# Cutting Timber, Safety Rules



## Bushler (Jul 10, 2008)

We all have our rules we live by, sometimes we short cut and pay dearly. I sure have. There's three rules I try to never short cut:

1. Never cut timber without caulk boots.

2. Never file a chain without gloves.

3. Never break your concentration when running a saw.

There's lots of other rules, what's your favorites? Ignoring the three above personal rules has made me bleed and hurt, and I have scars.


----------



## Billy_Bob (Jul 10, 2008)

I have a logger friend who one time decided to show me how to "properly" sharpen my chainsaw....

He proceeded to sharpen my "square ground chain" with a "round file" and without gloves. I asked him if he wanted to use my gloves. He said no. I said "Shouldn't you be using a double bevel [flat] file on that chain?" He said "You always use a round file!" OK...

About half way through, he cut a finger. I asked him if he wanted a bandaid. He said yes and I got him one. I asked again if he wanted gloves. He said no...

(I've not taken him cutting since. For some reason he has trouble staying employed!  )


----------



## Billy_Bob (Jul 10, 2008)

As to the rules I like...

Clear the space around where you will be cutting.

Always watch the tip of your chainsaw (to be sure the top quarter and end do not come in contact with anything).


----------



## Bushler (Jul 10, 2008)

Done right you can get excellent results filing a chisel chain with a round file, BUT, you need to file out the gullets, and that's where the file can slip and rake a knuckle across the top of the tooth. Yep. And it leaves a scar....


----------



## ropensaddle (Jul 10, 2008)

First of chalk boots I don't know if climbing boots qualify


Never fell a tree until you are 100% sure it is going to do so without
injury, loss of life and property damage.

Never fell a tree with bystanders, ground workers closer than twice 
the distance of tree being felled.

Never assume anything.

always stay in tune with surroundings.

Never fell a tree unless there is no good option to save it.

Never stand at the stump always back away in a cleared escape
route and watch for limbs or anything else that may be directed your way.


----------



## redprospector (Jul 10, 2008)

Never, Ever stand under a hanger. 

Andy


----------



## redlaker (Jul 10, 2008)

--never start on a big and/or sketchy tree without a full tank of gas

--there are no second chances with heavy equipment, make sure the operator knows where you are

--protect your eyes and ears with the proper safety equipment, nobody wants to be blind or deaf.. this applies to all safety equipment really

--if you cant start the saw without the decomp, then you shouldnt be using it

--don't get in over your head, if you don't think you are fully capable of finishing the job safely, then find someone who is


I dont run saw for a living anymore, but I work in a dangerous job other than cutting, so safety is an everyday thing, gotta make it home at the end of the day.


----------



## Lee Bradley (Jul 10, 2008)

Never stand in the bight of the line.

Never stand behind the board when feeding the edger.


----------



## RPM (Jul 10, 2008)

ropensaddle said:


> Never stand at the stump always back away in a cleared escape
> route and watch for limbs or anything else that may be directed your way.



+1

and.....have 3 wedges and a good axe at hand


----------



## crashagn (Jul 10, 2008)

Trust is earned.. Not given. Dont care how long the other person says he has been cutting


----------



## RPM (Jul 10, 2008)

redlaker;1073848don't get in over your head said:


> Probably a little better to say "If you don't think you're fully capable of finishing the job safetly - don't even start". Like you said - don't get in over your head.
> 
> I've never put a saw to a tree with the thought that "oh well if I screw up - buddy will bail me out". I've called a falling partner over to watch my ass while I was doing something sketchy and have asked for advice - but wouldn't ever consider putting someone else at risk b/c I tried to tackle something I shouldn't have. I know sh*t happens but part of being a good faller is knowing how to get yourself out of those situations. We've all been there.....you make the mess....you clean it up!


----------



## extraspecialman (Jul 10, 2008)

I hate cuttin smaller trees around bigger timber,they always tend to fall in a big limb and hange there.If I had to offer 1 piece of advice,use a machine or a come-a-long to pull down hangers.I hate to see people "piecin" them down.Ive seen trees kick back 40 feet before.


