ok how many of you have had a close call

[cpr]

So far, no. Had my BIL catch an idling 026 (too fast) on the leg once in the woods. Tore up his jeans and cut him, but not bad enough to need stitches.

372 pitched a chain once on the last cut. I never noticed as it finished the cut. I saw it when I shut it off and set it down. Never even chipped any paint behind the cover. Still can't explain it...

Well, there was that time my 1-82 bloodied my thumb... doggone starter bucked me...

 

[GlenM]

Not Chainsaw related but I did cut my big toe off with a circular saw, thank god for modern medicine, it's not pretty but it is back on there. Lesson learned, now I wear my steel toes for any saw!

Ouch! Does the nail grow?

 

[SamVT]

Nope no nail, doctor says it will never come back, guess I can live with that. It was one of those things where I had one little board to cut so I just grabbed the saw and started to cut no safety gear. Well now weather its one board or one tree I put on the full gear, guess I had to learn the hard way

 

[airbiscuit]

I try to learn when I do something stupid

I was limbing and bucking a pretty good sized oak with my Stihl 041, when a couple of squirrels started chattering up a storm. I was half way through a cut - wide open throttle- when I looked up to watch them. The bar tip hit another branch and I got a pretty good kickback. I didn't get hurt, but I shut off the saw and thought about it for 10 minutes or so. I figure if you are going to do something stupid, you shouild learn something from it.

Another lesson learned was when I was doing what looked like an easy felling of an oak. It looked solid, had a definite lean, so the direction of the fall was all but certain. The problem was that there was a crotch to two separate stems about 6' up and I didn't realize there was rot down the center of the trunk.

So, I cut out a nice notch, and proiceeded with the back cut confident of the direction of the fall. Halfway through the cut, the trunk splits in two, and half the tree falls backwards. I held the saw steady, and luckily the bar didn't get bent, but took another 10 minute break to see if I could learn something.

I guess over the years, I've learned a lot of things, but most of them boil down to the fact that you can't afford any lapses of attention.

 

[MCW]

I was limbing and bucking a pretty good sized oak with my Stihl 041, when a couple of squirrels started chattering up a storm. I was half way through a cut - wide open throttle- when I looked up to watch them. The bar tip hit another branch and I got a pretty good kickback. I didn't get hurt, but I shut off the saw and thought about it for 10 minutes or so. I figure if you are going to do something stupid, you shouild learn something from it.

Another lesson learned was when I was doing what looked like an easy felling of an oak. It looked solid, had a definite lean, so the direction of the fall was all but certain. The problem was that there was a crotch to two separate stems about 6' up and I didn't realize there was rot down the center of the trunk.

So, I cut out a nice notch, and proiceeded with the back cut confident of the direction of the fall. Halfway through the cut, the trunk splits in two, and half the tree falls backwards. I held the saw steady, and luckily the bar didn't get bent, but took another 10 minute break to see if I could learn something.

I guess over the years, I've learned a lot of things, but most of them boil down to the fact that you can't afford any lapses of attention.

Very true. Falling trees are pretty easy to dodge if you have your eyes open. From what I've read falling branches from interlocking canopies and chainsaw related injuries are the main cause of death in logging etc. I have had a few trunks split too, just like in your case.

 

[mark360T]

2 weeks ago I was cutting stumps with my new STIHL ms-290 when it kicked back and gave me a baseball size bruise on my right leg

 

[spacemule]

When I was 17, I was cutting firewood. On the stump were several splinters about 8 to 10 inches long from where the hinge pulled off. I was not wearing safety glasses. I took my saw, a sachs 120 super, and went to cut the splinters off of the stump so they wouldn't be sticking up for something to fall on. One hooked the chain and went directly up into my right eye, scratching it. That eye bothered me for two years.

 

[edisto]

When I was 17, I was cutting firewood. On the stump were several splinters about 8 to 10 inches long from where the hinge pulled off. I was not wearing safety glasses. I took my saw, a sachs 120 super, and went to cut the splinters off of the stump so they wouldn't be sticking up for something to fall on. One hooked the chain and went directly up into my right eye, scratching it. That eye bothered me for two years.

And here I thought you were just hard on other people's eyes...

 

[spacemule]

And here I thought you were just hard on other people's eyes...

Just the wimins--they tear up and get all swollen in the eyes when they see me. They want me for my body.

 

[edisto]

Just the wimins--they tear up and get all swollen in the eyes when they see me. They want me for my body.

I think you're confused...the mace the wimins are using is affecting your vision.

