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Chain Saw Safety

R

robo hippy

Joined
Aug 14, 2007
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Location
Eugene, OR
The thread about face masks got me to thinking about chain saw safety equipment. Another area where I do not 'comply' with recognized safety precautions. I do wear safety glasses, and hearing protection, but that is it. No steel toed boots, no chaps (shorts 99% of the time), no face shield. I do not cut trees down, but do cut them up once they are on the ground. Most of the time it is cutting up logs in my yard for blanks, so rough terrain and things in the way isn't an issue. No off balance cuts.

How about the rest of you?

robo hippy
 
robo,

i do not cut trees down, do crosscut with chain saw, mainly i split with the grain to make blanks, i am doing better to have a more rounded blanks for hf, about 1/2 the time i do not wear face shield, no safety shoes, shorts if weather is fair, always where glasses

in the future i am more aware after reading the threads, i hope to change my ways, my excuse has always been, "i am only cutting one blank, 5 minutes", not a very good excuse
 
If I am just cutting up one or two pieces right before turning them then I just wear glasses. I normally turn in shorts and sandals. If I have a full day of using my chainsaw then I wear jeans, shoes, glasses and ear protection.

🙁 sorry if I haven't convinced you, looks like I need help as much as you.
 
Safety glasses and hearing protection always. I don't wear the leggings or boots. I cut trees down but I'm really leary of cutting trees that are downed by storms and have the root ball. Those scare me. I guess it's important to know your limitations and take the proper precautions.
 
Having been the excavation business for years I have seen my share of chain saw accidents. I have a friend that will show his scar, all 186 stitches of it. One fatality from downing trees.

Awareness is a big part of chain saw safety. Planning your cuts, positioning your feet, making sure the bar has some place to go if it kicks back other than your face. The newer chains and saws have anti-kickback designs that go along way toward improving operator safety even if they do cut a bit slower. I don't use a chain saw in sandels and shorts, if for no other reason then it's too messy.
 
Always eye and hearing protection - whether cutting down trees or sawing up some blanks. No steel toe boots as I've heard they can actually cause worse damage by have the chain ride across the steel and hit you higher up. Have thought about getting the helmet/face screen but haven't picked one up yet.
 
The tree with the root ball reminds me of a story another turner told. A logger went out by himself to cut up a tree that had fallen over, and didn't come back. They found him under the root ball. Apparently after cutting off the rest of the tree, the root ball tipped back upright, and pinned him under the tree. They could only see one hand sticking out.

robo hippy
 
I'm ratting myself out

I;'ve been cutting down trees,, firewood (5 cords a year) and cutting rounds for lathe work for about 1/2 a century..I wear sneakers and a pair of gloves..and a coat if it's cool. 😱
 
jack richington said:
I;'ve been cutting down trees,, firewood (5 cords a year) and cutting rounds for lathe work for about 1/2 a century..I wear sneakers and a pair of gloves..and a coat if it's cool. 😱
Click to expand...

Don't go quite that far, but I do believe some folks like to get way overboard on safety - usually to the point where there's so much 'safety' it gets dangerous. I like a good pair of hiking style boots instead of sneakers since the odd branch won't stick my ankle with them and I don't slip much. We've ticks, chiggers and poison ivy here and there also, so you'd seldom see me in shorts even in 90 degree summertime.
 
I wear safety glasses and hearing protection. I also wear steeltoed shoes. If cutting I always wear jeans even in 90 to 100 degree heat.
 
For 8-9 years now, I almost always wear a helmet with eye and ear protection - decided I'd had too many times getting specks in my eyes and got worried about the whistle in my ears after shutting the saw down.

Wear the chaps about 75% of the time when working in my driveway to trim blanks. If nothing else, it keeps the sawdust and oil off my jeans. However, whenever I go "out in the field" to collect bulk wood, the chaps are mandatory. I'd hate to slip or stumble on uneven terrain or wood piles without some leg protection. My chaps have a few miscellaneous snags in the fabric from contacting the chain - must have happened by just brushing against it.

