Is it just me????

[Typhoon]

Ok, is it just me?? Or does almost NOBODY use safety equipment when using a chainsaw?? Has anyone else noticed this? When I bought my first chainsaw, I bought it from a friend that fells for a living. He taught me the ropes, set me up with a helmet, gloves, chaps and steel toe boots. I dont even pick my saw up without these things on. However yesterday, my neighbor had a rather large tree fall on his house. I look over, and he is using a craftsman saw, standing on a ladder, with shorts, no shirt, no gloves, and flip flops on, cutting one of the huge branches. Well, he was binding his saw about every 10 seconds. I saw an accident ready to happen, but I didnt say anything cause he is a grown man and doesnt need me over there giving him safety advice.  Well, when he finally got through the limb (im guessing about 12" in diameter, the WHOLE tree fell off of his house and crushed the ladder he was standing on like a piece of aluminum foil. He went flying, the saw went flying, and to my complete surprise, NOBODY got hurt. His son was close to where the chainsaw landed. Sheesh. I ran over there... helped him up.. told him he was lucky. He then picked the saw back up.. fired it up and began bucking this tree. This tree was every bit  as big at the base as my kitchen table. The chain was literally hanging 2 inches below the bar it was so loose, it was binding every couple seconds, I felt terrible for him. So I ran back to my shed, geared up.. grabbed my Husky, and started slicing. I had it done for him in about 30 mins. Would have taken him 6 months. I cannot understand using a chainsaw without safety equipment. Not but 2 weeks ago I had just started my saw, it was idling high with the choke on, I reached down to position a limb, and even though im very careful, I wasnt paying attention for a second and the saw chain nipped my chaps. Just a little but it tore them a bit. First time the chain has ever contacted any part of me in 10 years. But if I had not been wearing the chaps, it would have been easy trip to the emergency room. Just thought I would share. And on the news, on CNN, in the picture gallery section from the hurricane isabel deal, it shows a picture of a guy clearing out brush with his chainsaw. No gloves, no helmet, and SHORTS on. I guess im just in disbelief. Ok im climbing down off of my soap box now.  ;D

[SasquatchMan]

I saw a guy take the end off a 2x4 with a skilsaw, and hit a staple which flew into his unprotected eye.  I drove him to the hospital with the metal sticking out of his eyeball.  Next week he was back at work, no glasses.  What can you do?  ??? People are retarded.  You can blame it on inexperience, lack of foresight, overconfidence, or whatever, but the fact is, lots of people just don't think much.  

You should have kicked your neighbour's ass while he was down. ;D

I just picked up a Stihl MS290 (which I am well afraid of) but I won't fire that thing up until the chaps I ordered are in.  But hey, that's just me.

[rebocardo]

I wear everything except ear protection. Reason being is I do not use a chainsaw more than a few hours a week and many times you can tell what a tree is going to do, before it does it, just by listening to it.

Many times I even wear chaps (now that I have them) cutting firewood with my electric saw. I figure the time I do not wear them is the time I will make a mistake. When it is 96+ out you can really sweat, but, it is better than really bleeding, imo.

Sort of like a lineman, they usually get killed from being overworked and then skipping that safety step just once and then they get fried or fall from a bucket.

[rebocardo]

I read on a government site somewhere, 100,000 people get hurt in chainsaw accidents every year. I bet most are not wearing safety equipment and suffer horrible injuries because of it.

I saw a tree service taking down a maple 26+ inches and the guy was 30+ feet up and his safety equipment was one rope and a pair of gloves. The tree keep sitting back on his saw and his solution was to have three young helpers (lucky to get 450 pounds between them) lean on frayed hemp type ropes tied to a tree to help tip it over towards the notch.  That tree section was about 20 inches wide at that point and about five feet long. They kept trying to lean on the rope and it kept boinging them up.

How much does a wedge cost?

[Kevin]

Eye protection is a must.
The face screen on the hardhat just isn't enough protection.
I wear cheap safety sun glasses under the visor on cooler days and on hot days I wear the bugz.
Your chances of getting hurt greatly increase as you become tired or impatient.
I suspect there are many people here that now wear safety equipment that didn't prior to visiting here.

[David_c]

saftey gear is a must but no substitute for good work habits.

Rebocardo from what i understand chaps wont stop an electric saw.

