imagineero
Addicted to ArboristSite
Just thought I'd put this one out there in case it stops someone else getting hurt.
About a month ago I was milling up some cypress pine for a client. I live in the blue mountains and people don't really like cutting down trees but this one had become a danger to her house and needed to be taken down. She was asking what could be done with it as an alternative to just throwing it away and I suggested maybe crappy firewood, rounds for the garden etc or could be turned into some slabs. I told her I didnt have a mill and would just cut the slabs freehand and she was delighted to have rustic looking slabs so we set a very modest price on top of the fairly steep felling charge and I agreed to mill up approximately the bottom 12' of the tree which was about 30".
Tree came down branch by branch over 2 days with all the branches being speedlined as it was smack in between a shed and a house with a powerline either side in a V. Had to chunk down the trunk after all branches were removed but was able to take the last 12' down in one piece.
few weeks later I came back to slab it up, had been sitting out on the footpath. I drew some lines on the trunk with tree chalk for 2" slabs, put my 36" bar on my 044 and set to it. The slabs came out straighter than I thought it would and took longer than I thought it would. I stopped after every slab to sharpen, refuel and re-oil. I wear pretty good safety gear when I'm running saws, usually ear plugs, ear muffs, hardhat and visor, boots and gloves but generally not chaps though I used to wear them when I did forestry work. I was on about the 4th slab and reached over the other side to wipe dust away from my line while the saw was running when someone screamed at me "HEY!!!!". It made me jump and my gloved hand ran across the bar running at WOT. The freshly sharpened chain went through the leather glove like it wasnt even there and cut my left hand middle finger right at the knuckle closest to the tip.
I immediately shut down the saw, grabbed the finger to stop the bleeding and shrugged off my helmet to find out what was going on. Turned out to be a german tourist looking for directions. They'd been trying to get my attention for a while and resorted to screaming which I couldn't hear with plugs, muffs and the saw until they were way too close. I don't think they even realised I'd cut myself and I told them where to go real fast.
Pulled out my first aid kit which is very comprehensive and went inside to assess the damage. It was bleeding quite a lot but I gave it a really good scrubbing with disinfectant and had a look. I could see the bone but it didnt look like the bone was cut. Half the nail was ripped off and the cuticle was hanging off the side attached to a flap. After scrubbing, scrubbing and scrubbing (best to get this over with before the pain sets in!) I dressed it with some antiseptic cream, jellonet and a bandage, took some ibu profen and paracetemol and went to the hospital with an ice pack to keep sweling and brusing down. They took an x ray that showed the bone wasnt cut and said there really wasnt anything they could do beyond what I'd already done but gave me some antibiotics to prevent infection.
Fast forward one month. I took a week of work (I'm a builder running my own small business) and then did light duties the next couple of weeks. This helped a lot as a knuckle opens up again real easy. I had the finger in a splint and did my own dressings. I have the dressings off now and am using the finger as normal but its still tender. The scarring is moderate and the nail kept growing. It never got infected.
Lessons learned? I don't know. This is my only chainsaw accident in 10+ years running saws, but I've witnessed a few bad ones in forestry. I've always been deliberate and conscious when operating saws and I think that helps. I really thought the gloves would have done more, they were extra heavy duty welders gloves with 3 layers of leather. Maybe they did help a bit but it seemed like they did nothing. Maybe without them I wouldn't have a finger now though, who knows? I was very glad to have a first aid kit on hand and a pre-thought out plan of how to treat a chainsaw injury. The doctor said that my thorough cleaning probably went a long way to giving me no infections and quick healing. I'm treating the screaming as a freak incident, though I guess it might help to put up a tape barricade when milling in a public area like a footpath.
Shaun
About a month ago I was milling up some cypress pine for a client. I live in the blue mountains and people don't really like cutting down trees but this one had become a danger to her house and needed to be taken down. She was asking what could be done with it as an alternative to just throwing it away and I suggested maybe crappy firewood, rounds for the garden etc or could be turned into some slabs. I told her I didnt have a mill and would just cut the slabs freehand and she was delighted to have rustic looking slabs so we set a very modest price on top of the fairly steep felling charge and I agreed to mill up approximately the bottom 12' of the tree which was about 30".
Tree came down branch by branch over 2 days with all the branches being speedlined as it was smack in between a shed and a house with a powerline either side in a V. Had to chunk down the trunk after all branches were removed but was able to take the last 12' down in one piece.
few weeks later I came back to slab it up, had been sitting out on the footpath. I drew some lines on the trunk with tree chalk for 2" slabs, put my 36" bar on my 044 and set to it. The slabs came out straighter than I thought it would and took longer than I thought it would. I stopped after every slab to sharpen, refuel and re-oil. I wear pretty good safety gear when I'm running saws, usually ear plugs, ear muffs, hardhat and visor, boots and gloves but generally not chaps though I used to wear them when I did forestry work. I was on about the 4th slab and reached over the other side to wipe dust away from my line while the saw was running when someone screamed at me "HEY!!!!". It made me jump and my gloved hand ran across the bar running at WOT. The freshly sharpened chain went through the leather glove like it wasnt even there and cut my left hand middle finger right at the knuckle closest to the tip.
I immediately shut down the saw, grabbed the finger to stop the bleeding and shrugged off my helmet to find out what was going on. Turned out to be a german tourist looking for directions. They'd been trying to get my attention for a while and resorted to screaming which I couldn't hear with plugs, muffs and the saw until they were way too close. I don't think they even realised I'd cut myself and I told them where to go real fast.
Pulled out my first aid kit which is very comprehensive and went inside to assess the damage. It was bleeding quite a lot but I gave it a really good scrubbing with disinfectant and had a look. I could see the bone but it didnt look like the bone was cut. Half the nail was ripped off and the cuticle was hanging off the side attached to a flap. After scrubbing, scrubbing and scrubbing (best to get this over with before the pain sets in!) I dressed it with some antiseptic cream, jellonet and a bandage, took some ibu profen and paracetemol and went to the hospital with an ice pack to keep sweling and brusing down. They took an x ray that showed the bone wasnt cut and said there really wasnt anything they could do beyond what I'd already done but gave me some antibiotics to prevent infection.
Fast forward one month. I took a week of work (I'm a builder running my own small business) and then did light duties the next couple of weeks. This helped a lot as a knuckle opens up again real easy. I had the finger in a splint and did my own dressings. I have the dressings off now and am using the finger as normal but its still tender. The scarring is moderate and the nail kept growing. It never got infected.
Lessons learned? I don't know. This is my only chainsaw accident in 10+ years running saws, but I've witnessed a few bad ones in forestry. I've always been deliberate and conscious when operating saws and I think that helps. I really thought the gloves would have done more, they were extra heavy duty welders gloves with 3 layers of leather. Maybe they did help a bit but it seemed like they did nothing. Maybe without them I wouldn't have a finger now though, who knows? I was very glad to have a first aid kit on hand and a pre-thought out plan of how to treat a chainsaw injury. The doctor said that my thorough cleaning probably went a long way to giving me no infections and quick healing. I'm treating the screaming as a freak incident, though I guess it might help to put up a tape barricade when milling in a public area like a footpath.
Shaun