Who, anybody wear the gear?

[jughead500]

Im a hard ass.ppe just gets in my way. As far as hearing protection I just wear work tunes when I mow.don't like wearing anything in the woods in case somebody needs to try to get my attention.

 

[Ironworker]

Always wear glasses and ear plugs or ear muffs and sometimes chaps, usually when I'm bucking a few logs but tend to leave them off when I'm noodling big rounds while I'm splitting or tuning and making test cuts.

 

[stihlaficionado]

ear plugs, steel toed boots & safety glasses

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Chaps, ear plugs or muffs, safety glasses for me. If I'm felling and limbing, I put on a hardhat and Viking chainsaw boots. Compared to the cost of an emergency, the PPE is to cheap to skip.

 

[Guido Salvage]

I cut my leg in 1988 bucking logs, took over 30 stitches. To this day the scar still occasionally itches. Bought chaps immediately after, water them in the woods but not so much at GTG's.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Chaps, ear plugs or muffs, safety glasses for me. If I'm felling and limbing, I put on a hardhat and Viking chainsaw boots. Compared to the cost of an emergency, the PPE is to cheap to skip.

 

[user 64030]

I cut my leg in 1988 bucking logs, took over 30 stitches. To this day the scar still occasionally itches. Bought chaps immediately after, water them in the woods but not so much at GTG's.

Had a similar instance cutting a small tree for pop, shredded a pair of jeans, left me with the slightest scratch, looked like a cat got my knee. I had chaps the next day. Only time I do not wear them is if I am trail riding w/ the ATV and packing the small saw just to clear the trail if needed.


dw

 

[Fishnuts2]

Chaps, glasses, gloves, and a Husqvarna helmet. Pretty much all that, all the time. A friend tore into his chaps above the knee and made me a believer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HD2010]

Chaps, hard hat, face shield, muffs and gloves.

 

[ANewSawyer]

It is interestimg to read this thread and see how many chainsaw warriors don't wear PPE. People who have been on this site a while.

I can't say I am perfect but I try to at least wear eye, ear chaps and steel toed combat boots when I am cutting. I don't wear chaps when tuning out of the wood, Ie: tinkering with a saw trying to get it to run. In wood though, I may add a helmet and visor set up as well.

 

[2dogs]

Hard hat, mesh glasses, ear plugs, chaps, gloves sometimes, corks or boots (most of the time), cell phone when I have a signal or a radio, trauma kit on my belt, whistle. Trained as an EMT. Massive FAK in the truck. Try to work with a swamper. Lots of drinking water. Ax and wedges.

For the last few weeks I try to identify to identify cell phone reception locations and helispots (and "weak" bridges). If you want to know why look in F&L "hurt" thread.

If Cody is climbing then I have my climbing gear close by. I run what ifs through my head all the time. All those years on fire engine were 24 hour training scenarios. (Cruising the engine along the beach in the summer was really training. What would we do if that blonde in the bikini stubbed her toe and needed us to help).

 

[Chris-PA]

Lots of drinking water.

Forgot to add that one - I usually have a flask.

 

[wood4heat]

All I cut is firewood but in the order of what I wear most:

Ear protection: always! I have friends who complain of non stop ringing in their ears. I enjoy silence too much to risk that!

Eye protection: 95% of the time. I can't think of a reason not to wear it but at times I have done without. Can't remember the circumstances now.

Gloves: I don't mind cutting without gloves but put them on to load rounds. I hate having pitch on my hands!

Boots: In the woods its always, doing light clean up around home probably not.

Chaps: See my comments under boots. I do not want to open myself up with a chainsaw 2 hours from civilization! Especially since I am by myself a lot of the time. Around home it depends on what I'm doing. No excuse here. Just lazy I guess. If I'm only planning to run the saw for 5 minutes I probably won't take the time to put all that stuff on. Except the ear protection!

 

[Hinerman]

I wear eye, ear, chaps, boots and gloves every time. Helmet if climbing or felling. I own 3 pair of chaps. If you run one of my saws, you wear them. If you don't want to, that's fine. You run someone else's saw.

