What a Weekend Cutting Redgum Posts Taught Me
It started like a lot of weekends on the farm do.
A pile of old hardwood fence posts. A chainsaw (or two). A few willing hands.
And a quiet confidence that comes from doing something you’ve “done a hundred times before.”
These weren’t just any posts—they were 100-year-old redgum. Dense, heavy, unforgiving timber that had seen decades of weather, fencing staples hammered in and pulled out, and a slow decay setting into parts of the grain.
We spent around seven hours cutting that day.
Three generations standing around a job that seemed simple on the surface:
Two older family members in their late 70s, with over 120 years of combined chainsaw experience
One adult in their 40s who’d only used a chainsaw once
And a teenager, watching everything closely
At the time, it felt like a productive day.
Looking back, it was also a day full of lessons we didn’t talk about enough.
The Work Was Hard — But the Risks Were Subtle
At first glance, it’s just cutting firewood.
But cutting old fence posts is a different game.
Every second or third cut, you'd hit something unexpected. That dull, jarring shock through the saw—the telltale sign of metal.
Fence staples. Old wire. Rusted fragments hidden just beneath the surface.
Each one carried the same risk:
A damaged chain
A split second of kickback
A moment where reaction time matters more than experience
And kickback doesn’t care how long you’ve been using a saw. It happens faster than reflexes. [worksafe.wa.gov.au] Chainsaws
Then there was the timber itself.
Some posts were solid as iron. Others were partially rotten—soft inside but still awkwardly shaped, making them difficult to stabilise. They wouldn’t sit flat, they rolled, shifted, or collapsed slightly just as the saw went through.
You had to fight the timber as much as cut it.
Fatigue Changes Everything
After a couple of hours, things felt fine.
After five, they didn’t.
Chainsaw work is physically demanding—lifting, dragging, positioning heavy hardwood over and over again. Your grip weakens slightly. Your stance becomes less deliberate. Small shortcuts creep in.
And that’s where risk builds.
In Australia, almost 1,000 people are seriously injured using chainsaws every year, many of them during routine or domestic tasks like this. [assessor.com.au]
It’s rarely the first cut of the day that causes the injury. It’s the one made when you’re tired, rushing, or just trying to finish the pile.
Experience vs Complacency
Watching the older generation work was impressive.
Confident. Efficient. Fast.
But also familiar.
And that familiarity can hide risk.
Because over time:
PPE becomes optional
Techniques become habit
And habits slowly drift away from best practice
There was basic PPE on the day:
Ear protection
Safety glasses
Gloves
Work boots
But the things that weren’t there stood out more:
No face shields
No leg protection
No dedicated first aid kit close by
No structured safety discussion before starting
And quietly observing it all… was the teenager.
Learning what “normal” looks like.
What We Don’t Think About Enough
Some of the biggest risks that day weren’t dramatic—they were ordinary.
A shirt hanging loose, catching on timber. A blunt chain that “still cuts” but requires more force. A chainsaw that hasn’t been serviced since last winter.
A blunt chain, in particular, is a hidden hazard:
It increases fatigue
Requires more pressure
Raises the likelihood of kickback incidents [worksafe.wa.gov.au]
And when equipment starts to fail—because it hasn’t been maintained—it creates pressure.
You want to finish the job before dark. You don’t want to drive into town for parts.
So you push on.
The Sheds Tell Another Story
Later, putting things away, another risk becomes obvious.
Fuel sitting in unlabelled containers. Old oil bottles with no markings. Multiple liquids stored together in the same area.
It’s a common setup on farms—but also a common source of error.
The same goes for what’s missing:
A proper scabbard on the bar
Spare parts on hand
A simple maintenance kit
Yet these are the things that prevent rushed decisions the next time you start.
Working Side by Side
One of the biggest risks wasn’t the chainsaw itself—it was proximity.
People moving in and out of the same cutting area. Lifting while someone else is cutting. No clearly defined safe zone.
Chainsaws don’t operate in isolation. They operate in environments where people are working close together.
Without clear communication and positioning, one mistake can quickly involve more than one person.
The Part We Often Skip: The Conversation
There was no formal planning at the start of the day.
No “Take 5.” No discussion about:
Who’s doing what
Where people will stand
What happens if something goes wrong
And there was no real debrief at the end either.
Just tools packed away and a sense of the job being done.
But that’s where the biggest opportunity sits.
Because most chainsaw incidents aren’t caused by a single failure—they’re caused by layers of small decisions stacking up over time.
The Bigger Picture
Across Australia, agriculture, forestry and construction remain among the highest-risk industries for serious injuries and fatalities. [data.safew...lia.gov.au]
Chainsaws play a role in that risk—not just in professional settings, but in everyday use on farms and properties.
What’s consistent across incidents isn’t just the tool.
It’s the same underlying themes:
Lack of planning
Fatigue
Inconsistent PPE
Outdated habits
And informal environments where safety feels “under control”
What I Would Do Differently Next Time
That weekend didn’t involve an incident.
But it easily could have.
Next time, the approach would change—without changing the job itself:
Start with a quick conversation:
Where’s the safe cutting zone?
Where’s the no go zone - depending on what and where you are cutting.
Who’s lifting and who’s cutting?
When you’re clearing the stack of chopped wood under the saw, work on opposite sides facing each other so you don’t accidently throw wood at each other or get in each other’s way.
What’s our escape plan if something shifts?
Set up properly:
Full PPE, including face and leg protection
First aid kit within reach
Clean, maintained saw
Work smarter:
Rotate tasks to manage fatigue
Take breaks before mistakes happen
Keep clear communication when working close together
And finish with a debrief:
What worked?
What didn’t?
What would we change next time?
Final Thought
That teenager watching?
They weren’t just helping stack wood. They were learning how to use a chainsaw.
Not from a manual—but from us.
Because on farms, safety isn’t just taught. It’s demonstrated.
And the way we work today becomes the standard someone else follows tomorrow.
