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

Joe_W · Feb 21, 2002

It all boils down to what price do you put on your body parts. I enjoy all the parts I have and plan on keeping them as long as possible. I wear chaps, helmet (w/mesh face shield and ear muffs), safety glasses (prescription), gloves, and steel toed boots. If you add them all up, I will guarantee that the loss of any body part, or even damaging a body part will far exceed the cost of safety equipment.

You pays your money or you takes your chances.

Joe W.

beenthere · Feb 21, 2002

I can only speak from experience with my ol 1975 Farm Boss Stihl. It has idled perfectly (knock on wood) for 27+ years (meaning when I want it to idle!)/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. I do recall being interested in buying a smaller Stihl for limbing, and was told by my dealer that I would not get the rock solid, no fuss results from a smaller saw, and would have to be adjusting it more often. Maybe that is what is happening here, as the Husky saw should be a pretty solid saw. The puzzling thing is that the dealer 'doesn't know' how to fix it.

Bigfinn · Feb 21, 2002

Chaps are a must. The kind I use are extremely hot in summer as they are 9 layers of polyester (quickly snarls and stops chain) but worth the protection. I'll never forget what my dad told me when he was teaching me about using a chainsaw--"you can cut a leg off so quick you won't notice it until you are on the ground trying to figure out why you fell down".

frank_f15 · Feb 21, 2002

ONLY USE MY CHAIN SAW 1 OR 2 TIMES A YEAR. just to clear stuff that has fallen. but always use , eye protection, steel toe boots,and ear protection.i should use all types of safety gear but when i just fire it up to make one or two cuts i don't/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gifany body using a chain saw for only a few min. SHOULD load up with safety gear, but anybody using one for an extened time MUST make sure that they do.

Anonymous Poster · Feb 21, 2002

I will be honest, I use to wear none of these. Now the one thing I make sure I have is eye protection and often gloves. The biggest caution I have learned is to be alert, hold on to the saw like a rattlesnake and always know where your feet are and where they are going. The comment made about not sawing when tired or 100% goes a long way with me./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

glennmac · Feb 21, 2002

beenthere, I don't know if there is a connection, but I bought the saw from the local John Deere dealer. Maybe I should stop wearing my Kubota hat into his store...... He doesnt know much about the tractors he tries to sell either. He's probably too busy attending his state-wide price fixing meetings to learn about his products.......Egon, you are right! I probably don't have the right screwdriver. Then there is that weird little special chain saw tool which disappears immediately. The genius dealer first told me that the chain spun at idle because the chain was too tight or too loose, I forget which. He pointed to a little unmarked screw hole to adjust the chain. Well, I dont know what that screw hole does, but it doesnt do much to the chain. I found out you have to untighten the bolts on the thing just to loosen the chain (which seems to stretch or change lengths, magically and randomly, all the time). Then you need the weird tool to untighten the bolts. But the tool has been lost, of course. Back to the genius dealer who charges me $7.50 for another weird tool. Later, I see the same tool in the Baileys catalog for about $3.50. I also see the chainsaw, the hardhat and chaps much cheaper than what I paid the Deere dealer........ My conclusion is don't buy nontractor items from a Deere dealer. Everything is wildly overpriced........

Tom_Trees · Feb 21, 2002

OK, despite the name I use here, I don't slice & dice that much. If it's over 6" in diameter, I'll let someone else knock it down. I've got a little Sears (Poulan?) 14-inch I use on downed limbs and trees.

Having said that -- Goggles always; I wear eyeglasses, but the goggles keep the crap from coming in on the top and sides. Gloves (leather) not for saw protection, but for general hand protection from the rest of the environment. Ear protection -- always. And if it's only one or two cuts -- just the gloves and the goggles and the bowsaw. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

I've started wearing steel-toed boots (Wolverines) (the dress code at the office has loosened up quite a bit -- they're now my primary shoe). And I'm about to order the chaps and full-face screen with hardhat from Baileys after reading some of the other threads here.

You've only got one body, and current transplant technology leaves a LOT to be desired!

Tom

genelp · Feb 21, 2002

I always wear safety glasses when using the chainsaw and when using my woodworking equipment. I'll be honest and admit that I've had my saw for years and have never worn chaps even though I nicked my leg once. After reading everyone's posts I decided that chaps are on my shopping list. As for hearing protection I wear hearing aids and want to keep what little hearing I have left, so I wear hearing protection when using any kind of power equipment and wear double protection (plugs and muffs) when shooting. I cringe when I see someone use power equipment without hearing protection.

Gene

beenthere · Feb 22, 2002

Glenmac, I think (to try to quote Pogo) that you have met the enemy.

ewoss3 · Feb 22, 2002

Maybe I should stop wearing my Kubota hat into his store...... 
Glenmac wear that hat with pride, especially when facing the GREEN HERD

Turtleboy · Feb 22, 2002

Chaps--Always
Helmet with mesh face shield---Always
Ear protection---most of the time

The only time I don't wear ear protection is when someone else is with me. I usually flip up the side away from the chainsaw so I can hear them in the event they see something I don't and need to yell at me.

WHY...some may ask? Well, let me tell you.....I worked as an Firefighter/EMT for 8 years and you can not imagine some of the injuries that result from chainsaws. Not to mention PTO related injuries. The fire dept. was all about safety whenever we used any type of equipment including chainsaws. So it carried over into my personal life. Before the fire dept....never used any protection with saws.

I will admit, the first few times I put all this stuff on I thought "I look like some moron"....but then I thought, at least I'll able to get up the next day not to mention with all my arms, legs, eyes and hearing.

Chaps...$50,
Helmet with face shield and ear protection $50,
Gloves, $15,
Work Boots, $70
The ability to enjoy life in every aspect with your family.......priceless.