I agree. But how do you take the chaps in the heat? I wear it all most of the time, but I get overheated pretty quick with chaps on in 90º+ weather with high humidity and little wind. I don't like taking them off but I can't take it after about 30 minutes or so. I have cut in shorts with my chaps on and that seems to help quite a bit. Do you have a lightweight pair of chaps you use and can recommend?

 

[weedkilla]

I agree. But how do you take the chaps in the heat? I wear it all most of the time, but I get overheated pretty quick with chaps on in 90º+ weather with high humidity and little wind. I don't like taking them off but I can't take it after about 30 minutes or so. I have cut in shorts with my chaps on and that seems to help quite a bit. Do you have a lightweight pair of chaps you use and can recommend?

Chainsaw pants are much cooler than ordinary pants plus chaps.

I use clogger summer weight, I'm sure there is other brands that have an equivalent.

 

[treesmith]

Petzl helmet with visor and ear muffs, full protection pants, full protection boots, hi vis top, no gloves

 

[Moonshiner180]

I didn't much see the point with the little electric mcculloch, kinda like putting a roll cage and 5 point harness in a Ford Festiva... But with the 55 scheduled to arrive tomorrow, i went ahead and ordered the helmet with muffs/face sheild, safety chaps, and safety glasses.. I find myself quite attached to my limbs, and would prefer to limb trees instead of myself.

 

[Philip Wheelock]

...Living dangerously?

Guess you answered your own question.

 

[rwoods]

Wood cutting has sent me to the ER three times now.

I was primarily an occasional cutter from the 70's through the mid 2000s - no protection beyond outdoor wear which usually means boots and sometimes leather gloves.

Bow saw kick back accident sent me to the ER in the early 80s with a cut hand. No protective gear change but I did permanently park the saw.

About fifteen years ago I got hit in the eye by something hard, probably a small gravel, during a cut - took me to my knees but didn't injure me. Afterwards I tried various plastic goggles (hated them); I "discovered" Bugz Eyes while reading Bailey's and wear them 99+% of the time.

Also "discovered" chaps about the same time. Wear them about 50% of time when cutting at home and near 100% when cutting at the woodlot or elsewhere. So far I have no cuts from a running saw but a few carry nicks and serious muffler burns resulting in replacement. I did catch my jeans one time with a coasting chain when I wasn't wearing chaps.

Noticed my dad losing his hearing, so started wearing muffs sometime in the 2000s. Wear them 100% of the time except I lift one side free during falling bigger trees and wear none when wearing a full brim hard hat.

I have worn a plastic hard hat intermittently over the years while falling. Full brim only in last 4 or 5 years. I know this sounds stupid but the hat coupled with the chaps make me feel like I am presenting myself to be a professional which I am far from being, and people treat me like I am a pro cutter, both of which bothers me. Feeling bad beats a concussion though.

Had a CV incident while moving a large round in 2010. Sent to the ER directly from a scheduled CT Scan then to an ambulance for transport to a larger city. Sidelined on stroke watch for a year. I was wearing protective gear but of course it didn't matter.

I studied up on common chainsaw injuries and bought longer chaps and chainsaw boots in 2013 and 2014. Haven't found any "protective" gloves to suit me, yet.

A chain thrown chunk hit me just below the knee cap in 2014 sending me to the ER; don't know how bad it would have been without the extra padding of the chaps.

Above injury slowed me down for awhile but not long enough to keep me from a wood cutting shoulder injury that sidelined me for the past year. Again protective gear would not have matter.

I have two loaner MS362s - they are usually loaned with Bugz Eyes, muffs, chaps, proper mix, bar oil, scrench, owners manual, sharp chain and verbal instructions from me.

Hope to be back to cutting soon, but doubt my protective gear use will vary much from the above.

Ron

 

[Babaganoosh]

I shoot a lot and I hate ear muffs. A few years ago the cool guys started showing up with custom fit ear plugs. They were very expensive at first but you can get them done at cabelas or a gun show for under 100 bucks. One of my best investments to date. They are so comfortable you don't feel them.They don't get all hot and sweaty like muffs, they dont catch on things like muffs. Less bulk so you can wear a hat in winter with no issues. Safety glasses don't get mashed against your head either.

I believe you can order a DIY kit on Amazon for around 20 if you want to try them. Radians is the brand I have tried. I use them all the time when cutting the grass, line trimming, using the saw. Love them.