Chaps while cutting

[D8Chumley]

My curiosity has gotten to me. I wear chaps most of the time- say 75% for me but most people I know don't wear them at all. So, how often do you guys wear chaps while cutting? I didn't know how to word the choices so should I word them differently?

I know the answer should be every time, I'm making a commitment to myself to try and get to 100%

 

[BrotherBart]

I won't start a saw without them. Laying in the emergency room listening to two docs talk about their girl friends and golf games while they sewed up my left leg was all of the encouragement needed. For life.

 

[D8Chumley]

I hear that. I guess I should consider myself fortunate so far, and going forward I'm going to go that extra step and put them on. I have them so I might as well do the intelligent thing and wear them every time

 

[Old Red]

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.

 

[NateB]

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.

 

[heavy hammer]

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.

 

[D8Chumley]

Same here with wearing all PPE at work. If I was cutting at work I'd have to wear helmet with face shield also. We are 100% hard hats, gloves and eye protection, safety toe boots, class 3 vests also. I always wear gloves ear plugs and safety glasses/boots when cutting at home just not always chaps

 

[heavy hammer]

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.

 

[Sprinter]

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).

 

[BrotherBart]

When I whacked my leg I had just spent a couple of days bucking and lugging big oak rounds down in the woods. Standing straight up I lazily dragged the bar through a three inch ironwood that had been broken by the big oak when it fell. In a flash as the bar came out of the ironwood it fell on the bar. Which happened to have my leg right under it.

So fast you wouldn't believe it.

 

[Jon1270]

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.

 

[flyingcow]

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.

 

[maple1]

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.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

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

Same here!

 

[Bad LP]

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]

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

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

 

[DUMF]

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

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.

 

[D8Chumley]

Well I meant what's left of my hearing, but I guess this applies also lol. I hadn't thought of cutting with shorts and chaps, maybe because I try not to cut when it's that hot out However I will definitely keep that in mind. I did read that thread, and I'm sure I speak for the masses when I say I cringe when it comes to harming the twig and berries

 

[AmbDrvr253]

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

 

[peakbagger]

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.

 

[Wildo]

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.

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

 

[SCOTT S.]

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.

 

[Wildo]

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.

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

 

[Wildo]

$100~ beats X thousand in medical bills.

 

[D8Chumley]

Yes, hope the injury isn't too bad and he is on the mend