It what way is it tough on newbies? I'm intending to only do occasional
chainsaw work, not full time every day.

I would really like weekend or evening courses

In article , Rod wrote:
Local Land Based College is the place, expensive if you can't get somebody else to pay but cheap in relation to the
inconvenience caused by chainsaw injuries. Just do it. The course doesn't just do health and safety stuff - you
will learn how to use the saw effectively *and* safely as well as basic sharpening and maintenance. The 1 week
course which includes felling trees with dia up to guide bar length is fairly tough for anyone with no experience
at all so better to prepare beforehand. I teach newbies the basics and then send them out to work with our
foresters for a few days if I can, this also gives them the chance to watch skilled people working on bigger trees
and see the degree of control they can achieve.