 

[litefoot]

Busted a nut (literally)loading pieces that were bigger than I should have been handling. Had a big tree come back at me when I cut through the hinge. Twice I nicked my toes with a WOT bar tip. Both times I was wearing steel toes. Had a big snag fall on my shoulder knocking me to the ground. If it had been my head, things would have been much worse.

 

[luke_w]

only time ive been cut by a chain saw it wasnt even running...I was falling roman candle cedar snags around the boundary of a burn unit before we were going to burn it....i just got up from refueling my 046 work saw. I threw the saw over my shoulder took about 6 steps towards the next snag and tripped on a stob as i was going down the power head saw fell to the side off my shoulder and cut the top of my forearm to the bone...got 12 stitches....probably wouldnt have cut me so bad if I wouldnt of had the chainbreak on.

 

[AustinPSD]

I've had more close calls and minor injuries using a dozer for clearing than I've had with a saw, axe or pruner.

Our dozer does not have a forestry cab - it has an open ROPS, and no cab sweeps. I've almost been skewered by trees more times than I can count, even being as careful and observant as possible. Many times, the D3G's exhaust stack has acted as a cab sweep, deflecting a falling tree from perforating me in the cab. This has happened often enough that I've had to have the stack straightened at the local muffler shop about a dozen times.

When I'm running the saw, a pruner or using an axe, I have all my PPE on, I am taking time to plan the felling of the tree, bucking, or other operation, and using every precaution I can - some of it is because I usually work alone, and in fringe cell phone range. Most of it is because I don't want/can't afford to get hurt.

The dozer is an odd beast, because half the time, something unexpected comes up, and the visibility from the cab is restricted by things like the ROPS, having to watch the footing, etc. There are about a hundred things more going on than when I am running a saw.

 

[Gypo Logger]

over the summer I got slapped by a chain from a piped 046. Just practicing in the back yard, the third cookie dropped onto the bar. Even got it on video.......

http://s176.photobucket.com/albums/w195/Troutfisher_photo/?action=view&current=practice002.flv

I saw that, were you cut or just slapped by the cookie? I almost bucked my left wrist off in 81 but made a full recovery. Lol
John

 

[Tooth]

My girlfriend almost got herself cut up, but she could run faster than me because I had to carry that 460. :greenchainsaw:

 

[MnSam]

When I was a kid my dad and his friend were cutting off a log pile. I heard the saws stop, someone yell, and my dad came running for the truck with his shirt off. His buddy was close behind (all 300+ pounds of him) with his arm up in the air and my dad's shirt held against his bicep. A kick back caught him straight across his right bicep, and with an arm that size left a nasty cut and scar. Very scary as a kid, and it certainly left a lasting impression on me as to how careful you have to be around the saws.

 

[jmethodrose]

closest I've ever got to cutting myself was the other day, cutting a piece of wood using my left foot to keep it still, caught the sole of my boot on the chain tore a chunk of rubber out but that's about it!

 

[surfincr]

so far i've been lucky and havent had anything happen aside from scratches and the saw slinging poison ivy on me. but i am extremely careful because of what i saw happen.

when i was around ten years old my dad was helping my uncle take down a large tree. he had a ladder against the tree had his 041 FB saw tied off in case he had to drop it and had the family holding a rope attached to the top to pull the tree down. he was cutting over his head (he always said never do it and wouldnt but just goes to show never break your own rules) when it hit a knot and kicked back caught him on his forehead. on the ground all we heard was a choice word and he turned off then dropped the saw (still attached to the rope). and started to climb down at which point we all saw blood covering his face and glasses. the chain brake did kick in which is the only thing that saved his life but it didnt shut off fast enough as it went through 2 major arteries and knicked a third. i know he has a helmet however i cant remember if he was wearing it or not. he didnt touch the saw for a good 4-5 years later.

i have a great respect for the saws and never want to get too comfortable with them because of seeing that.

 

[Meatco1]

Knock on wood; I’ve never any serious close calls. Oh, I've thrown a chain a few times, and had limbs come down near me, I’ve had a time or two, when the wind turned trees I was felling (those kind of spook me), but for all practical purposes, I’ve never felt I’ve had a close call to a life threatening encounter.

Nothing spectacular for me to relate here.

Respects,

Richard

 

[68kaiser]

This was stupid but it makes me think when I am cutting with someone else now.

I was cutting with 2 friends and one of them was bucking a log behind me. I was not paying attention to the others and was in my own world, only thinking about what I was going to cut next. I stepped back and into my friends bar that was sticking out of the log he was cutting, all it did was rip/tear my pants. If it would have got me it would have cut me 4'' above my ankle and the 076 he was using would of had no mercy, I was very lucky, be careful cutting with people around you that is all I can say.