What PPE do you all use when running the saw?

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After seeing the face of a friend who took a kickback to his forehead, I now always wear a helmet, chaps, and use the bar tip protector for any job where it won't be a nuisance. This guy was a highly experienced landscaper who would wear all PPE at work, but took out the saw for a quick clean up job at home, no PPE, and bam! The ER said they don't treat many chansaw-to-the-head injuries, those mostly went straight to the basement (morgue). Gloves and steel toes too, my ears withstood prolonged concerts, jackhammers and gunshots with no damage, my occasional saw jobs won't hurt them much in comparison, but I do like using my bose noise cancelling headphones, partly for the extravagance, but mostly so I can hear when someone is calling me!

TE
 
I usually wear flip flops, a Hulkamania tank, and safety squinty eyes for good measure.
So your the guy I bought my first 1/2 cord of firewood from!!! Flip flops, tank top, buckin it up standing on/in the wood pile. The pecan wood was great! One of my first introductions to southern beach living.
 
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So I have given this some thought after reading through everyone’s comments and I am going to by some 3/8 low kick back chain. I have 3/8 lp low kickback on my 16” ryobi and I use that when ever possible. I was removing some Holley bushes and sticking the bar tip in between branches and what not, being careful, bore cutting to spearhead different stems and got along just fine with the safety chain.
There is a reason it’s the law that all saws come with low kickback chain.

Now I need a 28” loop. What do you recommend?
 
So I have given this some thought after reading through everyone’s comments and I am going to by some 3/8 low kick back chain. I have 3/8 lp low kickback on my 16” ryobi and I use that when ever possible. I was removing some Holley bushes and sticking the bar tip in between branches and what not, being careful, bore cutting to spearhead different stems and got along just fine with the safety chain.
There is a reason it’s the law that all saws come with low kickback chain.

Now I need a 28” loop. What do you recommend?

You should be able to find this on Amazon or Baileys. Ebay surprisingly has a lot of chain as well. I just search by gauge, pitch, and dl count.
 
You should be able to find this on Amazon or Baileys. Ebay surprisingly has a lot of chain as well. I just search by gauge, pitch, and dl count.
It’s harder to find than you might think. 28” and 0.063 are pro saw specs and most don’t seem to want low kickback chain. Oregon chain it’s 75V, Stihl looks like RS3 or RD3, I can’t find any in 0.063.
 
It’s harder to find than you might think. 28” and 0.063 are pro saw specs and most don’t seem to want low kickback chain. Oregon chain it’s 75V, Stihl looks like RS3 or RD3, I can’t find any in 0.063.
Indeed, I wasn't thinking about safety chain. I only use that on my tiny MS150, everything else is sans bumpers. My other saws came from the dealer with non safety chain and my ripping chain is not low kickback either.
 
I used to wear ear muffs and safety glasses, but the glasses always fogged up and I couldn't see. So now here's my attire. A good pair of leather boots, Stihl chaps, Stihl helmet with face shield, and a pair of gloves that have a rubbery palm on them that gives me a very good grip on the saw. Another thing I would stress as a safety item, is to take your time, you are not in a hot saw contest. If you are close to something watch the tip of your bar very closely. I was cutting today, and had a scare. I had my saw in my right hand, and was moving to make another cut. I was straddling the log, about 12" when it rolled, causing me to stumble and fall, with saw running, no brake. I let go of the saw and pulled my foot out from the log. From now on, my brake is on after every cut.
 
