If you read the youtube comments, I don't think people understood the point of this technique. He's actually trying to rescue that nice piece of firewood - blood is high in iron you see, and it's tough on chains... You want to move the log first before bucking it up - you don't want to be cutting though some dead guy! He's clearly written the hypothetical victim off at this point. If they were all properly equipped with cant hooks, the three of them could have easily lifted it enough for the other guy to drag him out in about 10 seconds. I'd be pizzed if I was pinned under there!
Interesting idea. I dealt with a skier wedged under a dead fall at a ski area several years back. The guy had a suspected spinal injury so he couldn't be just yanked outta there. I used the same end cutting technique. I used technical rope rigging on each end to lift the log. I wonder if choking the log to cross bars with slip hook chain would accomplish the same thing with out having to bore cut the holes. Then again, you might not have the chain. If you managed to drop a tree on yer own azz, yer saw should be sitting right there waiting for some one to come save yer azz....unless you are cutting wood in detroit...
It is a lot of extra work with the saw but it does work. It would be extremely rare one would have to do this. What works nice is if you have some forks to lift that log with a tractor or fork lift rather than using manual labor. But, most times one could probably get the forks under the log and lift without any cutting.
Locally last week, we had a retired 65 yo fella, working alone @ his bush lot. Didn't come home that evening so his wife went there and found him deceased with a tree down across his legs. It appears that he was trying to use the saw to cut the tree up while pinned under it. He got it half cut before he expired. Haven't heard for sure, but they suspect a heart attack. He was also a diabetic. Lessons to be learned by all of us about working alone in the bush.
As much as I enjoy working out in the woods alone nowadays I always take someone with me. Today it was my 14 year old son who isn't so much help as he is a safety measure. Before we get out of the truck I show him where I've written down the address of where we're at and review how to use the cell phone in emergency mode. He can run the skid steer alright so in a pinch I suspect we'd work out a way get out of imminent danger.
Yeah, I was extremely careful todayc cutting alone most of the day, checking in with 3 different people to let them know I was OK, and where I was headed next.
Working alone has its own rewards and I do work alone most of the time. It is just something I have never worried about. But then, my wife usually knows where I am too. Sometimes she even goes with me. They say the same things about hanging tree stands and then removing them but we still get the job done. Being aware of safety can be a good thing but sometimes I think folks take it a bit too far.
ugh Tree stands - many years back _ first generation of those ( 1975 or so) - main part of the stand departed and headed for terra firma. I was luck enough that the assist climbing assembly was just above me and I managed to grab it. Think I gained and inch in my reach that day but needed new shorts to say the least. Made it down ok was up about 20 ft. Couple years later a good friend wasn't so lucky- broke his back in the fall when the stand let lose - he was lucky that he didn't lose any abilities- no severed nerves and such but it was touch and go for awhile. These stands back then didn't have the wrap around cables , chains, or straps that are used now. That style was outlawed due to a lot of injuries.
