Yeah, I was just talking about that with someone about my wood hoarding. I said I work at it all year long, they raised an eyebrow then, I said well you know I'm only good for 3 maybe 4 hours, then jokingly said I have too have time to drink beer. Just splitting and stacking I can go a little longer. Hey it is what it is
I finished up the red oak today. I also got myself into a bit of trouble today; I didn't get hurt or anything but it was a bit scary. I decided to cut some dead locust trees; there was some good wood in them but also a lot of stuff that was too far gone. The first tree went down without any issues. The second tree I screwed up on. I was near the property line so I tied the tree off to help with the location of the drop. However, I made a mistake and did not make a notch in the tree; remember that this was a dead locust. I ended up with the top of the tree lodged against another and a wedge of wood on the outside holding the tree at the bottom. I did not like the idea of leaving the tree and hoping the wind would take it down. I got my bow saw (I was too scared to use The Beast in this situation) and made a few cuts when I heard a crack and I ran like hell for my escape route that I had picked out. The tree came crashing down, broke in two pieces and bounced and the top of the tree came crashing down a couple of feet from where I was standing when I made the cuts with the bow saw. I didn't see any of this because I was running like hell. It was a lesson to be learned and hopefully I won't make that mistake again. The third tree was leaning; I made the notch and cut the tree to let it fall in the direction of the lean.
Definitely a learning experience. I've had a few do something I didn't expect or want. The escape plan is key.
Would it be a good idea to have some sort of head protection like a helmet or would it really help that much?
Yes, too bad I did not have someone with a video camera filming my lack of better judgement; it would have made some good footage.
Well if you drop an entire 80 foot oak tree on your head I doubt it will help. On the other hand there's a whole lotta dead and live branches up there that could kill you without one. Never did a survey but I'm willing to bet it's those branches that cause the most trouble. I don't wear one while dropping trees. I wear one at work. After typing out this warning it's seems ridiculous I dont. I think its only logical I change that bad habit. So,,,,,,,Thanks.
Yes you should be wearing a hard hat. It could have been a small branch that caught you while running from the tree and with no hard hat it could still cause a serious injury. But I will say we have all gone through a learning curve. Good job on falling your trees.
You forgot to cut a notch in the tree, hmm Play the whole thing out in your head three or four times before you start a saw. Time for some review Be safe Kimberly Felling, Bucking, The right way, Good Video
It's a little tricky, but once you've got the tip plunged in, the saw penetrates thru surprisingly smooth... But for now, keep after it like you've been doing!