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I’ve been lurking on the background reading this forum for years and have felt compelled to reply to this thread. Maple1 mentioned actual chainsaw boots. The actual chainsaw rated boots have metatarsal protection, like chainsaw chaps do. I used to only use steel toe boots along with an increasing medley of safety gear as I’ve gotten older and wiser. 3 weeks ago I went out into my wood
Pile to do some processing. One thing led to another and now I’m wishing my steel toes boots were legit chainsaw boots with the aforementioned metatarsal protection. Saw went through a (small ) artery, metatarsal, and tendon. I had 1 surgery and may need another
To
Make the repairs, am on
Crutches for 8
Weeks minimum and will
Be off work for 3 months minimum. It was an incredibly careless, momentary lapse in judgement, that has turned out to be very costly. Most people who know me are very surprised to hear of my accident and comment that they can’t believe it was me
That hurt himself with a chainsaw. I use my saws, very regularly, and have been for years. Please consider actual chainsaw boots with ankle, Achilles, and metatarsal chain protection. Anyone want to see the pictures?! I don’t think the mods would appreciate that!
 
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Any suggestions for rubber boots with a steel 'met and toe protection? I have two pairs of Chippewa supper loggers, but neither have a met guard.
 
Any suggestions for rubber boots with a steel 'met and toe protection? I have two pairs of Chippewa supper loggers, but neither have a met guard.
Since my accident I’ve had some friends recommend Viking boots. I haven’t done any shopping or pulled a pair on yet but I sure plan on getting a pair of full featured chainsaw specific boot.
 
I’ve been lurking on the background reading this forum for years and have felt compelled to reply to this thread. Maple1 mentioned actual chainsaw boots. The actual chainsaw rated boots have metatarsal protection, like chainsaw chaps do. I used to only use steel toe boots along with an increasing medley of safety gear as I’ve gotten older and wiser. 3 weeks ago I went out into my wood
Pile to do some processing. One thing led to another and now I’m wishing my steel toes boots were legit chainsaw boots with the aforementioned metatarsal protection. Saw went through a (small ) artery, metatarsal, and tendon. I had 1 surgery and may need another
To
Make the repairs, am on
Crutches for 8
Weeks minimum and will
Be off work for 3 months minimum. It was an incredibly careless, momentary lapse in judgement, that has turned out to be very costly. Most people who know me are very surprised to hear of my accident and comment that they can’t believe it was me
That hurt himself with a chainsaw. I use my saws, very regularly, and have been for years. Please consider actual chainsaw boots with ankle, Achilles, and metatarsal chain protection. Anyone want to see the pictures?! I don’t think the mods would appreciate that!

I for one would "like" to see the pictures, if a mod will approve it. If not, can you send them to me directly? Not to be gory, but sometimes when you see what can happen it gives you a whole new respect for the machine.
A month or so ago, I felt it necessary to go talk to my neighbor about his young son being out while he was mowing the lawn. I prefaced the conversation, by telling him feel free to tell me to pound sand, but at least my conscious would be clear. My wife is a MD at a major trauma center. She has seen some gory stuff, but the one that sticks in her mind is one where a 4 year old boy ran out the house to surprise Grandpa who was mowing. Grandpa never saw him, and backed over him. My wife said the boys leg looked like hamburger, and it had to be amputated. Grandpa was so shaken up he had a heart attack, but did survive. Be careful out there folks.
 
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I for one would "like" to see the pictures, if a mod will approve it. If not, can you send them to me directly? Not to be gory, but sometimes when you see what can happen it gives you a whole new respect for the machine.
A month or so ago, I felt it necessary to go talk to my neighbor about his young son being out while he was mowing the lawn. I prefaced the conversation, by telling him feel free to tell me to pound sand, but at least my conscious would be clear. My wife is a MD at a major trauma center. She has seen some gory stuff, but the one that sticks in her mind is one where a 4 year old boy ran out the house to surprise Grandpa who was mowing. Grandpa never saw him, and backed over him. My wife said the boys leg looked like hamburger, and it had to be amputated. Grandpa was so shaken up he had a heart attack, but did survive. Be careful out there folks.
I’ll
Send em no problem! Just let
Me
Know how I can get
It to you. I’ve worked in the fire service for almost 16 years so it’s definitely not the worst injury I’ve seen, but definitely the worst I’ve suffered. Saw wasn’t going full speed, and I was only cutting off a small limb, with the top of the bar, when the round shifted kicking the bar back at me. It definitely could have been
Way worse.