DriveLink

I've been kindly loaned a couple of chainsaws by Makita UK for a chainsaw maintenance project that I'm doing, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to review these saws. The saws are a DCS4301 (suitable for home- / farm- user) and the professional DCS5001 - the full reviews will be over at http://drivelink.blogspot.com with a slightly cutdown version here on arbtalk in the near future. So far, I've only used the DCS4301 whilst I took down a Robinia tree and first indications are pretty good. Anyway, more soon... Cheers, David.

I never said that "my" way, was the best way - I'm just following what is currently thought of as industry standard best practice - that's all. And that's surely what should be taught - the latest in best practice. Perhaps the way you carry out your work is safer, or better, in some way than is currently taught - if it is, then there should be a way that you could feed that back in to the system for wider discussion and possible inclusion in to 'best practice'? - Just a thought.

But they are an opportunity to get yourself out of bad habits !

@bob: I know what you mean - it constantly amazes me after teaching someone CS30, when they come back for CS31 and need to maintain the saw, they start doing things that I never taught them / not doing things that I did teach them! I've also had students that have been using chainsaws for years and years, but have failed an assessment due to poor saw handling (chain brake usage and so on). I really do think that refreshers are needed and should be formalised.

It's pretty much what should happen at the moment - the starting point for those entering the industry should be to gain the relevant qualifications required by industry - in our case it tends to be the NPTC CS series. Once you've gained your CS units, NPTC recommend that you attend regular update sessions throughout your working career. The only change that I am suggesting is that instead of these being on a rather ad-hoc basis, they should be formalised and perhaps a re-assessment should be done. You can't have it both ways - have the training provided, assessments carried out, but then moan about having to pay for assessors and training.

I would like to re-iterate Kingswood's points about the cost of _providing_ training. This is an interesting discussion - training is not cheap, but it's not cheap to provide either. Like Kingswood, the training that I provide is to 4 candidates only for health & safety reasons. If I run two CS30 courses in a week that means that I will have to provide 8 chainsaws in good working order, PPE, fuel, workshops / worksite, timber, transport (where necessary), insurance, first aid kits, spares for the saws (all within the tuition fee) and so the list goes on. And I need to make a profit. The NTPC assessments are not cheap either - an assessor costs about £200/day, registration with NPTC can be over £40 per candidate and then there's a handling fee of £10 per candidate too. That little lot can add another £100 to the tuition fees (and none of that goes to the trainer / training organisation). The cost of the training / assessment really is an investment in your future and once qualified, the candidates can soon recoup these initial costs. David.

Because everyone has to start somewhere and making them valid for a set time-period is a good way to ensure that everyone receives updates on a regular basis.

I teach the NPTC CS units and this has been an interesting discussion - perhaps I may be allowed to add my viewpoint? I see the NPTC certification as a starting point for further education - they show the employer that you are competent, not proficient, not able to work at industry speed or be an expert; but just have the ability to carry out the work safely. I noticed that NPTC are to make some changes to the system - with CS30 perhaps being valid for a period of time (12 months / 36 months). However, we have a slightly odd system where LANTRA is ITA (integrated trainer / assessor) which is surely not good for the industry (vested interest in passing students) and is only valid for a period of time - or NPTC which at least is assessed by an external assessor, with the resulting ticket lasting a lifetime. Perhaps we should integrate these two systems - ensure candidates are assessed by an INDEPENDANT assessor (not someone who works for the same business, or has other business connections), with the resultant accreditation limited to 3 years. It's impossible to turn out a proficient, knowledgable student in just a few days training - CS31 is a great example of that, it's a real struggle to get through all the material and get the practice in within the 4 days of tuition. On the other hand, courses such as the National Certificate / National Diploma do try to provide a background level of knowledge tallied up with the practical skills required - and I think the RFS Level 2 Certificate is a good example of this. There can never be a one size fits all treatment, but on balance I do feel that maybe all foresters / arborists should be required to gain a certain minimum level of qualification then be required to record a set number of hours of CPD (continuous personal development) as well to maintain their membership. David.

I'll see Mark tomorrow and send him your regards. Cheers, David.

Hi all, I hope that this doesn't contravene any forum rules, but I just wanted to let you know of my website dealing with chainsaw maintenance (other subjects to follow, but I've got plenty to get on with just with this subject!). The site http://drivelink.blogspot.com is particularly aimed at inexperienced users, students and those going for their CS30 assessments. Should you get a chance, please check it out, comments (good / bad) are welcome. For my part, I work at Sparsholt College teaching around 175 people a year on the forestry / arboricultural short courses. Thank you, David Vickers.