I am just getting into firewood cutting and felled a very large oak tree for the first time a week ago. This was one of those trees that a professional tree worker deemed "dangerous" to fell and should only be cut by a skilled and expirienced tree worker.
So I said screw that and tried it myself.........well....
(Cough cough)
Apparently when cutting my notch, I didn't leave enough holding wood and didn't have any wedges in and the tree just leaned over and pinched my saw. I didn't have a second saw with me at the time so I took the bar and chain off.
My dad had this brilliant idea to throw a strap around a large branch and winch it over the rest of the way. This indeed worked however when the tree fell, my 24" guide bar was smashed and bend beyond repair and it ended up costing me $100 to replace.
I guess you learn from your mistakes, right? I will be more careful from now on.
Sorry to hear about your mishap. It has happened to all of us. I have done it several times...but not recently, I swear. :D I usually work alone so safety is also a huge concern. Like anything we do in the forest, experience is key. I am still learning from various "incidents" all the time. Best of luck to ya in your future of the firewood biz.
Beenthere, done that.
Have any pics? They could help others to possibly avoid the same fate, or worse.
Are you interested in any critique? What would you do differently if confronted with the same situation again?
What in/on this tree caused the professional to deem it dangerous? Lean? heavy limbs? rot in the center?
Mostly just curious, and might learn something.
I think you did good!
Had the balls to do it yourself.
Learned a LOT
Saved the cost of having it done, A lot more than the bar I'm sure.
Good job! Press on.
every day in the woods is a day of learning ;D
Those that have not had a saw pinched probably have not run a saw enough.
That is one of the reasons I have multiple saws (always at least two on a job), and at least an extra bar and chain. I also always have wedges but that would likely not have gotten you out of your situation.
Be thankfull. Imaging if you were cutting to feed yourself and your family with a misery whip and this happened. Pinch that saw and what do you do? Risk like and limb with an axe or your horse. Based on current costs I bet a crosscut would be near a months wages if you ruined it.
We have all been there with saw pinching... then we learn about plastic wedges. Life lessons i do not know how many in the past years who ran from a widow maker and the saw survived the friend of mine did not. Some lessons you walk away from others well its good to learn from others mistakes and remember what they did wrong. Different situations but with any bad situation anything can happen I have seen the dambest things in my life through these eyes.. how in the heck did that go from there to there? Funniest thing I have seen though is a feller put a nice sized fir right on the back side of the bosses new dodge truck.
Once had to step away from a tree that went mostly the way planned but pinched the bar as it went. It pounded my saw through 3 ft of snow but didn't hurt it. Found it easy because it was still running. Plastic wedges, at least a spare bar and chain and respect for that big heavy thing you are deliberately bringing down are all good things to have at the start. In general it's best to make the what if arrangements before you start cutting. I agree that it is a cheap lesson for you since you are probably ahead money by getting it down yourself. Did you get a quote for putting it on the ground?
I don't know of anyone whose felled a tree hasn't had their saw get hung up.
When I was younger, my dad taught all of boys how to properly fell a tree. One of the most important tips he taught us was to always have a egress route planned and cleared of brush and tripping hazards before firing up the saw. It just may save your life.
Many years ago dad, older brother, and I were felling trees. Dad and the old bro were in debate over which way one very large beach tree would go. Dad said this way, older bro said that way. Dad notched the tree to go where he said it would go. It went the way my bro said it would go. It took all of our meals and squashed them into the ground. The only thing that survived was my Snickers bar (at least I had something to eat). Roger
It's when you pinch your spare saw trying to rescue your primary saw ;D but I have not ruined a bar......YET! 8)
Pinched a bar cutting through an oak log this last summer so I figured I would lift the log just a little with the skidder blade to release. Well, the plan that had worked in times past did not do so well this day. The log rolled and turned my bar into a 90 degree angle. That was a $65.00 mistake.
Unless it's bent like a horse shoe you can straighten a bar .Horse shoes just take longer .
Given enough time everybody will stick a saw ,put oil in the gas tank ,install a chain backwards and cut the dirt .Shucks I've had two saws stuck in the same tree and had to go get a third to cut them out .
