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

RobS · Feb 20, 2002

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 · Feb 20, 2002

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 · Feb 20, 2002

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 · Feb 20, 2002

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 · Feb 20, 2002

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 · Feb 20, 2002

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 · Feb 20, 2002

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 · Feb 20, 2002

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 · Feb 20, 2002

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 · Feb 21, 2002

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

rancar · Feb 21, 2002

You might also try the following websites. These guys have all the safety stuff you'll ever need.

http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/

Youare · Feb 21, 2002

I use hearing protection connected to a hard hat all the time. Most of the time, unless it is just to make one little cut I put on the chainsaw chaps. My hard hat has a face screen which I like better than goggles.

Gloves are sometimes worn in cold weather. I find that I have to grip the handle of the saw harder when wearing gloves to get the correct feel. This tends to make my arms tired quicker.

If I had to make a choice of what protection to purchase first because of the cost it would be the head gear. Your hearing will never come back after you have damaged it, I know. The helmet will save your head from being split open when a falling branch sneaks down on you, and the face screen will protect the only two eyes you have.

If you never let go of the saw, and grip the handles as Woody has mentioned in another post kickback will be greatly minimized. Avoid cutting in brushy situations, and keep one eye on the tip of the saw all the time.

Randy

RichS · Feb 21, 2002

Rancar,
"Don't rush things" is tops on my list when working with my saw.
I use gloves, eye and ear protection, steel-toe boots when on the landing/cutting up firewood. When felling trees wear helmet as well.

DaRube · Feb 21, 2002

Thanks, guys. Yesterday I ordered my saw (Stihl 025C) and chaps, and brought home the combo helmet/shield/ear protectors. Today, I'm gonna find some steel-toe boots.

I asked this question in part out of disillusion. I have some pros out taking down an 80 footer for me....and they aren't using any of this stuff. Needless to say, I'm questioning their sanity......

And although I'm not one to get up on a soapbox.....for those who indicated that they see this thread as a reminder.....if it saves even one injury, it makes me very happy!

dmccarty · Feb 21, 2002

DaRube,

I see that you got the safety equipment! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I ALWAYS wear safety boots, chaps, gloves, eye protection, ear protection and gloves.

ALWAYS.

Don't forget to wear safety glasses. The wire mesh will keep most chips from getting
you but little pieces do get through the mesh....

Search TBN for our previous chainsaw discussions. There is a wealth of info in those
previous discussions.

I do my chainsawing the first thing in the morning for two reasons. One its the coolest
part of the day. Two I'm at my freshest mentally and physically. If I'm tired or not up
to snuff. No chainsawing. I'm recovering from a cold. Last Friday and Saturday I worked
on my property and the cold was starting up. I knew it. No chainsaws. This weekend the
cold will all but be gone. But no chainsaws. The work ain't going anywhere.... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I've waded into tree tops and I have a lot more wading to do over the next couple of years.
The chaps might catch a branch every once in awhile but it is not a big deal.

I watched two sets of professional tree trimmers over the last month. One guy was climbing
the snags with a Sthil 19T/20T to limb and then cut the tree down section by section. He had
all the safety equipment from what I could tell. The Chaps he had where greenish and not the
Here I Am Green that I have. He was very, very good. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I saw another group of trimmers and they did wear helments but no chaps. Just jeans. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Don't forget the safety boots. I have had kickback but what scares me far more is kickDOWN. If
you are cutting the underside of a tree and the saw kicks down, where are your feet? I try to get
my feet out of the way just in case and I have some safety boots. Good made in the USA boots
not the cheap boots from China. The cheap boots have a very short toe box. The USA boots I found
had a long toe box.....

Hope this helps...
Dan McCarty

StoneHeartFarm · Feb 21, 2002

DaRube

I, too, have seen the Pros out cutting without protective gear. My family made a living at it for many years and never wore the gear until toward the end. But, take it from me, there's a whole lot of difference between running a chain over your pants leg and running it over a pair of chaps. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Some folks just learn slower than others, and if these guys have been cutting for many years, they probably started before a lot of the gear was readily available.

SHF

glennmac · Feb 21, 2002

Hardhat with earmuffs and faceshield, chaps, and kevlar gloves.......I am an infrequent chainsaw user and don't understand the device. It is very hard to start, has non-intuitive unmarked buttons, and a poor owner's manual. (Husquavarna). Sometimes the chain keeps running when the saw is supposed to be idling. I dont understand why it does this, and neither the manual or dealer can give me an intelligible explanation or fix........I have brushed this "idling" saw against my leg when just walking from spot to spot. I have had small branches fall on my head. I have had the frustranting machine jump up at me when I was yanking its chain in frustration.........This combination of my own ignorance and inexperience, the quirkiness of the tool, and the inherent dangers of the woods convinced me early on to buy the basic protective equipment. .......To me, some of the tractor safety issues get suffused with an overblown aura of politcal correctness, but not the issue of a body-shredding device a few inches from my skin.

PhilNH5 · Feb 21, 2002

Darube,
We cut and burn 3-5 cords a year. Used a Poulan 2150 for a few years. Great little saw - always started and cut everything we put in front of it. Then after surfing the net and doing a little studying I realized that there were saws out there with safety features. So we got a Stihl 025C. Has an inertia chain break which should go a long ways towards keeping you safe. I like the saw and more importantly so does my wife. She usually does the bucking and I do the splitting.

I am amazed that more expensive saws come with chain breaks while the boxstore type saws don't have this feature. It is more likely that a casual user like me would need this safety feature. Anyway I really like the Stihl. Cuts the wood like butter. Haven't yet figured out if it is actually that much better than my Poulan or if I am just really really bad at sharpening chains.

Phil

beenthere · Feb 21, 2002

I expect the chain keeps moving because the idle adjustment is not set low enough. There is an adjsutment for the idle.
Use of Kevlar gloves is good. The use of leather gloves are more for comfort, as they will do nothing to keep the chain from cutting quickly through to skin, flesh, and bone.
It would be nice for you if there was someone knowledgable and experienced with chain saws who would work with you, to get some transfer of expertise about saws and wood cutting. There are a lot of right and wrong, easy and hard, safe and unsafe ways to use a chain saw, let alone cutting down trees, bucking logs, and cutting in and around brush and tree tops.