[redpowerd]

hey, who cares about the idiots pride?  how would you feel if the dude got killed and you could have stopped it? sometimes i make folks angry by informing them of their stupidity, least their safe :D
the kickback post should be printed out and glued to everyones sawbox or scabbard.

[rebocardo]

I started wearing chaps after seeing that picture here about the guy with the gouge on his collar bone. No way I want that on my leg.

I think the chaps should stop an electric, the plastic teeth inside the drum strip easily (I found that out fixing someone's saw) and you can stall the saw fairly easy cutting anything wet that piles around the motor. Which then strips the plastic gear hub against the metal gear from the motor.

Here is a picture from Isabel:

http://www.msnbc.com/news/969348.asp?0cl=c3

Guy is standing on one foot, on top of an already cut piece of trunk, his knee leaning next to the saw, and he is on the wrong side of the saw!


  

[David_c]

 :onow that guy has no business using a chainsaw ACCIDENT JUST WAITING TO HAPPEN

[Kevin]

Double dutchman ...

[David_c]

it seems to me that for such a dangerous undertaking trees can be quit forgiving at times of peoples stupidity and lack of experiance if not there would be alot more accidents then there are.

[Kevin]

That dutchman will have an affect on the way the hinge works.
If the guy isn't real careful with his back cut the tree will leave that side of the stump early and fall towards the house ... and his partner.

[David_c]

i know; hope he has good insurance. i just figuired you new how the tree came down. sad part is they are probably proffesionals and i use that term loosely thats why insurance is so high. >:(

[AndyB]

The guy in the MSNBC pic is a lefty.  Suppose he should have purchased a left handed chain saw.  Do they make one? ??? ???

[David_c]

they do make ones with wrap around handels.

[Gus]

Guys,
I'm a lefty and have come to grips with the fact that is an imperfect world. Especially for a lefty that has used right- handed tools all his life.
I probably picked up a saw the first time 30 years ago or more. Used one steady for a living 0ver 20 yrs. I use a saw either right or left handed depending on what I'm doing. I've worked off both sides of a saw and it is just a fact of life for a lefty. There is more care involved but I've not been hurt thus far; not to say I won't.
I did read a study on lefty's one time that claimed that lefty's are more cautous, by nature, because of the fact that tools are not made that favor a lefthanded operator.
just a little input from the left side. 8)

Gus

[David_c]

SD i was born a lefty but seings my farther is a lefty and was allways gettting hurt (mechanic) my mom decided i would'nt be one so every time i used my left hand she would take it out of my left and put it in my right now i'm a righty ;D

[redpowerd]

do you see all the weight that dude on msnbc is applying to the top of his saw? looks like hes leaning on it, the bar is probably on fire. i guess with a saw that big, you dont need a sharp chain. man o man.

[RMay]

I,m a lefty and run the saw left handed also , SD Saw if we are left handed were right minded  :D

[Tillaway]

Double Dutchman ;D  Those boys need to clean out them corners.  

[biziedizie]

   The pic reminds me of my dad and his neighbor, I'm sure that they were thinking the same things just before the tree was dropped on my house. :D : :


     Steve

[IndyIan]

I think we may judging the beer store crew too quickly.

Maybe they just cut through the sap wood at the ends of the hinge?  ;D  I know my cutting manual say to do that and I'm sure those guys have a copy on the dash of their truck ;)

Someone correct me if doing this would look any different.  I guess the only way to know for sure is to see the 'after' photo.

[Kevin]

This is what you should see with a kerf cut to prevent fiber pull along the side of the tree.
It should be away from the hinge area.




The over cut on their diagonal cut is a dead give away they flubbed it.  ;D

[Larry]

Kevin,
I've never seen that cut before.  I usually bore the center of the hinge and than cut "ears" on each side of the hinge to prevent fiber pull (open face hinge).  How far below the hinge does your bore cut go?  Do you put the bore cut in before or after the hinge cut?  Anything else I should know before I try it?

[Kevin]

Husqvarna illustrates using ears in the felling notch but I like to use the hinge for total control and try to stay away from altering the notch in any way that might affect the hinge.
They suggest using shallow cuts.
The cut that I show is used by arborists to keep the wood from tearing into the rigging gear.
This kerf cut is put in after the notch and before the back cut.
A couple of inches below is the norm.
The hinge is sacred to me.  ;D

I should add that this is just to eliminate tearing along the sides and not intended to take the stress out of a leaning tree.
It might look like a complete bore in the picture but it isn't.