----------



## forestryworks (Jul 10, 2008)

never ever rush

take your time on the face, always make sure it's clean

always always always look up!


----------



## slowp (Jul 10, 2008)

These are for logging operations in general.

Let me see, my personal ones are:

When the crew runs, I run. When the crew dives, I dive.

Don't jump, unless it is an emergency.

Don't trust a hooktender who is falling a tree.  Be ready to run but not jump.

Always have a big stump, tree or hole to hide behind or in when lines start whipping.

Approach the cutters from way around and above and carry glasses or binoculars so you can tell it is a cutter and not an orange piece of flagging. Or a hooktender.

Try not to panic when stuck behind a stuck log truck and two members of the crew are starting to fight..take cover behind a big truck driver.

Carry earplugs and use them when the yarder engineer is teaching the crew the difference between "raise the skyline" and "lower the skyline" by making the yarder whistle blow while crew and you are on the landing.

Carry earplugs for use when the whining factor becomes too much to handle.

Pay attention to footing placement when on the job that has a certain yarder engineer who thinks the road is a toilet. 

Have a plan ready. Can I outrun him? Or will I have to kick him in the knees?
when boss is using you as a scapegoat and cutter is very angry and giving you the stink eye. 

Don't jump....


----------



## 2dogs (Jul 10, 2008)

Always carry donuts to bribe the beaureucrats.

Always be ready to run away. Bravely.


----------



## kenabcd (Jul 10, 2008)

*From a commanding officers wall*

I had a commanding officer many years ago who had a sign on his office wall that said: NEVER TEACH A PIG TO SING, IT WASTES YOUR TIME AND ANNOYS THE PIG. I thought that was a good rule, thanks Commander Sloan.


----------



## hazard (Jul 11, 2008)

I follow alot of what has been said. My personal rule is if three things go wrong, shut the saw off and go home. This could be cutting myself on a chain I am sharpening, hit a rock or nail with the chain, forget something important, stub my toe, etc. You get the point. Usually by the third thing my blood pressure is way up there so it is time to quit. I am a hobbyist so I have that luxury.

Chris


----------



## slowp (Jul 11, 2008)

2dogs said:


> Always carry donuts to bribe the beaureucrats.
> 
> Always be ready to run away. Bravely.




Won't work for this one. However, when somebody brings too many goodies to the bureaucratic office where there are too many circumferencially challenged people, declare it to be Make A Logger Fat Day, and take the goodies out to the unit. Maybe the hooktender will gain weight and be easier to follow. Make sure the boss gets a goodie though.


----------



## ak4195 (Jul 11, 2008)

Rule #1.Screw the job,safety first.

When your fat foreman stands on the tracks of an excavator and starts yelling about why you didnt buck the last 4 dirty trees up,and complains why you have to sharpen your chain with every gas tank.
Level your gaze into his eyes,and tell him with authority,grit and conviction "Go f*&^& yourself...."
consequences be damned.

ak4195


----------



## mile9socounty (Jul 11, 2008)

Take your time and do a clean cut.
Never run your saw dry while falling.
Look up, look down, look around.

Last on the list. Make it home alive.


----------



## Bushler (Jul 11, 2008)

4. Carry a plumbob, ( 3oz. sinker on 4' string works good).

On steep ground plumb the trees from the high side. If questionable plumb the tree from three sides.

5. On steep ground always (almost always) try to fall the tree from the uphill side.

6. Cut any poles, saplings, windfall etc. that are on the ground and extend out in front, alongside, and behind the tree you are falling.


----------



## 2dogs (Jul 11, 2008)

Bushler said:


> 4. Carry a plumbob, ( 3oz. sinker on 4' string works good).
> 
> On steep ground plumb the trees from the high side. If questionable plumb the tree from three sides.
> 
> ...



I really need to practice #6 more. I get lazy or in a hurry and don't walk out the lay. It is only when the tree hits the ground that I see my mistakes and have to duck flying debris.


----------



## 046 (Jul 11, 2008)

thanks for the great tip!



Bushler said:


> 4. Carry a plumbob, ( 3oz. sinker on 4' string works good).
> 
> On steep ground plumb the trees from the high side. If questionable plumb the tree from three sides.
> 
> 5. On steep ground always (almost always) try to fall the tree from the uphill side.


