Chain brake - helpful or hinderance

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Modifiedmark
Joined
Dec 2, 2007
Messages
19,290
Location
NW Indiana
No, it's respect. Big difference. If you're afraid of something, you shouldn't be operating it.

Does a seat belt mean you're afraid of cars? No. Don't be an idiot.

Make up your mind, first you said common sense and appreciating your appendages.

Now you say its respect.

Your not sure are you, maybe your a idiot?
 
teatersroad

teatersroad

What's a henway?
Joined
Nov 22, 2009
Messages
2,276
Location
Central Oregon
agreed. can't think to know who's afeard here under fire though, cuz aint nobody under fire here. chainbrake or not? whatever. hardly #### hitting the fan.

put someone in the ####, cool headed or not?
 
ropensaddle

ropensaddle

Feel Lucky
Joined
Feb 12, 2007
Messages
22,259
Location
Hot Springs Arkansas
I have one without and six with I use the one with the most. However I wont tolerate the snappy people clickety click click click on my saws. My brake must work when it is designed to so basically wearing it out by clickety click click click is going to get you off my saws and dragging brush where your more qualified imho.
 
Justsaws

Justsaws

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Mar 3, 2006
Messages
4,825
Location
Zanesville Ohio
When I was a kid, I witnessed my father suffer a near fatal accident while cutting firewood. The saw kicked back, hitting him in the face, neck, and shoulder. The saw was an old Homelite with no chain brake. After that incident, he immediately went out and purchased a newer model that had a brake.

Even now, 25 years later, I'm scared to death to run a saw that doesn't have a brake. Call it being a puss, if you must; but I can't help but cringe every time I watch someone use an old saw with no brake.

That got me thinking: are there any other chainsaw folks out there who think that a chain brake is an absolute must? Personally, I would rank it's importance up there with the use of chaps and hearing protection.

You have a perspective that most on this site do not and a willingness to learn from your past which many cannot.

If I have a choice I will choose one with a two pivot point chain brake, decent anti-vibe, inboard clutch and a plastic gas tank.
 
Last edited:

MCW

Somebody's talking crap here & it ain't the tree!
Joined
Sep 10, 2008
Messages
13,351
Location
Riverland, South Australia
I'll say this. I've never ever set a chain brake off in the course of cutting, and in my eyes that's a fair bit of cutting over the years but WELL short of many people here. A lot of time was spent on smaller pruning saws in Almonds and since on larger saws. I do hit the brake though when climbing over downed trees etc with the saw still running.

People have mentioned about putting faith in a chain brake to save yourself. I put that in a simliar boat as a safety on a firearm. Just cutting cookies and keeping yourself in the right position basically guarantees full safety. When you're out felling trees however, or bucking etc you can't always position yourself where you want. I cut above head height all the time, not because I want to, but because I have to and have confidence in my abilities. If I saw my brother doing it I'd kick his arse. I'm not scared of a saw at all but wouldn't swing an old saw with no chainbrake around like I do my Huskys or Dolmars.

However...

Anybody that has used a saw a lot will realise that accidents can happen no matter how experienced you are. This can be from unseen loads on a tree (ie: chain can get pinched when not expecting it), unseen limbs etc near the bar tip, and the list goes on. The most common one I would suggest is simply fatigue or not keeping your mind on the job. If anybody can say that they can spend 8-10 hours running a saw non stop, day after day and have never made a mistake then they're either playing with themselves or a chainsaw god (or more likely a bullsh!t artist ;) ).

I'm sure all of us have thought at some stage "Sh!t, in hindsight I shouldn't have done that and today is my lucky day!", but got away with it...
 
ropensaddle

ropensaddle

Feel Lucky
Joined
Feb 12, 2007
Messages
22,259
Location
Hot Springs Arkansas
I'll say this. I've never ever set a chain brake off in the course of cutting, and in my eyes that's a fair bit of cutting over the years but WELL short of many people here. A lot of time was spent on smaller pruning saws in Almonds and since on larger saws. I do hit the brake though when climbing over downed trees etc with the saw still running.

