To chainsaw , or not to chainsaw, that is the question...

[Manotea]

Ive just ruined a pair of 'lopers taking out the lower ranches of a laurel hedge row.

I've now go to do the upper branches, some of which are 1-2 inches in diameter. Should I:

a) buy another pair of 'lopers and stand on a ladder, cost about 25 quid

b) buy one of those telescopic tree pruner things with the string you pull to work the blade, cost about 25 quid,

c) BUY A LONG REACH PETROL CHAINSAW ON EBAY FOR 75 QUID!!!

Yeah, I know STHIL kit costs x00s but its gotta be worth a punt, donchathink?

[Clare]

and then...

d. Buy a lot of insurance.



Buy it, think of the sculptures you could create.

[Manotea]

Yes, youve spotted the flaw in the plan. The last time I used heavy equipment with a blade I nearly sliced my thumb off, and not at the fingernail end...

[Clare]

Yebbut, you could do that with a kitchen knife which you can't use to sculpt tree trunks.

[Mr Larrington]

Buy the chainsaw.  You van have hours of fun thinking up creative uses for it which the manufacturer hasn't thought of.  Playing the blues, for starters.

[Basil]

You should really buy two if you're going to be doing proper chainsaw juggling.

[Polar Bear]

There has been plenty of publicity about counterfeit, very dangerous Stihl and other brand chhainsaws in recent times.   

Personally I'd get somebody in who knows how to wield his/her own chainsaw to do the job properly.

I am renowned for being risk averse btw. 

[Diver300]

Do not get a petrol chainsaw, especially not a cheap one, as they have 2 stroke engines, which are the work of STAN.

[Tail End Charlie]

Buy a folding pruning saw and use the ladders. Wickes do a good one. A cheap chainsaw would work once and never start again and I wouldn't use one up a ladder in any case.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Pruning saw, a good one.

bahco laplander will do the job, quicker and lighter than a chainsaw for 2" branches.

[Polar Bear]

Looks like a bargain to me.

[Exit Stage Left]

The danger with a pole saw is stuff dropping on your head, exacerbated by the need to raise your head to see what you are doing. The next problem is getting it stuck when you fail to understand where the compression is in the wood you are cutting. Which won't be a problem with small laurel. Pole saws are heavy and put a big strain on the back.
Most chainsaw accidents I've had have been when I sharpen them. That won't be a problem for a casual user, they're unlikely to be able to sharpen the small chains accurately.
Using a handsaw up a ladder is a recipe for disaster, as you need one hand to hold the saw and the other the branch.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Pruning saw, a good one.

bahco laplander will do the job, quicker and lighter than a chainsaw for 2" branches.

+1

They are amazingly sharp are bahco blades.

If you buy a chainsaw for working in awkward places you'll want kevlar trousers.  In the case of chainsaws if you don't observe h&s rules you may not have a leg to stand on if anything goes wrong.  I got a proper tree-surgeon to do my trees; he says you'll never see an old tree surgeon.

And yes, 2-stroke chainsaws are a pig. 

[Polar Bear]

Pruning saw, a good one.

bahco laplander will do the job, quicker and lighter than a chainsaw for 2" branches.

+1

They are amazingly sharp are bahco blades.

If you buy a chainsaw for working in awkward places you'll want kevlar trousers.  In the case of chainsaws if you don't observe h&s rules you may not have a leg to stand on if anything goes wrong.  I got a proper tree-surgeon to do my trees; he says you'll never see an old tree surgeon.

And yes, 2-stroke chainsaws are a pig.

I go to the pub most Fridays with an active tree surgeon in his sixties.   I have given up the beer myself but  Eric is great company nonetheless!   

[Exit Stage Left]

You won't need leg protection with a pole saw, the guide bar is on a stick at least 6 feet long, making it impossible to cut your own leg, even for the purposes of a weak pun.

[Wobbly John]

I'd steer clear of a chainsaw. Lopping saw or even a bow saw will be good enough for the job. I've taken trees down that were taller than my house with a bowsaw, and I have access to both a normal chainsaw and a pole one.

 If using a ladder, I tie it in to the tree when I work, and at height I use a climbing harness. If I don't feel safe, I get someone with more experience to do it.

[Poly Hive]

Precisely, keep it simple. And a lot safer

PH

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Pruning saw, a good one.

bahco laplander will do the job, quicker and lighter than a chainsaw for 2" branches.

+1

They are amazingly sharp are bahco blades.

If you buy a chainsaw for working in awkward places you'll want kevlar trousers.  In the case of chainsaws if you don't observe h&s rules you may not have a leg to stand on if anything goes wrong.  I got a proper tree-surgeon to do my trees; he says you'll never see an old tree surgeon.

And yes, 2-stroke chainsaws are a pig.

I go to the pub most Fridays with an active tree surgeon in his sixties.   I have given up the beer myself but  Eric is great company nonetheless!   

Ah but is a proper tree surgeon who swings through the trees (with the greatest of ease?) a couple of chainsaws hanging from his belt?  If so, he is phenomenal! 

[andyoxon]

I've done laurel before with a combination of a sharp pruning saw and decent loppers.  Personally, I think a chainsaw is too much of a liability - not that I really contemplated getting one.

[Charlotte]

Much as I'd love a chainsaw, there's a lot of good sense talked on this thread about them.  Unless you really know what you're doing (like you've been on professional training courses) even well made, properly maintained ones are hideously dangerous things.  Add in the whole working-at-height thing and it's a recipe for disaster.

I have a Laplander saw for green woodworking and it's an astonishingly fast way to saw through branches as thick as your ankle.

Which is more or less the the thing that worries me about chainsaws 

[Mr Larrington]

Manual saws (and mains-powered chainsaws, which is what I have) are not much cop against zombies

[Polar Bear]

Pruning saw, a good one.

bahco laplander will do the job, quicker and lighter than a chainsaw for 2" branches.

+1

They are amazingly sharp are bahco blades.

If you buy a chainsaw for working in awkward places you'll want kevlar trousers.  In the case of chainsaws if you don't observe h&s rules you may not have a leg to stand on if anything goes wrong.  I got a proper tree-surgeon to do my trees; he says you'll never see an old tree surgeon.

And yes, 2-stroke chainsaws are a pig.

I go to the pub most Fridays with an active tree surgeon in his sixties.   I have given up the beer myself but  Eric is great company nonetheless!   

Ah but is a proper tree surgeon who swings through the trees (with the greatest of ease?) a couple of chainsaws hanging from his belt?  If so, he is phenomenal!

He does indeed.  I watched him working on a truly massive willow recently.   Scared me just watching.

[Exit Stage Left]

I just got a notice through about a chainsaw refresher course from FISA. I've been booked on that since March. There's a bit of a turf war between them and LANTRA, as to who gets to accredit people. You're supposed to have refresher every 5 years, my last was 23 years ago, at which stage I was still accredited as an instructor.
I'm pleased to see people stepping away from using a chainsaw. They are dangerous, and I have to spend money jumping through hoops to keep up with the paperwork, so don't even think of touching one without the right tickets.

[LEE]

Chainsaws strike me as possibly one of the most fun and satisfying tools on the planet..but with the potential to make you think "I wish I hadn't done that" more than most other tools.

I've cut my finger on a handsaw blade countless times but I've yet to figure out how to completely chop my leg off with one.

[Poly Hive]

Chainsaws strike me as possibly one of the most fun and satisfying tools on the planet..but with the potential to make you think "I wish I hadn't done that" more than most other tools.

While screaming in amputation agony yes.

PH