Chainsaw users---tell the truth.....

[RobS]

Ears, not normally, but if I know I'll be out there a while I may remember.

Eyes, I wear glasses which provide some protection (polycarb lenses). I do like the idea of a face shield.

Chaps, no. Always long pants though.

Sturdy boots, always.

Other:

Ears while on tractor, only when bush hogging for hours.

Helmet on bicycle, always.

Seat belt in vehicle, always.

Seat belt on tractor, only when on slopes, uneven terrain or while bush hogging bouncy ground for hours.

That's the honest truth /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[woodmills1]

one or two cuts just gloves. in the woods, protective shirt, hardhat earmuffs and eye screen, cutting firewood, all the woods stuff plus chaps or protective pants. always gloves and steel tip shoes. i will start another thread about how you hold the saw. keep the bar away from your body.

 

[PTRich]

If you are asking you should get them all. It is best to get used to them, like a safety belt. I myself use a hard hat with shield and ear protection. I was cutting in the woods with my cusin and while a tree was falling it broke a very large limb off another tree. We never saw it coming and the branch broke right over my cusins head. Laid him down flat. If he did'nt have a hard hat on we would have been bringing him to the hospital for sure. My helmet is a Husky just like my saw. Do not skimp on yours, the more comfortable it is the easier it is to get used to.

PTRich

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Helmet-yes.
Eyes--prescription plastic lenses.
Ears--No.
Boots--Steel soles and toes.
CHAPS--Darn Tootin. I've managed to clip my knee and thigh. It hurt a lot less when I did it after buying Chaps. Both times it happened I was trying to step back after making a cut and was busy watching the tree to make sure it went where it was supposed to, and negotiating some obstacle I had to work around. Both times I caught my left leg. (I'm right handed). Both times I got lucky and only bled a little. After the second time, I got smart and bought chaps. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

SHF

 

[jdkid]

Hi ya
hard hat combo and steel caps when useing my saw ..., i think somewere i saw chainsaw shrits with kevlar on the sholders ..chainsaw boots are better as they don't cut and full chainsaw paints not chaps are the way to go ,as blurrybill said chainsaws have a habbit of grabing chaps and wraping around the back of them cutting behind the knee or ankle .in saying all of this i think ya will find eye and hearing loss the next area is feet then legs with upper arm ,sholder and neck,face coming last (that is with a chain brake if no chain brake i'd put neck/ face after hearing and sight)

 

[markinMn]

On the bucket truck........chaps, hardhat, ear prtc., safety glasses, leather gloves, steel toed boots. Do not wear chaps, and ear. I'll be honest, I have become complacent. Thanks for the reminder! Know a couple people who have been bit real bad too! We have tree contractors who do most right of way work, so our use of chainsaws is minimal.( "most accidents happen on the short trips") At home: I wear gloves,boots and safetyglasses. That's going to change. Thanks for the reminder.................................... "Safety, Accuracy, Neatness, and Speed!" (in that order only) this applies to everything in life right?....................mark

 

[webbmeister]

Wow! Does this one bring back memories! A million years ago, I was lucky enough to play on our semi-rural college baseball team. The new head coach, a fella by the name of Don Hunsinger, was really more of a city guy who took the job in part to, well, get away from the city! Well, not too far into our second season with him we got word that he would be out for some time because of a chainsaw accident. It turned out that he was cutting a branch overhead with the tip of the bar (you can probably guess what happened) with no face shield, no hard hat, no hearing protection, and no chaps. He was, however, (and this is by his own description when he got back) wearing a nice plaid shirt, jeans, and a baseball(!) cap and feeling "very much like a lumberjack" (his words) when it happened. There was a big kickback when the bar started to bind in the cut as the branch started to go. He got the chain, at full rev, between the eyes and down his nose and upper lip/teeth. He was horribly disfigured, and lucky to have lived to talk about it. He was a new coach, but he was a kind man and really looked out for us as a team, as players, and as gawky young men getting ready to face the world. We really liked him and felt very bad for him and for his wife. We've lost touch, and do not know if reconstructive surgery helped.The moral of the story: What do I wear? *All of the above!*Jim

 

[kcbarnes]

Here is a link to try thanks to forestryforum.com .believe it or not it's an osha site that is helpful <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/logging_advisor/mainpage.html>http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/logging_advisor/mainpage.html</A> I try to always wear a logging helmet, chaps, boots and gloves

 

[jyoutz]

I'm a forester. I work with loggers and logging projects regularly, and ocassionally have to cut out blow-downs in the road. Of course powersaws are very handy for wildland firefighting and of course for home use getting firewood. My point is I'm around saws and people who use saws all the time. Of course us government people are required to wear chaps and hardhat while using a saw on the job. I also observe most loggers wearing the same safety equipment. I've seen too many close calls and had a few myself not to wear this equipment. Saws are dangerous and make nasty wounds. Buy and wear your personal protective equipment. Nobody will laugh at you, the equipment is not that uncomfortable, nor does it cost much compared to the alternative.

 

[rancar]

DaRube --

I cut my own firewood, about 6-8 cords per year. I use a Stihl 044. This is a mean machine that if used improperly will easily cut a nice gash in one's leg or anywhere else on one's extremities. I do use ear protection. These are loud units that if used frequently enough will cause hearing loss in your later years. I don't wear the prescribed eye safety goggles because I have to wear prescription glasses to see what I'm doing. The extra safety goggles would only get in the way. My prescription glasses have provided sufficient enough protection as they often have protected my eyes from flying wood chips. The chaps are a toss-up. I've never used them because I work in tight spaces. I fear they would trip me up in some way. I do know guys who do use them, almost religiously. It's your call.

Bottom line is ALWAYS BE CAREFUL AND BE COGNIZANT OF WHAT"S AROUND YOU AT ALL TIMES. Don't rush things and you'll likely be OK. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif