Chain brake or no chain brake?

[stone69er]

My 61 doesnt have a chain brake,was passed down from my step dad(Richard,who now has a 350),this saw has seen a lot of use,and he hasnt had a problem,although he treated it with more respect than my mum.......touchy subject,gotta meet my Mum.
Any way a guy come into work and he works for a logging company,I was quizzing him about "stuff"(as you do),and got onto the 61(with out the chain brake),he basicly said too through the piece of into the rubbish...
Told this too Richard who just laughed.
Ive used this saw many times and treat it with the respect it deserves but am I rite in thinking that people are relying too heavily on saftey features than commen sence??

 

[limelakephoto]

I feel chain brakes are common sense ! Most people who buy a saw never take the time to read and understand the manuals fully. I first used a chainsaw when I was about 12. I am 33 now, I still look through my manuals often. Each time I do look in them, I find something in there that is common sense. The first saws I used had no chain brake and I was taught how to use them properly. All but two of my saws now have chain brakes and those two rarely see action. I see chain brakes as a lil' free "life n' limb" insurance. I really deep down believe that when a saw is purchased, at the least a short 10-15 minute briefing should be mandatory. Chain brakes alone are not enough ! But they certainly are a start ! And never let a chain brake give you a false sense of security.

 

[TimberMcPherson]

No chain brake, no brains.

Those brakes have saved alot of loggers and arborists and home handymen the loss of fingers, eyes, hands and lives. (not to mention pretty looks)

Not to mention the department of labour in NZ will fry you if you get caught operating one without a brake and even saw mitt now. Have an accident and your in a world of trouble.

Get a brake or a better saw

 

[jeeptj19992001]

so all the saw i have that never had chain breaks i should get rid or....i think NOT

 

[SkippyKtm]

You can buy a new aftermarket Chain brake for the 61 for about $65 (shipped) from Ebay:
http://tiny.cc/3fobR

 

[thomas72]

If the saw has a chain brake then that is good, but if it is a good older saw without one that is okay too. I have no problem running the older saws that never had them. Just treat it like any saw, if you are going to walk around with a saw cut it off. Do not operate a saw when you are fatigued. I have two Poulan 5200 saws one with a bow and the other with a 28" bar. Great running saws that will get the job done quick.

 

[BobL]

I wouldn't throw it away, but it wouldn't be the first saw I would pick on in a line up. I'd be looking at replacing it (hey - there's your excuse to buy another saw) and keep the 61 or get the aftermarket brake,

 

[GASoline71]

Only one saw I own has a chain brake. My 044. Lots of old saws have no chain brake... It matters not... when you know what you're doin'. Too many people get a false sense of security thinkin' that a chain brake is ALWAYS gonna save their a$$. Not so much...

Now then... would I work on a job now without a chain brake? No. For one it's against OSHA policy to use a saw in the woods without a functioning chain brake. But when I'm buckin' logs for my own personal use, and break out the old saws... I guess I'm just plain stupid, and have no brains...

Gary

 

[Brian S]

I wouldn't throw it away, but it wouldn't be the first saw I would pick on in a line up. I'd be looking at replacing it (hey - there's your excuse to buy another saw) and keep the 61 or get the aftermarket brake,

+100.

I usually only run the saws w/o brakes in a more or less controlled environment like shortening firewood or bucking a big log. If I'm in the brush and or/walking around in the woods I want a brake.

 

[stone69er]

Have absolutly no intention of getting rid of the 61,too much history and its a good bit of kit,maybe I have no brains either..:chainsawguy:

 

[spacemule]

Ive used this saw many times and treat it with the respect it deserves but am I rite in thinking that people are relying too heavily on saftey features than commen sence??

It's not that people rely on safety features to the detriment of "common sense," but rather, it's that common sense dictates that one use readily available safety features. If you think people are any less careful because they have chain brakes, you are a fool.

