Link to video

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chad said:
I hope it's okay to brag for a moment. This is a video of my husband cutting wood. He is totally blind and cuts and splits all of our firewood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=


Ah, notice you should be able to embed google or youtube video directly into the post - using the little formatting bar above:
 
I'll let eric comment on the personal protection - but it looks like he is putting his hand on the bar - my guess is that is a no-no.

There is probably a way he can do it by knowing where the handle is.....or clamping something to it.....

Pretty amazing he is "gittin 'er done".
 
He should at the very least put the chain break on before getting his hand any were near the chain with the saw running. What if something got into the clutch and it did not disengage? Be careful and enjoy the heat.
Don
 
that is very impressive. i have often wondered what i would still attempt if i were blind.

that aside, the safety aspect of it makes me really nervous to watch. especially putting his hand on the bar. cutting wood even being able to see is dangerous enough to begin with. like craig mentioned, i think with a little engenuity(sp?) something could be rigged onto the saw to make cutting a little safer for him if he does it a lot.
 
Thank you for your concern, guys. His Husqvarna comes with a parking brake that he engages when he sets it down. He is very good about using it. He doesn't get nervous when cutting chunks, just when felling. Part of the reason is because he is relying on me to give him information on direction and that kind of thing, and I'm not as intuitive as he is. My main concern is that he refuses to wear hearing protection, claiming that would be dangerous for communication purposes. His 455 Rancher makes too much noise for my taste. He is also an avid fisherman and bowhunter. We love this forum! (I didn't tell him I sent the video, I think he'd be really mad, he's very modest!)
 
It's amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it. I would recommend Kevlar chaps and gloves to protect him from getting hurt. I have the same saw and it's very powerful.
 
chad said:
Thank you for your concern, guys. His Husqvarna comes with a parking brake that he engages when he sets it down. He is very good about using it. He doesn't get nervous when cutting chunks, just when felling.

I get nervous felling, and I'm 20/20 with contacts. Although I might be less nervous if I didn't have to see my own sometimes sloppy technique...
 
That's great! My mother used to work at the local Sheltered Workshop back in the 50's, she used to tell us about the people she worked with there and what they could do, even though most people would say they should just be on the sidelines of life. Not much sympathy for whining about "can't do it" in our house! I can't imagine cutting, let alone felling trees if I couldn't see them.

Also, you can get the FRS radios, most will take a headset, or at least an earphone. I put mine under my muffs, can communicate better than without any protection. I also listen to my MP3 player. My wife will call my cellphone and wait for me to answer instead of trying to "flag me down" where I'm cutting. I have a friend who dropped a tree and killed a family member because he didn't see them trying to get his attention while he was felling the tree.
 
i would echo the thoughts about the hand on the bar, maybe with the saw off he could "get a feel for how far the bar is from the edge of the chainbreak or somthing and measure from there, chaps and kevlar gloves a must, and the last thing , no meaning to sound offensive with his disability , but the area he is cutting in is quite cluttered , and not seeing where he is putting his feet while holding the saw running in his hand was the biggest thing that would make me nervous. perhaps when he has to move his feet, he should set the saw down in case he steps on somthing an loses his footing. all in all though he was very deliberate with his movements which shows me that he is being very consious about what he is doing. i say good for him for overcoming and adapting. you should be proud, but remember you should also be there , cutting with a chainsaw should not be done alone even if the operator can see.
 
that is simply awesome but yeah, he has to watch out for his hand there..There must be some way for him to be able to measure his splits..They make an attachement for a chainsaw that measures the splits..It has alittle stopper on the end for the perfect length. He sould attach that to the saw and then make the measurement stopper larger and perminent..That way it would catch the end of the log and he would know to start sawing..
 
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