Scooby96

Anyone know any places that still do?

Need one to remove a rather annoying corkscrew willow tree in the back garden!

jasey

Sorry Can't help with the question but a word of warning - Chainsaws are dangerous. A mate of mine (Builder who was used to using chainsaws) was using one a couple of years ago - Hit a knot in the wood and the thing "bit" and knocked back. Took out a 15 stich hole in his head (no head protective gear being used) - Lucky to be alive.

Wear protective clothing !

Complacency can Kill.

Sorry if eggs & sucking springs to mind

Brun

Hss hire shop near you?

Scooby96

Been in to HSS and Hewdens and both say NO WAY! Perhaps I just look like an accident waiting to happen!

jasey

I think there might have been New rules & regs introduced about hiring these things - A local builder up here (Aberdeenshire) was offering courses on how to use them etc. - Didn't read it properly as I was only mildly interested - but thought at the time this must be some sort of new angle on getting round some new nanny-state law .

I would seriously consider getting someone else to do it - If the chainsaw doesn't get you the falling tree probably will .

Proby521

iTrader: (1)

I'm sure that the new regulations now state that you must have had "proper" training with chainsaws, and hold an "operators licence" to hire them. I had trouble trying to get anyone to hire me one(without a licence), and in the end I gave up and borrowed one off a friend of the 'old man. They are dangerous though, so if you get your hands on one, for christ sakes be careful!!!

ChrisB

Axe and saw

Jye

Just sent one of our lads on a chainsaw course at the local college. £600 (with a discount) for five days training with a two day exam. I think that tells you how serious they take chainsaws.

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

I used to be a qualified chainsaw operator and when I did my course spent the first two days in the classroom covering just the safety aspects. We were showed a diagram of a human and told that all the areas of the body marked with asterisks were most vulnerable to an accident with a chainsaw. It was more a case of finding the bit which didn't have an asterisk

We were also showed slides of previous chainsaw accidents including one of a bloke with a hole in the side of his head who apparently died shortly after the pic was taken, I had to leave the room at this point. It was all quite sobering.

I always wore full safety gear including proper chainsaw dungarees (made with metal fibres to supposedly stop the chainsaw before it enters your leg), steels, hard hat etc etc.

Kickback as mentioned above is horrible when it happens and it can occur when you go in at the wrong angle, hit a knot or, as happened to me come across a rusty old nail buried deep in the trunk whilst cutting down a 90 foot ash

When I see people wielding chainsaws with no safety gear on and swinging them round their head and above the shoulders it makes me shudder. Except of course for tree surgeons, watching them work is a thing of beauty

If it's a big tree get the pros in to do it and sit back and watch from the safety of your armchair. If I needed a large tree cutting down I doubt that I'd do it myself even though I used to do it all the time but then I am a bit of a wimp these days.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Got one of my own at our property we're doing up in France, and I'd only say: be careful, the things are animals!


Alcazar

yoza

http://www.alamia.com/index.asp?PG=50&ID=128&EM=1

Buy one, they are cheaper than you think...

Then rent it out on here to get your money back.

mj

I sold my chainsaw to a bloke on here for £50 a while back, strange I have never seen him post since

I had a couple of moments with mine, I bought it for chopping firewood, scary things.

And that story in the news the other week, some bloke was up a tree with a

chainsaw, he fell out and cut his wifes head of in one swipe

If its just one tree then: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...sPageName=WD1V for the trunk, and http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...332949469&rd=1 for the limbs.

how thick is the trunk??

POC

Im a qualified operator, and I would NEVER let a novice pick up a running saw let alone use one. There are just too many variables that can lead to injury/death, you could just be holding it slightly wrong, get a little kick and loose an arm or leg

As others have advised, get a decent saw and take her down bit by bit, nice and safe.

Be safe fella, not sorry!

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Fek chainsaws, my 9" angle grinder took a chunk out of my leg last time I used it


Alcazar

S.B.

Eminem doesn't have any problems with his

lordharding

iTrader: (1)

Got to agree with the rest as a keen DIY bloke

they are dangerous

I have used one for firewood etc but if its a decent size get someone to cut it down for you probably pay a bit for it though !!


Buy a BIG hand saw and take your time doing it

Safer and keeps you fit and rewarding when the job is done

GC8

Only Scoobychcik has mentioned the safety trousers; Ive seen a demonstration of these and they do clog up the blade and stall the saw before it can injure you. I wouldnt touch a chainsaw without these now. You need a full face shield too.

If you have this kit or you are prepared to get it; then a chainsaw can be bought for about £100 ex VAT for a small italian one.

Simon

yoza

They use that wooly cotton stuff in safes, its snags your drill, and bascially makes a nuisance of itself....

Silver Scooby Sport

iTrader: (15)

I used to work for 8 years in the Foresty had quite a few years of that on a saw.... lucky for me I am scar free !!! even I would not pick one up these days trust me !! I knew a few that had bad accidents, and lost a good mate

Quite simple advise from me..... pay someone to come around cut it down and take it away, job done

The trousers have a Nylon/Gortex sort of meshy lining in them.... I can't for the life of me remember what it's called but as soon as the chain hits it, it basically explodes and clogs the whole thing up solid.... hopefully before you cut your leg off.

I remember the one day dropping a 60' to 70' Larch on a hillside I got it resting in the branches of one infront so I stepped back and dropped the one behind it.... the domino effect !! One slight problem was the base of the second tree slipped back picked me off my feet and flipped me into a bramble bush... the tree fell forward out of the way thank god !!
But I was there deep in this bush saw running still in my hands and on my back... summer time so I was wearing a T-Shirt !!!!
By the time I manged to get myself onto my feet the brambles had cut me to ribbons !!
On a second occasion I dropped a tree onto a underground Wasps nest !!
After I had got stung about 6 times I ran off and stripped as I was running
I ended up stood there with my trousers and pants around my ankles looking like god knows what !!!!


Simon

Brendan Hughes

Chris, if you do it yourself with a handsaw, a word of warning. Willows split and snap REALLY easily. For example, for most trees you normally cut, say, 3/4 of the way through a branch before you'd expect it to start to snap under its own weight. With a willow, it may well be only 2/3 of the way or even 1/2. They're deceptively weak. Not dangerous, just as long as you're aware of it.

Once done, take the wood to a dump, it's no use for turning or burning. If you were thinking of a nice Nov 5 fire starring willow in the main role, forget it. Willow's crap on a fire.

How big is the trunk diameter, in general? Anything under a foot you could do with a bowsaw, or a Stanley Jetcut 22" handsaw (about 15 quid or so from B&Q). Am not a fan of bowsaws, they tend to curve in the cut no matter how new the blade, but each to their own.