Cutting heavy horizontal limbs

I don't remember the last time I pinched a bar in a tree or dulled a chain up there......

Good for you, as all your cuts up a tree are beyond reproach you will never have anything to worry about.

I wouldn't say they're beyond reproach. They're kind of a very small group of basic cuts. Not really a huge arsenal of cuts I use in a tree. A handful is all Ive ever needed. But I learned early on, what not to do when using those handful of cuts aloft. My saw handling is less then perfect in a tree, I can say that. But knowing to keep my backcut even with or higher then the apex of my facecut/kerf, well, I learned that long ago and haven't forgotten it. Write that down buddy. No charge for the info.

Ok, appreciate it

If you have to use a face notch to direct the limb make sure you scribe the sides and also that you use a plunge cut. If the hinge is properly sized before you let the limb loose you shouldn't have trouble with tear out, so this method works ok. If you screw up the sizing the limb tears out and you end up in the hospital (if your lanyard was around it) - I'd still go with the kerf & drop method whenever possible, it's simple and reliable.

tucker - I'm impressed with your confidence. Myself, I screw everything up at least four, five times before I get it right. So I like to use a break away lanyard. I can't imagine tying a saw off to the tree though - that means that in a worst case scenario the piece you just cut and the piece you're standing on are connected, and that sounds like a terrible plan for about a billion reasons.

ps hello everyone! I've enjoyed stalking your conversations for some time now, and now here I am, all grown up and participating!

Carver, welcome. I screw things up 20 times before I get them right. You seem to understand my point about tying the saw off to the tree. That's spending time and making plans for a bad outcome. My whole point has NOTHING to do with using a breakaway for general tree work. Its a cool tool.

Welcome to the TreeHouse, Carver!!!

La becasse said:

Good for you, as all your cuts up a tree are beyond reproach you will never have anything to worry about.

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You must have been watching me!

Tethered/not tethered, snatch/never snatch...the debate will continue.
What will never change is that sometime, somewhere, somehow, something will not go quite according to plan.
What the outcome will be depends on how you have prepared and hopefully all sharp bits and heavy bits do not come into contact with your body.

Some of us have experienced 'a branch dragging the saw out of our hands', for one reason or another, some haven't, good on you, and good on us for being able to tell a story with a happy outcome.

Bermy said:

Some of us have experienced snatches, for one reason or another, some haven't

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Ohhhh dear...I really didn't read that very carefully before posting now did I

Time to edit...QUICKLY!

Cory, be nice.

Hahahaaa

Honest mistake, Fiona, no mind. Most of us looked the other way, 'cept Cory.

Its all good

Lordy, sometimes I forget I hang out with boys...where do your minds go!

Moving on....

hahaha...I missed the pre-edit but it must have been a doozy!!

I agree with you...different ways to handle problems. Stuff is gonna happen, we have to try to foresee and prepare for it.

I have had limbs twist as I made a final cut...they were weighted to one side and I read it wrong, felt the tug on the saw. I have leaned out as the limb fell and been able to remove the snatched saw before I lost it. But if I have to abandon the saw I plan to let the tree hold the weight, not my saddle.

I always use a lanyard, either a breakaway or with a key biner.

I taped the saw hook open on my saddle, one hand pick up and one hand hanging on the ring, without throwing up and catching. You are able to pick it up by the top handle, too.

Not a big limbs, but as pertains to the lanyard, species and limb dependent, there are some that I can top-cut and hang on a bit of bark/wood, holding with one hand against the trunk, then hang the saw on the hook with the other hand. With two hands, I can easily break off the last bit of wood, often just a push upward, or tug downward, then throw that piece between obstacles below without rigging.

Works for me.

I bet saws are spendy in France!

Some questionably heavy limbs are fine for a few seconds with a single hand, until I can get a second hand on the limb. The lanyard helps extra if it is a surprisingly heavy one and I need to act quickly to hang my saw, safely.

Bermy said:

Tethered/not tethered, snatch/never snatch...the debate will continue.
What will never change is that sometime, somewhere, somehow, something will not go quite according to plan.
What the outcome will be depends on how you have prepared and hopefully all sharp bits and heavy bits do not come into contact with your body.

Some of us have experienced 'a branch dragging the saw out of our hands', for one reason or another, some haven't, good on you, and good on us for being able to tell a story with a happy outcome.

Click to expand...

For the record, my first climbing saw was smashed on the ground within a week. Ive done it. I don't mean to imply otherwise. My boss had my take down a dead tulip poplar. Not a huge tree, but big enough. I was a nervous wreck. the bark was sliding off and all that. I need to go up 2/3's of the way and dump out the leaning top. I was afraid to move to the front of the tree and go face to face with making my notch so I could do it accurately. The tree had me so rattled, I didn't want to move around. So I reached around the front of the tree and slapped some version of a notch in it. I quickly just stabbed my saw into the back to get it over with. Obviously, my backcut was lower then my goofy facecut, and I kissed my saw goodbye. I was sick to my stomach. Good thing I didn't have it tethered, as I would have been missing a tether and a saw. I was using this sweet 5mm cord tether from American Arborist for awhile with aluminum ferruls that were rated to break under a load. It was nice because the saw slipped from my hands once with gloves on and I would have lost the saw entirely without it. I gave up on it because the cord kept slapping the chain and getting chewed up. If you are trying to prevent dropping a saw by accident, I think they are dandy. I might order another one. I just wont hook it up if I think it might get pulled away from me with 500 pounds attached.

I got a BRAND NEW 372 snatched out of my hands when falling trees on a lot clearing job once. It would have worked out fine had the tree not been banana shaped and rolled over onto the saw. Again, sick to my stomach. I lost so much money on the lot clearing job, it still hurts when I sit down. That one was a bust from beginning to end.

Boys will be boy....that is a fact.

Whutabout de gurlz?

No worries Tucker all the info is good.

Does anyone else's saw tether even get chomped up by the chain? Or was that just me? This is the one I used to use. Anyone use one like this or just the bungee style ones?

I've always used buckinghams tearaway lanyard. the bungee definitely helps keep everything untangled (and away from the saw).

I use the tearway type for tophandle saws.
For the bigger saws I use something like what your picture shows, Chris.
Only I incorporate a split ring to make a breakaway point.

I liked having one when I needed to free my hands while a saw was in the cut. Say I needed to adjust my body or reach up and dress the knot on the limb a little better. It was nice not having to put the saw back on my side for fear of it dropping out of the tree.

The worst that has happened to my breakaway tether is that it has become very dirty.