----------



## rtrsam (Jul 12, 2008)

If I'm taking down a "hazard" tree or one where there are significant targets (that I don't want to hit, like a house) I'll always plumb the tree from two different directions, abouty ninety degrees to each other. This way I know the head lean and side lean before I start cutting and can taper my hinge apporopriately. 
I remember I was out cutting trees with another guy one day. About two in the afternoon the wind came up and I was going to pack it in. I saw the other guy rooting around in the dirt for a big rock to tie to his plumb line instead of the bolt he had on there. He said he needed something heavier to hold his plumb line against the wind. I told him we were being paid hourly, not scale, so it's time to go home.


----------



## Billy_Bob (Jul 13, 2008)

A good plumbob is a spare chain for a chainsaw. If anyone asks what you are doing (holding up chain in front of tree), say you always inspect your chains before use.


----------



## Bushler (Jul 13, 2008)

7. Don't cut timber with a dull chain. I've done it, probably will again. But its trouble. The last tree of the day, you're tired, the pack sack with the spare chain is a hundred yards away uphill...and you just hit a pocket of dirt bumping a knot....and you don't really feel like filing.

Problem is, working hard to cut makes you mad, the saw jumps around while trying to limb, or worse, the saw cuts a double cut trying to get a face in a tree, whatever.

Its worth the effort to go get the sharp chain.


----------



## treejunkie13 (Jul 13, 2008)

Never think that you know it all, try to learn every day.

Whenever hydraulics are an option, use them.


----------



## sILlogger (Jul 13, 2008)

1) whenever it is 100* plus, you've been cutting to keep the skidder running for the last 8-10 hours and you begin to loose focus, or your getting tired and notice yourself stumbling, it is time to take a break..find a shady spot or pack it in for the day. 

-i had to do this a few times last summer, one of the crews that i was contract cutter for worked 5x10's and a half day an saturday, (1 yardman, 1 skidderman, and i did all the cutting) the skidder ran for 9.5 hours (half hour lunch) and there were some days when the heat index was around 108-110. come back from lunch and cut like mad for a couple hours and get yourself ahead of the skidder, come about 2 o'clock i was pretty well beat, hopefully by that point there was enough timber on the ground that u didn't have to bust your balls for the rest of the day. --I guess this is a long winded way of saying if your getting tired and loosing focus it is time for a break or time to go home.

2) no tree is worth getting killed over


----------



## forestryworks (Jul 13, 2008)

sILlogger said:


> 1) whenever it is 100* plus, you've been cutting to keep the skidder running for the last 8-10 hours and you begin to loose focus, or your getting tired and notice yourself stumbling, it is time to take a break..find a shady spot or pack it in for the day.
> 
> -i had to do this a few times last summer, one of the crews that i was contract cutter for worked 5x10's and a half day an saturday, (1 yardman, 1 skidderman, and i did all the cutting) the skidder ran for 9.5 hours (half hour lunch) and there were some days when the heat index was around 108-110. come back from lunch and cut like mad for a couple hours and get yourself ahead of the skidder, come about 2 o'clock i was pretty well beat, hopefully by that point there was enough timber on the ground that u didn't have to bust your balls for the rest of the day. --I guess this is a long winded way of saying if your getting tired and loosing focus it is time for a break or time to go home.
> 
> 2) no tree is worth getting killed over



+1 

humidity is the real killer


----------



## 056 kid (Jul 13, 2008)

. Always keep a sharp saw 
.Always carry a wrench
.If a tree splits, do NOT run. keep chasing
.Constantly look up weather cutting or walking
.Always watch for springs
thoes are just a small amount of many important things to remember!!


----------



## Gologit (Jul 13, 2008)

1. Know all the rules...most of them came into being because of somebody's bad behavior.

2. Respect the rules...they're important to a lot of people, some of whom actually know what they're talking about.

3. Never let the rules get in the way of your common sense. Ever.

4. The rules won't keep you safe...see Rule 3.

5. The rules won't keep you in business...see Rule 3.

6. Do the job safely. Injuries are time consuming and the damn paperwork is a drag.

7. Get the wood down the hill. That's how we make money. There is no other way.

8. Take care of your tools. Walking back out because you didn't do some 10 minute piece of work on your saw last night makes you look like a dummy. And will probably get you canned.