I usually work alone and figure the <$100 spent on the helmet and chaps is good insurance.
 
Robo, you busted me too. In the woods I wear long pants just so I don't get all scratched up. I have a pair of safety glasses built around my prescription lenses, so that's covered, but I don't wear chaps or special boots. I use full-chisel chain too, which can be frisky if you're not used to it.
In the yard cutting up for blanks I'm as bad as you in the summer; might as well be at the beach.
Shameful, really.
Guilty as charged, your honor.
 
I remember reading a story in the paper years ago about some kids that were playing in the shade of a rootball from a tree that had been cut down a month or so before. Apparently it decided to right itself and crushed them both.
I've always wondered that if you put a winch cable over the top of the root ball and tensioned it so the it could not fall in the direction of the tree then you might be able to cut that part much safer. For now I just let the pro's handle that part and cut up the rest of the tree.
 
I get my wood from tree trimmers and such, so I'm not cutting down trees in the wild. I started out just wearing a face shield since I got tired of getting chips in my eyes (I also wear prescription safety glasses). The face shield didn't work well with my Peltor ear muffs, and it fogged up a lot, so I got one of the helmet/ear muff/mesh face shield contraptions. I like it a lot. Not too long after that, I bought a good pair of chainsaw chaps. I figured they were pretty inexpensive insurance. I still have vivid memories of seeing someone lay a running chainsaw diagonally across their thigh when I was a kid, and it was not pretty. (Neither was the scream he let out when it happened.) I've since learned that the chaps are also great for keeping the sawdust and oil off my jeans. Plus, they're real handy when I'm running the weedwhacker on the hillside in our back yard, which has to be kept clear for fire regulation compliance. Before the chaps, my jeans would end up green from all the vegetable matter getting sprayed by the weedwhacker.

This video is what sold me on the idea of chainsaw chaps:

http://www.labonville.com/videos/v2.htm

I'm not a safety freak, and probably do other things in the shop that would make others cringe (like no blade guard on my tablesaw), but I feel better gearing up before I use the chainsaw.
 
Helmet with ear protection and mesh screen. I have my prescription eyeglasses in a pair of safety glasses that I where always, and try as a habit to put them on as soon as I walk into the studio. Always long pants and boots (not steel toe).

When doing chain saw carving, I'm also wearing chaps.

I don't drop trees, but am often alone when cutting logs and blanks.
 
I always wear a helmet with face and ear protection, chaps, and boots.
One look at someone who has been bitten by a chain saw blade was enough to ensure safety was drilled into my head.
It really only takes a few minutes to put the gear on and perhaps gives you a little time to think about your next move with the saw in what ever your planned application is.
 
Helpers are a good but need discipline. But I always insist on one person cutting a stick.
operator only within 6 feet of the saw

I often get involved in club wood harvests.
Seeing half a dozen frenzied woodturners charge a tree is like a science fiction film that isn't going to have a happy ending.

In group events I frequently have to chase some helpful sole who wants to hold the wood I'm cutting. I can control the saw quite well but i want the option to move it.

working downed trees
requires particular attention. Many limbs are under tension. It isn't always 100% which way the tree might roll or what percentage of weight a particular limb is supporting. Bad choice can lead to injuries to yourself or the chainsaw.

I wear the stihl helmet that has a screen face shield and ear protection.
I also wear blue jeans, gloves and boots (no steel toe)
I am particularly cautious about footing conditions.


regards,
Al
 
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For EVERY cut, even one that takes only a few seconds, I put on the chaps, boots and helmet with eye and ear protection. I believe that my legs are worth more than one hundred dollars therefore the chaps are required. And that my eyes are worth more than sixty dollars and therefore the helmet...same for what remains of my hearing. That's my policy and I'm sticking to it

For what a chainsaw can do it has no equal and that goes for cutting wood or flesh. I've got a friend who cut his leg once, just once mind you, and spent 6 weeks in intensive care without any visitors allowed followed by another month during which visitors had to be masked and gowned and allowed only very brief visits. His follow up therapy took nearly a year. The cut took nearly an instant.

