Chain Saw Safety

gordon · Aug 14, 2003

( If put on a helmet with full face shield, ear muffs, long gauntlet type gloves, chaps, steel toe boots, etc. I'll drop

In the winter I'll wear a suit of armor and be happy, right now I've compromised by wearing the gloves, ear protection and eyewear.
)

If I were you I would wait till winter then. Only takes a second to slice your leg open like a fish fillet.

Gordon

popeye · Aug 14, 2003

Rules I follow.
1. Never, and I mean never cut with the bar inline with your head!
2. Pay attention to the placement of your feet (Keep them out of the way of the arc of your cut).
3. Make sure all brush and limbs are out of your way before you cut.
4. Always have a clear escape route away from the line of fall or kickback.

Mike

PhilNH5 · Aug 15, 2003

( Also don't forget about about "helpers". )

I'll second that. My wife and I were in the woods once. She was bucking the tree to lenght after I had felled it. the tree was close to a trail so I was picking up the cut wood and throwing it onto the trail so we could then load the trailer.

I had a log in my hands and was giving it a good heave towards the trail - maybe 20 feet away. Just as I was about to release the log I looked at the trail and was shocked to see my elderly neighbor standing there. She had come over to watch!! And was standing right in my trajectory path. I was about to take her head clean off.

The log had not yet left my finger tips so reflexively I re-gripped the semi-airborne log. This did two things - first it darn near pulled my arms out at the shoulders. Second it altered the intended flight path of the log so that I was not going to hit her smack in the face. But (there is always a but) it worked so well that the log went straight up. I was so relieved that I had avoided involuntary manslaughter charges that it did not register that the log, having reached its apex was about to fall right back on ME! I had to dive out of the way.

This all happend in an eye blink and I was amazed my 40 year old body had the ability to react at all. My neighbor, not realizing I had just saved her from a horrible fate was laughing uncontrollably at my antics. I yelled at her but she thought I was overreacting until I showed her the pile of logs right behind her and she realized she had just avoided a log to the face.

I didn't realize until that night what an effect it had on my shoulder joints. Boy was I sore. And now I take a longer jacket size /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Docsknotinn · Aug 16, 2003

I have been doing a lot of cutting on my property for new trails and food plots, garden area etc. This spring I was a little behind and my attention span got a little slack. My saw needed just a few moments of attention as it would not idle so I had to keep the r's up after cutting so it wouldn't stall, which of course meant the chain was still running at the end of each cut. The next thing was that I was in a big hurry to knock a few trees down as I was getting a pre-fab barn delivered that day. I really wanted that darn Barn, THAT day ! I wound up with one half way down that was stuck in the tops so I had to start knocking sections off. On a down cut I gave her the ole juice and zip right through the bottom of the log and my left thigh just above the knee. Now my wifes a Dr. and she never travels with out the old goodies bag so I wasn't too worried. She pulled up in the truck and of course I got "the speach " lol, I deserved it. No first aid kit that day so she got the speech back. Well it must have been a bit of a sight for the wild life. lol. I had sliced about 8" across x 1" deep. A little radical lyposuction in the field. For some unknown reason it never did hurt. I mean not even a little ever. So I just kept on cutting with the Big Boss laughing or telling me we needed to go get stiches. Did I mention I REALLY wanted that barn ? The delivery guy just about turned as green as the tractor which was at least good for a little chuckle. I now try not to cut beyond my limits which seems to be about 4 hours straight. After that I'm ready for a break. I also keep the saw tuned up a lot better. Reminds me of what My shop teacher used to say in grade school. " No tool is as dangerous as the one you get too comfortable with". I have tried to prove him right many times over the years.

Soundguy · Aug 18, 2003

I've become attatched to a pair of boots i got from the military surplus store. Sopposesd to have kevlar mesh in the sides and sole... makes me feel better. Would imagine it has decent protection against nails and thorns too.

Soundguy

Docsknotinn · Aug 18, 2003

That sounds like a good pair ! Does your handle have anything to do with home stereos ? I got my dream system this past year. I have A set of Jamo THX certifed 5.1 surrounds, a Denon AVR5800, Denon DVD2800, and a 57" Sony trinitron XBR 16.9 wide aspect HD TV, All premium Monster cables. The real sticker shock came on the cables and THX certified wire. I can vibrate the floors and shake the windows. lol. I can do with out a LOT of things in life but even if I have to live in a old folks home some day my theatre is comeing with me.

5string · Sep 15, 2003

I have one other safety item to add - keep your chains sharp. Cutting with a dull chain forces the operator to apply pressure during the cut and can force one to stand in a undesirable / awkard position. A good sharp chain encourages control and allows one to focus. I keep 3 or 4 chains ready to go and don't hesitate to change it out when the resistance indicates that it is time - none of this one more cut, then I'll change it. Also, if you are not skilled at filing a chain, pay the 6 or 7 bucks to have it done right ( I do). There is nothing worse then an improperly sharpened chain that pulls the saw at an angle. On a side note, when ever I know someone else may use the saw (dad, neighbor), I take off the skipped tooth chain and put on a regular.

RichNJKubota · Sep 15, 2003

I just figured out the same thing. Now I keep 2 spare sharp chains with me and everytime I change the chain I take the 5 minutes to go over the saw and make sure everything is AOK.
The Peltor hardhat is real comfortable and not too hot. However the chaps are VERY hot. Since I can choose when I cut wood - I cut in the cool evenings now when it is more comfortable.
Tomorrow I'm going to look at boots and gloves at the local store that sells clothing for construction use.

frank_f15 · Sep 15, 2003

( I have one other safety item to add - keep your chains sharp. Cutting with a dull chain forces the operator to apply pressure during the cut and can force one to stand in a undesirable / awkard position. )

excellent tip! same is applied to knives, more people are hurt with dull knives than with sharp ones, seems strange but it is a fact. funny things about chain saws, they don't know the difference between flesh and tissue or wood. and boy are they fast.

dmftoy1 · Sep 16, 2003

Just out of curiosity, how much use do you get out of a chain before you have to change them? I inherited a couple that were improperly sharpened with my saw, but I've got a good one on now and I'm just curious as to how much you can do before you need to swap it? 1 tree into firewood, 2, 3? Just looking for a general rule of thumb. Right now I've been watching the chip size but I'm not sure if that's the right way or not.

Regards,
Dave