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Safety First

Started by ChadH, August 21, 2017, 11:55:42 PM

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ChadH

On the topic of safety I am wondering what you guys have done to adjust your daily sawing to a safer direction?

One big question that stands out in my mind, is how many of us sawyers are wearing a respirator or mask? We all know wood dust is terrible for our lungs! But we are cutting in open air? What do you use?

What do you have for first aid onsite?

How about fire prevention?

Let me be clear, what I don't want is an argument of whose doing what wrong and why they shouldn't do it. So please let's keep this to a simple discussion about safety that you choose to do or don't do. Each to their own.

I'm simply interested in improving my own well being based on others ideas for safety.

Thanks guys, looking forward to what ideas and practices you have and use!
Chad H
Westcoast Custom Timber

Wood-Mizer LT35 Hydraulic sawmill
Stihl 090 X2 in running order
Stihl 460 36" bar
Husqvarna 345 18" bar
Granberg Alaskan sawmill

Savannahdan

I carry a first aid kit in my truck at all times.  I have to admit that I need to inventory what is in it and change out things that have gone past their expiration date or just aged to the point of not being useable.  For milling, I wear safety chaps and long pants, safety helmet with screen and hearing protection, safety glasses, wear the surgical type mask from HF (they fit my facial hair better than N95 style masks), steel-toe boots and gloves.  I also keep a fire extinguisher in the truck and have one at the back door of the house near the primary location of my mill.  I also make sure my cell phone is charged and on me just in case I get into a situation that I need to call for help.  Due to the heat I have a small cooler that holds some water and a gatorade type drink.  Not that I have had any heart problems, to date, I keep some aspirin for that type of emergency and to use for insect bites and other issues. 
Husqvarna 3120XP, Makita DCS7901 Chainsaw, 30" & 56" Granberg Chain Saw Mill, Logosol M8 Farmers Mill

WDH

I have been having a war with wasps.  So far, WDH 4, wasps 0. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

paul case

before I would let anyone work at my mill alone I had them show me how they could tie a tourniquet on their arm with one hand.

Probably not bad to know how to do that.

War with wasps here too. PC 2 nests  Wasps none!

PC
life is too short to be too serious. (some idiot)
2013 LT40SHE25 and Riehl edger,  WM 94 LT40 hd E15. Cut my sawing ''teeth'' on an EZ Boardwalk
sawing oak.hickory,ERC,walnut and almost anything else that shows up.
Don't get phylosophical with me. you will loose me for sure.
pc

Magicman

Savannahdan covered mine except my helmet does not have a screen, I use the N95 mask, but I do not wear long pants (jeans) in the Summer.   smiley_sweat_drop smiley_sun
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Brad_bb

When I'm sawing walnut or Osage I'm wearing N95 mask.  When I'm sawing Ash, I'm probably not wearing one. But then , I'm not production sawing.  I normally wear safety glasses cause the saw will often spit some small chips back at me in the operator position.  First aid kit nearby, usually when accidentally cutting myself changing a band.  There is a fire extinguisher in the mill shop, but  never had to use it. 
Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

brad918

I carry a first aid kit in the truck, safety glasses, composite toe with metatarsal guard boots, hearing protection, and since my trip to the ER last week I now carry two EpiPens with me... Brad 0 - Wasps 1  :)
WM LT35HDG25 (2017)

ncsawyer

I wear long pants (not for safety reasons, I just always wear long pants), hearing protection, safety glasses and a hat to keep my bald head from sunburning.

I agree with the rest of the posters, wasps have been bad here lately.  Killed 7 nests under my mill shelter the other day.  ncsawyer - 7  wasp nest - 0
2015 Wood-Mizer LT40DD35
Woodmaster 718 planer
Ford 445 Skip Loader

grouch

Y'all must be raising some mean wasps. Here, I ignore them and they return the favor.
Find something to do that interests you.

DaveinNH

My mill insurance policy requires that I have a fire extinguisher on site.
Wood-Mizer LT40HD26     Polaris 6x6 Big Boss
Ariens 34 Ton Splitter       Stihl 460, 261, 70

Den-Den

I wear a dust mask when making fine wood dust in the shop but don't worry much about the coarse "dust" that a sawmill produces.  The most important thing I do for safety is focus on one thing at a time.  I tend to multi-task with several things on my mind at one time, except when using power tools.  A reasonably clutter free work area is also important to safety around a sawmill, it is easy to let bark and trash wood become trip hazards.
You may think that you can or may think you can't; either way, you are right.

grouch

Quote from: Den-Den on August 22, 2017, 12:55:18 PM
I wear a dust mask when making fine wood dust in the shop but don't worry much about the coarse "dust" that a sawmill produces.  The most important thing I do for safety is focus on one thing at a time.  I tend to multi-task with several things on my mind at one time, except when using power tools.  A reasonably clutter free work area is also important to safety around a sawmill, it is easy to let bark and trash wood become trip hazards.

