How the General Public Uses Chainsaws

So, you really didn't need chaps, but chainmail or platemail in that case.

Chaps, like kevlar vests, do not stop stab wounds. Cops will shoot the man with the knife before the man with the gun for a reason.

Understood. Given how thick they are I didn't expect to get my leg stabbed that easily.

I have chaps that are always on when I cut. Just recently I bought a helmet with built in eye and hearing protection. Lowes has the 80 pack of foam ear plugs that I keep in my truck. I double up hearing protection when I cut. Always have steel toes on but they are not chain saw boots. As far as gloves, I am a slacker. I really need to get some good ones that are protective for chain saw use.

When I was younger I was in the woods with my dad and the saw came down on his leg and gave him a good gash. He is a dentist so we went to the house and he sewed his leg up. After that I have always thought about what could happen out in the woods without anyone around to help.

Whenever I go into the woods to cut or fell trees I let someone know where I am and always have a charged phone on my person, not in the truck. I also call and check in. After watching dad sew up his leg and several local farmers that were found under their tractors I try to use my head for more than just a hat rack.

Glad to see there are no injuries reported in the manly junk area!

You're a nice guy! If you didn't save his life you most likely save him a limb, and I don't mean tree limb. It was a teachable moment, I hope you took advantage of it.

FYI: I'm about to start working on a huge pile of stuff that needs bucked. I have a big 25" saw, with a brand new SHARP chain, it has no break, I have no gloves, no helmet, no ear protection, no chaps, this is my first time using a chainsaw, and I am a very weak and un-coordinated person.

Make sure to take a video for you tube.

Don't forget your ladder!

I pretty much wear it all,, had to for years doing line clearance, NYS DOT tree crew, and another independent Arborist outfit. One thing people tend to forget is to make sure you wrap your thumb around the top handle,, that tends to lock your hand onto the handle..things we were taught in safety classes.. I never cut with the bar lined up with my body, unless I was climbing and blocking down trunk wood,,, then you have no choice.. Knock on wood,,, no cuts for me in over 30 years around saws.

Guy told me some years ago,, his good friend -neighbor came over to help remove a good size limb off one of his trees by the driveway.. His neighbor did the ladder thing,, well as a large amount of limb weight was removed, the rest of the limb sprung up flipping the ladder back sending the guy to the ground were he laid dead in the guys driveway from a broken neck... homeowner felt terrible... Tie in with the proper gear!

Thank God, there isn't any dots around the groin.

Next time I saw, I'm breaking out the Speedo!

I would never argue the use of personal protection equipment (PPE), but sometimes common sense and good ole experience can trump the necessity of too much of it. I generally always wear ear protection, gloves and eye protection if I am using any sort of loud cutting equipment. I've been using my chainsaw for 30+ years and have yet to try on a pair of chaps. I will tell you that years ago I nicked my thigh once with the chainsaw, but again, that was due to lack of common sense on my part, I just wasn't focusing enough. I was just standing and looking at where I was going to make my next cut and let the spinning saw rest on my thigh. STUPID!
It's my personal choice not to wear chaps, not because I don't think they are a good idea, they are. But because I feel comfortable now that I can avoid making the same mistake, and I only cut a certain amount of wood every year so I'm willing to accept the low risk. If I was using my saw everyday, I'd probably change my mind.
I do make sure I wear ear and eye protection though, because there is simply no way to avoid the harm that loud equipment with flying bits of wood and sawdust does to your eyes and ears. That is where the common sense comes in.
Wearing chaps is like wearing a seat belt, is it smart to wear them? You bet! Do I always wear a seat belt? I usually do when I'm in my car (it's the law after all),,,,,,,, but I don't when I'm riding my motorcycle.

Disclaimer (Kids, don't try this at home)

You wait, there is someone out there dumb enough .....

I was looking for that earlier,, someone had emailed it the other day.. Caption said I know, no hearing protection or safety glasses.. good one! Good post!

Hey, I asked you guys to keep that picture of me private!@!

I see you have an X27, so do I.

However in terms of risk I would put that highest, followed by the splitter and then the chainsaw. Now I do not normally fell trees, if I did the tree would be first.

Helmets can certainly be useful, but not for bucking or splitting. Moving split wood maybe if there is more than one of you. I do not have chaps, but acknowledge there usefulness. I do have steel capped boots, my injuries so far have been bruises to lower legs from being banged by blocked wood. I need to get some shin guards.

I wear my hard hat when ever I run my saw plus I use the ear muffs for hearing protection.. A co-worker on a tree crew told me of a kick back that happened to him in which his helmet took the brunt of the bar coming back...he said if he had no helmet on,,, his ear would have been history.. I got to see the helmet,,, one lucky guy... the bar had hit the right front part of the helmet and ran down the side a bit, stopping short of his shoulder.

I use full chisel and have never had a noticeable kickback, certainly nothing like that, now my main saw is 50cc Makita and probably 30% down on sea level performance due to the altitude. I would have to be leaning over with a loose hold, using the tip of the bar by the look of it etc etc.

I googled kickback and the first photo was of a neck injury, so a helmet would be no use.

Ear muffs, well my chainsaw is not that noisy and I prefer to be more aware of what is happening around me. I also would not have it on full blast all the time, I do not mill.

bucking with no chaps and eye protection is just insane...the ear protection not there is just dumb. if felling with no head gear stupid. the lack of maintenance is just ignorant.

maybe that is what he was going for?!

Kevlar chaps WILL stop a chain saw...trust me, I owe my leg to kevlar chaps. way back when my neighbor lent me his, talked me into them, I got a pair and a week later was limbing and bucking and whooops, slipped off a limb and straight to where my femoral artery is, chaps probably saved my life and my leg for sure.

Well, I'll agree with two things combo said. One, I never wear hearing protection, a small chainsaw 18" is really not that loud. I drive a twin diesel boat, THAT is loud!

As for kickback, I hear and see it talked about all the time. I've been using a chainsaw since I was about 16, not professionally and not often, just a few times a year to either clear a tree from a storm, or to make firewood. And after all those years 30+, I have never experienced any kickback that was more than moving the saw blade 2 or 3 inches. So I always wonder what the fuss about it is. Maybe I'm just careful, or a wimpy cutter...? I don't know. I do take my time and am careful. But I always wonder why all the talk about kickback. Now I could name 3 or 4 other things that I do see happening easy, loss of balance, falling, loosing grip of saw, not paying attention..... Those are the things that worry me.

That was my first thought, if female a certainty.

Just had a Baileys flyer come through, chaps will be on my buy list, I have a while before I will be cutting next so will wait for their next free postage.

Looks like we will at last last get some snow.

So what is the special training they talk about? I must try and induce it next time, in a controlled small way of course.