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Spruce Pirate

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Everything posted by Spruce Pirate

  1. I think it would very much depend on how the LA worded the invitation to quote. If they specified a MEWP must be used then I think A would have very good grounds to be miffed, if they specified industry best practice I can see how A's nose would be out of joint if the tree was truly dead, if they made no spec's at all I can see how it would be annoying, but to involve the press seems a bit much. I'd be letting the procurement department know I wasn't happy, but anything more is just sour grapes.
  2. I ran a 350 for about six years I think, it was a great wee saw. I think I traded it in in the end. It punched well above its weight for a semi-pro saw IMO.
  3. Sometimes below, sometimes above, sometimes level. Depends on how I feel, how much I think it's going to take to get it to go over, etc. If it's going to take a lot to get it over I tend to cut level as it's one less thing to hold it back, essentially just finishing the cut. If using a winch or jack I'd tend to go below. I never really got on with split level cuts, I just prefer the Danish pie, largely personal preference. With a bit of thought I think it's as if it's got a real lean on it you can also send a wedge right through the back as you've cut right through the tree behind the hinge, gives you more lift. You can also put a small wedge in on one side to hold it while having a bigger wedge on the other to drive right through. By the time you've driven the big wedge in a bit you can pull the smaller one out. Hope this makes sense. I've put over some small diameter trees this way with a hefty back lean and a bit of height, so never going to go over with just a bar. Need to keep a fairly decent hinge as if it's too thin it'll just pop off. This is for felling forward leaning trees, so the tree is going to want to go early. If you leave a strap at the back you hold the tree while setting the hinge, when you sever the strap you can do it in a number of ways: level above the cut or in the cut - the tree is likely to break the holding wood before you fully cut it and can take the saw with it or cause it to kick; level underneath the cut - the tree is again likely to break the holding wood before you've severed it fully, possibly causing the tree to split at the back. The cutting down at 45 degrees keeps the strength in the wood fibre, meaning the strap is less likely to snap or at least will hold on longer, the angle of the cut means that the saw is less likely to be taken with the tree. That is the way that I understand it, but if anyone's got more knowledge I'll happily learn.
  4. Yes, maybe I've not been ultra clear. It's probably not truly a dog tooth cut I'm on about, but a bit of wood at the back to stop the tree sitting back, similar to a dog tooth. I'd use it on bigger trees, lets you cut round and set the hinge up without worrying about it sitting back and pinching the saw. Like Drinksloe says, with wedges in at 10 and 2 ish - you can get them well set in, or stick a jack in it if you want, then when you do sever the strap/holding wood (not necessarily at 45 degrees in this case), if you've got things well set up the tree will lift slightly and you know it's going to go. Also fair to say, as Drinksloe points out, that it's normally easier to keep things simple and just wedge as you go. On smaller trees I'd use a pie cut, I used to use split levels, but nowadays prefer the pie cut.
  5. If it's proper windy you can rip the holding wood/buttress right out of the ground doing this! Proper good fun. You can use a dog tooth on back leaners or weighted trees too, lets you set a wedge or jack well in and get the hinge set before you sever the wood, similar to a pie cut. Double V can be done with power saw every bit as well as with hand tools. This is my reality too. Unless something is seriously leaning there are very few situations where a sharp chain and a fast saw won't do the job. It is worth mentioning that I cut mostly spruce, which behaves quite well. You can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of sweet chestnuts that I've cut - if I cut more then I might have a different perspective. Important to know how the tree you're cutting behaves as well as knowing all the cuts in the book.
  6. Speak to the trainer. They might know people who are looking to take on folk.
  7. Today's been a good day so far, got up early, bumbled about for a while, went back to bed and snoozed for an hour or so , played with the baby, sent the older two out to play in the snow and got some peace to look at a few survey results, went to town, bought a new computer, had lunch, home now watching the rugby with a Guinness - Scotland not even playing too badly at the moment. Off out later on to the village Burns Supper (better late than never).
  8. Spruce Pirate

    Fisa

    I'm a member too - but only because it lets me say that I'm a member of a safety organisation, even the stickers aren't that good. FISA is a shambles, and the situation in the OP only serves to prove it. If refresher is to NPTC standard it shouldn't matter whether the assessor is FISA approved or not, this is just another cost and protectionism for the boys in the FISA club. The demarcation between harvesting and "other" sites is also a farce, you can be felling trees of the same size and type on one contract, but you don't need an "approved" refresher because it isn't harvesting??? It's ridiculous, arb work can be even more dangerous, and doesn't need an "approved" refresher, even if it is being carried out for a large forestry company. We should also get away from this "refresher" business. It is not a refresher, it is an assessment - you can either fail it and need re-certified, or be deemed competent for three or five years. That is an assessment, not a refresher. Out of curiousity, who has made the decision that NPTC refresher isn't good enough, only "approved" NPTC refreshers will do? Is it the contractor, management company, timber buyer, client?
  9. FC round here used to have a circular saw blade, a flail and a ditching bucket all on a rubber duck. The idea being that first pass was with the blade pruning/brashing trees, second pass with the flail taking out regen and mulching the arisings, then the bucket clearing ditches. The forester said you'd be quicker with a pole-pruner and a brush-cutter for the first two passes - and I think he was right. But the technology is improving all the time and quality of the cut isn't too bad, albeit there is a significant peg left, not trimmed to the branch collar. It's not there yet, but mechanical tree pruning may not be too far into the future. H&S may be our saviour as it is difficult for an operator to stop a blade spinning at xxxxx rpm if a member of public happens to ignore a warning sign.
  10. Spruce Pirate