This thread brings back a vivid memory about a mishap that happened to my dad and my BIL's father about 20 years ago.
My dad is one of the most intelligent humans that I know. He had many sayings that he told us kids growing up that I've passed on to my kids, such as "it's not how much you make, it's how much ya put away", "a mans got to walk through a freezing rain to appreciate the sun", "measure twice, cut once", ect. You get the picture. His demeanor is that of what I'd imagine a cross between E.F. Hutton and DanG's to be. When he speaks, you just know what comes out is worth listening to.
He is brilliant when it comes to math and geometry. He always seems to know almost instantly how much the 20% tip ought to be the second he hears what the check amount is. He always knows instinctively what direction a tree is most apt to fall with a carefully located wedge cut out of a tree....except one time.
He and my BIL's dad were out cutting wood early one morning, and myself and my BIL were to meet up with them a little later to do the heavier lifting for them. We arrived to the woods mid morning and followed the sound that the 610 Mac was making. We got close enough to see both of our dads, mine running the saw and his looking up to see which direction the tree might be starting to travel. We kept our distance, as it was a good sized old dead Elm, and we fully expected the tree to fall in the precise location my dad had intended for it to go.
Well guess what....the tree had it's own ideas of where it wanted to fall. It fell almost the exact opposite direction as where my dad had planned for it to fall. Not fast or all of the sudden, just nice and slow, and right on top of his D-17 Allis Chalmers! :-[ And to top it all off, his Mac 610 was pinched in a position where we had a heck of a time just getting to it to shut it off. That saw has always had a bit of a mind of its own, and would sometimes quit for no reason at all, but not that day. It would have ran all day :D
My dad will never quit being a dad. Sometimes he gets a preachin' to me about eating out too much, or just plain eating too much, or buying things that I don't really need, or spoiling my kids and nieces and nephews too much. And it seems that a couple times a year when he's in the middle of politely pickin' on me, I'll simply ask him if he'd like to accompany me to the woods and help me knock down a big 'ol Elm I've been eyein'. And "We'll take your D-17 too, if ya don't mind dad"!
He just smiles, I laugh, and we move on! :)
Thanks guys,
Ya, this tree was particularly difficult because it was like 4 trees that had kinda
grown together and spiraled up like a corkscrew. Even some of the high branches were touching and growing together in spots. All in all, no injuries and I now have a some great firewood.
I got 6 cord out of this tree and it is all split and stacked.
I need a bigger saw, imma get the ms660 I think.
Tree service quoted 2600 to drop it .
Rule #1,leave problem trees alone.#2 have wedges in your tool bag.I had a large locust taken down for 600.00 here in Maine.Tree crew ground up the brush and cut the big wood to stove length.It takes many years to know when avoid a job and let fellows who know how do it.Learn to accept your limitations.
I have a different rule #1.
If it is a problem tree, I figure out how to solve the problem.
And it doesn't include paying someone else big bucks. ;D
My stupidest was when cutting my pinched bigger saw out of a Hemlock, I nicked a hole in the gas tank.
Thank the lord for JB weld.
Been pinched in a tree many times.
i learned that if you are using a plastic wedge on frozen wood the odds of it breaking are very high and pieces will come flying at you,i only use the alum. wedges.
northern2bodies,welcome to the forum. I think I've seen your wood hauler,may have a grapple on it too? But that trailer with the beds on it looks interesting. Can you start another thread and tell us about it? HP?
As several have posted, pinching a bar will happen to all of us. Then it will happen again. Learn from your experiences, and those of others. I try to learn something new every day. :)
I think you got off easy at only $100 for a new bar. My last chainsaw "misfortune" was two years ago. I was cutting the trunk off a blowndown oak from a hurricane we'd had roll through. This willow oak was a big one, about 60" where I was cutting above the root-ball. Long story short, as I got about 85% through it, the bottom slabbed, the root-ball went back in the hole, the trunk broke off. When it did, it rolled onto the saw, and almost me. My bar ended up fine, but the remainder of my Stihl 084 is now a parts saw. :'( I bought another one last month because it was cheaper than repairing my first one.
