Working alone?

[BushWhack]

so anyone out there in the 'bad' practice of sawing alone??

The young family predicament has me going up to the cottage alone occasionally to take care of business. While my priorities obviously lie with my family, the woodwork also needs to get done

Not too keen on doing this (especially being a newly branded father) but I cant seem to find ways around this at this point. Friends, sometimes not available, when the family does come my precense is needed (cottage is out in the woods), yadda yadda ....

I am extra careful, but I know its not safe as the nearest house from me up there is half a mile away. Anyone else guilty of this ??

Flame away ...

 

[l2edneck]

Unfortunatly.........

Im a one man circus these days.My help went to visit his parents in NM so im on my own for a week.But ive been guilty alot.Im just a small operation so sometimes i just cant afford to pay the help.

 

[manual]

Guilty

I cut more wood alone then I do with someone elese.
So far so good not even a scratch. Knock on wood.
I wear my PPE and always always use the break when I am moving.
Carry a first aid kit. I know "What good will do if you can't use".
My better half always knows were I am cutting wood.
I cut wood for money and heat so more or less I have to do it.

 

[Urbicide]

A cell phone would be a good thing to have provided you are in a service area.

 

[314epw]

cutting alone

I've been cutting alone for about 3 years now.Yes it is scary.But I wear all the protective gear, hard hat with muffs, screen, combo.gloves,boots, steel toe and chaps.I also have a very LARGE first aid kit in the truck.Been in the service so I know alot of medical procedures that can be done by yourself.The main thing I want to infisize is the hard hat.Until you,ve seen it,a small head wound bleeds pretty darn bad and are hard to stop.Hard hat,hard hat........Remember you can bleed out in 4 minutes.I don't mean to be gruesome but sometimes there is nothing wrong with a good reminder

 

[sawinredneck]

I really hate the thought of it, but due to a lack of help I may be forced to this year! I don't mind doing local stuff as I can have help in a few minutes, but where I cut firewood is 90 miles away and the nearest town with a hospital, is a good 20 miles. Great cell coverage, but how long would it take to get someone out there? Hate this thought!!!
Andy

 

[SWE#Kipp]

314epw, you should keep the fist aid with you when you cut ,,,not in the truck ,,,

 

[TopJimmy]

I do it also. PPE,PPE,PPE,PPE. I have yet to need my chaps, I had a decent sized dead limb fall on my head the other day. Would not have done any serious damage, but I barely even felt it with my hard hat on. I did get a nice chunk of something hard in the face yesterday. I forgot to put my face sheild down. Luckily it was not in the eye. I do carry a cell phone and do not fell large trees that have the potential to fall in an unintended direction. Oh yea, PPE,PPE,PPE,PPE.

Jim

 

[NYCHA FORESTER]

Get a 10 million dollar life insurance policy on yourself.:rockn: :rockn:

 

[Ed*L]

I cut alone more than I should. If I waited for someone to cut with all the time there wouldn't be very much firewood cut.
One of my friends that I cut with has a habit of indulging in a bottle of Schnapps rather frequently..........I figure I'm better off alone than with a drunk.

Ed

 

[TopJimmy]

10 mil insurance policy. Hum, I wonder if I can teach my wife to run a chainsaw. Sorry dear, my PPE is to big for you, you will be fine without it. Here take this cold medicine to help keep you from catching a cold.

Just kidding, I still like my wife.

 

[SteveH]

Used to cut with a buddy [two saws going, two trucks to haul, safety of two people...] back in the late 70s. He got to where he always showed up with a couple six-packs. I got to where I didn't feel comfortable cutting around someone who was drinking beer all day. Since then, always alone. I've had two problems, both times hit by a falling limb. Once knocked out cold. Now, I have chaps, etc., and take my time and really, really look things over before I even start the saw. I take more time to clear the area [for quick egress if needed], even moving rocks or sticks or whatever if I need a good clear path. Sometimes I don't have to move anything at all. But I have slowed down. I cut a bit less wood, but I am less likely to screw up big time.

