chaps myself, but after this last week, I think I'm going to buy the crew a couple of sets and make the guys running saws wear them.
K&L Landscaping
ArboristSite Operative
Good read, thanks for posting. I'm going to make sure my brother-in-law has a look at this thread. He truly is the best tree man I know (and I know a few) but he's just borderline wreckless, IMO. I worry about him all the time, he doesn't seem to fear anything.
DYNOBOB
ArboristSite Lurker
I'll bump this thread...
Dropped the scariest tree I've ever tackled back in October. 3-4 year dead tree back in our woods by the bonfire area that I was worried would fall on someone (or their truck) so it had to go. First time I ever asked someone to come back and watch me in case something bad happened. Tree was 75-80 years old.
Loaned my B I L the 036 a few months back. He returned it and showed me the rip in the front of his jeans. Lucky for him it hit the cell phone in his front pocket. :msp_scared: I now own chaps.
Dropped the scariest tree I've ever tackled back in October. 3-4 year dead tree back in our woods by the bonfire area that I was worried would fall on someone (or their truck) so it had to go. First time I ever asked someone to come back and watch me in case something bad happened. Tree was 75-80 years old.
Loaned my B I L the 036 a few months back. He returned it and showed me the rip in the front of his jeans. Lucky for him it hit the cell phone in his front pocket. :msp_scared: I now own chaps.
arborealbuffoon
Wood Wh@re
Brings to mind an old adage: "There's old tree trimmers and there's bold tree trimmers. But there are no old, bold tree trimmers".
