My chain saw is camping out for the night...

Broncman

Treehouser
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Jul 24, 2016
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Location
Western North Carolina
Big ash tree I have been working on in my spare time. Finally got a chance this evening to get in the tree after planning this cut for awhile. It is a large overhung limb that can be bombed straight down. To get to it I had to set a long lanyard from the side to pull me away from it to cut it. Took awhile to set both main line and the secondary TIP.

Plan was to do a 3 cut like described in a couple of my books.... First cut from underneath, then second directly above and then remove the stub last.

Well.... I went to far with the first undercut.... Saw pinched.
Arrggghhh. Getting dark so sent the wife for my other chain saw. No way she can crank it and warm it up. She sent it up to me and I could not crank it in the tree. Down I go and on the ground it cranked first pull.... Dark now and I am frustrated....

So the saw gets to camp out over night!
Experience is a hard teacher.
 
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  • #3
I tethered it to the stub portion already. Did not want it falling free and jerking my saddle while my hands are full with the other saw.
 
Yep. Got the tshirt, too :).

Worth remembering that if you think the saw is in a hazardous situation for leaving it unattended, it's not so hard to unbolt the powerhead from the bar/chain and take the expensive part home with you :)...unless the saw became stuck with the dogs pulled hard into the wood...that gets to be a bit of a problem, then.
 
If you're not making mistakes you're not trying...or learning. No sweat on getting the saw stuck...good you tied it off. You can anchor it higher so it doesn't drop too far when you finally free the poor baby.

When I make my undercut I watch the end of the limb. As soon as I see any downward movement I get the saw out 'cause pinch time is coming.

Just don't be these guys:

IMG_5858.jpg
 
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  • #13
I started with my handsaw I carry but it was no match for the size and hardness of the dead ash limb...or my energy level at that point!

Honestly though, I was afraid I could not cut through the back fast enough with a hand saw. I had visions of it splitting out and some weird barber chair type accident....
 
Good luck, Bronc! Thanks for sharing your adventures on the learning curve! :thumbup:

(I had to do the equipment cleanup on my recent top pull by headlamp the other evening. Haven't had to run a saw by it yet. Not sure I will attempt that any time soon!)
 
I just did that last week, and two times in the same afternoon:|:
It was in a very big edge of Leylandii, ground work at the beginning to do some clean up and make room to see what's going on. Some of the lower limbs were split in the middle by the length/overweight of their tip. I began the undercut and can see hardly any move at the tip but the lower half of the limb just seized my ms150T:X Heavily loaded spring !
The second one even crushed the bar's rails:cry:
Taaadammm, like the cavalry, my 200T came out and freed the 150T, so it didn't have to pass the night under the stars.8)
 
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  • #17
SUCCESS! Both saws are safe and everything is on the ground! When I went up I did see a long crack, so I took some webbing and wrapped the stub portion. Stub is about 4 feet from the trunk. Glad I did because it split and sounded like a gun when I got half way through the back cut! Glad I wrapped it. Would have probably been ok as I was above it to the side but I was not taking any chances!
 
Glad to hear it worked out well and the saws are both tucked in for the night.
Speaking of headlamps, I dropped a stem (about 25') by headlamp once. We were on a time crunch to finish before the power company reconnected the power line in the morning. I used MY headlamp to help the climber see what HE was doing to drop the top, we cleaned that up and I was waiting with saw in hand when he came down. Got the trunk bucked up and moved out of the way, then it was FINALLY beer30!
 
Glad to hear everything is resolved. Good call on the wrap!

Thanks to everyone for sharing their headlamp stories. Good stuff!
 
Yep. Got the tshirt, too :).

Worth remembering that if you think the saw is in a hazardous situation for leaving it unattended, it's not so hard to unbolt the powerhead from the bar/chain and take the expensive part home with you :)...unless the saw became stuck with the dogs pulled hard into the wood...that gets to be a bit of a problem, then.

Cutting a split limb is like having a tiger by the tail.

Thanks Burnham, thanks Gerry, for these two posts. Valuable information.

Tim
 
Don't beat yourself up too bad, I've had a few saws sleep in the woods. Some even on purpose. Trees sometimes make the best shelves lol
 
Out in the timber lands many a work-saw is laid down to slumber through the night. Ah, but to be re-awoke by their master so early in the morning, with a new sharp chain, a tug on the rope, and a crack of the throttle, they reveal the meaning of their life.
 
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