Be careful out there.
Quote from: northern2bodies on March 29, 2013, 08:06:24 AM
i learned that if you are using a plastic wedge on frozen wood the odds of it breaking are very high and pieces will come flying at you,i only use the alum. wedges.
How cold was it when you "learned" that about plastic wedges? I've never had the problem, but then I'm not out there cutting in below zero (Farenheit) weather.
Firewoodking: It cost you less than a "C" note as the bar you had had some wear on it. Just maybe it was so badly worn that you needed to spring for a new one anyway. Glad you did not get hurt. Remember that generally speaking chainsaw bars are cheaper than funerals. As for myself I bring steel, plastic and wooden wedges as well as a sledge or wedge driver when I go cutting trees. The last time I also had a ladder, choker chain, winch owner, and a 6600 pound winch on the back of the tractor. The process was simple: attach winch to the tree with the choker chain as high as possible (I like leverage), notch tree, apply tension, cut until it falls. If the bar gets pinched just add more tension. Took down 18 trees in an afternoon, and all of them went where I had desired them. The winch sure helped in directing the trees. Gerald
My family has been in the sawmill and wood cutting business for three generations.(me not so much) I have seen my cousin who cuts firewood and skids for a living wait for a certain day that the wind is strong enough and blowing the right direction. Then he would head in and cut down a certain tree that he wanted down but was prone to going the wrong way. Also have seen some creative use of a skidder to fall problem trees as well. I do most of my tree falling with a backhoe lol.
Quote from: John Mc on April 01, 2013, 12:13:42 PM
Quote from: northern2bodies on March 29, 2013, 08:06:24 AM
i learned that if you are using a plastic wedge on frozen wood the odds of it breaking are very high and pieces will come flying at you,i only use the alum. wedges.
How cold was it when you "learned" that about plastic wedges? I've never had the problem, but then I'm not out there cutting in below zero (Farenheit) weather.
the plastic wedges will not work on frozen trees to start off and will break at temp. below -0.they just bounce out of the back-cut when you are banging them in.i tried them on both hard and soft woods
I think that taking two saws and an extra bar with a couple spare chains is a must, when your cutting and you did not bring your wedges you can make some right where you are, oak makes great wedges that last a while. I try to keep everything I might need nearby, if you have a spare bar and chain you effectively have a spare saw and can get yourself out of a jam. I think you did the best you could with what you had to work with and you can be sure the next time you get in this same situation it will put a smile on your face because you will be prepared. As always some great information has been shared on your post and the experience of all the members has shed some important light on a situation that can happen at any time in the woods.
Quote from: northern2bodies on April 07, 2013, 10:50:11 AM
the plastic wedges will not work on frozen trees to start off and will break at temp. below -0.they just bounce out of the back-cut when you are banging them in.i tried them on both hard and soft woods
I've used the wedges successfully on frozen trees, but never below 0˚F (and I hope I never do). The coldest I've used them is about +15˚F. If it gets much colder than that, I'm finding something else to do. I used to go out backing and camping for fun in -20˚F temperatures, but that was long ago. I just can't take it like I used to.
I have pinched a bar or two in my days of cutting. One thing I have learned over the years is not to trust a notch to make a tree fall in the direction you want it to go all by itself. Most times it works and you will think nothing of it, but the few times it does not work and the tree goes somewhere else will definitely be the ones you remember and possibly give need for a changing of ones shorts.
What I try to do now, whenever possible is to hook up a winch and rope to the tree and make sure it goes where i want it to go. Sometime this takes two winches. We even have a winch with remote control that allows us to set it up by a tree with marine battery and control its tension while we cut the tree at its trunk. This has worked out quite well and definitely cut down on trees going where they wanted to go as opposed to where we would have liked them to go. A bow and arrow with lead weight or sling shot and large nut, plus some 20 lb fishing line is very helpful in pulling a larger diameter quide rope up into the tree at a decent height for proper leverage.