SAWW: Chainsaw Safety, Felling, and Limbing
Weekend Class, For Beginners
Summer 2025
August 23-24
Every woodworker knows where it all starts, but getting started can be intimidating, inaccessible, or downright dangerous. Join us for this weekend workshop in the woods, where we will cover all the steps, safe practices, and professional tips that will help you feel confident in managing your own woodlot, back 40, or small yard with a safe and sharp chainsaw.
In this two-day class, each student will be introduced to the chainsaw and all of its basic parts and controls. We have partnered with experienced woodworker, forester, and arborist Pavel McGlave, who is a certified SAWW (Safety and Woods Worker) trainer. Pavel will work with the group to go over the basic use of chainsaws with an emphasis on safety and control. Based on Pavel's safety assessment, students may have the opportunity to fell their own tree, learn to act as a spotter, work to safely limb the felled tree, and buck the tree into manageable pieces. We will be felling trees in a small and overgrown alder grove, and the felled trees will be left to decompose in place to improve the health of the forest.
If time allows we will also get into some basic maintenance and sharpening practices.
SAWW Training is an umbrella organization that promotes safe and efficient chainsaw use, both professionally and recreationally, and oversees the development of training curriculums and the training of trainers. SAWW Certified Trainers are experts in their field. They are required to have extensive sawing experience, participate in a rigorous certification process, and refresh their skills in an annual training course. Certified Trainers stay current with regulation changes and with safety and utilization techniques.
Tools
Required Equipment:
Chainsaw - fuel and bar oil
Helmet - with or without face shield
Hearing protection
Eye protection
Gloves
Sturdy boots
Basic hand sharpening equipment
Lunch, water and snacks
Recommended Equipment:
Chainsaw chaps and other protective equipment
Camera, notepad and writing implement
Weather appropriate gear/clothing
Prerequisites
Open to all. However, this course is conducted off-trail, in the woods. Folks signing up need to be comfortable and have the physical capacity to work on uneven ground. Ultimately, Pavel will assess students' capacity to work in this environment safely and designate work and tasks accordingly.
Class Information and Registration
Class runs from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday in the Valley View Forest on Center Road in Chimacum.
Please read our What to Expect page for general information about the School.
Please also read our Registration Policy.
If the course is full, please sign up for the waitlist.
Class size: 12
Cost: $420
