Do you take your hand off the saw?.....

[windthrown]

Well, having posted the 'do you set the brake when you start your saw?' AS poll, the most common reply was 'no.' I do not set the brake when I start a saw. Mainly becasue I start a lot set to fast-idle, and I like to rev the saw after starting. Mental set; the chain will move when I start the saw. No biggie. I also drop start all my saws becasue it is easier for me to start them that way (starter in my left hand and top handle in my right, my much stonger grip). I also think that is is safer to drop start as you have a better grip on the saw, and you are not kneeling with your foot on the handle and having to start cross-grip with the right hand. For me that is just bass-ackwards. In the rare case that I do start a saw on the ground, the way that the manual has it, I do set the brake when I start it.

I have had several instances where the saw has kicked back and me and my reaction was to release my right trigger hand and set the brake with my right palm, which is how I set mine (hand open or knuckles down, with the right wrist/palm forward). I have also had the brakes set by my left wrist on the top handle spinning in response to kick-back several times. That is a fast motion kick-back, and the response was as designed; kill the chain before it goes any further back. I usually set the brake when I set the saw down while it is running, or I walk more than a step with it running. I have never had a mis-hap setting the brake. I always wear gloves when cutting.

Note here that I do not have full motion of my left hand or full strength of my left arm due to repetitive strain and tendonitis. So I have to rely more on my right hand and arm when cutting, and hence why I use a saw the way that I do. My GF is a leftie; try cutting with your non-dominant side some time. I am amazed that they do not have a few left handed chainsaw models out there. TH saws are pretty ambodexterous though, but not ergonomic.

 

[justintimemoto]

i use the brake depends what i am doing if i am walking around or something i use the brake i usually take my hand or wrist to put it on all depends on what the situation is......and i put it on when i am backing away from a tree or something.......my theory if its there use it theres a reason for it being there

 

[J.Gordon]

That brake is not just there as a safety feature to cover your mistakes, it is there to be used.

Most manufacturers suggest starting the saw with the brake set. If passing the saw (running) to another person, set it. If you are walking through brush, climbing a tree, or just anywhere near a running saw that is not being actively used to cut wood, SET THE BRAKE!

It's not much different than driving a car. You wouldn't make a quick dash back into the house and leave your car running in gear with no parking brake set, would you? There is NO neutral on a chainsaw.

Good advise, since this thread came out I have been using the brake a lot more. Any extra measures that can avoid an unnecessary injury won’t bother me at all.

 

[bendtrees]

Someone in a related thread stated something to the effect of
"if I'm moving, the brake is on... those guys you see walking around gunning the saw are idiots..." trip once without the balance to chuck the saw away and you are hosed.
Well, this is what my untrustworthy memory conjures up. But the point is, it left an impression on me. I use brakes a lot, not all the time, but frequently. I actually, think the speed factor is negligible cause once the brake is set, I'll juggle the 200 if I want. You get real fast at setting the brake (wrist rotation) and releasing it, but the benefit is that I move the bar quickly to my next cut because I'm not waiting for the chain to slow. I hope this isn't too hard on the saw, but I'm looking forward to wearing out a brake just to feel like a good consumer of safety.

 

[oldirty]

are you hitting the brakes at full throttle? baaad news for your saw bub, its not just the brake thats gonna blow.

 

[bendtrees]

No, not full throttle. I'm completely off the throttle, but chain is still moving. Am I whipflashing the crank? Hmmmn, What other problems do you foresee?

Thanks a bunch, suppose I may not have fully thought this through.

 

[Oneday]

Good thread. Need to have a think about some of the ways I do things.

 

[Bermie]

No, not full throttle. I'm completely off the throttle, but chain is still moving. Am I whipflashing the crank? Hmmmn, What other problems do you foresee?

Thanks a bunch, suppose I may not have fully thought this through.

As long as you are letting the saw come off revs before you flip the brake, you'll be fine, I've got 8+ years in two of my saws, chainbrake is used on starting, walking, when set down, namely a lot during the course of a day...I have not worn out a band, clutch, bearing or drum YET.

The manufacturers have designed this safety feature to be used...used properly, it will take it.
Slamming the brake on when revs are high is a no-no, and problems can develop.

 

[pdqdl]

Back to the driving analogy:

This is pretty easy guys. It's just like the parking brake on your car. It's used to PARK the chain.

You probably shouldn't be trying to set the chainbrake between cuts. You don't use the parking brake when you come to a red light, do you? So long as you are still cutting (driving), don't use the brake unless it's an emergency.

