Polesaw reminder

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The Branch Doctor

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Hey all you climbers, I'm sure everyone is already very aware of this so call this a "complacency alert".

I did a little contract climbing today for a tree company that I do a lot of business with. The guy he had helping him is a beginner climber that has promise but also had a shitty teacher during his climbing "basic training". When I'm around him I keep an eye on him so I can correct some of the bad habits he has acquired and try to pump him full of as many good ones as I can.

Anyway, I had a few errands to run this morning so the newbie was climbing until I got there and boy did he learn a big lesson the hard way!

Lesson/reminder of the day:

We all use a polesaw while aloft and have to hang it from a branch from time to time. REMEMBER TO HANG IT SO THAT THE BLADE IS POINTED AWAY FROM YOU OR THIS COULD HAPPEN... or worse so lets be paying attention and stay safe.
 

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He's damn lucky, it coulda been a LOT worse.

Yep, we gotta be extra diligent when hanging a pole saw for SURE!
 
Damn, that hurts me just looking at it. I've been bit a few times by my handsaw, but I've always been paranoid about that polesaw blade and it scares the hell outta me to have it hanging in the tree over my head. I ALWAYS make sure it isn't over me. Yeah, call me chicken. :P
 
Ouch!

Good thing he wasn't using a "Silky" otherwise they'd be calling him lefty!

Hope he heals well.

HC
 
That's not so bad as far as pole saw cuts go. I've got a nice scar on my shoulder from about twenty years ago. NEVER made that mistake again.
 
Clip scabbard onto dogleash. Remove polesaw from scabbard to use, return it when done. No nicked flesh, no nicked rope.

Next question?

:P
 
Takes too much time to scabbard a pole saw.. if it is getting a lot of use.

I always hang mine from a sling, usually off my saddle, or, slung to the tree...same with everyone who is on the crew.
 
I generally hang mine from a 1' tether on my harness, folded, with a scabbard... yes I'm paranoid. When I'm using it a lot I hang it on the hook, far away. The Silky hook is nice and big so it's easy to hang securely.

Had a Hayuchi come really close to slicing my shoulder when it was falling... no hook on that saw... bad idea to take it up to begin with.
 
I think it was Mike Maas who mentioned it the first time I heard of it, but a couple years ago I started putting the blade on backwards on the polesaw head so that the hook is underneath the teeth rather than on the opposite side. If the polesaw were to fall on me, at least I have a chance of the hook bouncing the head away from my flesh before the teeth rip me apart.
 
Nope, never. In fact when cutting in tight areas it is less obtrusive than having the hook on the back side of the head.
 
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