6 SECONDS with a new MS-361 (graphic)

[kevin j]

I have a 280 with the second brake interlock on the rear handle.
wasn't looking for it as a feature, but it was on the one they had in stock. Now I really like it. several times have been glad for it. no etxra effort to use, very little weight difference.
Only down side is since I don't use that saw very often, it is confusing to sharpen: set brake, file, release brake move chain. what, chain won't move, yes brake is off, then remember the second interlock.

Can't keep adding features to prevent every conceivable accident, but would have been good here.

tks for the constant reminder of things we take for granted. safety first.

 

[showrguy]

well, it goes like this.

His familiarity with chainsaws up to this point was with models that don't require you to lock the throttle wide open at start-up and then (per manual) quickly blip the throttle to disengage. His career revolves using power tools every day and has been buckin and burning for the last umteen years

I believe in the theory that accidents like this occur due to a series of events that lead up to the critical moment.

He had just arrived back home..it was lunchtime and he wanted to fire it up on his back porch..he had no intention of using it at the time. The dealer never gave him any kind of hands on demonstration to ensure he knew the obvious startup danger. His previous saws didnt even have a chain brake and none of them would ever turn the blade unless HE applied a generous throttle. I think that alone was a contributing factor. It could also be the testosterone/ego thing.."yeah I know how to use a chainsaw"

It could also be something wrong with the saw..I did note that even with the chainbrake disengaged..you can barely (and I mean with due force) get the chain to move on the bar, so improper set up could be a contributing factor as well .

One thing to note,,when I purchased mine from another dealer and mentioned his story.. We discussed the necessity of a purchaser "sign-off" kind of sheet..it turns out that Stihl DOES have a recomended procedure that he didnt even know existed in his dealership book. It became a new delivery protocol right then and there.

Oh..ended up that he DID nick his artery and with no one around ( he went to neighbors first) he realized he had to keep his cool, tie up his arm and drive himself to the hospital...ambulance service to his remote area is 20 minutes minimum and driving there himself was only 8 mins.

Expecting his first child in 2 months..somebody is watching out for him..

welcome to the site BC3....

i gotta say though, this post bothers me....
the way i read it, it implies that the dealer or the saw munufacturer is somehow at fault ???? nothing could be further from the trueth !!!!

same scenario as----- if i sell cars, you stop at my lot and buy one, you go and wreck it, then wanna blame me cause i did'nt show you how to "properly" use it !!!!

this day and age we got too many people doing stupid things and wanting to sue/blame someone else......... and there's always a dirtbag lawyer there just happy to accept the case !!!!!

sorry if i'm missunderstanding but that's what it sounds like to me...

 

[BC3]

I don't think that his intent is to "sue everyone".

At the same time, anytime someone gets hurt, there is an obligation to find out exactly what happened. He is willing to take responsibility but still needs to make sure there isnt something wrong with the machine itself - be it with a chain brake. carb or dealer prep. etc. That 6 seconds is all that he has had with it. This still remains to be seen.

I also know that he feels that if someone else can learn from his situation then all of us gain. As I mentioned in an earlier post..if you come from a Craftsman type saw (where throttle isnt locked WFO at start-up) - it would catch you by surprise. Heck, I was expecting it on mine and it still startled me the first time it happened.

My thoughts would be ..as a dealer, that I would want my customer to walk out of the store only after a hands on experience and verification of delivery. At least at that point I would have piece of mind that I did the best I could.

Like I said though..in an ego laiden society...there are those that would refuse any kind of help. I dont know if I would diminish it to its lowest level, but even when you take delivery of a car, a boat, a snowmobille etc, there are usually delivery methods to make sure the customer knows a little bit more than what he walked in with. bc3

 

[Zombiechopper]

I don't think that his intent is to "sue everyone".

At the same time, anytime someone gets hurt, there is an obligation to find out exactly what happened. He is willing to take responsibility but still needs to make sure there isnt something wrong with the machine itself - be it with a chain brake. carb or dealer prep. etc. That 6 seconds is all that he has had with it. This still remains to be seen.

I also know that he feels that if someone else can learn from his situation then all of us gain. As I mentioned in an earlier post..if you come from a Craftsman type saw (where throttle isnt locked WFO at start-up) - it would catch you by surprise. Heck, I was expecting it on mine and it still startled me the first time it happened.

My thoughts would be ..as a dealer, that I would want my customer to walk out of the store only after a hands on experience and verification of delivery. At least at that point I would have piece of mind that I did the best I could.

Like I said though..in an ego laiden society...there are those that would refuse any kind of help. I dont know if I would diminish it to its lowest level, but even when you take delivery of a car, a boat, a snowmobille etc, there are usually delivery methods to make sure the customer knows a little bit more than what he walked in with. bc3

The whole accident could have been prevented if he would have read the manual. It is a very unfortunate accident, and I truly hope he has a full and speedy recovery; but this is not the fault of the dealer or manufacturer. At some point there needs to be some ownership of why it happened instead of looking for reasons.

 

[whitemountain]

welcome to the site BC3....

i gotta say though, this post bothers me....
the way i read it, it implies that the dealer or the saw munufacturer is somehow at fault ???? nothing could be further from the trueth !!!!

same scenario as----- if i sell cars, you stop at my lot and buy one, you go and wreck it, then wanna blame me cause i did'nt show you how to "properly" use it !!!!

this day and age we got too many people doing stupid things and wanting to sue/blame someone else......... and there's always a dirtbag lawyer there just happy to accept the case !!!!!

sorry if i'm missunderstanding but that's what it sounds like to me...

