5thelement
-
Posts
906 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
2
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Classifieds
Tip Site Directory
Blogs
Articles
News
Arborist Reviews
Arbtalk Knot Guide
Gallery
Store
Calendar
Freelancers directory
Everything posted by 5thelement
-
Where are you based?
-
I regularly did Winter work on the Ashdown Forest with a team clearing regen, mainly Birch and Scots Pine. The terrain looked quite similar, wet, uneven, deep soft pockets and tough grassy sods with Heather growing out of it, not great for showing off the capabilities of a machine like that. We used to stamp the grass low around the tree base, cut with the chainsaw, spray the stump then make stacks for the tractor and grab and bundle up to take off site to burn. Time consuming, pretty boring, but fantastic landscape to work in, we could clear a fair area over the season.
-
Not arguing. The only chainsaw guidance for training/assessing is safety features/guidebar length/ fit for purpose, that’s what we are working with. Joe has another metric he thinks we should be looking for, maybe he will inform us of what it is then we can keep our eyes peeled.
-
One of the first questions in the Assessment Schedule requires the candidate to explain the reason for maintaining the saw to the manufacturers recommendations. So the manufacturers minimum recommended bar length on a 500i is 20”, so you put on a 15” bar and run an 8 pin sprocket, you have given it to your new novice to train with, they can’t control the saw and get injured, you really think that your insurance is going to agree with the HSE that the saw is ‘Fit for purpose’ under Puwer? No one has turned up for basic training with me in the last 10 years with anything bigger than a 60cc saw. It would seem that generally most people starting off with basic training aren’t dumbo’s who need an explanation why a 90cc with a 13” bar on it might not be appropriate for them, it must be pretty obvious to everyone, so it just never happens.
-
Your Husqy with its 18” bar Is too long, your 500i with its 15” bar doesn’t meet the Puwer regs, that’s why. Your largely training complete novices on how to operate saws and fell trees, quite often they are crapping themselves and have very little saw control using a 50cc saw as it is, adding extra bar length to the Husqy isn’t going to help. There is nothing stopping them from using a larger cc saw, but allowing them a larger cc saw fitted with a guidebar not recommended by the manufacturer like a 500i on a 15”” , not meeting Puwer regs, is useful to them in what way? Its a bit like taking driving lessons/driving test, you generally do it in a Yaris as opposed to a supercharged Mitsubishi Evo
-
None of these saws would be suitable for training basic felling. Set both saws up like you describe, one meets the Puwer regs, the other one doesn’t, which one do you think might be safer? All saws are dangerous in the wrong hands.
-
If you measure from the front of the clutch cover to the tip of the bar they are usually pretty near, you lose about an inch with standard dogs. Most training providers use 40-50cc saws, MS261 or 550xp for example. Both saws are light and fast, running 15” bars, more than enough power and bar length for novices cutting small trees. Give them a bigger saw, a MS362 or 562xp on 3/8 pitch chain, and see how generally their control drops right off, give them a 500i, might as well just call the ambulance now.
-
There are a lot of people who made complete fools out of themselves throughout the plandemic and it’s difficult for them to accept this even now. The damage has been done, why shouldn’t we look at the reasons why, what was gained/lost from the lockdown, and who benefited the most? At least the lockdown meant that no one died of flu or old age for two years, imagine if these figures where added to the Covid death numbers. 😂
-
I’m making the point that 15” maximum is the requirement, so turning up with anything bigger and “crack on and say nowt” isn’t going to happen.
-
15” guidebar is the requirement, you will get this information sent to you by the training provider before you start, why would you show up with anything different? The Stihl light type is 16”, I will allow adjustments for that as it doesn’t come in 15” and the narrow kerf makes it very easy to control for novices. You show up with an 18” or 20” and you won’t be cutting on my course or being assessed, my jobs on the line so I always check this along with ppe etc.
-
Method for getting consistent lengths when hand cutting logs?
5thelement replied to Elliott.F's topic in Firewood forum
Bolt a piece of threaded bar through the round circular hole that you can punch out on the end of many guidebars ( or just drill one out) then adjust the length of the bar to the size you want, then lock it off. You can buy adjustable magnetic ones in Scandinavia. YouTube it, there are loads of variations, I’ve seen them attached to saw dog and side cover studs. 👍 -
It sounds like this training provider hasn’t got a clue, CS32 courses are being run all the time, I would certainly dodge them altogether and find someone who knows what they are talking about. Download the current CS30/31 equivalent schedule from NPTC, familiarise yourself with it as there are lots of changes since you took yours, then book a refresher with an NPTC assessor, if you pass your certificate will then be updated and in itself, a refresher for 5 years, or can be used as a prerequisite for any of the higher level felling assessments including CS32.
-
Add a tablespoon of toasted cumin seeds in with the flour, makes a world of difference.
-
The only way I can shift the volume I get is jam making.
-
It’s hard to imagine in this modern age, with all its distractions and spectacle, that someone would actually have a life as dull as this.
-
Six titles now I believe.👍
-
I didn’t notice the nakedness due to the colour of the chimney breast, it’s like having a psychotic episode.
-
The seeds are usually sterile, they are probably letting it flower before stem injecting it as its in hedges/ditches.
-
Yeah, if it moves the Chinese will eat it.😂 Surprised at the French reaction to black pudding and haggis, they will make sausage out of just about anything, they also have a few crackpot ideas themselves, Ortolan Bunting for one. Most shocking for me was my first visit to a supermarket in Reykjavik, they just band saw the animals head down the middle and vacuum pack it.
-
I do like to look around the meat section of the large supermarkets here playing ‘guess the animal’ with the kids. The French don’t disguise anything and use everything, some things are completely unidentifiable, but horse & rabbit are common, along with gargantuan duck breasts.
-
Modern day America chooses to eat less than 0.25% of the known edible foods on the planet.
-
I heard the Yanks go out in large groups and forage JKW to eat instead of spraying to control it. It can be used in savoury or sweet dishes and was on the menu at a vegetarian restaurant I ate at in Brighton a few years back, pretty good too, a bit lime meets rhubarb.
-
I’ve used several Chinese variants, all similar in performance and build quality, all generally can punch above their weight, any would do the job. A second hand Greenmech CS100 and Jo Beau M300 can be sourced regularly in great condition, build quality and performance are better and they have decent resale value if looked after.
-
They do, I don’t rate it myself, good for a quick rub up in the woods but never seen anyone do a proper job with one. Gullets never great and depth gauges always a bit low.
-
You can move around mainland EU for max 90 days, then have to leave until your 180 days have passed before returning for another 90 days in 180, you can dip in and out of the EU but 90 in the last 180 still applies. You can leave via any non Schengen country, doesn’t have to be back to the UK.
