Protection--what do you wear?

[straight6jeff]

"It is better to sweat than bleed"

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Stihl hardhat with face shield/muffs, steel toe boots, leather gloves, Husky full (calf) wrap Forest Pro chaps. I don't wear eye protection other than the helmet face shield because sweat runs down them in short order if I do and then I can't see anything. Been thinking about acquiring a set of those Bug Eyes. How's your peripheral vision with those on?

I bought the chaps about 10 years ago and have been thinking of replacing them with Labonville's. Have there been any new developments in chaps that lighten them without protection suffering? When I was at the Stihl dealer the other day, I noticed that the stihl chaps that they had on display are noticeably thinner/lighter than my Huskys. I looked to see if they were "summer" chaps (translation: thinner/less protection) and they weren't marketed as such. I've been thinking that since I am moving to a larger ported saw that better protection than my 10 y/o chaps might be in order.

Ian

 

[SWE#Kipp]

Stihl hardhat with face shield/muffs, steel toe boots, leather gloves, Husky full (calf) wrap Forest Pro chaps. I don't wear eye protection other than the helmet face shield because sweat runs down them in short order if I do and then I can't see anything. Been thinking about acquiring a set of those Bug Eyes. How's your peripheral vision with those on?

I bought the chaps about 10 years ago and have been thinking of replacing them with Labonville's. Have there been any new developments in chaps that lighten them without protection suffering? When I was at the Stihl dealer the other day, I noticed that the stihl chaps that they had on display are noticeably thinner/lighter than my Huskys. I looked to see if they were "summer" chaps (translation: thinner/less protection) and they weren't marketed as such. I've been thinking that since I am moving to a larger ported saw that better protection than my 10 y/o chaps might be in order.

Ian

Over here both Stihl and Husky have chainsaw pants that are lighter and cooler with the same protection grade as older ones and the are very comfy to were, I can sometimes when done cutting forget to take mine off and walk around with them, the old pair I just wanted to get out of as soon as I was done cutting

 

[shawn.m]

redwing steel toe boots, leather gloves, husky helmet ear,screen, hard hat combo, big prescription safety glass,long pants, started wearing the Husky half wrap chaps when I bought the 372 last year.

Even with the screen and big prescription glasses I have still gotten chips in the eyes. I get sweat rolling into my eyes all the time. However I wear glasses because I was hit in the eye with a log when i was a kid.

My chaps have some heat to them but the protection was worth it when I zapped my leg with the 372 climbing over a log :taped: .

 

[Poley4]

Say it : FULL PPE. And, repeat.

No, I refuse!:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[sILlogger]

husky hardhat w/earmuffs, no face screen, steel toe Red Dawgs, when its hot i wear wristbands, when its really cold i wear gloves

 

[Engineeringnerd]

Labonville 6 ply Kevlar chaps, Labonville Kevlar boots w/ steel toes, Peltor hardhat with face screen (if felling), Ear protection, long sleeve shirt, cut resistant gloves.

I read an industry stat that the average chainsaw accident involves 104 stitches. I didn't want any part of that.

 

[superfire]

this is da best idiea yet

Ear/eye, chaps, hard hat, boots, gloves when cold.

And I clear around where I'm cutting for a good escape path. Areas with vines are the roughest terrain for me.

opcorn:

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Nerd, how long have you had your Labonville boots and how are they wearing for you?

Ian

 

[Engineeringnerd]

Haywire,

I'm a hobbyist, so take that into account as I don't give them a daily workout. I've had them for about 2 years. I think they are good boots, no wear issues yet. They are not as refined as some other makes of standard boots, say Redwing or Danner, they have some unfinished edges on the leather. Definitely work boots, not show pieces. Having said that, they seem to be rugged. The steel toes have black caps on the outside and the lace hardware appears to be solid cast brass instead of bent pieces of brass. Laces seem a little light, so you might want to change them.

Last time I looked they were only available in EE width, which works well for me. They have a quality insole material (Poron I believe is the name), but I wanted more arch support and added a heel/arch piece over the Poron.

For cut protection, I think they are a good value, and I believe made in the USofA.

 

[pgg]

Scrambling round hills, steel caps are out for me, too hard on toes and feet. Light non-steel cap stitched soled leather boots are comfy and more to my liking. Leg protection - well the heavy duty zip-up type chaps in this pic are generally a PITA to wear, they're too heavy, far too hot in summer, and pull down on your hips and put ya back out!! Their only redeeming feature - they stop sharp sticks and thorns poking your calfs. I prefer the light weight buckle type chaps if having to wear them all day every day. Chainsaw trousers are too stuffy and restrictive for me also. Now, in the perfect world, and being careful and conscientious, you won't cut or even nick your chaps. Unfortunately it's not a perfect world ha ha. The dogs are bad for ripping things too, I remove them, saves a few ounces of weight too.