Don't let this post bother you, let it be a learning experience.

Fact: We live in a litigous society
Fact: People, dealers and operators included get in a hurry to do things occasionally
Fact: Nearly all mishaps can be prevented

If you are a dealer take the extra seconds required to awnswer a buyers questions. If you are a saw user be aware that bad things can and do happen very quickly and we can minimize our exposure to accidents. By learning from others mistakes and taking precautions we can avoid something like this happening to ourselves.

BC3 best of luck to your friend as he recovers and thanks for sharing.

 

[MR4WD]

That's not that bad. It looks like it just grazed him, really. I mean given the fact that I can do that to a tree with a quick blip of the throttle...

Like I've said before, my neighbor cut his leg off with a poulan!

 

[dancan]

If you are a saw user be aware that bad things can and do happen very quickly and we can minimize our exposure to accidents. By learning from others mistakes and taking precautions we can avoid something like this happening to ourselves.

Important words (RTFM does come to mind) .

Hope your friend recovers quickly , thanks for the post and sobering reminder .

 

[woodguy105]

WTF! That gives me the willies....

Hope your friend gets full mobility, feeling etc. back.

 

[BarkBuster20]

That's not that bad. It looks like it just grazed him, really. I mean given the fact that I can do that to a tree with a quick blip of the throttle...

Like I've said before, my neighbor cut his leg off with a poulan!

hope this is a joke, if not...wtf are you talking about looked serious to me. and how the hell did your neighbor take his whole leg off with the saw? sounds interesting...will you add to the story.

 

[motoroilmccall]

If that ain't a picture that needs to go on the Armchaps website I don't know what is...

Just supporting a sponsor...

 

[garmar]

This is going to sound gruesome, but I think threads like this are very valuable reminders to how dangerous the tools we can just pick up off a store shelf can be. I've been a cabinetmaker for nearly twenty years and have worked with many woodworkers missing digits and sporting scars on their abdomens from kickbacks. Fortunately I have all my fingers; although I did clip my thumb once when I was green.

The doctor that delivered my son was missing a thumb from the first cut with a new miter saw from Home Depot. He says he boxed it back up and gave to his nephew.

The only thing I can think of is graphic depictions of accidents included with the operating instructions (this is what this machine can do to you) and required instruction before buying chainsaws and other dangerous tools.

I never see that happening even though a lot of weekend DIYers get messed up.

 

[zeke573]

That is pretty gruesome to me. Hard to look at. Certainly a serious reminder of how dangerous chainsaws can be. I'm going to look into some better safety gear.

 

[PetrolHead]

That's not that bad. It looks like it just grazed him, really. I mean given the fact that I can do that to a tree with a quick blip of the throttle...

Like I've said before, my neighbor cut his leg off with a poulan!

"Grazed himself" sounds like a quote from Monty Python. I hope your not going to tell us that your neighbor drove himself to the hospital?

 

[purdyite]

Bad, bad, bad...funny how it instantly brings to mind the limitations of the human against the machine, but we start out thinking we are smarter/tougher/better than the machine. The machine don't care. Thanks for sharing, the nature of it should make a point in my safety program. Prayers for your friend and others it has affected.

 

[MR4WD]

hope this is a joke, if not...wtf are you talking about looked serious to me. and how the hell did your neighbor take his whole leg off with the saw? sounds interesting...will you add to the story.

Maybe I should rephrase. Sure, it's a bad gash but it's no where near as bad as it could have been. A really deep skin cut is better than cutting through bones and the like.

Neighbor climbed a ladder and was one handing with a saw above his head. I'm pretty sure it was the first time he used a saw as well. Anyways, the nose of the bar kicked back, throwing him off the ladder with his hand still reving the engine... He actually landed on the saw at full throttle. Cutting his leg off.

 

[showrguy]

yikes, that makes the knees weak just reading that...

did he blame the dealer or the saw maker ???

 

[BarkBuster20]

Maybe I should rephrase. Sure, it's a bad gash but it's no where near as bad as it could have been. A really deep skin cut is better than cutting through bones and the like.

Neighbor climbed a ladder and was one handing with a saw above his head. I'm pretty sure it was the first time he used a saw as well. Anyways, the nose of the bar kicked back, throwing him off the ladder with his hand still reving the engine... He actually landed on the saw at full throttle. Cutting his leg off.

lol...wow

 

[Dan'l Boone]

These threads help keep me on my toes as a 361 owner who could probably get by with less.

Dedicated owners manual reader also - my wife thinks it's funny but I wanna know what the manufacturer says. The dealer gave me very little instruction, but then again, I didn't push it.

Hoping your buddy a quick recovery.

 

[gemniii]

**** happens when your not careful. Darwinism at it's best.
When I was about 7 (1958) I went thru a glass (pre safety) porch door and cut my right arm on the inside from wrist to almost elbow. I missed the major Ulnar artery by less than an inch, bled like a stuck long pig. Still have the scar, both in my mind and visible on my arm, 51 years later. The cut in the first pic vividly reminds me of what the inside of my arm looked like.
Dumb-a$$ me - about 12 years later I tried to unclog a running snowblower, my hand got yanked in and separated my left middle finger bone.
Blood on snow is impressive.
I'm adding HD steel toe boots and gloves w/ gauntlets to my PPE list.
A visit to the Emergency room costs me $100 (I've done 4 this year for family members). PPE is cheaper.

I hope all of you with injuries get better.

 

[peckerwood]

That's a pretty good laceration. Like derwoodii said, dang close to some important plumbing (radial artery). The only good thing is that the chain was new and probably not to contaminated with bacteria laden dirt and crap.