5thelement

The nearest guy I know is Terry Banyard, Dorset based, runs courses regularly and one of the best in the business.

If you intend to use the certificate to enter full time employment you will need a pro saw. Any 50cc saw with a max 15” guide will be suitable. Stihl 261, Husqvarna 550xp, but you could also look at Dolmar/Makita and Echo. I would suggest that whatever saw you purchase you have it fitted with a semi chisel chain, if you are training in hardwoods and doing bore cuts you may struggle with full chisel. You will need a filling kit for the saw, buy a magnetic file guide(about £6) and a Vernier calliper for measuring the cutter lengths ( screw fix do a decent pair for about £15), these will help you to sharpen spot on. A few spare bits like a spark plug/break band and a clean soft paintbrush for cleaning the dust off the air filter. When it comes to PPE, get the best you can afford, try and visit somewhere like Honey Brothers/ Fr Jones where you can try the stuff on rather than ordering from the internet, nothing worse than poor fitting PPE. You might be better off with a pair of type ‘C’ trousers for now, especially if you intend to climb down the line.

You cant be assessed using a chainsaw in the tree if you don’t hold the felling small trees ticket. If you have the old CS30/31 maintenance/cross cutting/felling then crack on, but if you only have the maintenance/cross cutting part you need to do the felling ticket first.

We would always finish the harvester chains off by hand file after using the grinder for exactly this reason. The grinder was largely used to uniform/resize the damaged cutters rather than sharpen them.

Have you got a stone to re-profile the grinding disk? I have only used a grinder to reshape and sharpen harvester chains, I would have to reshape the disk occasionally to get the desired result in the cutter.

I have never had any improvements in ripening by removing the leaves. I did it twice as an experiment, one side of the greenhouse had the leaves removed, the other not, the ones with leaves ripened the same and where better sized. I generally remove the tops at 4-5 bunches of flowers if outside, 6-7 bunches if in the polytunnel.

But it’s all for the greater good Rob….😉

Have you used you log moulder yet Andy? Don’t get banned before you do and post your results please.

Yeah I guess they do now, what I meant was NPTC started training two rope before TG1 was released. NPTC don’t do the training, they do the assessments. I do remember that NPTC emailed all aerial Assessors stating that they would have to assess all climbing units using two ropes with immediate affect. The email came mid climbing course for some candidates. Instructors had to think on their feet and adjust the training to meet the new/vague criteria, it was months before the final TG1 was released.

Both LANTRA and NPTC Instruct/Assess to TG1.

The 555rxt has the full length shaft, I am 6’2” and it’s spot on for me. It runs 3 or 4 mm chord very well. The 555fxt is the shorter version designed for clearing saw blade.

I have several brush cutters/ clearing saws, Stihl and Husqvarna. The 555rxt is definitely the best machine that I have used. I have had it since it was launched and it has never dropped a beat. I purchased a 555fxt (short shaft, heated handle, thumb throttle control version) clearing saw from Sweden off the back of the performance and reliability.

I am not a training provider, but I am a freelance Instructor and assessor. I wasn’t at the courses you attended so can’t comment on how good or bad these candidates where. I can only indicate how I conduct assessments. The candidate turns up and gives a good performance that meets the criteria and passes, or doesn’t meet the criteria and fails, no ifs, no buts. The OP deals with FISA/HSE developing a new way of training and monitoring in Forestry, nothing to do with LANTRA or NPTC. The author, who I don’t know personally, is a well known and respected Forester, not a clipboard warrior. No one is forced to join FISA or sign up to this App, it is voluntary based on its usefulness and need. It certainly looks useful to prospective employers in Forestry as it monitors detailed experience and skill set, as opposed to just being shown a collection of tickets. I certainly don’t employ cutters based on tickets collections, but on relevant industry experience.

Have you got evidence of this as it’s certainly not my experience?

As tree_beard has already stated, they are a left over from the days of pre chain brake saws. They would be the only protection between the left hand and the moving chain. Most gloves are rated to 16m/s, all of my saws exceed this chain speed. The reason these gloves are still on the market is because no one at HSE has the guts to pull the plug, and if they did, you can bet that the first incident where the back of the left hand is cut by the saw would lead to litigation.

Just had a quick look through it, I will have a proper read tomorrow. Looks like a well developed and very useful app for forestry workers.

Just looks like FISA are updating the way they conduct their training. Who does FISA training anyway?

Arbol del Tule, Taxodium mucronatum (Oaxaca, Mexico). The largest tree that I have had the pleasure to witness first hand. It is estimated to weigh in excess of 630 tonnes and be at least 2000 years old. It also has the largest circumference of any tree on the planet. The insect noise and birdsong in this tree was deafening.

There are lot more than you think!

I would certainly be doing a Dogs Tooth Cut over a ‘V’ cut in Sycamore. If you don’t cut the ‘V’ cut at the correct angles you get limited control over the direction.

Kingswood Training in Kent run the LANTRA one day Basic Tree Inspection course for the novices doing the 8 week course, CS30/31/38/39. It is really useful to them at that level, but with the level of experience you have @richyrich,you will learn zilch.

The ‘V’ cut is taught in the basic CS31, for use in small diameter timber, under 8”. The Scandinavians use it to fell larger, heavy leaning trees, especially when the temperature is -20’s and hinges don’t function as well as usual. It should look like an equilateral triangle when cut right.

That’s the ripple.

My mate has turned two into personal hot tubs, neatly housed in red cedar boxes, Japanese style. One inside and one in the garden, both heated from his woodburner.

I modified a socket from an old set and put it on an impact gun, works a treat without putting too much load on the clutch, just remember not to depress the decomp button.