is there a way to "practice" kickback??

[Anthony_Va.]

I have to side with the "do not do it" guys on this.

Think about what you guys are saying! Telling this guy to take his saw out and practice intentional kickback! Good grief!

OP: Just get an axe and go to chopping on your foot if you want to get hurt. At least then you can control where and how much damage you do!

OP: Please do not practice kickback. Just be very careful with your saw and read all the info on this you can. You will experience kickback, but if you're being careful and are using a smaller saw with a safety chain like any beginner should be, then it won't be too bad hopefully. Then you will learn from it, like we all have.

Again, please don't do that!

 

[isaaccarlson]

the dogs can spear a leg too if you are not careful.....OUCH!!!

 

[J.W Younger]

I'm NOT going to practice anything that can damage me or my saw.

 

[CGC4200]

Push back

I thought back, probably had as much experience with push back as kick
back, most on larger saws in a binding situation. One of my "mates" (Aussie
definition), had a similar experience with another Poulan 4200 back then.
it pushed back and ruined a new pair of Carhart coveralls, we thought
chaps were something cowboys used, wished I had something like that
for briar busting in my beagle chasing rabbit hunting days.

 

[SawTroll]

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To each his own. I have "practiced" kickback dozens of times. I like to feel the exact circumstances for a bar/chain combo. I also watch for the inertia chainbrake to be activated. If you don't know you can handle it, then don't do it.


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All kick-backs I ever had were easy to "handle", but you never really know before it is too late, if you can't, I guess......

Then the brake and maybe more needs to be in order!

 

[hybridkarpower]

:agree2:

I rest my case :greenchainsaw:

One time may be all it takes to go from "practice" to severely injured or dead. There are simply too many variables for an untrained user to initiate such a potentially hazardous event.

If kickback could be controlled or played out exactly the same way each time I could see the benefit. I would liken it to a pilot using a flight simulator in order to train for emergencies in the sky.

The best way to train for kickback is to understand its causes and then avoid the types of activities that induce it. Follow the advice of others and look at the various videos that are available so you can see what occurs.

Remember to keep your work area free of debris, both feet on the ground, both hands firmly on the saw, do not cut above shoulder level, do not cut with the tip and avoid plunge cuts until your are experienced with the saw. Above all, wear PPE and if at all possible cut with an experienced saw operator who can provide guidance and tips and be there in case of an emergency.

 

[pgg]

There's a real nasty kickback to be wary of, holding the saw in close at waist/hip level with the bar directed straight outwards in front of you, hit the face of a tree trunk square on with the tip at revs and even if you've got a firm grip she'll whip back hard straight at your face, it happens unexpectedly as quick as lightning and it's a real shocker.

 

[SawTroll]

There's a real nasty kickback to be wary of, holding the saw in close at waist/hip level with the bar directed straight outwards in front of you, hit the face of a tree trunk square on with the tip at revs and even if you've got a firm grip she'll whip back hard straight at your face, it happens unexpectedly as quick as lightning and it's a real shocker.

Some use hard hats to protect against that, others to protect against falling debris from trees ("widow-makers") - but I am "stupid" enough to not use them at all!

The fact is that I actually know that I have no need for them!

 

[pgg]

True ST, that particular kickback gets the front brim of the hardhat but being aware and not placing yourself in that predicament in the first place definitely doesn't make you 'stupid'

 

[abby4000]

WOW....................THANK YOU all vey much for all the feedback. I will watch some you tube vids maybe instaed of trying it. I am the type of guy who likes to know everything about what I am doing, including the dangerous situations.

Again thank you all very much, you have helped me out......again

 

[slowp]

Now, to help keep from fighting the saw's tendency to kick back when boring into a log, wobble the bar a bit by wiggling your right wrist back and forth while boring in. Like you were turning a knob back and forth. It works, I don't know why.

 

[isaaccarlson]

If the chain is still turning when it hits the brim, it will shoot the helmet right off your head. No point wearing a helmet to protect against kickback IMO.

 

[jhellwig]

Read all the warnings.

http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/chain_brake.html

*WARNING: No chain brake eliminates all risk of kickback injury.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

WARNING
The occurrence called “kickback” can cause serious or fatal injury. Always read the instruction manual carefully before using your saw. STIHL uses a green and yellow color-coding system to help you select a powerhead, bar and chain combination that complies with the kickback requirements of ANSI Standard B175.1 (gasoline-powered saws) and §30 of UL 1662/ ANSI Standard B175.1 (electric chain saws). Ask your STIHL dealer about safe operating procedures and the advantages of the STIHL Quickstop® chain brake, STIHL secondary chain braking system (Q), STIHL reduced kickback bars and STIHL low-kickback saw chains.

STIHL recommends the use of green reduced kickback bars and green low kickback chains on all STIHL chain saws.

Stihl is telling you that all their technology isn't going to remove the risk. It only has the potential to lessen the damage.


If you are actually trying to make kickback occur you are going to get hurt. It isn't a matter of if it happens it is when. Cut with someone and understand good technique. That will be more helpful. If you are practicing how to deal with kickback that just means you are going to get complacent and run in that area more. Yes you need to know how to deal with it but actually doing it is just going to get you hurt.

If you step in front of a freight train you are going to get hurt or killed. Slowing the train down and practicing doesn't make you any less dead.

 

[Gypo Logger]

KB isn't something that happens deliberately, rather we react to one subconsciously after lots of experience by not freezing up and losing our cool.
John

 

[pgg]

If the chain is still turning when it hits the brim, it will shoot the helmet right off your head. No point wearing a helmet to protect against kickback IMO.

Well you don't really wear the helmet just because of kickback, but the helmet and visor still comes in bloody handy in keeping the chain at bay if the bar has attacked your head believe it

 

[bitzer]

Keeping a firm yet pliable grip on the handle will absorb some of the kickback shock. Your wrist and arm will absorb a lot of the shock instead of turning the momentum into rotational motion. Strangling the handle bar to the point of white knuckling gives the saw a great pivot point. Keep your tip out of places it doesn't need to be.

Also anyone that says longer bars kickback harder and faster doesn't know what they are talking about. Short bar= fast chain speed and less weight with much shorter rotational axis (less time to get from a to b). Long bar= slower chain speed, more weight and a much farther distance to travel. Put a 16" bar and 32" bar on a 660 and give it a try. See which one makes you #### your pants faster.

 

[sawbid]

Are chain brakes activated by the centrifugal force created by a KB or is it when the brake lever hits your wrist (or something else)? I know I have had a few saws that the brake was so tight, no amount of centrifugal force would "trip" them...anyone else?

Todd

 

[ZeroJunk]

I suppose giving someone who has never used a saw a high revving, lightweight, high horsepower saw and telling him to go trim the limbs off of a downed bushy oak tree is a little like giving a non shooter a 300 WBY Mag with the scope a little too far back and telling him to go shoot.

 

[Burvol]

I deal with almost several a week. Part of the job. Been sewn together in surgery from kick back. Read the manual, and be scared, lol.

Grab ahold of that saw and own the SOB.


Hey skip chain crowd: you are way more prone to them vs. us full comp guys. It's the truth. Comp is a hell of a lot less prone to kickbacks.

 

[Tzed250]

Grab ahold of that saw and own the SOB.

Words to live by...


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