9. Read Rule 3.


----------



## Humptulips (Jul 14, 2008)

Slowp,
You seem to have a thing about hooktenders. Here's a few more safety tips for your future dealings with hookers.
Never follow a hooker to close when going through brush especially devils clubs.
Don't tell a hooker he will have to set back for three chunks the crew missed four roads back.
Never aproach a hooker that is cussing ,growling or muttering under his breath. This is especially true if you have bad news to deliver or are planning on chewing him out.
And remember if he's falling a tree it's not for fun. There's a good reason for it and the wedge he probably needs is a thousand feet away in the crew bus. He doesn't have time to get it so he'll try and make do with what he has available.
One other thing, if you want to get on his good side. If he gets a pile of goodies back on the rigging like coils, blocks, straps, tree guy lines, offer to help pack some of it. He may even smile.


----------



## Humptulips (Jul 14, 2008)

ropensaddle said:


> Never fell a tree unless there is no good option to save it.



What are you talking about? The only good tree is a log!


----------



## Bushler (Jul 15, 2008)

Hooktenders always have a great sense of humor, so if you can find his lunch pail you can have some fun.

One of my favorite tricks is to impale a newt inside his sandwich, like an olive.

Elk turds in his thermos is fun too.

Blame it on a choker setter, or better yet, blame it on the chaser.


----------



## slowp (Jul 15, 2008)

Nah, they like playing tricks on me. I brought up some cookies to pay off a bet, and the hooktender took the sack, wrote to ------ love ----- about the chaser, who apparently at age 53 has decided he needs a woman. Ever since then, well, it's been awkward but amusing for the other guys. 
I did not fall for the check the fluid under the yarder and smell your finger trick. The hooktender was running the yarder and has a small bladder.

I was up marking corridors for downhill yarding today. Very steep, and thought up a new rule. 

*The road builders should always leave some kind of vegetation to hang over the pumice cutbank so others don't have to do the pummy flounder to get up said cutbank. Vegetation belays are a good thing. It is hard to look graceful when trying to climb a not quite vertical pumice cutbank. *


----------



## mga (Jul 15, 2008)

not a pro, but i always tell myself to stay focused.

when i know i'm getting tired, i make myself take a break.


----------



## John Ellison (Sep 14, 2008)

A good topic, here are a few more ideas.

Look up
Respect even the small trees, they can get you too
If your not 100% sure of the lean get a wedge in early
Think of all the what ifs and have Plan A and Plan B
Keep your mind on what you are doing
Wear safety gear
Look up again
Don't saw off the upper side of your hinge like the safety/felling instructor that I watched this summer.
Try not to brush ( rub against ) other trees with the tree you are felling, but when you have to be ready to have something thrown back at you even if you are well behind the stump. A standing tree can be good protection.
Whoever you are getting ideas or training from may not always be right about everything, use your own common sense.
After the tree hits the ground look up again, real carefully.
Several of these have already been brought up, but need repeating.

And be nice to the rigging crew cause they will be judging your work before long.


----------



## GASoline71 (Sep 14, 2008)

The 2 most important rules I ever learned... from a man old enough to be my grandfather when I first started in the woods...

"Buck" Thomas (R.I.P.)...



While fallin' timber...

"Dammit rook'... look up, look out! I don't wanna hav-ta call yer momma and s'plain why you got augered into the ground by a widda-maker."" 

While chasin' hooks...

"Here's the deal rook'... you follow me. You better be on me like stink on sh1t. I move, you move. I jump, you jump. I duck, you duck... If I run like a scalded dog... just put your head between your legs and kiss your a$$ goodbye... it'll be too late for you anyways..." (basically PAY ATTENTION!!!)

For a man approaching 60... I was 17, and could barely keep up with him.

Gary


----------



## Tree Sling'r (Sep 14, 2008)

Look up, know where your tip is at all times, wrap your thump, look up again, have more than one escape route and don't go poo in someone else's strip unless you like pay back.


