Had the next stage of the forestry course I've been doing for 3 days earlier this week. We managed to get into some taller Pinus radiata between 35 and 40 metres tall (100-120'). Most of these were going to the mill so had to be felled properly and in the proper direction.
There were three students including myself. One of them was a firewood cutter who is also starting a tree felling business. Nice guy, keen as mustard, and a very fast learner. The other guy was also a good bloke but actually works in the coal mines in Queensland on $150k a year. He had a Husky 575 and 395XP. Both of which wouldn't cut for crap (saws were OK just poor chain sharpening). He was one of those people who had everything. He even had a pair of New Zealand made logging boots with spikes (or whatever they're called). They were brand new and very nice. He asked what logging boots I wore - he was shocked when I told him I wear Blue Steel protective toed work boots. All he could talk about was Ax Men from the telly which pretty well summed up where his knowledge came from. He seemed to think that anybody who felled trees would have to wear logging boots
Like I said nice guy but pretty clueless.
Anyway, just to get it off my chest the only trainee to send one of the trees heading to the mill the WRONG way was me! I never ever mark the tree where my backcut is meant to finish. Stuart the instructor (top bloke) was getting the other guys to mark the sides of the trees (a small vertical cut) as he knew I'd done a fair bit of felling. I thought I'd try to mark the sides of the tree too. Of course where I marked the tree was EXACTLY in line with the back of the facecut, not 2 odd inches behind it.
I began merrily cutting the backcut completely oblivious to my normal felling routine and before I knew it the thing fell out to the right at about 45°. I had basically no hinge left! It took me a couple of minutes to work out how the hell I'd made such a stupid error then it dawned on Stuart that I'd marked the trunk wrong. Anyway, he thought it was funny but then proceeded to buck up the log in the proper lengths for the mill as it was laying across other logs. It would have made the others difficult to drag out with this one laying across them.
Anyway, here's the piccys of the stump and tree...
I used my modded 7900, 8 pin rim, and 20" bar for the first day with near new RSC. I learnt by my past mistakes and left the rakers untouched. On the 2nd and 3rd day I used my modded 390XP with the same setup.
Interestingly LITA (the training organisation) had just received two brand new 660's. They were first started Monday morning by the two other guys. They seemed to be running pretty crap but by about the 3rd tank they had started to lean out a bit and produce a bit more power. These two saws were also fitted with RSC and 20" bars but 7 pin rims.
One thing I noticed was just how much bloody fuel these 660's used. It was insane. I thought my ported and pop upped 660 was a fuel hog - maybe because Brad had gone a bit too nuts on the mods. Now I know that even stock these things are absolute fuel pigs. Without a word of a lie we were going one for one as far as the trees go and when the 660's were empty both my Dolmar and 390XP had half a tank left. Both of my modded saws were running absolute rings around these two 660's performance wise as well so how the hell they can chew so much fuel is beyond me. I found them really loud too with the Aussie spec dual port muffler.
The other guys had a run on my 390XP and were very impressed. Stuart the instructor cut up a windfallen largish pine and said it was like wielding a lightsabre and that he may just keep it. He's also a Stihl fan
He also then proceeded to rub it in that when saws cut like that why the hell would I drop the rakers so far like I had in the previous course. He's a funny guy but correct...
The thing I like about Stuart is that he's not too cocky or pigheaded. He said that he's even learnt a few tips and tricks from watching me. Not as many as I've learnt from him though.
One thing I did forget to keep doing in these pines is cutting wing cuts in to help stop fibre pull. Never done these before and in general felling probably won't use them in 99.9% of cases...