one handed saw use, hanging from the ball.

Hmmmm... I never chunk spars with one hand on the piece and one on the saw. I set up snap cuts and switch off the saw to pitch. My one handing escapades are usually down and away cuts at the limits of my reach on a limbwalk or something similar-whatever "rules" may be proposed I feel confident of my safety in those situations...safer one handing compared to trying to position for two hand use in some situations.
 
I don't consider the kick back as much as I consider falling. Kick out of your spikes or lose your balance on a limb and you've got problems. This is what happened to me. Removing a 20" Linden that was bent over, grown that way for years. All I had to do was pop the top into the woods and drop the trunk. I tied into another Linden above this leaner. Now, I was expecting a good shake when I let the top go so I cinched up my lanyard and dug my spikes in real deep. With one hand on my climbing line and the other on my MS 200T I made the cuts. When the spar lifted I sort of swung to the underside and at this point my whole body tensed up including my hands. So I'm squeezing the throttle wide open and due to the way I slipped, the saw is literally inches from my face. I could have taken a smaller top yes, but a small swing like that is hardly a problem and I was expecting a jolt. Two hands would have given me better control of the saw.
 
just think about this for a second hmmmmmmmmmmm........... o.k. it doesn't take too much longer to make a propper cut, pull the saw, hang it up and push the block off than cut w/one hand on the saw and the other one pushing and be waiting to eat chain. Using a tophandle onehanded, most of us do it, but anything bigger your asking for it. The little voice in your head saying "your doing something dangerous" is usually right SO LISTEN!
 
Thats the way we like it over here stumper.
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That's a good point - slipping while cutting !
Some good ideas. To sum up, we should always try and get ourselves into a comfortable position where we can use two hands and be well balanced - however there are circumstances where there will be exceptions eg way at the end of a limb walk , where we need the other hand to balance / stabilise ourselves while we cut with one hand. During this time extra vigilance is required with regard to kick back / branch moving up / keeping rest of body clear away from saw etc.
Also don't forget the extra exertion placed on shoulders / tendons etc when extending and cutting with one hand .
 
YeeHaw, all this one handed talk, especially the pushing chunks with the saw buried, makes me cringe. I second the idea that it is rare to have to one hand, you just have to make that concious effort, keeps you on the ropes where you should be anyways. I reserve one handers for when I know I'm safe, wood between me and the saw for example, or when it is the safer choice as mentioned.

I watched my partner one hand chunking down trying to push it over. I made sure we had a little talk, I don't even know if he was thinking about it when he did it but he agreed it wasn't safe. I carry a crowbar for the big stuff, flip the hook up through a ring on your harness and forget it's even there, just in case there's a little more hinge than you thought.

As far as spiking a leaner, they're not easy to stay on top of whether a limb or a whole tree, I always go out of my way to stay there. Even taking the time to dbl rope using the end of my climbing line in a pinch.

It's tough, we're all faced with doing the safest job as quick as possible, an obvious conundrum (vocab toilet paper).
 
yeah clay, you sound real safe......

"carry a crowbar on your harness and forget it's even there." Great, you rarily cut with one hand, but you'll carry a crow bar on your harness which may fall out and kill your groundman. Nice.

I reserve one handing for when I know I'm safe too, which is all the time.
 
Xman, I was real apprehesive the fist time I had it up there too, and not for me but like you said the groundsman. All day long I was watching and warning anytime anyone was close to the tree, but it really can't go anywhere. The bar has at least a 45 degree downward angle on it so it has to be raised 135 degrees to come out of the appropriate sized ring on your saddle. If you're just doing up and down work like chunking down stems and your limbs are cut tight like they should be there's nothing it can get caught on and no way for it to come out. I guess I don't think it's a whole lot more dangerous to the ground crew than wheelin' around a 395 up there whether the saw's tied to you or not.

If you think it's safer I'll start carrying wedges...

and a hammer
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I used to use a small crow-bar to spin lags in, before I bought a lag spinner. Anyway, I guess my crow-bar was shaped a little different, cause it would fall out now and then. No one is allowed under me when doing cabling, untill I call for something.

If yours doesn't fall out, it doesn't fall out.

You can be the judge of what is safe on your crew too.

:)
 
i have a crowbar i modified for carrying aloft, to pry firewood sized english ivy off doug fir trunks - which is a nasty job in case some of you haven't had the pleasure. i found a ring and lashed it to the bar near the bend, which i girth hitch a chainsaw lanyard to - same reach as a chain saw and i can drop it w/o losing it or killing my ground guy..
 
wow, english ivy that big, what a pain in the a**. Good idea on the crow-bar, that's how it should be set up if you use one.
 
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