Imagine what that cost in time, money and discomfort.
 
I've been cutting tree's with a chain saw for 35 years to heat my home and now to turn. I don't use anything more than ear plugs and glasses. The one thing that was taught to me when I was 15 is to keep your eye's looking up at the top of the tree you are cutting. It was drilled into my head that people are killed every year by a dead limb fallens from a tree being cut. I have seen small limbs fall and sink into the ground 12" deep when they hit. Keep this in mind when you fall a tree. I worked with a lady that lost her husband when he was clearing a lot for their home. He cut a tree with vines in it. The vines pulled a dead tree down that killed him on impact. Always study a tree and use good judgment before you cut them down. Cut limbs off flush with trunk after fallen a tree as well. I didn't do this on a pine one morning that I was cutting out of my drive. When I cut a limb off down the trunk it rotated and a limb that was still sticking out hit me in my hair line and gave me a small cut that bleed a lot before I got a band aid on it.
Be Safe,
Jack
 
I just got a Husky 395... I've used it once so far. Before I use it again, I'm adding chaps to the safety gear. Not that I am any more reckless, it's just that the saw is heavier and the 36 inch bar is a bit unwieldy.
I already have eye protection (which I try to remember to wear) AND the chainsaw helmet with hearing protection and screen (which I use ALMOST Religiously) and high top boots - no steel toe. Jeans, even in summer.
It's not that I'm a sissy or anything, I REALLY don't like pain! Besides, I figure turning time is longer if there is no recovery time.

When I "couldn't afford the safety stuff," I did without it, not considering how much more an injury could cost than the price of safety... I got REALLY lucky.
 

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Boy do I love a day in the woods with my chainsaw. I once told my wife I could spend our vacation in the woods with a chainsaw and enough gas/oil to last a week. That did not go over real well. Almost as dangerous as cutting wood without any protection.

When I was a kid we heated the house with firewood. My father and I would cut the wood - about 5 cords a year. The only protection we ever wore were gloves. I have learned since then.

Always use eye protection, and ear protection, usually gloves and good shoes/boots. I found the helmet with ear and eye protection to be a good thing. Be careful of your footing before making a cut. I like to wear coveralls while woodcutting. Keeps me cleaner and the sawdust stays out of my clothes.

I know I shouldn't, but I like to cut wood alone. I agree that if anyone is there, you have to train them to stay away from the cutting. Everyone wants to help, but I do not think it is safe to have them close. Too easy for me to turn around with a chainsaw in my hand and ..... I guess the best for me is to have my wife come along and sit in the truck and read while I cut wood. That way she can hear me if I yell.

Hugh
 
Hugh said:
Boy do I love a day in the woods with my chainsaw. I once told my wife I could spend our vacation in the woods with a chainsaw and enough gas/oil to last a week. That did not go over real well. Almost as dangerous as cutting wood without any protection.

When I was a kid we heated the house with firewood. My father and I would cut the wood - about 5 cords a year. The only protection we ever wore were gloves. I have learned since then.

Always use eye protection, and ear protection, usually gloves and good shoes/boots. I found the helmet with ear and eye protection to be a good thing. Be careful of your footing before making a cut. I like to wear coveralls while woodcutting. Keeps me cleaner and the sawdust stays out of my clothes.

I know I shouldn't, but I like to cut wood alone. I agree that if anyone is there, you have to train them to stay away from the cutting. Everyone wants to help, but I do not think it is safe to have them close. Too easy for me to turn around with a chainsaw in my hand and ..... I guess the best for me is to have my wife come along and sit in the truck and read while I cut wood. That way she can hear me if I yell.

Hugh
Click to expand...

if you can yell that is, I were using a weed wracker and stop to move to another section when I saw a 6 " burn on my calf ,I did not feel the cord when it hit me, how often do power tools cut the people that are using them and the user do not feel the cut ? that is why I recommend that someone are standing close to the worker to spot trouble
 
john lucas said:
I remember reading a story in the paper years ago about some kids that were playing in the shade of a rootball from a tree that had been cut down a month or so before. Apparently it decided to right itself and crushed them both.
I've always wondered that if you put a winch cable over the top of the root ball and tensioned it so the it could not fall in the direction of the tree then you might be able to cut that part much safer. For now I just let the pro's handle that part and cut up the rest of the tree.
Click to expand...