Quit cutting (driving): set the brake. There is no neutral, and it drives just like an automatic, forward only

Slow down for traffic (between cuts): take your foot/finger off the gas.

 

[oldirty]

This is pretty easy guys. It's just like the parking brake on your car. It's used to PARK the chain.

You probably shouldn't be trying to set the chainbrake between cuts. You don't use the parking brake when you come to a red light, do you? So long as you are still cutting (driving), don't use the brake unless it's an emergency.

Quit cutting (driving): set the brake. There is no neutral, and it drives just like an automatic, forward only

Slow down for traffic (between cuts): take your foot/finger off the gas.

very well said pd.

 

[turnkey4099]

very well said pd.

I was out cutting today. Amazing how hard it is to break a bad habit. Tried to remember to set the brake when moving around. Remembered probably only about 25 percent of the time.

Harry K

 

[Bermie]

very well said pd.

I drive a stickshift....

 

[oldirty]

lol. ya i said it.

i know how to run a saw.

but some of the saw abuse that ive seen from coworkers can only lead me to believe that your average joe schmoe chainsaw user will put themselves in constant danger.

never mind the wear and tear of the saw itself. how does joe homeowner get his pinched saw out? he pulls on the thing with all his might!

i know everyone has a right to a chainsaw but like driving some shouldnt. chicks and oldtimers too!

lol

 

[Bermie]

but some of the saw abuse that ive seen from coworkers can only lead me to believe that your average joe schmoe chainsaw user will put themselves in constant danger.

never mind the wear and tear of the saw itself. how does joe homeowner get his pinched saw out? he pulls on the thing with all his might!

i know everyone has a right to a chainsaw but like driving some shouldnt. chicks and oldtimers too!

lol

Yup, I agree, but when you can buy one at the hardware store like a hammer or a drill...
Its a bit insensitive to mention it I suppose, but another thread here tells of a guy who killed himself when he got kickback from a pinched saw and it hit him in the chest...

Put the chainbrake ON when trying to free a trapped saw, if its trapped that bad, turn it off too.

 

[buckbandit]

Weather or not you apply the chain break when you take a step, set the saw down, hand it off to your partner ect. The most important thing is don't move with chain spinning and look first then move. Something I do when turning around with the saw in my hands is point the bar straight down, so unless the guy is grabbin my but he shouldn't get cut. I'm not knockin the chain break, and I'd never give anyone heck for useing it excessively but properly. When in a tree I not only set the break I also shut down the saw so I can hear what's going on around me, includeing if the tree is cracking. I'd have to say that I use the chain brake more now than I did 15 yrs ago and I try to set the right example to the new guys. Oh and to the original Q. You don't have to take your hand off saw to apply break but as long as the saw is under control it shouldn't realy matter.

 

[techdave]

RE: Worries about wearing out the chainbrake

Hi you all, this last week we replaced one of our tophandled echos we use for brushing chaparral plants along side the trails.

After 10 years of weekly misuse and abuse by volunteers who are often abrupt and clumsy aobut applyin the brake before moving from place to place (policy is 10 feet or 3 steps or major shifting of your footing) the brake was still working.

I have yet to wear out the brake in my 46 cc "Daverized" crapsman/poulan either, and its got over 300 commercial hours on it.

FWIW, dave. (YMMV)

 

[bing]

I use the brake all the time, especially when working around alot of slash and climbing.

me too... I bump it with my wrist.

 

[stltreedr]

I set the brake with my wrist every time I finish a cut, whether in the tree or on the ground. I also wear Chaps, hearing and eye protection. Who cares if you burn up the brake? Buy a new one if it wears out, which it probably won't as long as you aren't setting it at full throttle.

 

[formationrx]

To apply the brake, if so, why?

I am asking cuz of the discussion under "gloves did not help at all", or sumpting like that, in this forum.

I never take my hand off the saw to apply the brake, is there a reason to do so that I have been missing?

Please let me know, eh?

if you are sending a saw up the tree to a partner you fire it up and brake it and send it off... if you are up in the tree and the space is tight and you are making awkward cuts from hard positions braking comes in handy (you wont nick yourself)... basically its for added safety & higher risk situations when you can get wounded or maim someone else, or when fatigue sets in and you feel yourself getting sloppy... that chain will open you up like hamburger... so be aware when you need need the brake on....

 

[bootboy]

I will when I'm cutting big pieces that I push off by hand. I always take my finger off the throttle, wait for the chain to stop, then bump the brake with my hand, sometimes my wrist, depending on my position.