    Dolmar

    2.5kg really isn't much, you're right Mr Fox. Just been on the Google and a 150 is 2.6kg and a 540 is 3.9 kg on the paper stats! Difficult to see passed a light saw that's solidly built.
  11. Spruce Pirate

    Dolmar

    By solid do you mean heavy? I like the Dolmars that I've used, but that does look like it would weigh a fair bit hanging off your harness. I haven't done a weight comparison from Google, I'm just looking at the photo's on this thread.
  12. Spruce Pirate

    Dolmar

    It's a wee beauty (well, maybe not so wee). Wouldn't hesitate to recommend Dolmar and Shavey.
  13. Spruce Pirate

    Dolmar

    Only missing a bit of sun.
  14. They look like Norway spruce to me, so good news - your TO is right: they are Christmas trees! Being Norway, if there's butt rot in one, I'd suspect butt rot in the others. Fomes? I think the name's been updated, is it now heterobasidium annosum? Someone with more knowledge than me will be along I'm sure.
  15. I've had a Dolmar 6100 on demo for a while now, I have to say it's a very good saw if you're looking for one saw to do everything, will run a variety of bars and plenty of power. I like the 560, nice saw to use, but in fairness at the moment I'm picking up the Dolly more than the Husky. PM Shavey on here for more info on the Dolmar.
  16. Fair point, well put. I'll therefore revise what I said before, if you exclude young males then everyone else is as bad as each other.
  17. People think trees and chainsaws are dangerous, but working next to or on a road always seems much more dangerous to me. I've never done a traffic light job without some eejit running the red light, people flying past at speed when you've got a lane closed with the workforce in it, had cones knocked over, but never signs yet. I don' think you can generalise who the worst drivers are, when we've had folk doing stupid things around road-works it has included, but isn't limited to: van drivers, bus drivers, mothers on the school run, business man types, pedestrians, pedestrians with kids in push-chairs!!!, old-folks, young-folks, folk in big flashy cars, folk in wee crappy cars and even the police! Everyone makes the occasional bad decision when driving. I think Mick's right, a lot of it is just frustration due to the increased volume of traffic. One of the boys putting cones out for us a while back, traffic mgt company, almost got hit by a car coming round the corner, that was quite scary. Another was just back at work after the cushion truck he was in got hit be a truck on the motorway doing about 70, think it was 6 months he'd been off, the other driver wasn't as lucky . Dangerous place to be on the roads - take care.
  18. P. ramorum does indeed inhabit Blaeberry, or Bilberry if you prefer. That along with larch and rhododendron are the main species of concern as it sporulates (spelling???) on these species and therefore continues to spread. P. ramorum will infect other species, but not spread. There isn't an exhaustive list of the species it will infect, but it incudes oak, chestnut, spruce, fir, beech too I think. There is a second strain of P. ramorum, which I think is unique to the UK, I think this is a priority for FC Research and Plant Health. The phytopthora I know of in relation to cedars is P. austrocedrae, I know it in relation to junipers, but I think it will affect all members of the cedar family - but not totally sure of this. I think it is a more likely candidate for hybridisation with P. lateralis as they are both soil borne, whereas P. ramorum is air borne.
  19. I've had Husky and Stihl, there's no real difference in my opinion, they both hold your trousers up. Get them as wide as possible (so probably the Husky's are better) so they're not digging into your shoulder I like the button type as the clip ons just slip off. Started your debate for you Stubby.
  20. You haven't knocked an emergency stop button somewhere?
  21. Think they're all equally uncomfortable, but save your good boots if it's really wet or mucky. On the basis that each is as good/bad as the other I'd buy the cheapest pair you can. If you're looking for a liner I'd think you could buy one separately somewhere.
  22. I've heard of this before. Bad news is I don't think FCS will budge on this - got to be 17, regardless of age for FMOC's. Pity when someone's keen and they're crying out for young blood in the industry. Keep us updated how you get on. It would be nice to hear if you've any joy with it.
  23. I haven't done any real planting for a few years now, but when I was planting used to average between 1200 and 1500 a day including site supervision, 1800 to 2000 a day if I didn't have plants to lay out and checks to do. Bare root conifers on mounded sites, no tubes, spirals, vole guards or any of that kind of nonsense.
  24. We normally just end up with two 5 ton tirfors and a couple of snatch blocks for that sort of thing.
  25. Two of us on it. Would have been a lot of work for just one.

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