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

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.