What chainsaw training?

[Two Acres]

Hi All,

 

I have five acres of woodland that I'm about to start working on and I'm thinking that I really ought to get some chainsaw training.

 

The choice seems to be between cheap (£100) homeowner type courses where you don't actually get your hands on a saw or the expensive (£500) professional route. I'm not a pro so don't need tickets, however you never know what the future holds.

 

What do you think I should do and can anyone recommend a good course for me (I'm in Norfolk, near East Dereham)

 

Cheers

[JLA Arborists]

Give Kingswood a call. I can't recommend them enough and they can give you some options

http://www.kingswoodtraining.com

[Climbingmagnus]

Personally I think you'd be best off doing the full course. The home-owner thing is aimed at you cutting up some firewood on a saw horse in your back garden but with five acres of woods you'll need all the felling techniques etc from the full course.

 

I found my CS30/31 course to be five days of genuinely useful training. I had no idea how much I didn't know until I was shown it.

 

If you're looking to save some £££ then don't do the final day for assessment if you don't need your tickets.

[Mat]

Recycled of the 'Chainsaw trousers earnt their money' thread...

 

Lantra do probably the most basic felling course.

 

Although it is targeted at trees upto 200mm, cuts like a basic felling cut and split level cut can be 'scaled up' for doing larger trees.

 

The link is here: Lantra Awards | Training Course | Chainsaw | Tree Felling Techniques | Basic

 

Failing that, you can do a 'normal' maintenance crosscutting and felling course, but just not bother with applying for NPTC assessment, which would be totally superfluous for using a chainsaw non-commercially.

 

From memory, the felling cuts you will do will be:

spear cut

step cut

80% front cut

reducing v cut

basic felling cut.

 

What is more you cover dealing with 'hung up' trees.

 

There is no point in doing an NPTC assessment - spend the money instead on getting the best tools and equipment!

Edited February 12, 2015 by Mat

[foxforestry]

Red stag training in Suffolk give us a call and we can talk through you're options.

07917892550.

[sandspider]

What's the most "basic" home use chainsaw course you do? (No commercial use, mainly logging, possibly a bit of small tree felling) And what sort of cost would the Lantra basic tree felling techniques course Mat mentions above be? PM if you prefer...

 

Thank you.

[dervishcarving]

Anything is better than nothing, but that only goes so far. Do the Lantra course I would say. cs 30/31. gives you excellent basics of use and maintenance of the saw but not felling. I would say that if its YOUR woodland then you will likely have to deal with fallen, falling, windblown, snagged trees so you need to do teh fellign course too (forget what teh code is). Yes they wilc ost a bit but you will learn stuff, useful stuff that might save your life

so whats that worth?

[Climbingmagnus]

CS30 is the cross-cut and maintenance. CS31 is the felling.

[Two Acres]

Thanks for your advice all - looks to me like I'm going to need cs30 and 31.

[Two Acres]

Red stag training in Suffolk give us a call and we can talk through you're options.

07917892550.

 

Cheers foxforestry,

 

I'm wondering if you're too far away for me to travel for five days of a course? Or do you do anything in Norfolk?