Wear those chaps people

[user 188535]

should NEVER cut above head level
arm protection is more likely to save you for cut and toss work, hold a limb with one hand, cut with the other and throw to clear obstacles
note: never one hand a saw, never cut and toss, its dangerous as frig and breaks ANSI rules
that being said, I think we all do it
no reason to cut above your head, more likely to have something fall and kill you or break your neck, also if you get kickback having that chain hit you in the face will kinda suck

yep. or on ladders.

 

[ZinTrees]

yep. or on ladders.

ladders are bad, but fairly safe when you know what you are doing and have a good reason
most ladder related tree worker injuries are from people that dont know how or why to climb
ill get up on a ladder to trim hedges, or for pruning ornamentals, but only with a hand saw or pruners, never with powered tools and I always anchor the ladder to the tree with a webbing sling and a biner

 

[user 188535]

ladders are bad, but fairly safe when you know what you are doing and have a good reason
most ladder related tree worker injuries are from people that dont know how or why to climb
ill get up on a ladder to trim hedges, or for pruning ornamentals, but only with a hand saw or pruners, never with powered tools and I always anchor the ladder to the tree with a webbing sling and a biner

I mean with the chainsaw though.

 

[ZinTrees]

I mean with the chainsaw though.

dont cut on a ladder, and dont cut above your head
no need for sleeves if you keep both hands on the saw, everyone i know thats ever been cut was from one handing a saw or general carelessness

 

[user 188535]

dont cut on a ladder, and dont cut above your head
no need for sleeves if you keep both hands on the saw, everyone i know thats ever been cut was from one handing a saw or general carelessness

Yep. It is all cool one handing the saw until it jumps out of a cut and busts your a$$.

 

[ZinTrees]

Yep. It is all cool one handing the saw until it jumps out of a cut and busts your a$$.

yep, no way to catch a kickback, and its super easy to just not be thinking and run your hand right into a spinning chain while reaching to catch/grab/push something
I one hand every single day, I even one hand the 881 on long cuts, however I know the risks of it and pay special attention to them, im not super tall so I tend to need the reach of one handing more than my other climber that is 6ft5

buddy of mine did just that, reached to grab something and laid his saw right into his forearm, I think he was slashing brush in his dump trailer, had to call his fiancé afterwords which he said was worse than the cut itself

 

[user 188535]

yep, no way to catch a kickback, and its super easy to just not be thinking and run your hand right into a spinning chain while reaching to catch/grab/push something
I one hand every single day, I even one hand the 881 on long cuts, however I know the risks of it and pay special attention to them, im not super tall so I tend to need the reach of one handing more than my other climber that is 6ft5

buddy of mine did just that, reached to grab something and laid his saw right into his forearm, I think he was slashing brush in his dump trailer, had to call his fiancé afterwords which he said was worse than the cut itself

881? Send me a picture of it!

 

[ZinTrees]

881? Send me a picture of it!

I sent a bunch

if you peep my modifications, I doubt chaps will do much along the lines of stopping it lol

 

[user 188535]

I sent a bunch

if you peep my modifications, I doubt chaps will do much along the lines of stopping it lol

Yep. But as they always say, would you rather get stabbed wearing chainmail or not?

 

[ZinTrees]

Yep. But as they always say, would you rather get stabbed wearing chainmail or not?

id rather have the chaps dont get me wrong
BUT, the injuries will go from an on the job amputation to a hospital amputation
gonna suck either way

 

[user 188535]

id rather have the chaps dont get me wrong
BUT, the injuries will go from an on the job amputation to a hospital amputation
gonna suck either way

Yep.

This dude does not care though:



And this one looks kind of funny:

 

[ZinTrees]

top video, guy may not know they exist
bottom video is basically the setup I sent you, with a sharp chain and low rakers it is the closest thing to a race saw ive ever ran, once its dialed in you can almost drop it through a log

 

[Gravy]

Hey guys, I'm an oldish fart with a question about extra-protective chaps/trousers for non-professional guys like me who are slowing down a bit but haven't quite fully admitted it yet. Is this a good place to ask, or can you recommend someplace better?

 

[Will the wood chopper]

Hope you heal up well and fast! I will start wearing mine now. I have had close calls but never drew much blood. I don't like wearing the chaps but I guess I better get used to them.
Happy New Year!!!!!!

 

[HavinFun]

I’m not a pro logger, which is why I have to be careful when getting firewood. Best thing I did was take a NH Timber Owner’s chainsaw use and safety class. Always wear all my protective stuff plus Stihl protective shirt. No more drop-starts for me too. These saws are too unforgiving. Best of luck on the healing.

 

[lohan808]

Hey guys, I'm an oldish fart with a question about extra-protective chaps/trousers for non-professional guys like me who are slowing down a bit but haven't quite fully admitted it yet. Is this a good place to ask, or can you recommend someplace better?

Ask away man. I will chime in. I recommend buying chaps according to the protection level based on chain speed. You can find it online with a google search.
My recommendation for colder temps would be max protection. I use 9 layer full wrap chaps from SWEDEPRO. You can find them at various online stores,search them up. For warmer temps I highly recommend wearing 5-6 layer full wrap chaps.
I have had a close call or two over the years. Chaps were a critical component in my safety plan and I always wear them.

 

[XmasTreeFarmer]

This is an older post, but I'm going to add to it anyway. This is such an important topic. I've heated with wood most of my life, so I have quite a few cords of wood under my belt. I try to remind myself each time I use a saw that it is the most dangerous tool that I use on the farm. It's hard not to just get used to it and think that after all those hours of sawing, that, "you must be really good at it and bulletproof".

In this picture, you'll see the one cut in my chaps which are about 20 year old. It only cut the nylon on the outside, just a "nick". Well the location of that cut is right where the femoral artery is on your leg/hip area - what If I hadn't had the chaps on and what if would have been deeper? Don't like to think about that.

Another interesting point is that I don't know when that happened!?!? One day when I put the chaps on I saw it and though, OMG! After that incident, I made a vow to myself to ALWAYS put my chaps on - even to just make one cut. My rule is no using the saw without the chaps. It's hard to do, but after many years now I have not violated it.

 

[user 188535]

Hey guys, I'm an oldish fart with a question about extra-protective chaps/trousers for non-professional guys like me who are slowing down a bit but haven't quite fully admitted it yet. Is this a good place to ask, or can you recommend someplace better?

The Swedepro and Stihl chaps are both made by the same people. If you are getting Stihl chaps, don't get the black 6-layer ones like I was going to before the dealer talked me into buying the better orange ones. But oh boy they get hotter than the furnace of hell in the blasting southern summer heat.

I have heard Cloggers are also very good from my friend @ZinTrees.

 

[ZinTrees]

have heard Cloggers are also very good from my friend @ZinTrees.

yes, a little expensive, but custom made, and they wont snag on everything like chaps, the Clogger Zero's arent very hot in the summer (worked all of last summer at 95+ degrees with a heat index above 120 without an issue)
I believe they are also safer than chaps but not 100% on that, the ripstop nylon is amazing, feels like theres nothing to the back of them, like a parachute, but you cant tear it, snagged my ass on the sharp corners of the trailer hundreds of times and not a single mark in the nylon, although I was bleeding afterwards, front is a normal chap like material

 

[Chainsaw Collectors]

I should buy myself a pair, I‘ve never worn any, not that I cut much. Some people say I have a problem since I have 10 soon to be 15 chainsaws and have not even cut a face cord of wood yet, lol.