Chaps while cutting

Forgot my chaps, hard hat/ear protection when I went to cut up some wood at a neighbors the other morning. I might have made four cuts when I put the saw back in the truck and drove home for them. I'm just not comfortable without wearing that stuff anymore.

Guy at work showed me his cell phone with a chunk missing out of it. The phone saved him from a trip to the ER. His solution was to always make sure the chain brake was on, when he is not cutting. I told him I wear chaps adjust the saw so the chain don't spin and use the chain brake. He said that's a good idea hopefully it will sink in, and he spends the rest of his life using chaps, and never find out if they work.

I don't wear them as much as I should. Which doesn't make sense because I won't ever run a saw without glasses hearing protection, gloves etc. We even have to wear them at work. Like said above should wear them every time. Had a buddy put his saw into his lower leg a few years back. He didn't loose it but it was bad.

Same here we have to wear the same when cutting at work. Not a bad thing makes you try to do it better when at home.

I finally got a pair of Labonville chaps at my Stihl dealer last week. Before that, I never used them. All the other PPE stuff, but not chaps. But now you can put me down for "always". There's just no reason not to. Most of my cutting has been easy and never really felt the need, but lately I'm into some gnarly, wet and brushy woods with poor footing, so I got these. But I realize that you can get into trouble even with easy cutting, so it will now be always. Certainly with the wife around LOL. (kidding).

I'm not as consistent about it as I probably should be. Anytime I'm going to be doing a lot of cutting I do put them on, but if it's just a few cuts I often bend the rule. I have some heavy canvas pants designed for tree work that I often wear instead, and I habitually roll my wrist over and set the chain brake whenever I'm about to walk with the running saw, even if I only need to go a step or two, but that wouldn't save me in a scenario like Bart just described.

I'm much more reliable about wearing my forestry helmet. I like my eyes and hearing, and it makes me very nervous to have nothing between my face and a potential kickback.

Many yrs ago, driving by and saw a friend clearing his yard. Grabbed the spare saw to help him. 10 minutes later, stitches and a small notch in my shin bone. Didn't realize it happened, until a couple of seconds after.

I wear them now.

I wear chain saw pants - but still voted.

Always, along with chain saw boots, and helmet.

Chain saw boots should be just as important as chaps/pants.

Old Red said:

I'm just not comfortable without wearing that stuff anymore.

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Same here!

Another byproduct of wearing them is they keep your jeans clean under the chaps. Great if you need to go into the house unless you don't mind leaving a trail of wood chips in your travels.

D8Chumley said:

X3 except the chaps, and I'm working on that. I do wear everything else. I already have tinnitus so I want to protect what I have left

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Check out the discussion on mushrooms and T's.
Labonville full wrap chaps have saved "what I have left" . Too hot ? Cut nude WITH chaps.....cool.

I do not use em as much as I would like to, but I want my twigs and berries to stay right where they are.......LOL

I use chaps about 99% of the time. Its a habit that takes a while to get used to. I am on my second pair and to date I haven't tagged either one. I started using the chainsaw helmet a bit later and it still can be a pain but the metal screen is so much better at stopping sawdust and it doesn't fog up. I have been thumped with few small dead branches over the years while felling and expect the damage may have been worse if I didn't have it on.

Bad LP said:

Another byproduct of wearing them is they keep your jeans clean under the chaps. Great if you need to go into the house unless you don't mind leaving a trail of wood chips in your travels.

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It helps but my pockets and creases are always full anyway.

I have a pair and they sit on a shelf it's just stupid I really need to start, my brother took a chunk out of his leg last week. Hopefully that will be all the incentive I need to pull my head out of my backside.

SCOTT S. said:

I have a pair and they sit on a shelf it's just stupid I really need to start, my brother took a chunk out of his leg last week. Hopefully that will be all the incentive I need to pull my head out of my backside.

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They are verrry cheap insurance. I love my labonville chaps. I hope your brother didn't get bit too badly.

$100~ beats X thousand in medical bills.