----------



## slowp (Sep 15, 2008)

Tree Sling'r said:


> Look up, know where your tip is at all times, wrap your thump, look up again, have more than one escape route and *don't go poo in someone else's strip *unless you like pay back.



Or on the road where the yarder is going to move to. I like the rule a hotshot crew had, years ago. You go outside the unit. Seems like the land mines appear whereever I happen to find a nice place to walk down into the brush. Oh well, it's the untold unpleasantry.


----------



## superfire (Sep 27, 2008)

*meez thought*

first use your ppe
second prepare all necessary equipment
third check over area for hazards and escape routes
four check the current weather and prepare for the unexpected
when cutting take your time and make sure the area is clear of by standers pets or equipment or buildings. then prep the area around the tree. check for hazard in the tree log then proceed with the job. 
sory meez is a little drunk tonitee


----------



## RandyMac (Sep 27, 2008)

You-all are funny, thanks needed some funny stuff.

RandyMac


----------



## ropensaddle (Sep 28, 2008)

Humptulips said:


> What are you talking about? The only good tree is a log!



Uhhhhhh so move to the desert if ya don't like trees:monkey:


----------



## Ivan H. (Oct 14, 2008)

sILlogger said:


> 1) whenever it is 100* plus, you've been cutting to keep the skidder running for the last 8-10 hours and you begin to loose focus, or your getting tired and notice yourself stumbling, it is time to take a break..find a shady spot or pack it in for the day.
> 
> -i had to do this a few times last summer, one of the crews that i was contract cutter for worked 5x10's and a half day an saturday, (1 yardman, 1 skidderman, and i did all the cutting) the skidder ran for 9.5 hours (half hour lunch) and there were some days when the heat index was around 108-110. come back from lunch and cut like mad for a couple hours and get yourself ahead of the skidder, come about 2 o'clock i was pretty well beat, hopefully by that point there was enough timber on the ground that u didn't have to bust your balls for the rest of the day. --I guess this is a long winded way of saying if your getting tired and loosing focus it is time for a break or time to go home.
> 
> 2) no tree is worth getting killed over



If the outfit is going to be cheap and only have one faller,then it's the duty of the skidder operator to know where the faller is at at all times ,and make slow turns


----------



## Ivan H. (Oct 14, 2008)

slowp said:


> Nah, they like playing tricks on me. I brought up some cookies to pay off a bet, and the hooktender took the sack, wrote to ------ love ----- about the chaser, who apparently at age 53 has decided he needs a woman. Ever since then, well, it's been awkward but amusing for the other guys.
> I did not fall for the check the fluid under the yarder and smell your finger trick. The hooktender was running the yarder and has a small bladder.
> 
> I was up marking corridors for downhill yarding today. Very steep, and thought up a new rule.
> ...


 They didn't leave a nice pile of slash to climb through?:greenchainsaw:


----------



## slowp (Oct 14, 2008)

Nope, the slash is pushed over on the downhill side. Makes it more fun to go over the hill and adds adventure. Rootwads, cull logs, slash, used toilet paper, beer cans, hydraulic oil buckets, etc. We know how to have fun in the woods. :greenchainsaw:


----------



## 056 kid (Oct 14, 2008)

Hydraulic oil and thhere buckets account for half of the bad stuff on earth!!!

Just kidding but seriously, i have seen hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of gallons oooooze there way to the water table. Kinda makes me sad.


----------



## slowp (Oct 14, 2008)

The buckets are empty, and I will toss them back up on the road and chew out He Who Needs To Be Chewed Out, and then they disappear. But they always seem to reappear. So, deja vous all over again...


----------



## Ivan H. (Oct 15, 2008)

slowp said:


> Nope, the slash is pushed over on the downhill side. Makes it more fun to go over the hill and adds adventure. Rootwads, cull logs, slash, used toilet paper, beer cans, hydraulic oil buckets, etc. We know how to have fun in the woods. :greenchainsaw:



Yeah that sounds like alot a fun.


----------



## Gologit (Oct 15, 2008)

slowp said:


> The buckets are empty, and I will toss them back up on the road and chew out He Who Needs To Be Chewed Out, and then they disappear. But they always seem to reappear. So, deja vous all over again...



