Chainsaw kickback and safety

[goodoleboy]

Has anyoe expereinced "Kickback" with their chainsaw before?
I was reading through my safety manaul of the new saw and never realized that chainsaws were so dangerous.
I respect equipment but im kinda afraid to use it after doing some research on the web. I was reading somewhere that the chainsaw is most dangerous tool to use on the farm.

 

[bczoom]

Kickback is something to be aware of but rarily occurs when cutting properly.

Keep 2 hands on the saw at all times.
Avoid cutting directly at the tip of the chain/bar.

It is a dangerous tool and should be respected. If it can cut a log in a few seconds, it doesn't even notice flesh.

Safety clothing should be warn. A minimum of chaps and a helmet with face shield and ear muffs.

"Life is a tough teacher. First you get the lesson, then you learn." Don't get a lesson from a chainsaw...

 

[PhilNH5]

I agree The chainsaw is very dangerous. We have a house rule. There MUST always be two people present to run the chainsaw. We wear chaps, safety glasses and and a loggers helmet with a screen shield and earmuffs.

We gave away an older Poulan becuase it had no safety features other than low kickback chain. We brought a Stihl 025C that has the hand guard brake and an inertia brake. I only use the low kickback chain on it as well. We also try to cut with our right elbows locked. If you do experience a kickback the theory is your locked elbow wil cuase the chainsaw to swing up instead of back at you.

I am just a weekend cutter and figure I need all the extra help I can get. I have never had a kick back situation so far.

 

[BB_TX]

I have been using one for several years cutting firewood, clearing brush and deadfall, etc. Never had a kickback. I think that some of the more aggressive replacement chains are more prone to kickback. But the standard chain that comes on most saws are less prone.

 

[john1946]

Another thing to consider when trimming limbs off of a downed tree. Always stand behind any bowed limbs when cutting them other wise there is a chance that when they are cut they will kick back and push the saw towards you. It happens very, very fast and even with a chain brake on the saw it could cost you eight stiches. I now own a pair of chaps. Need I say more... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[slowzuki]

Chainsaw kickback happens all the time, just not usually if you are paying attention. And most of the time it is minor.

I find most of my kickback occurs when limbing spruce trees. A miscalculation of the limb lean will pinch the bar with the chain still free to turn and when you instinctively pull the bar out the chain gets pinched at the tip and kicks back a couple of inches. If this was done at full throttle a serious kickback can easily occur.

In the last couple of months we have felled and limbed about 60 spruce (average 20 inch dbh) and a similar number of cedar. At 100 limbs+ per tree the chances add up.

 

[SkyPup]

Chainsaw kick back is NOT nice when it happens and it is responsible for the majority of chainsaw accidents and deaths. A chainsaw is the most lethal weapon you can purchase without any license or training.

The Journal of Forensic Science has a vivid report of two fatal chainsaw accidents that should provide ample warning:

http://journalsip.astm.org/DOWNLOAD/JFS2003276.13161-1.pdf


Remember -> All it takes is ONCE, end of story.

 

[PhilNH5]

Fascinating read SkyPup. there are some graphic pics so the squeamish should be warned.

I found the point on the tip guards interesting. To my knowledge only Echo currently offers them. And the few I have seen in the real world had the tips removed. With the tip guard you can not cut through wood that has a diameter that exceeds the lenght of your bar.

The stats and pics alone should give us all a healthy fear of these tools. Thanks for the link.

I was just reading the article a second time. In the discussion I do not think one of the stats is correct. They saw all chainsaws manufactured after 1985 have chainbrakes. The citation (6) is W. Lauren Farm safety and a CDC document. I could not find this on the CDC site.

But I know my 1998 Poulan had no chainbrake whatever - neither the guard brake activated by the guard hitting your hand nor the inertia chainbrake. I see on Poulan's website that all the gas powered saws have an inertia brake now. I am guessing that the 1985 reference may be for OSHA covered saws ie saws professional loggers use. But the consumer models are only just getting these safety features.


Phil

 

[Youare]

Kickback can and will happen to anyone who uses a chainsaw.

The manner in which you operate a chainsaw can minimize it's effect. The chainsaw itself, as long as it has the proper safety features, can minimize the effect also.

There are chainsaws which have chain brakes that are triggered if the saw moves quiclky because the tip hit an object that sends it back at the operator. These are called inertia brakes and no saw should be without one however I don't think any domestic made chainsaws have them.

Kickback can happen in two different ways. One is where the top quadrant of the bar contacts a hard object on the chain climbs quickly up it sending the bar back at the operator. Here is where an inertia brake will protect you. To control this the operator should have the left hand firmly on the top handle with their thumb wrapped around the handle. The hard and fast rule with the left hand is never let go of the handle while the saw is cutting, that grip on the saw will go a long way to protect you.

The second type of kicback is when you are cutting a large branch or trunk where the top of bar is buried in the wood and the weight of the branck or trunk closes the top of the cut pinching the chain at the top of the bar. When this happens it can send the chainsaw directly back at you. Remember the chain is moving around 500 feet per second so kickback happens very fast and the saw is coming back at you in a hurry.

As long as you know the circumstances that can cause kikback you can avoid many of them but not all. The safety features on a saw can not stop kickback only minimizes its effect on you. Your command of the saw can make a difference in your favor.

Safety clothing is another area in which you can protect yourself, chaps or chainsaw pants, proper foot wear and headgear all help should the situation arise.

Becareful out there.

Randy

 

[slowzuki]

Not all chainsaws have chainbrakes, but all pro saws do. In Canada there are different categories of saws sold but they corespond to home, semi-pro, and pro saw. The angle of kkick back and safety features are standardized.

Home saws can use ramped anti-kickback chains or tip guards to achieve the goals.

Pro saws have to have both types of chainbrake and the hand guards and chain catcher pin etc.

Personally I can't use a tip guard or ramped anti kickback chain on a felling saw as it makes the work too dangerous. How you say? Well, it makes it impossible to plunge cut, a dangerous but controlled activity.

Fortunately, plunge cutting used correctly can make felling dangerous trees so much more controlled it is worth learning when doing a lot of cutting.