About
Class canceled: In response to updated guidance from the CDC and the Washington State Department of Health, BARN will continue to be closed through the end of April. 3/23 SK
Learn to operate a chainsaw safely so you can use downed trees from your yard or your friends' yards for woodworking projects, especially ones that involve woodturning.
This hands-on class will include a demonstration of how to fell a tree, but the emphasis will be mostly on cutting wood that is already on the ground. It will start with a discussion about safety and maintenance, then move on to practice cutting. Preparing wood for bowl turning involves more than simply cutting a trunk into chunks, so the instructor will also show how to shape sections to make them more useful for turning.
This class will be held at David Kotz Woodworking at 13043 Zanshin Lane, which is off Day Road West on Bainbridge Island.
Please bring a chainsaw if you have one so that you can learn the techniques on the equipment you will continue to use. If you do not own a chainsaw, you are still welcome in the class and will get hands-on practice.
Details:
- Open to beginners.
- Ages 14+ are welcome. If you are a parent registering your youth, please put in the NAME field your first name then in parenthesis put the youth's first and last name (if different than yours). Also, please complete and return this minor permission form if BARN does not already have one on file for your child from a past class.
- Tuition assistance is available. Click here to apply.
- Safety gear is required. Please bring eye and ear protection and work gloves. Wear sturdy shoes or boots. If you have chainsaw-protective chaps and a face shield, bring those too; BARN will provide some to share. This class will be held outdoors, so wear clothing appropriate to the weather.
Instructor: David Kotz. David grew up on Bainbridge Island and bought his first chainsaw when he was 14. Now, as owner of David Kotz Woodworks, he operates a sawmill that turns locally harvest trees into custom-milled wood for structures and furniture. The company has a kiln for drying lumber and a woodworking shop where he and his crew make furniture. They also sell green and dry lumber, with customers ranging from developers needing lumber and trim packages, to individual contractors looking to add unique touches to their houses, to woodworkers in search of the perfect piece of wood for a project.
David has taken Levels 1 and 2 of the SAWW chainsaw safety training course offered through Northwest Natural Resource Group, which helps owners of small-scale forest lands improve the productivity and health of their forests. David's instructor was Ken Lallemont, who developed the course and taught precision tree felling for more than 20 years.