Sawing produces coarse dust and micro-particles. It's those little ones that get past your natural filters of nosehair and mucus. They *will* clog up your lungs.
Find something to do that interests you.

Magicman

I can not saw without a mask, and I am sure that it is caused by the many years of breathing sanding dust while woodworking/cabinetmaking.  Well also what about those years of riding a manual seed combine?  Oats, wheat, and rye were bad but they were nothing compared to clover.  :o

Anyway whether the effects are cumulative or not doesn't matter, I just know that a little goes a long way now.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Percy

Steel toes
Fire extinguisher
Hearing protection
First aid kit
Gloves(most of the time)
Safety glasses(most of the time, when not using debarker, I may leave them off)
Mask(when cutting WRC and the wind is not in my favor)
Fish-net thong for lookie-loo repellant.


GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

WV Sawmiller

   I confess - I don't wear a mask.

    I wear a cap/hat, long pants and a long shirt (Fishing type cool/dry back shirt in warmer months) due to skin cancer scare 7-8 years ago, steel toes, gloves, ear muffs, and tried safety glasses today for first time because of bad eye infection thanks to sunburn and Moon Dust in Afghanistan. Sweat and sawdust trigger a recurrence every summer. I will give the glasses another trial or two but they did  cloud up and interfere with seeing my setworks in bright sunlight. May need to try the spit technique like in my scuba mask. I always keep a fire extinguisher under the hydraulic box of my mill. I keep a small first aid kit (Triple Antibiotic ointment, and bandaids and enough paper towels and TP to make a field expedient bandage if required. Also keep plenty of gator-aid and water in a cooler on site and drink plenty especially in hot weather.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

trapper

I wear safety glasses anytime when working, they also have UV protection, bifocal ones I buy online.  Gloves.  Wide brimmed hat anytime outside.  Just had another spot of melanoma cut  off my ear yesterday because I wasn't  smart enough to wear the hat or sunscreen the first year I retired.
stihl ms241cm ms261cm  echo 310 400 suzuki  log arch made by stepson several logrite tools woodmizer LT30

4x4American

Doggone wasp war over here too.  Gotten stung 4-5x this year the some bucks.  Just yesterday was jacking my trailer down and the wasps just poured out one of em got me on the thumb I took a flare and set it under their nest bye
bye suckers!
Boy, back in my day..

4x4American

As for the safety stuff I have 4 fire extinguishers, a couple first aid kits, wear a dust bee gone dust mask when the wind is in my face (almost always) and I wear my steel toed socks
Boy, back in my day..

Peter Drouin

I have and use all of above. The mask is the big thing riding the chair.
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

YellowHammer

I saw under the wing of my barn, so out of the sun, generally in Carhartt shorts and comfortable New Balance boots in the summer, coveralls in the winter.  No gloves, my favorite baseball hat.  No mask.  Biggest safety tool is the sawmill runs on the remote console so I'm away from most of the noise, dust, and other moving parts.

I always, repeat always, always wear good safety glasses.  Always.  I will not operate a power tool without them on, way too many things in my eyes when I don't.  I prefer the Smith and Wesson wrap arounds in grey for sawing, and amber to more clearly see a laser when it's being used. 

For dust, I have a very large fan that is positioned behind me, blows a soft wall of air over me and the mill, and always runs, summer or winter.  It will gently blow all the dust away from me, standing at the console insuring I have clean air.  Dust collector removes most of it anyway.

Of course fire extinguisher. 

YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

4x4American

I use my regular glasses as safety glasses.  can't count how
many times that debarker whips something at my face. 
Boy, back in my day..

WDH

Quote from: WDH on August 22, 2017, 07:23:09 AM
I have been having a war with wasps.  So far, WDH 4, wasps 0.

There has been a development.  Was messing with the edger yesterday. 

WDH 4, wasps 3.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

grouch

Quote from: WDH on August 24, 2017, 07:19:17 AM
Quote from: WDH on August 22, 2017, 07:23:09 AM
I have been having a war with wasps.  So far, WDH 4, wasps 0.

There has been a development.  Was messing with the edger yesterday. 

WDH 4, wasps 3.

Can't we all just ... get along?
Find something to do that interests you.

WDH

I tried to talk to them, but they would not listen.  Too busy stinging me. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Percy

Quote from: WDH on August 24, 2017, 07:37:03 AM
I tried to talk to them, but they would not listen.  Too busy stinging me.
Ya!! What is it with them ornery S.O.B.s? Usually you gotta rile them to get a stinging but lately they just fly on over and sting me for poops and giggles...
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

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