You have tree marking paint, right? After you throw the buckets back up on the road mark them. Maybe a different color for each outfit. Let the side-rod for each outfit know...all his trash is color coded and traceable. They'll either dispose of them properly or hide them so darn good you'll never find them.


----------



## slowp (Oct 15, 2008)

They disappear for good at the end of the sale. Most of the guys will pick up,
after I nag them enough, and give bad marks on the report.
I hate garbage!!! I hate the trashing of the woods that goes on around here.


----------



## Gologit (Oct 15, 2008)

slowp said:


> They disappear for good at the end of the sale. Most of the guys will pick up,
> after I nag them enough, and give bad marks on the report.
> I hate garbage!!! I hate the trashing of the woods that goes on around here.



It happens here, too. The loggers are, for the most part, pretty good about keeping the trash contained and hauled away.

What we have the most trouble with are homeoweners dumping furniture and appliances. Every once in a while we catch one. It's fun to watch them load a washer or dryer or sofa back in their pickup.Refrigerators are especially challenging when the dumper is all by himself. Or herself...that happens, too. Sometimes while they're struggling to reload, and their attention is diverted by well meaning but contradictory advice from the loggers, two or three of their tires will go flat. If it's at night maybe their tailights and one headlight will disintegrate. Funny how things like that happen.

If they get upset we're always more than glad to get the local deputy up there to talk to them. We have carte blanche to sign a complaint for trespassing. It's only a misdemeanor but it sure discourages people from coming back.

LOL...They probably go over to Federal ground to dump from then on. Sorry about that but you guys have a bigger budget and more people than we do. And more time, too.


----------



## Humptulips (Oct 15, 2008)

I don't see that much houshold trash and appliances dumped around here, The worst offenders are the brush pickers from what I see.

Loggers are no angels either. Through my years as a hooker it was a constant battle to keep the crew from trashing the woods. My efforts didn't win me any friends either. Some people think they have a right to toss it. I been called some kind of enviromentalist a few times. I just hate seeing garbage in the woods.


----------



## Gologit (Oct 15, 2008)

Humptulips said:


> I don't see that much houshold trash and appliances dumped around here, The worst offenders are the brush pickers from what I see.
> 
> Loggers are no angels either. Through my years as a hooker it was a constant battle to keep the crew from trashing the woods. My efforts didn't win me any friends either. Some people think they have a right to toss it. I been called some kind of enviromentalist a few times. I just hate seeing garbage in the woods.



What's a brush picker?


----------



## Humptulips (Oct 15, 2008)

Almost exclusively illegal mexicans. They pick mostly salal but also ferns, evergreen hucleberry, cedar and white fir boughs, oregon grape and a few others for the floral greens trade.


----------



## slowp (Oct 15, 2008)

Brush pickers are people, usually from south of our country, Guatamala seems to be the country sending most of them our way, who pick salal and beargrass which are used by the floral industry. They have to buy a permit to pick on federal land, of course, and sometimes the fake id is pretty entertaining. When there were picker deaths from van wrecks on our highway here, they were written up in a newspaper near to you...Sacremento Bee, who talkied about the oppressed forest workers, and the Forest Service was contributing to their oppression. I'm not sure how, but the newspaper figured it out. 

We are currently innundated with mushroom pickers. Our forest cops wrote a ticket for $175 to some of them for trashing their campsite. Word got around within a day, and I drove through a camp, looking for a suitable log truck turnaround, and people started running around picking up all the little bits of trash. Pretty good results for the cost of a ticket. But our "downtown" area looks very trashy around the mushroom buyer tents. I feel like going down there and yelling...


----------



## Humptulips (Oct 15, 2008)

Not many brush pickers on federal land here. Most is on private land. a contractor will buy up the rights on large tracts of timber company land. The contractor brings in the illegals and they pick off the contractors permit.


----------



## Gologit (Oct 16, 2008)

Thanks for the explanation. Down here most of the big pot growing operations are staffed by illegals and they're getting heavily into the meth and heroin trade as well...I'll trade you.


----------