Tom_Trees · Feb 22, 2002

I will admit, the first few times I put all this stuff on I thought "I look like some moron"....but then I thought, at least I'll able to get up the next day not to mention with all my arms, legs, eyes and hearing.

Off-topic but related -- High School chemistry class, first lab. I put on my googles (mandated by the instructor - who got his glass eye because he didn't wear his in college). And then the rubber apron. And then the rubber gloves. Lots of strange looks from the rest of the class, with just the googles. Well - green rubber apron, yellow playtex gloves, and I'm 6 foot 4 and weigh about 155 at the time; I imagine it looked pretty wierd. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Three weeks later, half the kids are wearing gloves; the stuff we were working with wouldn't do worse than a second-degree burn, but it left discolored skin, stains, and blisters. And then one of the guys had a test-tube of acid backsplash onto his chest. No injury, but it totaled his rayon shirt. From the next lab on, everyone was wearing rubber or plastic aprons.

Looking wierd and being safe is ever so much better than looking macho and getting hurt.

Tom

Anonymous Poster · Feb 23, 2002

I wear the works - chaps, helmet with ear protection and drop down visor, and I try to at least wear steel toe boots. I bought a "farm boss" stihl chain saw recently, and have cutting up a lot of deadwood on a steep hillside. I think the most dangerous part of it is if you get a little tired out or winded and don't notice you're not as steady on the grade as you are fresh - never had an accident, but can see how they could happen - so be careful and get the chaps and helmet, chainsaws are unpredictable.

frank_f15 · Feb 23, 2002

AGREE: the first time i used a weedwacker(many, many,many years back) i did not have any eye protection on. a stone, wood chip, i really don't know came up and caught me on the side of the eye, did not really do any damage , but hurt like hell and scared the devil out of me. never fire up any power equipt. without at least eye protection.

Anonymous Poster · Mar 16, 2002

Thanks for this discussion...I'm getting ready to buy my first chainsaw...and frankly....only looked at the safety equipment. I may be a greenhorn, but after reading these posts, I guarantee that I will be a greenhorn in FULL SAFETY GEAR, without fail. Thanks again for educating and waking me up!

HILLBILLYMAN

mikim · Mar 16, 2002

I've owned and been a steady weekend user for 20 years. I nicked my knee once - a few stitches only - lucky - but now I wear at least the chaps and eye protection - should go the whole hog as stated by others -
mike

Anonymous Poster · Mar 31, 2002

Former USFS forester/wildland firefighter rated at Class C faller, meaning up to and including the largest redwoods/Port Orford cedar/Doug fir...

I wear ALL of it.. every time. I now live in the southern USA, and believe me, I lose a quart of water every day I wear it all, sawing in July or August.. even WITH hearing protection I have a small hearing loss in my right ear.

Bottom line? Wear it.. or have GREAT insurance for your widow and children. I've seen the cuts from saws.. usually big Stihls or the fast running Huskys... you'll bleed to death in minutes. The main thing to keep in mind, is that uncontrollable kickback rarely happens when you are falling a tree, or bucking it up for firewood.. but limbing, or cutting stumps below 14" makes up about 60% of kickback situations. I've dropped cedars 200 foot tall and ten foot in diamter, humboldt cut, with hydraulic jack pushing, and not a problem.

However, when I cut brush on my own place... I spend MORE time making sure what I am cutting, looking for what my bull bar (for brush) could hit, than I do, making all cuts to drop a 200' tree. Why? Because thats when accidents happen.

Another thing.. please please... have EVERYONE who might be watching, spectating, applauding, stand at LEAST 2 1/2 tree lengths away from the base of the tree you are falling. All it takes is one perfect cut.. and you hit a dead snag, it goes over and hits someone.

In the Yellowstone and Montana fires of 1988 (remember ?) there was ONE fatality. Dead snag came down on top of a guy..

Stay safe..

dmccarty · Apr 1, 2002

Gordon and KPP,

Lets talk kickback please.

If you have read any of my posts you know I'm very concerned with
safety, especially chainsaw safety. I have chaps, "steel" toed boots,
a helmet with ear and face protection and I wear eye protection as
well. I work alone as if it would really make a difference if I had an
accident with the chainsaw.

I have a Sthil 046 which is the third most "powerful" chainsaw that
Sthil makes. I mentioning what I use because it might have something
to do with my experiences....

I get kickback, had one or two this weekend, but its no big deal. So did
I REALLY have kickback or is it my imagination. Kickback, at least in my
mind has been this uncontrolable movement of the saw back into the
operator. Is it really uncontrolable? I was sawing up some trees that
had been blown down in the past huricanes. They were up to 24 inches
or so in size. As I was cutting, I had to make multiple cuts on the tree
to try to relieve pressure if you know what I'm saying. The trunk was
off the ground help up by the root ball and the end of the tree. So as
I would cut down the trunk the gap would pinch and I would have to use
wedges. A couple of times the tip of the bar would get pinched in the
gap and it would kick back out. I certainly was not running at full
throttle but it was not idling either. But controlling the saw was not
difficult.

Is kickback really uncontrollable? BTW, don't think I'm trying to
minimize kickback, I'm not. I just want to make sure that I know
what I'm seeing! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I always and I mean ALWAYS wear my safety gear. I don't care what
time of year it is, what the outside temps are, if you are working a
chainsaw you are going to sweat. So wear the gear. Better to loose
water than blood......

And if you are tired. Stop. The tree ain't going anywhere. I got my
bar pinched by a tree on Saturday. It was at the end of a long chainsaw,
maybe an hour to hour and a half. I think I was mentally gone and cut
just a bit to far and the saw was pinned. So stop if you are close to
being tired......

Later....
Dan McCarty