Although I spent a few years on a farm that burned wood for heat, my first big-time experience with a chain saw came when I volunteered to clear some 8 or so miles of walking trails of blown down trees after a hurricane hit a retreat center in southern MD many years ago (when I was young and not very intelligent!). Someone certainly was looking out for me as I learned about root balls on the first tree I started cutting. At least I was only trying to make a 10" or so path instead of cutting up the whole tree. If you can imagine a 50' or so tall hardwood laying across the middle of a path about in it's middle - I started trying to cut the top side and was then going to cut the lower side, and then roll the middle off to the side of the trail. When I made it through the top side, about 20' or so of this thing snapped back to almost vertical all by itself. There was enough trunk that it didn't do it really quickly, but it certainly taught me a lesson!
 
Walt , when we are trimming a felled tree with the roots still attached do you recommended that we cut a big Vee close to the roots from the top side until the cut in about 75 % finish and then finish cutting from the bottom side
 
Risk....to cut wood alone or having someone watch or be close? I think we all have risk factors built in. We all feel a certain amount of comfort or capabilities with some activities. So we do them. Is it always a good idea. Most likely not. But we get away with the activity for X number of times. The problem I find is convincening my wife the activity is OK for me to do. Someday a Mack truck is going to get me when I cross the street. The Mack truck may be a large oak tree or ? Hopefully I go with my boots on doing something that I enjoy. And hopefully it is when I am ninety or so. 😀😀

Hugh
 
watch the small stuff also

I was clearing some greenbriar in the path of a fairly large oak that had died, and was using my Huskqvarna 359 with a 20" bar, and had the thing slip and hit me across the thigh. A truly scary moment! I let out a big yelp, for sure, but thankfully, my new pair of heavy denim jeans took the most of the cut, and I was only scratched a little on the skin. Lost a new pair of jeans though, and have been thankful to loose them many a time I have thought about the incident.

chaps are indeed a great safety item! I am an experienced saw user, and have always had experienced help with me. the guy I cut wood with used to work for a logging company, and is a whiz with a chainsaw, and at felling trees. He tells me everytime we go out almost to watch out for those "widow makers," the dead limbs that kill cutters. He really pays a lot of attention to the way the tree is leaning, where he wants it to fall, and bucking limbs in a way that keeps the tree from binding on the chain. All required to be safe!
 
tips

I have had the same experience with a tree standing back up...a hickory blown down in a windstorm. As I cut the trunk into sections, the tree began to creak and snap...then instantly stood back up! I had been sitting on the tree moments before having my lunch. Some safety tips...Always keep your elbow locked, and your thumb rolled under the handle...a bent arm cannot help during a kickback. Always start the saw on the ground. Never sight down the bar while cutting. I wear safety equipment when I cut on DOT property...I have permission to cut but must wear gear as a requirement.
 
Like others have mentioned, you can't be too careful with a chainsaw. I do harvest my own trees from time to time, when the opportunity arises, and use felling wedges almost always. I have a Husqvarna 394XP with 20, 32, and 42" bars, a Stihl 361, and a Stihl 024. The big saw gets used the most, and when using it I wear chaps 99% of the time, but have come to feel "naked" without them. I cut by myself most of the time, and feel safer with them, as hot and bulky as some people complain they are. Eye protection, earplugs AND headphones are a must for me at all times. I double up on hearing protection as a rule. While a lot of accident injuries are fixable, hearing damage is forever.
 
I use a Husky 455 most of the time and an Echo 330t arborist saw every so often. I find the 12" Echo more dangerous than the 20" Husky because of the temptation to use it one handed. As most of you, I wear eye and ear protection, but am considering chaps primarily because I am feeling the luck waning the more I cut. Taking your time, not cutting when tired, and paying attention are the best safety tips I have.
 
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