 

[SRT-Tech]

I feel chain brakes are common sense ! Most people who buy a saw never take the time to read and understand the manuals fully. I first used a chainsaw when I was about 12. I am 33 now, I still look through my manuals often. Each time I do look in them, I find something in there that is common sense. The first saws I used had no chain brake and I was taught how to use them properly. All but two of my saws now have chain brakes and those two rarely see action. I see chain brakes as a lil' free "life n' limb" insurance. I really deep down believe that when a saw is purchased, at the least a short 10-15 minute briefing should be mandatory. Chain brakes alone are not enough ! But they certainly are a start ! And never let a chain brake give you a false sense of security.

and that is the problem right there! WAAAAAAAY tooo many people buy a saw and expect the chain brake to cover their :jawdrop: if something happens.....

 

[TimberMcPherson]

Here in NZ its a no brains thing because operating a saw or selling a new saw without a brake is a big OSH fine magnet. They are now saying all saws have to have chainsaw mitts to. Im not scared to use a saw without a brake, but I do choose not to and dont like the kind of fines the OSH guys can hand out like candy.
Chainsaw brakes have saved lives and alot of hurt. They dont make the saw safe but they make them safer if the saw is used properly. Helmets, seatbelts, condoms, harnesses, airbags, steel toe boots, all all PITA items that we only appreciate if they save our butts or we suffer because we DIDNT have them.

If you cant afford saws newer than 20 years old that have brakes then thats fine, run them by all means, but running a saw with a broken or missing brake in this country is just asking to be hurt in the pocket or body. (or both when you have to fill out some ACC forms and find yourself in a whole new type of suffering)

 

[stone69er]

Didnt say that people are less carefull at all,just asked,seems like a very touchy subject too some people:bang:,
Maybe some people should get off their high horse,mule,donkey or whatever it is they choose too sit on.
Timber,well put,as you stated,Im sure OSH would have a field day,can they fine someone as a personal user(I think not?..),or is that more in the profesonal use?

 

[TimberMcPherson]

No but from my understanding they can effect the ACC process post accident. Get the brake fixed mate, its an easy preventative measure that is likely to pay itself off many times. I run pro saws every day, they have saved me a few times. Get some good saw use leasons to, from someone who had done a course in the last 10 years.

heres a pic of a young kiwi forester who didnt have a brake on his saw (not saying that was the reason he got hurt but it was a contributing factor)

where are you based?

 

[stone69er]

Kaiaopi and you.
Yeah chain brake for the 61 will be the winter project I think,cheers matey.

 

[pickwood]

Gary I gree with you= I only have one saw with a brake and after 6 years of using it I have never engaged the brake while cutting. What some of you guys dont realize is that many of us have used saws with no brakes for decades with no problems. Chain brakes have their place, but nothing replaces experience and skill. Most of the injuries that I have seen or heard of are cuts in the legs and chain brakes dont help in those situations.


:greenchainsaw:

 

[crane]

I have 32 saws in the stable....2 have chain brakes. You want to run a saw that has a brake...fine. You want to run without, that's fine too. You have to treat the machine with respect, whether it has a brake or not.
To hear howls from the peanut gallery that it is crimminal/stupid/immoral/ insert whatever here, to run without, is just ridiculous. Be responsible for your choice and know your limitations. A chain brake is not the be all end all of sawing safety. If it was, there would not be any old time woodsman around from the good ol' days before the safety nazis.
Just my humble view.....take it as you wish.

Drew

 

[spacemule]

Most of the injuries that I have seen or heard of are cuts in the legs and chain brakes dont help in those situations.


:greenchainsaw:

If it's a kickback cut, chain brakes help. Doesn't matter if it's an overhead kickback or an upcut underneath kickback. You have to remember that the brake is inertia operated, so any sudden lurch is going to activate it. There have been cases of people making an undercut and hitting metal in the tree they couldn't see. Chainbrake saved them. Technique would have made no difference whatsoever, aside from getting a powerful metal detector and using if before each cut.

Doesn't matter if you've been cutting decades without incident. Safety is about what happens in the unusual situation, not the usual one. Even if a brake only saves you in 1 out of a million cuts, once you strike that 1 in a million it's paid for itself. The fact that you may have made 999,999 cuts without incident makes no difference to your cut leg or neck.

 

[retired redneck]

I believe chain breaks have saved alot of home owners from bad cuts or death. chain breaks might be a pain in the a$$ for pros, but is a must for those just starting out.....