Anyone ever get injured while using a chainsaw? I had an incident over 20 years ago where I brought my knee up into a chain while the saw was at full throttle, put a nice groove in my knee cap. I had an incident Saturday that is still bugging me. I was a C faller for most of my fire career a C faller is qualified to take down pretty much any tree that the faller deems cutable. I did not walk away from many trees in my career I could figure out a safe way to drop some nasty trees and put it down on the mark. I was cutting fire wood and had a tree that was leaning one way and to make it easier to cut up the tree I wanted it to go another direction. I made a mistake actually I was lazy normally I would have used at least 2 falling wedges but I only had 1 in my pocket so I figured I would just over cut the face cut and wedge it over with 1. I got the face cut done and did half the back cut and got the wedge in place, cut the second half of the back cut and started pounding the wedge in. I beat the wedge in till it was flush with the trunk. I should have pulled out and got more wedges but it was just a 26" tree no big deal. The tree ended up spinning off the stump and got hung up in another tree, no big deal would have been embarrassing if a fellow faller saw it but if you cut enough trees something is bound to go wrong. I started by cutting off 3' chunks of the trunk and rolling the pieces out and the tree was standing up against the tree holding it. I looked at the tree and was comfortable with my escape route this was no big deal. I took out another 3' section and the tree stood up and began falling, it was the plan except the tree was falling right at me. The tree (what was left of it) was tall enough where I was not going to be able to run far enough to get past the top. The trunk had a split were it went to 2 large branches the V of the split was where I was going to have to go. I kept an eye on one of the branches and figured if I was close to that what I could keep my eye on and avoid that branch I would be clear on my backside. I avoided the branch in front of me just like I planned. What I didn't see was a branch on the other trunk. The branch caught me on the lower back and side just a glancing blow I am bruised from my lower back to my knee. It could have been much worse I got lucky.
I did my own after action review and know what I should have done different. First I should have cleared another escape route. Second mistake was that when the tree started falling I took 2 steps to pick up the saw and retrieve it. I should have and my training told me to get out and forget about the saw it can be repaired. If it was a Gov't saw I probably might have left it, being my saw and what I paid for it I am going to save my saw.
Being from a family of loggers of over 40 years yeah I've seen family hurt and other loggers in the area get killed. My uncle had a whole load of logs roll off a truck and crush just about every bone in his body but lived. Same uncle was riding on front of the skidder and the guy driving it lowered the blade by accident and crushed his ankle. Had plate and pins put in. This past summer he was falling a tree and didn't see a dead limb in the very top. The widow maker fell just missing his head catching him on the kidney and back. Knocked him for a loop and his whole backside turned blackish purple. Dazed him pretty good and were worried about blood clots. Had to use a walker for a few weeks. Cousin had a saw kick back while bucking logs and cut him down in the knee cap. Multiple eye injuries from debri getting in them and infected to scratched by branches. It's a deadly job and one mistake can kill you. All of the area loggers that have died have been from widow makers striking them in the head
I worked as an arborist in college. I was a brush guy and line puller so I didn't drop too many trees on my own, usually just the smaller ones. I never had any chainsaw accidents but I did accidentally put a rake through a chipper once. I also used the wrong pair of gloves when holding a rope too, big mistake. I had to ease down a tree and eventually let go of the rope which was all fine and dandy except for the part where I didn't fully let go and the rope went through my hands so fast that it caused the rubber to get so hot it nearly melted to my hand from the inside.
Wow crazy story. Glad it wasn't worse. I just bought a chain saw for my lease but don't know jack about falling trees, so I'm always hesitant to use it. I chop up already fallen trees mostly. Any good videos on "how to take down a tree?"
At work we do many of our cuts using the plunge method now, much safer. And yes, just like we buy lifelines for for treestands. Get some chainsaw boots and chaps or pants. They are a small price to pay
Yep, as a tree climber for 33 years now (still love it), I have to admit to cutting myself a couple times. The worst was maybe 20 some stiches on my forearm. Not too bad. SERIOUSLY though, tree work is better left to folks who do it EVERY DAY. If you're in the woods and the direction of the fall doesn't REALLY matter, that's one thing, but when you're working near or next to a million dollar home, you had better know what you're doing! Sota, when you need to manipulate the fall direction of a tree you should ALWAYS have a pull rope, or "tag line" as it's known, in place no less than 2/3 of the way up the tree. I don't want to hear about you in a sad way. Trees are not to be played with!
Early, the way I was trained is different then an arborist. A pull rope is a big no no, we use face cuts and wedges to manipulate the direction of the fall. I made the mistake of being lazy and not walking back to the truck and driving back to the garage to grab a couple more falling wedges. I am still a certified faller the US Forest Service, my quals are still current. I have dropped trees in 8 states some chared, some still on fire, and have done saw work for hurricane response and tornadoes. Saturday was the closest I have come to getting injured, heck it's been years since I so much as nicked my chaps.
OK Like I said, I didn't/don't want to read about you in a bad way. Sounds like I can rest now. lol Those hung up trees are where the saying "widow maker" came from. Don't forget that.
Well in the end I didn't panic, I think that helped I had a plan, I saved my saw. I did shut the saw down went back to the garage had a few beers and thought about what I did.
As crazy as it might sound, sometimes the safest spot is right at the base of the tree, as you won't out run it. lol The best advice that I can give to anybody who drops trees, especially big ones, is to watch the top of the tree. It's the part of the tree that moves first. Good luck out there my fellow lumberjacks.
We always always had a pull rope, but of course the type of work you do sounds very different than the average cosmetic tree work in someone's back yard. Also, when I was in this line of work I actually enjoyed the jobs where we were saving the tree by using bolts, supports, and cabling rather than cutting it down. It was quiet and nice change of pace compared to running saws and a chipper all day. Not many people know that many tree services offer that but it was always nice to save a giant 100 year old tree from splitting down the middle that the owners didn't want to lose.
From now on no playing with trees, I should have just hooked up the skidder cable and pulled the tree down. Then again this was supposed to be a 20 minute drop and chunk job so I didn't take the time to load up all the tools I would possible need.
Yes Doug, those were the "good ole days" back in the early 80s, when people actually cared what happened to their trees. I've installed literally hundreds of support cables over the years. We would even install big screw rods with a special drill that I don't think is even made anymore. This was part of the complete securing of really big trees that had a weak, or potentially weak crotch or crotches. Hell, we even installed lightning protection, which is almost a thing of the past. You see it in very few trees anymore. Sota, we have a real big articulated Case loader for those BIG push overs! I love it!!
Yep, I used one of those drills and the huge bolt to secure the crotch of a tree. We even used brown spray paint to cover the nuts and washers on the sides to make it blend in with the tree. I really enjoyed those jobs, just so much more relaxing and I felt much more accomplished compared to all the buzzing, hauling brush, and making dust. I do miss all the free firewood...let me tell you.
Had a friend in a duck club a few years back that was cutting brush and didn't see a hung up limb. It came loose and fell endways on his head and killed him instantly. A few years ago I was cutting a tree up here in the driveway and being in a hurry I picked up the saw while the chain was still revved and turning I reached across over the top of it to grab a limb. The saw bumped the log and kicked up into my hand and cut the crap out of my hand. Cut the veins in my right index finger and did some nerve damage, the inside length of it is still numb. Had about thirty stitches in my hand. Dangerous work, chainsaws and cutting...be careful.
A good friend of mine kissed one right before Christmas this last year. When I say kissed, it kicked and hit him in the face. When I got the call, my heart dropped. Thankfully he walked away with only about 60 stitches
