How close have you come

[John_Mc]

Sorry John_Mc, I wasn't trying to over post you. I'm new here and still learning the ropes. I don't know much about tractors but I do know about chainsaws, so I was trying to provide the tiny bit of useful wisdom I have on this site.

No worries. It's a good series of videos.

By the way, welcome to TractorByNet!

 

[sandman2234]

I have been running chainsaws since Daddy moved to the farm in Arkansas in 1967. I was a youngster at that time, mostly hauling and stacking firewood at first, then promoted to mixing and keeping the saw fueled. I still remember that 1 gallon GLASS jug that we kept the mixed fuel in. We never had an issue, but looking back on that, thinking it could have easily gotten broken and had a serious fire. We were just careful with it, and kept it out of the sunlight also. Daddy's place had a section of it that somebody wanted to open up for cattle, so they ringed the trees with an axe. Killed all of them, but they still stood. We carefully cut each and every one and made firewood out of them. Luckily we got them shortly after they died, as I would not have liked cutting them if they were rotting. The next winter, we planted 20,000 Pine seedlings in that frozen rock by hand, using a railroad prybar to break into the rock. Amazingly any of them survived, between the goats eating them and them just surviving. That summer and winter of hard work paid off years later when Daddy started selling off some of his timber. His instructions in safety have paid off in me still having all my fingers and toes without a chainsaw mark on me.
Chaps, hardhat with earmuffs, and gloves were added to my chainsaw attire when I joined a "Chainsaw Ministry" up at my Church. It was required along with instruction classes. Well worth the cost, believe me!
David from jax

 

[John_Mc]

Nice story, Sandman/David. There is a guy over on the Forestry Forum who is in a "chainsaw ministry" as well. I do a bit of that in my home town: it's not connected to a church; it's just a bunch of community members who get together to process firewood, and then deliver it to families in need during the heating season. We have no specific requirements on training, but I and the other organizer know the regular volunteers well. Anyone with a chainsaw is someone we know well and have worked with in the past (that's a little easier to manage in a community of 2000 than it would be in a larger town).

I also own a conserved, working forest with 15 other families in the area. On that land, one of our rules is NO ONE operates a chainsaw on the property unless they have had some formal training in it (having your buddy give you some pointers doesn't count, nor does previous experience, regardless of how many years it is). We do make an exception for professionals: when we have a commercial harvest we hire a reputable logger and make sure he has workers comp. and liability insurance coverage. We don't specifically check his training background. For non-professionals, only the property owners can run a chainsaw on the land. Some of the more experienced chainsaw users grumbled a bit about taking the training, but they felt it was worthwhile once they had been through it.

Some folks wonder why we have all the extra requirements/hassle. Basically, it's because we all could be held liable for someone getting injured on the property. It's one thing if you are the sole owner: you make your decision about allowing someone on based on your personal knowledge of them, and you bear the risk yourself. When you have a bunch of co-owners, those decisions could affect all of them. Also, showing that we have taken steps to manage the risk makes our insurance company happy, and can provide some degree of protection if something does happen (by demonstrating to a judge/jury that you have taken steps to manage the risk.)

I have friends who I let cut wood on my own land, but they can't do so on that parcel I own jointly.

 

[Jstpssng]

How old were those chaps? The protective fibers can get weakened if they have been oil or fuel soaked (washing them before they have sat in that oil/fuel-soaked condition for an extended period will help preserve their life).

Also, once you have cut the protective fibers, they should be replaced: that cut doesn't just mean you are not protected in that specific spot. You are not well-protected for a significant distance on either side of the cut - for more than a foot on either side of a significant cut in the fibers. The protection is not because the fibers are "cut-proof": the protection relies on having long, unbroken fibers that get pulled out and clog the saw, eventually stalling it. The idea is that the clogging/stalling happens before the saw has done too much damage.

They were two month old Labonvilles, I bought them my first day on the job. Chaps aren't intended to stop a chain on a saw that's running wide open as mine was. I bought a new pair on my way to the motel that day, and kept the old pair for a few years just to show others and myself what a moment of inattention can do.

 

[East30]

I've been meaning to buy a set of chaps after reading some of these posts a couple of months back. Never got around to it. Well I got dinged this past weekend after 20+ years using my saws. I was just about done cutting, and I was getting a bit tired. But I figured I'd finish brushing out a tree on the ground and during that process I allowed the saw drop further than normal, without noticing. As the chain was slowing down it ticked my kneecap, and just above the knee. And luckily it was slow enough that I could patch it up myself. I'm sure the chain bit the loose jeans and pulled the saw to the knee and cut me. By the time I set the saw down, it was out of fuel. I was literally seconds seconds from the saw running out of fuel!! I'm going to hang those pants in the pole barn as my reminder to ALWAYS wear chaps from this point forward. I feel very lucky to have gotten off so easily.

 

[1930]

Oouch

 

[Shaneard]

I knew there was a tree that needed cutting where we hunt last year about head high. The limb was over my head and it kicked the saw back when it fell, it hit my leg and only thing it cut was my pants. Man, it could have been bad. I had both my kids in the truck and my wife didn’t know I had the saw with me. Blessed to live another day!

 

[Garandman]

I knew there was a tree that needed cutting where we hunt last year about head high. The limb was over my head and it kicked the saw back when it fell, it hit my leg and only thing it cut was my pants. Man, it could have been bad. I had both my kids in the truck and my wife didn’t know I had the saw with me. Blessed to live another day!

When "Discretion is the better part of valor," I use a bow saw. Carry a smaller one on the tractor all the time, use a larger one when I can't readily control a chainsaw. Surprisingly fast.

On our snowmobile we carry a small (10") folding pruning saw that also works quite well up to about 4" diameter.

 

[dullpain]

I applaud you everyone for recognizing the need for safety in chainsaw operation. If you don稚 know how to operate safely get training or help. Had a doctor friend (52 years of age) die from cutting his leg ( major artery) while cleaning up some on remote property. Others were near by, but he could not get to them, and they did not know he was injured. Looked like he was dead in 2-4 minutes from blood trail. BE CAREFUL, it can happen to you.

 

[YLee Kioti]

I've been meaning to buy a set of chaps after reading some of these posts a couple of months back. Never got around to it. Well I got dinged this past weekend after 20+ years using my saws. I was just about done cutting, and I was getting a bit tired. But I figured I'd finish brushing out a tree on the ground and during that process I allowed the saw drop further than normal, without noticing. As the chain was slowing down it ticked my kneecap, and just above the knee. And luckily it was slow enough that I could patch it up myself. I'm sure the chain bit the loose jeans and pulled the saw to the knee and cut me. By the time I set the saw down, it was out of fuel. I was literally seconds seconds from the saw running out of fuel!! I'm going to hang those pants in the pole barn as my reminder to ALWAYS wear chaps from this point forward. I feel very lucky to have gotten off so easily. View attachment 627521

Thanks for the pics. OUCH is well an understatement.
Saved your image. Once house is built will print this and tape it to my tool board where reaching for the chain saw will be a visual reminder for me.
Can't thank you enough for that.
I do feel for your pain an injury because you described exactly how I've felt over the last two summers fatigued from cutting a total of about 80 hackberries. And yes the manly thing, just once more pass it's a small tree...lol...
For me the chain tip hit the stump/dirt but the kness was right there....whew....man....glad you are doing well.