 

[Burvol]

Eye and ear protection, gloves, steel toe boots, and protective chaps. Should really add a hardhat to the mix for felling stuff in the woods.

And I try to leave my brain turned on, too.

You got it right buddy...I even wear chaps when I'm not cutting, but hooktending to keep the brush and sharp limbs from stabbing me and wearing out the BIG BILLS. Anyone wear those too? Gary?....

 

[Cedarkerf]

You got it right buddy...I even wear chaps when I'm not cutting, but hooktending to keep the brush and sharp limbs from stabbing me and wearing out the BIG BILLS. Anyone wear those too? Gary?....

Ive got some Big Bill shirts.

 

[Poley4]

Now, in the perfect world, and being careful and conscientious, you won't cut or even nick your chaps. Unfortunately it's not a perfect world ha ha. The dogs are bad for ripping things too, I remove them, saves a few ounces of weight too.

Sorry pgg, but that's just nuts! I guess thats how I have gotten away without wearing chaps for 30 years because I have a lot of respect for my saw. Just because someone is wearing PPE doesn't mean they should be careless.

 

[IndyIan]

I have the full set of ppe, hardhat with shield and muffs, kevlar gloves, pants, and boots. I haven't sprung for a protective shirt yet . I do have saw boots like these ones as well which are pretty hot but I've seen some stats on where people get bitten by their saws and top of the feet is a popular one!:bang:
I have lighter Stihl saw pants so I don't get snagged and I find when I'm all decked out I can march around through the woods more like a moose than a deer without getting spiked.
So far the only protection that has been "used" is the face shield which has taken a few shots from sprung branches which would have stung pretty good!

 

[BobL]

I ask this on a chainsaw site because of what someon told me today: This guy has worked in a foundry for 31 years and refuses to wear protective gear. Some of what they wanted him to wear actually caused injury because he couldn't move away fast enough from molton metel. He is retiring soon because the will make him wear stuff he doesn't feel safe in.

A friend of ours was a carpenter/joiner and he spent his whole life poo-pooing PPS - he reckoned he never needed it. The things he would do with any power saw would sometimes make my skin crawl. Two days before he retired he was using a big panel table saw at work without any guard and had made his last cut for the day. He turned the machine off and started cleaning up. He was momentarily distracted for a second by someone calling out to him and the turned back and went to flick a piece of waste wood still off the Table saw into the trash - in an instant he'd cut of 3 fingers. They were sewn back on but he lost quite a bit of the strength in his hand. I notice he now has a guard on his home table saw.

As for the CS - hard hat with shield and built in muffs, steel capped boots and recently bought the Labonville chaps. I tried the trousers - wy to hot for me. For Gloves I use the anti-vibe type with gel-pads that still let me feel what I'm doing.

Cheers

 

[sanmigmike]

Might be time to get a hard hat....

I do mostly trimming stumps and cutting stuff already down so have not worried all that much about overhead stuff. Some dead trees need to come down so might be time to do some shopping. Otherwise, leather gloves with the double palms, chaps, steel toed boots, ear plugs, need to do better on that, have a mid-range hearing loss from shooting and flying so I should save what hearing I have left. Might try those wrap around glasses, using heavy plastic lensed eyeglasses I have problems finding safety glasses that work for me.

I view the saws as something just waiting to do me serious damage or worse...kind of like I felt about some of the airplanes I flew. But I could relax at times with them. I tell my kids to treat them like a grenade with the pin pulled, never relax around them.

I got in the habit early with seatbelts and so on. Don't do aerobatics without a current chute, follow checklists, make sure the paperwork is in order including W&B and performance. Working on cars and the tractor as well as the saws I wear gloves almost all the time, either nitrile when dealing with chemicals and so on or leather or mechanic gloves. If nothing else I have a lot less little cuts and it takes a lot less time to get my hands clean when I am done. There are other reasons to keep your hands in good shape.

 

[shawn.m]

I had a lot of blackberries around several groups of trees. Cleared a path to the tree trunk with my tractor so that I wouldnt get ripped up by thorns.

 

[lumberinspector]

Hard hat with muffs-shield, chaps with wrap around. Gloves when its cold...have a hard time keeping gloves on when its warm and when running saws etc. For some odd reason I think I have more control with out them on.

Anyone else feel that way about gloves?

 

[NovaMan]

Working on cars and the tractor as well as the saws I wear gloves almost all the time, either nitrile when dealing with chemicals and so on or leather or mechanic gloves. If nothing else I have a lot less little cuts and it takes a lot less time to get my hands clean when I am done. There are other reasons to keep your hands in good shape.

I like to wear gloves too. Grease under fingernails is a badge of honor IMO, but chicks don't dig it (same as gas and smoke smell). It's also nice to have some abrasion protection.