 

[woodshop]

I cut and mill logs alone many times, more than when I have somebody with me. I'm often within a couple hundred feet of help if I do get into a real bind and can yell or scream hoping somebody hears me. Sometimes though I am not. I know it's not the best safest practice, but just don't always have somebody that wants to spend a whole day in the woods or even somebodies back yard, doing relatively hard work at that. I carry a cell phone, wear all the ppe I can, and I try to use common sense. What else can ya do?

 

[FourMoCajuns]

I work with a guy who's father was cutting last year in prep for milling. He felled a 20" white oak and when he went to cut the hinge to let it fall off of the stump he hadn't seen it fall into a small 5" sapling on its way down. He cut the hinge and the entire tree jumped 2' into him and pinned his left leg to the ground. The leg was crushed from the knee down and stuck by himself. He had to fire up the saw again and work on the log. He finally got a block cut and was able to crawl 100 yrds back to his truck and try to drive home (manual tranny). Well here it is 1 year later and he still has a left leg but cannot return to work yet. Oh and by the way his son went to retrieve the saw and it wouldn't start.... bone dry tank! :jawdrop:

 

[sloth9669]

ppe

Lets face it its a fact of life...cutting alone...but we all do things alone that can get us hurt bad....driving on the highway late at night no one around or anything like that...u just need to do all you can ppe wish..think before you act and whenever you can let someone know were you are at. I tell my gf ill call every half hour no call trouble....set the alarm on the phone...vibe setting...every half hour it goes off..chain break or shut off saw...make 5 sec all and keep cutting...just my lil thing i do when alone.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

I cut alone all the time. I don't climb alone, and I don't fall timber without someone on the property, even if it's just checking on my every few hours. At home, cutting firewood, I'm always alone. But like has been mentioned, I NEVER, NEVER, NEVER cut without chaps (or pads) helmet, and all the associated PPE. I also always carry a fanny pack with a roll of duct tape, and a box of Maxi pads. And a cell phone in coverage area. I'm single, an and have no family at home, but I understand your concerns. I see it like this-you can die in your car in an accident, or falling off a ladder in your garage. Use your common sense, and work with the ever present reminder of your family in your head to keep you honest and alert. Best you can do.

 

[l2edneck]

he hadn't seen it fall into a small 5" sapling on its way down

Yea i learned the hard way not to stand next to the trunk.I had a A-pine i was droppin and it splintered down the side of the stump to the ground(about 3 feet).Thing crotched in another tree kicked of and clipped me on my shoulder.When i came to i was layin bout 3 feet from the butt with the saw(044) runnin next to me.I used to stand next to the trunk and watch em fall now i run like the dickins.I wasnt alone but just thought id share.

 

[UrbanLogger]

Guilty

I decided to take a tree down my self once, not too bad, but I'm not too keen on the idea. I had a 40 pine at the end of my driveway that was dripping sap on my truck and the girlfriends car all the time, not to mention heaving the driveway slabs and starting to die so it had to go! I had friends lined up to come over and help, but they all ditched out on me. I had just got new spikes and wanted to use them so I put on all my PPE and went to it with a cell phone in my pocket. Nothing happened, but I'll never do it again. When the girlfriend got home she chewed me a new one!

 

[sawinredneck]

Seeing how we are disscusing it anyway....

I am on a PPE buying spree right now, got wedges helmet and chaps coming from Baileys, now Mama wants something on the upper portion of the body. Anyone use the "Visa" shirts before? Never even heard of it before!!! I don't see any point in a short sleeve, and "Visa" is al I can find in long sleeve. Any thoughts?
Andy

 

[musch]

I am in the same boat, young family, work needs doing, but I follow one rule of thumb at work and at play. I work with criminals in the inner city, so some would say play is safer than work!
Nothing is worth risking my life or safety,
obviously, you can not plan for every eventuality, but if I am uneasy about something, I slow down, and think it through.
If I am still uncertain how to proceed, I will (and have) come to this forum and ask questions, or ask my neighbor, (who is a logger by profession).

Oh yeah, and wear all the safety equipment too!