On arrival and review of the manual I used in last years training, I discovered that I had already been checked off and certified against all the skills and competencies for the cross-cut and limbing basic course.
(just hadn't been able to do the assessment)
Quick word with the instructor/assessor revealed that they would let me go on and do the next level,
TREE FELLING!
So off into the bush (someones property) where we did some basic refreshing of theory (a bit more than, this is a tree, this is a chainsaw, be safe and don't kill/hurt anyone) and then we were straight into testing our skills on some trees.
I managed to drop one that day that was around 40cm thick, which was impressive.
Home for the night and dinner with the next door neighbours (me a little bit tired/sleepy) and then back the next day.
We started out refreshing our cross-cut and limbing on some of the trees we'd dropped the day before (the local firies were really getting into it) and next thing I know, the assessor has wandered up (literally 30 seconds after I'd managed to free my saw blade from being stuck in a tree) and says 'lets go'.
Dropped the indicated tree ok but she said that as it was a small tree and I was using a smaller chainsaw, that she wanted me to have a go at another one with a larger saw.
After lunch, we went out (with a much bigger saw) with the following results:
- First tree dropped pretty easily due to a bit of rot in the core - told to do another one.
- Second one dropped after only getting about 30% of the way through the back cut due to a rotten and soggy core - told to do another one
- Third one was sound enough but my cutting wasn't very good - told to do another one
- Fourth one was wider than the 32" chainsaw bar, bit of difficulty in getting the cuts done and aligned but managed to get it cut, including a bore cut and then finished dropping it with a wedge - told I'd passed after that.
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