My Bad Idea, or, Pull My Finger!

 

Invulnerable?

 Sooner or later, there is going to be a busted head, a saw in a femur or forehead, and someone backed over by the loader. The Mrs was at the County Seat and saw this action after a big old decadent pin oak was taken down.

How Many Ash Trees Will You Be Cutting?

 We have a bunch of them! Ash pops up all over the place, especially around edges, so we will have a good supply this winter of stove sized ash that needs just one split. Remember that these edge trees are usually way off balance.  Don't get your head knocked off by a barberchair.

The Great Outdoors: Gather Next Winter's Wood Starting Now!

We have let both stoves go cold, and we might not light up again until next October. That's just five months, and the woodpile in the barn is only enough for a couple weeks of cold weather.  The weather now is perfect for cutting.  It's warm enough that we can work in shirtsleeves, but cool enough we don't work up a sweat.  Before you go out and do your necessary chainsawing, review your safety procedures.  Here is the list I use:

Chainsaw Safety  Rules

1. Always wear your safety gear when running your saw: hard hat, eye, face, hearing protection, cut resistant protection for your legs, heavy boots, gloves (depending on work conditions).

2. Safety devices on the saw must be in working order: front hand guard,chain brake, chain catcher, throttle lockout, and right hand guard.

3. Hold the saw on the ground or lock it between your knees for starting. No 'Drop Starts.' Set the chain brake before cranking.

4. The engine must idle reliably without turning the chain.

5. The chain must be sharpened properly, including properly set depth gauges.

6. The chain must be adjusted to remove slack and still run freely.

7. The operator must understand the forces on different parts of the bar as the saw runs: push, pull, kickback and attack.

8. Both hands must always be on the saw when the chain is running. The thumbs must be wrapped around the handles. Both feet should be firmly planted on the ground.

9. The operator must always know where the end of the bar is, and what it's doing.

10. Don't let the upper (kickback) corner of the bar contact anything when the chain is running unless the tip has been buried with the lower corner.

11. Let off of the throttle before pulling out of a pinch on the top part of the bar.

12. Make a plan for every tree you cut. Assess hazards, lean, escape routes, forward cuts, and back cuts. Evaluate the forward or backward lean, and the side lean of every tree you cut. Know your limits.

13. Clear your work area and your escape path of brush, vines, and other hazards that can trip you or catch your saw.

14. Escape from the bullseye when the tree tips. 90% of accidents happen within 12 feet of the stump. Go more than 15 feet, and stay out of the bullseye until things stop falling.

15. Keep spectators away more than twice the height of the tree in the direction it will fall.

16. Don't cut alone.

17. Keep your body and the swamper's out of the line of the bar in case of a kickback.

18. Set the brake when taking over two steps or when moving through tripping hazards. Keep your trigger finger off of the throttle when you are moving.

19. DO NOT operate a chainsaw from a ladder! Operating with your feet off the ground requires special training.

20. Do not cut above your shoulders.

21. Springpoles must be shaved on the inside of the apex between the ascending and descending sides. If the apex is higher than you shoulders, stand under the springpole and cut it low on the descending side. It will release upward, away from you. Leaning and heavily loaded poles that are too small to bore cut for a hinge should be shaved on the compressed side until they fold.

22. Do not cut a tree that is holding up a lodged tree. Do not work under a lodged tree. Think about a mouse trying to steal the cheese out of a trap.

23. Instruct your swampers and helpers to NEVER approach you from behind or the sides to within the reach of your saw when you are cutting. If you pull out of a cut with the chain running, or have a severe kickback, the swamper can be killed if he is coming up behind you!

24. Quit When You Are Tired!

25.  Pause and review; reflect, when you are being pushed. You may be pushed into danger. Do not let pressure to complete a task cause you to ignore safety rules!

Most of these rules carry a penalty of serious injury or death if you choose to ignore them.  You might get away ignoring some of them for a while, but eventually they will bite you. In my video below, I was at the end of a long day and was tired, so when I cut this lodged snag loose, I did not step back.  I saw the top snap and come back at me, but there was no time to move out of the way.  It is a good lesson for anyone who uses a chainsaw. 

Why Learn New Chainsaw Techniques?

We get a lot of comments on YouTube about chainsaw techniques that tell us many people do not make a plan for each tree they cut, and many do not know how to set up a hinge, evaluate weight and lean of a tree, or recognize the hazards that a tree presents. Injuries from chainsaws and trees can affect you the rest of your life, and getting killed lasts forever.  Find a chainsaw class and learn how to use your equipment safely and efficiently. Contact your University Extension office, or your local Department of Natural Resources forester to find instruction.

Have You Been Trained To Use Chainsaws Safely? Here's Your Lifesaving Opportunity!

                                                             Click On Image To Enlarge.

If you have a saw, or are thinking about buying a saw, and have not had chainsaw safety training, you need this class.  How many times have you seen a news report of storm cleanup and seen someone operating a saw in shorts, sneakers, maybe on a ladder, with no eye protection, no leg protection, and no hard hat?  Just about every time there is storm cleanup, I'd say.  Don't be that guy.  Call or email the Dixon Springs Ag Center and sign up for this class.  You will learn valuable skills and avoid visits to the emergency room.  Be sure to inquire about advanced training, too.  They will be scheduling a class for that also. 

Grasshopper 727 Lawnmower Review

Our Grasshopper mower is in its fourteenth year of mowing grass at two homes, and we just did some repairs to keep it going. Here is the rundown on the repairs and maintenance we have had to do on this machine.



The gearbox in the mower deck is the only part of this machine that is cause for dissatisfaction.  Grasshopper could punch a hole in the skidplate assembly to provide access to the oil plug.  Maybe they don't do it because they don't want their customers working under the deck.  There is probably a liability risk if they tell people to do that, and then a deck flops down on the person checking the oil.  It looks like a good modification, though, if you want to make your maintenance chores easier.

Squib Safety Lesson, Courtesy of Hickok45

Well, YouTube hasn't canceled Hickok45 yet, so let's look at a great safety video from Mr. Hickok.  You have to be ready to recognize a squib all the time when you are shooting, because they really do happen. 

Safety Alert From Fortune Cookie 45LC!

This information from Fortune Cookie could be very important for owners of .45 Colt Smith and Wesson revolvers.  I am astounded.

Follow Those Rules!

Tam has an important reminder up at Breach, Bang, Clear. The hand looks like it ate a chainsaw, so swallow your coffee before you click.

Use A Holster

An 80 year old man shot himself in the abdomen. He survived.  Fourth story in Thursday May 18 WFIW news.  Also at 2:20 on the audio version at the top of the news section.