dumb stuff in the woods

[mshillbilly]

Today I WAS CUTTING SOME STUNPS OFF EVEN WITH THE GROUND with the 306a I just got. my son inlaw walked over I shut the saw off propit it half cocked sideways on my leg.He said lets get the horses and go ride the trails. I threw the saw down jumped up and said HOT MUFFLER. HIS REPLY WAS DID YO MAMA HAVE ANY KIDS THAT LIVED.

[jjmk98k]

i did the same thing, just last week, burned the backs of two of my fingers, blistered within a hour, popped two hours later, 

I have yet to figure out just how did I bump it with the back of my hand?

it sure got my attetion real fast......

reminded me of a time, i was deployed to Korea, I was ironing my uniform and just sat the iron down upright to cool, i moved, bumped the ironing board the the iron fell, i caught it, HOT side towards hand!!!!

wore a bandage for a week and felt stoopid everytime a friend asked me "Jim , what happed to your hand"......

[mshillbilly]

Point is any one at any time is capable of being not so bright. The other day I had to drop three dyeing hickorys by myself.these trees were in the forty foot tall range, big bases. I really wish I had waited for at least someone else to be there. If I hadn't been aware of my surroundings I could steel be there with no way out. I don't think safty is talked about enough. You can always learn from someone elses exspeariance bad or good. :'(

[fishhuntcutwood]

I was out yesterday helping a friend out by clearing up a 30' deep drainage ditch which had several spruce and fir that had been knocked over at the roots by the clearcutting that had taken place last month.  These trees were a tangled mess, and every one of them was what I'd consider a "problem tree," in that each was under awkward tension, leaning on other trees, etc, all with the steep angle of the sides of the drainage to stand on.  Wasn't looking forward to it.  I was working on a smaller tree, about 10" in diameter, with my 361, making a top notch in this now horizontal tree so I can come in from the bottom, and have a clean cut, so hopefully the tree won't split on me, and I can take it home and burn it next year.  Well, I just barely get into this thing, and it pinches my bar.  It happens, but it was right then my buddy walks over and asks how I'm doing... as my saw is held captive by this tree.  I could get the bar out, but the chain was stuck.  I didn't want to mess with it, using dumb brute strenth to lift this 80' worth of tree, so I came in to the left of it to cut the tree through, and get my saw back.  My buddy thought it was pretty cool how I "used the bigger saw to get the smaller saw out," (his words) but I was just thinking about how easily a tree can make a fool of you, even when it shouldn't!!

As far as safety, I'm no seasoned, wise expert, but I've always said that the saw won't hurt you unless you let it. (Your complacency.)  It's the tree that has a mind of it's own and will get you, even when you think you've got it.  (It's unpredictability.)  So far I'm injury free, and have yet to have to rely on my chaps, steel toes, hard hat, or ear/eye protection.   Call me lucky.

Be safe all,
Jeff