The Machines Used to Cut Trees

The Chainsaw

• Woodcutters commonly use a gasoline-powered chainsaw for bringing down a small to medium-sized tree. Working from ground level the operator cuts the trunk of the tree near the ground level with the chain part of the tool. All chainsaw operator should wear safety equipment, such as steel-toed boots, helmet goggles, chaps and earmuffs, but must also resort to good judgment and planning to avoid personal injury.

  The chain saw is usually powered by a two-stroke gasoline engine, but a few smaller-sized models run on electricity. The machine cuts by means of a chain that revolves around a solid piece of metal, called the bar, at a very high rate of speed. Small metal teeth make up the chain and they must remain sharp to safely cut the wood. The operator engages the chain just before he begins the cut and disengages as soon as the machine is removed from the tree.

  A chainsaw is very adaptable to the existing conditions (weather, terrain, type of forest), but use the machine often comes with a considerable risk factor.

Mechanical Tree Harvesters

• Mechanical tree harvesters run on either a tread belt or inflatable rubber tires that move the large vehicle forwards and backwards. These tree-cutting machines come with a high price tag (as much as $500,000) and often require a sizable investment by the timber-cutting company. The machine is powered by a diesel or gasoline engine and employs a cutting head, which is attached to the body of the machine by a long mechanical arm. The large cutting blade spins and cuts in a manner similar to that of a circular saw, except the cutter is propelled by hydraulics.

  The biggest asset of a mechanical harvester is the enclosed cab, where the operator sits and controls the cutting process, as if inside a crane. This aspect eliminates many severe or fatal injuries that are on occasion encountered when woodcutters use chain saws.

Logging Tools

• Before the advent of gasoline-powered machinery, the logging industry used various types of hand tools to fell and trim standing timber. Of primary importance were tools like the bow saw and the long-handled axe, which were employed to bring the tree down and perform some of the trimming tasks. Other types of tools were developed to turn, move or de-bark the tree. These items might include a peavey, a timberjack or a cant hook, which were all used for turning and moving heavy logs. A bark spud or draw shave might be used to debark a freshly-cut log.