6 SECONDS with a new MS-361 (graphic)

so what a way to introduce myself....

NO it is not my arm..but it is a lesson learned by a friend of mine who picked his new saw up and decided to familiarize himself with it in the worst possible way. It happened on 6/16 and he is still only about 80%.

I believe in small miracles everyday...and small accidents could easily turn into huge problems.

Long story short is that the saw pulled him into the blade as he pulled the scabbard off. According to him, it completely felt as if it were in idle and therefore thought the machine was inop with brake. Turns out that the blade was being held back by the sheath and when he moved it..motor revved up and took off. Hasnt started it back up yet..has to have it inspected by a third party to see if something is wrong. He normally wouldnt start with the scabbard on..but that realized moment has put him out of work for 2 months. Not a newbie to saws...just this one.

I ended up buying a new 361-cq to help out in the meantime. Not a bad saw and I can honestly say that the new feature isnt a bad thing..dont even notice it's there as i am overly cautious.

so now I am here gaining info...good site! Bc3

Wow... I guess he's lucky that he didn't cut that tendon/ligament that is laying so nicely out in the open now.

Ian

wow!!!!

I never thought of anyone starting up a saw with the scabbard on..

I just lost my appetite. Man that sucks. Hope hes going to recover 100% Welcom to AS also,what a way to introduce ourself.:jawdrop:

Your friend is a lucky man to still be here with you!!!

Just a little deeper and.....or just a little further from medical attention and....

southbound said:

wow!!!!

I never thought of anyone starting up a saw with the scabbard on..

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Right - sorry to say it, but it sounds like he sort of asked for it....:monkey::monkey:

Just a bit graphic, yes. Welcome aboard.

Welcome.
I have that too, from a 266, almost got it in the throat, better across my arm. Took the doc and nurse a couple of hours to cut and trim and stitch inside and out. Not a lot of fun, but it could have been worse.

Man that's bad, Sorry for you're friend. he's lucky to still have an arm. But why would you start a saw with the scabbard on. Hope he makes a full recovery.

clearance said:

Welcome.
I have that too, from a 266, almost got it in the throat, better across my arm. Took the doc and nurse a couple of hours to cut and trim and stitch inside and out. Not a lot of fun, but it could have been worse.

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None for me thanks.

A Friend of mine has an injury like that. It happened when he held the saw wrong, it kicked back, and he lost his grip. The saw had a broken Chain Brake. Now he has a nasty scar to show for it, at least he still has full use of his hand.:jawdrop:

One small lapse in judgement......

What a bummer, but I'm thinking it could easily have been worse.

Anybody care to give up their PPE after seeing this? Although not the cause of this accident it should give you some idea of what a saw can do to a leg.

alderman said:

One small lapse in judgement......

What a bummer, but I'm thinking it could easily have been worse.

Anybody care to give up their PPE after seeing this? Although not the cause of this accident it should give you some idea of what a saw can do to a leg.

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Nope, Don't care how hot it is the chaps stay on.

yup this tree guy don that too many times good luck tom trees

I once got careless that way.

I started the 7900 with the cover on the bar. When I saw what I had done, I shut the saw down.

Don't know where my mind was, but I gave myself a good talking to about it.

Well at one time we all make stupid mistakes. Some of us get lucky and some don't. Know i've made some dumb ones over the years especially when i first started cutting. Did cut the top of my leg years ago with a 3.7 craftsman. wasn't bad but since then been wearing chaps.

After the engine "pops", sometimes it's a good idea to squeeze the trigger to take the engine off fast idle before starting it up.

outdoortype said:

after the engine "pops", sometimes it's a good idea to squeeze the trigger to take the engine off fast idle before starting it up.

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?

well, it goes like this.

His familiarity with chainsaws up to this point was with models that don't require you to lock the throttle wide open at start-up and then (per manual) quickly blip the throttle to disengage. His career revolves using power tools every day and has been buckin and burning for the last umteen years

I believe in the theory that accidents like this occur due to a series of events that lead up to the critical moment.

He had just arrived back home..it was lunchtime and he wanted to fire it up on his back porch..he had no intention of using it at the time. The dealer never gave him any kind of hands on demonstration to ensure he knew the obvious startup danger. His previous saws didnt even have a chain brake and none of them would ever turn the blade unless HE applied a generous throttle. I think that alone was a contributing factor. It could also be the testosterone/ego thing.."yeah I know how to use a chainsaw"

It could also be something wrong with the saw..I did note that even with the chainbrake disengaged..you can barely (and I mean with due force) get the chain to move on the bar, so improper set up could be a contributing factor as well .

One thing to note,,when I purchased mine from another dealer and mentioned his story.. We discussed the necessity of a purchaser "sign-off" kind of sheet..it turns out that Stihl DOES have a recomended procedure that he didnt even know existed in his dealership book. It became a new delivery protocol right then and there.

Oh..ended up that he DID nick his artery and with no one around ( he went to neighbors first) he realized he had to keep his cool, tie up his arm and drive himself to the hospital...ambulance service to his remote area is 20 minutes minimum and driving there himself was only 8 mins.

Expecting his first child in 2 months..somebody is watching out for him..