The Most Dangerous Mistakes When Cutting Trees (And How to Avoid Them)

The Most Dangerous Mistakes When Cutting Trees (And How to Avoid Them) In 1993, federal investigators wrote up a man who did everything right. He read the lean, cut a clean notch, and dropped his poplar exactly where he aimed it. On the way down, one of its limbs clipped a 35-foot dead snag, and the snag killed him. The tree he was watching never touched him. That's the myth that still gets men hurt in the woods: "Watch the big one, and you're safe." Roughly nine out of ten logging deaths involve a tree, a log, a snag, or a limb, and the professional safety rules written in the 1990s don't reach the farmer or the homeowner cutting his own woodlot. My grandfather Eli raised me after my daddy died in the timber, and he made me copy everything he knew into a leather journal. In this video I walk you through the six pieces he taught me for cutting a storm-thrown tree out safely: how to read the lay and find the pivot, how to spot wood under spring tension, which side to cut first so your bar doesn't pinch, how to clear your landing zone and escape paths, how to predict which way a log will kick, and the last piece, the one that got quietly lost, that separates the men who walk out of the woods from the men who don't. Every tree is different. This is not a substitute for proper training or a professional crew on a dangerous job. But know what to look for, and you'll see the danger before it sees you. Do one thing this Saturday: walk one blowdown with the saw left in the shed, and count every dead thing hanging overhead. Tell me in the comments: did your granddad cut his own timber? Did anybody in your family ever get hurt in the woods? The story with the most comments gets a whole video next. If you haven't yet, subscribe. Not for me. Because the skills we drag back into daylight around here, you're going to want the next one. Chainsaw work and tree felling are dangerous. Always wear proper protective gear, including chaps, eye and ear protection and a helmet, and never cut beyond your experience. When in doubt, call a professional. Keep the old ways they kept. — Zeb Combs #ChainsawSafety #TreeFelling #Homesteading #OldWays #SelfReliance #Firewood #Woodlot #Appalachia #Logging #Bushcraft