My first Video

[Mike Hill]

Top handled saw handling? Looks a bit like poor practice to me. Holding a branch with the right hand and cuts with left hand only on the saw. You cant tell me that is safe practice. Any NPTC instructor would not teach that and an assessor would not pass it. He is not even wearing chainsaw gloves. It may look slick but its not what should be seen as good practice.

 

This Video is a demonstration of the methods we use,it is intended to be a Tool for prospective clients to veiw our services.

 

Here in Norway I can climb in cut off Jeans,with earplugs and flipflops if I want to.There is no legislation regarding PPE for ariel use.I use the techniques and equipment I feel comfortable with.

 

If you feel comfortable with two hands on the saw all the time,then thats great and up to you.Like a Steering wheel in a car,there are times when two hands are appropriate and others times when one is ok.

[Dean Lofthouse]

Since nicking my neck with an 020 from kickback (with both hands on the saw!) I don't think I've done one handed since.

 

You'll probably find thats more down to bad work positioning / awkward cutting than using the saw one handed Sean

 

 

Philiip: Working to NPTC standards all the time sometimes is just not practical from a practical sense and finacial sense. Just like Mike says: do you drive with your hands at 10 to 2 all the time, if the answer is No then you cant complain about someone one handing.

 

I one hand more than I two hand..

 

 

Cool vid BTW Mike a demonstration of smooth real world tree work

[Stephen Blair]

my tennis elbow wont let me one hand all the time, it is all down to strenght, i have to swipe with it so i dont, i know this wont be an issue with mike as he is a regular gym user and you can see the ease and control he has with the saw, as for cutting your kneck, one handed or 2 handed you just shouldnt put yourself in that situation, i have sunk the saw into my chainsaw trousers a couple of times, and the only one at fault was me

[Rob D]

Great video Mike that is just lovely quality... and slick work. IMO if you're happy to use a top handled like that and you obviously have good control over it then whether NPTC say it's good practice or not is irrelevant. Good work and the groundie really knows his stuff as well.

[Marc]

my tennis elbow wont let me one hand all the time, it is all down to strenght, i have to swipe with it so i dont, i know this wont be an issue with mike as he is a regular gym user and you can see the ease and control he has with the saw, as for cutting your kneck, one handed or 2 handed you just shouldnt put yourself in that situation, i have sunk the saw into my chainsaw trousers a couple of times, and the only one at fault was me

 

Your not the only one, I rarely one hand dues to the stress it puts on my elbow, i'll always try to find the position to allow me to cut safely with less stress to my elbows, I don't suffer from tendonitis these days but there was a stage when i did so i choose to change the way i work to reduce stress and fatigue on my elbows.

Unlike Mike where he one handed the 200t I probably would of used a sharp silky on the small limbs, thats just my own personal way of doing things.

[Dean Lofthouse]

my tennis elbow wont let me one hand all the time, it is all down to strenght, i have to swipe with it so i dont, i know this wont be an issue with mike as he is a regular gym user

 

Thats because you put too much strain on it in the bathroom mate, less of that and more chainsaw work and your tennis elbow should clear up in a jiffy

[Tom D]

Thats because you put too much strain on it in the bathroom mate, less of that and more chainsaw work and your tennis elbow should clear up in a jiffy

 

Are you saying he spends too much time brushing his teeth?

[skyhuck]

Top handled saw handling? Looks a bit like poor practice to me. Holding a branch with the right hand and cuts with left hand only on the saw. You cant tell me that is safe practice. Any NPTC instructor would not teach that and an assessor would not pass it. He is not even wearing chainsaw gloves. It may look slick but its not what should be seen as good practice.

 

This is your opinion, which you are MORE THAN entitled to, I'm sure there are many on here who would totally agree with you

 

I however don't, I do not take as gospel what the NPTC say is the best way of doing things.

 

The NPTC is only a starting point, they have to look at things from a view of the very weakest worker. You could have a seven stone girl learning to climb, would it be appropriate for her to one hand an 020?? of course not.

 

Experience is the key IMO, once you have learned the basics you can then slowly and carefully experiment with other techniques, I one hand my 020 regularly I have never had a "near miss" from a one handed kick back, I find I can control the saw no problem with one hand, I would never encourage others to copy anything I do.

 

As professionals we should, IMO, learn our limitations and work within them.

 

As human beings we are ALL very different, how many of us can run a 1 minuet mile? or bench press 150kg? or hold our breath for 4 minuets?

 

I would find it very difficult to believe any one could watch that video and honestly say they felt it looked at any time as if Mike did not have full control.

 

I have watched video's were the operator has followed so called "best practice" and I have been cringing at what I perceived to be their total lack of control.

 

I would never want to tell any one how to do their job and really don't want any one telling me how to do mine.

[Lancstree]

I'm not going into the details of my accident because I've done that already on here with pics (if I remember correctly). I'm an advocate of 2 handed use because you are more likely to get in a good work position so it is safer - simple as that. We are talking about a profession and professional car drivers would drive with both hands on the wheel I'd imagine. At the end of the day Mike did an excellent job of taking the tree down in the vid and I'm not dismissing that, however I do think there should be some mention of alternative practice to add some sort of balance amongst the praise. If it were not mentioned then these lads at college or on NPTC courses would think that they were being taught nonsense.

[Dean Lofthouse]

We are talking about a profession and professional car drivers would drive with both hands on the wheel I'd imagine. .

 

As soon as I'd passed my test ( which I did in an HGV) I drove back from the test spinning the wheel one handed, holding the wheel one handed etc etc.

 

...and some professional driver think they are that good at driving a 42 tonner they can brew a cup of tea and watch day time television at 56mph in rush hour traffic..

 

No critism Sean, we've all done it, but my near misses have not been attributed to one handing, more bad work positioning. Sometimes you simply cant get a good work position to two hand and when you do your straining (not good). I'd rather reach out at full arms length to nip the end off one handed than pee about trying to balance on a thin branch and try to get a two handed hold on the saw

 

As Skyhuck says, NPTC is not wrong, it's a starting point.