People have mentioned about putting faith in a chain brake to save yourself. I put that in a simliar boat as a safety on a firearm. Just cutting cookies and keeping yourself in the right position basically guarantees full safety. When you're out felling trees however, or bucking etc you can't always position yourself where you want. I cut above head height all the time, not because I want to, but because I have to and have confidence in my abilities. If I saw my brother doing it I'd kick his arse. I'm not scared of a saw at all but wouldn't swing an old saw with no chainbrake around like I do my Huskys or Dolmars.

However...

Anybody that has used a saw a lot will realise that accidents can happen no matter how experienced you are. This can be from unseen loads on a tree (ie: chain can get pinched when not expecting it), unseen limbs etc near the bar tip, and the list goes on. The most common one I would suggest is simply fatigue or not keeping your mind on the job. If anybody can say that they can spend 8-10 hours running a saw non stop, day after day and have never made a mistake then they're either playing with themselves or a chainsaw god (or more likely a bullsh!t artist ;) ).

I'm sure all of us have thought at some stage "Sh!t, in hindsight I shouldn't have done that and today is my lucky day!", but got away with it...

Company I used to work for would hire these people that say they ran saws and some would be ok but many got their saw privilege taken away the first day by me. I agree with setting it when moving in thick brush but more often I just shut it off move and re-start I move where most of the cutting is! We had one guy that I never allowed to use a saw because he had the habit of resting it on his leg and tore two new sets of chaps up in two week=permanent brush dragger. Others thought the clickety noise was cool and I had to inform them the true purpose of the chain brake:dizzy:
 

MCW

Somebody's talking crap here & it ain't the tree!
Joined
Sep 10, 2008
Messages
13,351
Location
Riverland, South Australia
Company I used to work for would hire these people that say they ran saws and some would be ok but many got their saw privilege taken away the first day by me. I agree with setting it when moving in thick brush but more often I just shut it off move and re-start I move where most of the cutting is! We had one guy that I never allowed to use a saw because he had the habit of resting it on his leg and tore two new sets of chaps up in two week=permanent brush dragger. Others thought the clickety noise was cool and I had to inform them the true purpose of the chain brake:dizzy:

Yeah I agree. I've got a mate who snaps the brake on after nearly every cut even when the revs haven't dropped yet. I don't care if he does it with his old 029 but I won't let him touch mine doing that. One of the main reasons I use my brake is to make sure it works and to keep it working. They seem to get sticky with no use :)
I only hit the brake when moving over a few yards, any more than that I do what you do and turn the saw off.
It's funny how some people nearly kill themselves every day but manage to make it through to old age, generally covered in scars and with lingering aches and pains but never seem to have learnt any form of self preservation along the way :cheers:
 
ropensaddle

ropensaddle

Feel Lucky
Joined
Feb 12, 2007
Messages
22,259
Location
Hot Springs Arkansas
Yeah I agree. I've got a mate who snaps the brake on after nearly every cut even when the revs haven't dropped yet. I don't care if he does it with his old 029 but I won't let him touch mine doing that. One of the main reasons I use my brake is to make sure it works and to keep it working. They seem to get sticky with no use :)
I only hit the brake when moving over a few yards, any more than that I do what you do and turn the saw off.
It's funny how some people nearly kill themselves every day but manage to make it through to old age, generally covered in scars and with lingering aches and pains but never seem to have learnt any form of self preservation along the way :cheers:

Yeah lucky for me, I still have all three teeth:hmm3grin2orange:
 
Anthony_Va.

Anthony_Va.

XPW Fan Club
Joined
Apr 25, 2010
Messages
4,899
Location
Southwest Virginia
Man, it's just not smart to remove a chainbrake from a saw. If it did'nt come with one it's OK, but if it's there, and it works, why not leave it be. I see a few on here who act like they're above chainbrakes. If you're above the CB, you're above safelty IMO. If there's a chance that it could save your leg one day, then why would you not want that?

Some of these guys need to drop the "too cool for school" attitude. I don't click mine everytime I stop or move, but I do appreciate it being there. That don't make me a scardie cat, just shows respect for my saw IMO. If you don't know, these things can hurt you. Whether you're a "big man" or not.
 

Latest posts

Top