When do you use your chain brake?

[newguy18]

only for kick back prevention other than that I visit the dentist but heck I'm 19 i'm bullet proof right now.

 

[pgg]

A saw with a chainbrake and a saw without, that's two different animals, you know they'll both bite you given half a chance, but also you KNOW one has a bigger bite than the other

 

[RiverRat2]

One hand off,,, Brake on!!!!
more than two steps,, " " !!!!!

learned my lesson the hard way busting down tops,,,, Thank God I had my Chaps on,,,,l Will not cut on the ground without them and I do use the brake if moving or setting the saw down while it is running,,, other wise too easy just to apply the brake or kill and restart the saw,,, and yes I was hurrying to get finished,,,,

Getting complacent about the things we do all the time and lax behavior is what gets people hurt,,,

Wish I had taken pix to post of the saw with the strands of chap protective layer material hanging out of the chain and clutch cover,, I supposed I was too embarrassed for any of my Brothers to see my ignorance

as stated before but in my instance,,, " A magically springing limb" slapped saw while I was moving up the top for another cut after parting an adjacent, yet connected limb,,,,I was stepping out of the top, saw idling,,,, my leg hit the other undetected still sprung limb and it released and smacked the saw,,, I guess reflex jazzed the throttle not sure,,, it all happened so quickly,,,,

Here is the end result,,,

 

[newguy18]

RR2 you are a lucky son of a gun it could have been worse.Maybe I need to invest in chaps.

 

[KMB]

One hand off,,, Brake on!!!!
more than two steps,, " " !!!!!

learned my lesson the hard way busting down tops,,,, Thank God I had my Chaps on,,,,l Will not cut on the ground without them and I do use the brake if moving or setting the saw down while it is running,,, other wise too easy just to apply the brake or kill and restart the saw,,, and yes I was hurrying to get finished,,,,

Getting complacent about the things we do all the time and lax behavior is what gets people hurt,,,

Wish I had taken pix to post of the saw with the strands of chap protective layer material hanging out of the chain and clutch cover,, I supposed I was too embarrassed for any of my Brothers to see my ignorance

as stated before but in my instance,,, " A magically springing limb" slapped saw while I was moving up the top for another cut after parting an adjacent, yet connected limb,,,,I was stepping out of the top, saw idling,,,, my leg hit the other undetected still sprung limb and it released and smacked the saw,,, I guess reflex jazzed the throttle not sure,,, it all happened so quickly,,,,

Here is the end result,,,

A great reminder of why we NEED to wear chaps while cutting.

Kevin

 

[046]

check out Labonville's video of chainsaw into chaps at full throttle.
takes a bit to load...

http://www.labonville.com/videos/v2.htm

 

[KMB]

...I always thought the brake was only for emergency use, not a standard safety measure...

...and to use for starting, but I've learned something new today and I'll be trying to use it more...especially when I have the idling saw in my hands when moving through branches when cutting on tops.

Kevin

 

[johnb]

chain brake

Mostly when cutting with others, It shows good habits between cutts, and safety. We have all cutt with others that do not respect the razor sharp, rotating chrome filed, flesh grabbers that makes up a good saw chain!! So I will show respect for both of us!!! the Hoosier

 

[grawil]

Having spent the weekend cleaning up 3 large blow down trees on mossy/rocky ground with a saw that is suddenly tough to start, I have a new appreciation for the humble chain brake. Most of the weekend was: make one or two cuts, apply the brake, shift logs, take a step back to assess, step in and repeat. That and I know my wife (this weekend's helper) is always happier when I use the chain brake more frequently.

 

[badhabits]

Learned how to run a saw before brakes, but now I always set the break if I move with the saw. If I set it down I shut it off. This seems to work well even if it means starting often.

 

[RiverRat2]

While I was at the Arborist Expo.....

This Guy from Husqvarna is a certified Instuctor,,,He put on a clinic in safe tree felling/ saw handling,,,, and yes I attended,,,,, His very Instruction with regard to moving with a running saw ion a tree takedown , bucking, busting tops scenario was If you need to remove one hand from the saw,,, brake on,,,, If you take Two steps,,,, Apply the chain brake!!!! or kill the saw and resart it when you are in a safe position and ready to cut,,,,,,

Sorry about the quality of the photo,,,,

He had some really good thoughts on how to position yourself with regard to setting up your face cut that some of the stuff I was already doing,,,, More on that in another post,,,, just common sense things we sometimes take for granted,,,,

Funny how this all works

 

[snapperman]

usualy....usualy

95% of the saws I use are older 60s era saws so I really don't have the option of using the chain brake. However should I have to move something out of the way such as a branch, log, etc I prefer to put the saw down and usually turn it off.......usually being the magic word. If I'm not turning the saw off I try to place it as away from where I'm working.

 

[Tzed250]

Having spent the weekend cleaning up 3 large blow down trees on mossy/rocky ground with a saw that is suddenly tough to start, I have a new appreciation for the humble chain brake. Most of the weekend was: make one or two cuts, apply the brake, shift logs, take a step back to assess, step in and repeat. That and I know my wife (this weekend's helper) is always happier when I use the chain brake more frequently.

Working in blowdowns is always hairy...never know what kind of stress or strain the wood is under. Chainbrake is a close friend in this situation.

 

[TimberMcPherson]

Hmmmmm. Saws cost too much to be throwing. They aren't baseballs ya know..

Ian

Knee deep slash is soft and the saw only falls a foot and the 66 is about 1700 US dollars here (so we are VERY careful with them). Often we are working on steep hillsides to.
We tend to "throw" them because placing it down near you can cause them to roll against where your standing, full chisel chains, hot exhausts and bucking spikes can be nasty. because moving about in the stuff is so hard and tripping is common, its the most practical way of getting them clear.

 

[windthrown]

Knee deep slash is soft and the saw only falls a foot and the 66 is about 1700 US dollars here (so we are VERY careful with them). Often we are working on steep hillsides to.
We tend to "throw" them because placing it down near you can cause them to roll against where your standing, full chisel chains, hot exhausts and bucking spikes can be nasty. because moving about in the stuff is so hard and tripping is common, its the most practical way of getting them clear.

Reminds me of that scene in the movie, Sometimes a Great Notion. When everything goes to shyte, they all start throwing chainsaws left and right, even into the river. No hesitation. Just throw it away!

 

[046]

one important safety factor that rates right up there is.... setting your saw's idle correctly.

there's a number of posts from folks who got bit while their saw was idling. razor sharp chains don't have to be moving very fast to bite into soft flesh.

idle should be set just below clutch grabbing your chain.

guilty about not using my brakes.... going to make a solid effort to properly use my brakes.