Steve_C

25 years service - Royal Marine and Army. Been out just over 12 months and not missed it once.

Hi mate. Guessing from your post you are leaving the forces? I left the Army 12 months ago and did a course with Kingswood training in Kent. Great course, very well run, very enjoyable and learnt loads. Best of all the Mob paid for the lot. My plan was to get a job in the industry, gain expirience and go from there. Did a bit of networking and had a few things lined up but very soon after I did the course I was offered a job in the security industry which paid three times more than I could ever see myself earning in tree work. 12 months on and still in the security industry but do some tree work on the side when it comes in and when I have the time which to be honest is not much of either. The lads on here are right when they say expirience is everything and the other down side is the amount of cash that needs to spent on kit/vehicles/machinery. Gotta say though the days I spend out in the open grafting for a buck and getting up a sweat are great - but romance never paid the bills! Cheers Steve

Update: Everything said here helped and rang true. As a result the Job went well, days wage for two of us and home by 3.30. I am normally passive member of this site and learn loads as I read, not to mention laughing out loud at some of the banter, so thanks for the quick replies to a direct question. Cheers Lads. Steve

Thanks for all the replies guys. Great tips and I take your point regarding pegs Marc. Will trust my spikes and stay on the stem! jobs on thurs so will try and get a pic or two and let you know how it went. Cheers all Steve

After a bit of advice prior to a job I have lined up later this week. Got to Climb and dissmantle a Lombardy Poplar - approx 40 foot - as there is not enough space to fell from the ground. (Unless I do a spectacular stunt fell down a single track drive way!!) Never climbed one before. My plan is to spike up taking the short upright branches off on the way up with handsaw or chainsaw depending on thickness. I will probably leave a few stubs to stand on as I come down. Once at the top I will deal with it as a pole in the usual way. Questions are is; Are L. Poplars strong enough for this? Anyone know of anything I should be aware of with this particular species? Any comments welcome guys Cheers Steve

Loving the Meercats!!!

I can only call it as I see it and I have to disagree with most. My 201 is far better than the old 200 I was using. Feels lighter, starts easier, uses less fuel and has enough power to do what I ask it. Got it from Jonsie and it has been great from day 1. Only use a 12 inch bar and don’t try and to cut more than it is cabable of. I switch to a bigger saw (260) when appropriate which is usually on the way down once the stem gets about 8 - 10 inches thick.

Bit I dislike the most is after leaving site - Getting rid of chippings, offloading/stacking timber/unloading/reloading gear for next day (especially at the moment when rhis is mstly n the dark) - when all I want to do is take my boots off and have a cup of tea! Some great advice re Ivy through this thread though.

Was expecting early finish today but; 1 Groundie did not turn up so clear up was done by just two of us. Had to wait for owner of horse paddock where chippings were going for an hour. Still not all bad as groundies wage split between two of us and no paying to get rid of waste despite customer being charged for it!

IMO Ladders great for hedges and coni's. Also use them to gain access to crown when feeling lazy! Don't like cutting from a ladder buthave done but only when ladder fixed into the tree and/or footed and I am roped in.

Being nervous will keep you safe and make you check your kit/knots/anchor points ect.. When I started I read through the HSE case studies regarding accidents associated with tree work. Lots of scary stories but I did not find one where the cause was climbing kit failure when used as it was deasigned!

Thanks all for the swift replies. Big J - I had heard that wood turners like it hence the original question. What do you mean by 'pippy' though? Unfortunatly each chunk is only about a foot long as there were several targets to avoid but I guess still of use if I can find a local wood turner. Off to check the classifieds!

Hi all I have got a pile of Yew from a recent dissmantle and was going to log it for firewood but was wondering a) does it burn well? b) Is there a more profitable use?

@Dave G - Thanks for the link to previous thread. Interesting read. I always knew power lines posed a problem and reading the expiriences of all the guys here has expanded my own thoughts on the subject. This site is useful after all!! :-)

I know this is an old thread but it has been a great read tonight as I just walked away from a job I was asked to price due to LV powerlines within 5m of a 60ft silver birch. I was wondering if I had done the right thing but I guess I have. He did tell me he had recieved a quote from another firm which was close to what I would have put on the job without the hazard. (this was after i told him I could not do it) Do any of you guys charge more if hazards are prrsent?