Your attack on the cut was absolutely perfect. The only thing wrong was your saw. the chain was way to tight even before you started your cut. A properly tightened chain should have only a little snap to it when you pull down on it. Also you should be able to move the chain forward and backward by hand, but with the saw not running. The key to that situation is being able to rev your saw and keep up the chain speed until the trunk breaks free. You did a great job, just get a little more aggressive on your cut. I've been cutting trees for over forty years professionally , so again good job. Stay safe.

As a novice, you are to be applauded. You exercised caution throughout and moved away from the danger when YOU thought it appropriate. Any one sitting on the fence can hurtle criticism but from where I sat, it was a well thought out piece of work. All the PPE experts out there are of course correct, but that is really stating the obvious and if it makes them feel big and masculine so be it. These people really go our of their way to find something, anything at all to demonstrate their knowledge. Poor things. You completed that part of the project without harm to you or anyone else and I guess you thought it through and possibly watched a few videos on FB for guidance beforehand regarding the cut.

Some 55 years ago I started out with a Sachs Dolmar chainsaw and very little else and after every job carried out a post mortem for the purpose of finding out why it went right and how to improve my technique on the next job. Why it went right was because I thought it through well in advance which i assume you did with this job. Coincidentally, I only have two fingers left on one hand and just one thumb on the other, a prosthetic leg and a refabricated skull but I’m here to tell the tale. I press these keys with a discarded lollipop stick in between my lips and whilst in my twilight years still have a sense of humour….all my own