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In Praise Of PPE

Started by lxskllr, January 26, 2019, 01:17:15 PM

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lxskllr

While working on clearing vines, I marveled at how nice it was to wear chaps, gloves, and my forestry helmet. My legs didn't get shredded with briars, stickers didn't rip my ears, and no branch that tried to smack my face succeeded. I could also intentionally take a hit on my head cutting small branches, and it was no big deal. It's like going into battle fully armored  :^D



If there was zero chance of me dropping wood on my head, or sticking a saw where it didn't belong, the gear would still be well worth wearing in the woods. It just makes life so much nicer. Highly recommended!

sawguy21

I like your attitude, the job is so much easier when properly equipped. Of course, I had to learn that lesson the hard way. ::)
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

outinthewood

It's a legal requirement to wear PPE whilst "working" here and indeed in most if not all Europe as in Canada ? I do remember the old style trousers feeling like you had gone to work with two quilts wrapped around your legs but todays gear is so comfy I don't understand anyone not bothering with even the basic stuff ! I have seen comments about PPE means you are not working safely in the first place and if you know what you are doing then you don't need it ....must be great to be such an expert ? In almost 30 yrs of cutting I've never cut a pair of trousers but have been glad of the protection when I've thrown a chain or had a chain break and as well pointed out the protection against thorns etc is worth every penny !! However each to his own 

HolmenTree

 Commercial or professional chainsaw endusers must wear PPE here in Canada. Fines of up $5000 are known to be handed out on second warnings.
To make free health care work in Canada and Europe laws like this must be in place.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Allar

I've been looking for chainsaw pants for a while now. Was going to get Husqvarna but found people saying that they don't breath well, making you sweat. 
I've thought about chaps, but don't think they'll be as comfortable as pants.

So now i have my eyes on Oregon yukon strets with straps.

Firewood & Chainsaw videos: Firewood Warrior - YouTube

lxskllr

I have the regular cheap Husqvarna apron chaps, and I'm very happy with them. When these are done, I'll get the same thing again(same with the Husqvarna forestry helmet). I thought about getting another pair for work, but I think I'll just keep the ones I have in the truck. They won't take much room laying flat, and I'll have them everywhere I might need them.

John Mc

Quote from: lxskllr on January 27, 2019, 12:14:43 PM
I have the regular cheap Husqvarna apron chaps, and I'm very happy with them. When these are done, I'll get the same thing again(same with the Husqvarna forestry helmet). I thought about getting another pair for work, but I think I'll just keep the ones I have in the truck. They won't take much room laying flat, and I'll have them everywhere I might need them.
For some reason, I thought you had gone with the full-wrap chaps, not the apron style.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

thecfarm

Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Pulphook

Not that long ago we had no PPE in active mil training. Around ordinance or on the range never even thought about hearing or eye protection. Brass would just bounce all over the place. My hearing is shot in large groups.

Chainsaw programs for landowners and pros (CLP, GOL ) demo-ed the need, not an option, for full PPE.

Even on a routine trail clearing my PPE is always on:
Full wrap Labonville chaps
Complete helmet system
Protective toe boots
Kevlar gloves ( too many small cuts )

And, brain in situational awareness. :o
Two wood stoves ( Jotul Rangely ,Jotul Oslo ) heating 99 44/100%
24/7. No central heat. 6-8 cords firewood from the woodlot /year. Low low tech: ATV with trailer, 3 saws, 2 electric splitters, a worn pulphook, peavy, climbing line for skidding, Fiskars 27, an old back getting older.

HolmenTree

I sure wish I had hearing protection when I was a kid on the farm running those old John Deere 2 cylinder tractors.
Later in life I had hearing tests done by the company I worked for and the doctor said I only had hearing loss in my left ear. He asked me if I operated open cab tractors on the farm, I said yes and he said the damage was done while looking  over my right shoulder looking back at the equipment. 

Goose and duck hunting as a kid with the 12 gauge didn't help either.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

lxskllr

I've come to be a lot more careful regarding my ears. They're in surprisingly good shape for my age and the stuff I've put them through. I can hear high pitched sounds better than my peers. I've spent most of my life listening to loud music, and working construction sites. It's time to take better care of them, and they may still be kicking when I die.

Pulphook

Two wood stoves ( Jotul Rangely ,Jotul Oslo ) heating 99 44/100%
24/7. No central heat. 6-8 cords firewood from the woodlot /year. Low low tech: ATV with trailer, 3 saws, 2 electric splitters, a worn pulphook, peavy, climbing line for skidding, Fiskars 27, an old back getting older.

HolmenTree

I got a hearing aid for my left ear and I can say I'll never get used to it and its maintenance. 
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

realzed

I'm told I have severe losses in both ears due I suspect, from working in loud old airplanes for years and otherwise general misuse in noisy work environs over time..
I tried a couple of the newest and greatest versions of aids a couple of months ago at an audiology clinic workshop and was amazed at what I should be able to but couldn't hear, without them on..
The cost was close to $7000 for both and that made me sit back and evaluate it a bit further though I must admit!
My younger son has a congenital hearing disability so I'm unfortunately well versed in hearing, aids, and most all of the issues related to both.
Certainly too bad - that such devices are getting so much more adaptable and usable now than ever before - yet so far out of reach even often for those unlike myself, who often can't afford to take advantage of the newest advances in technology to better their lives - mainly due to exorbitant costs.
As for me - I figure I could put 7 grand towards a better vehicle in my waning years and get more usefulness out of it unfortunately, than hearing better.. and it does provide me with more leeway - when it comes to following the wife's 'commands' if you get my drift ;D! 

Hooterspfld

So I was cleaning up a wind blown 60' pine today. Put on my Stihl chain saw chaps.... I think you can see where this is going. They were a Christmas gift from my mother in law this year. Guess I'm going to have to give her a big hug next time I see her!

 

thecfarm

Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Drew62

I seem to have read on another thread that cut-resistant gear doesnt work with electric saws ???
A slave to the machines.

lxskllr

Quote from: Drew62 on March 10, 2019, 08:28:20 PM
I seem to have read on another thread that cut-resistant gear doesnt work with electric saws ???
Here's a video I posted elsewhere...
Electric Chainsaw vs Chaps - YouTube

Drew62

Reassuring to see that vid!Where do these stories come from ::) Not that I got one,but I suppose this applies to corded saws too
A slave to the machines.

Rebarb

Nothing pisses me off more than getting limb whipped to the face.
I've always wore PPE but safety glasses instead of helmet.

I cut year around and thinking the helmet would get hot.

lxskllr

Quote from: Rebarb on March 10, 2019, 09:28:57 PM


I cut year around and thinking the helmet would get hot.
It does. It gets me pretty hot in cool weather, and that's about the only time I cut. I wear a hardhat for work, and there's nothing like the joy of being rained on by sweat in the summer. It condenses in the lid, and falls back down  :^S

Ianab

Quote from: Drew62 on March 10, 2019, 08:28:20 PM
I seem to have read on another thread that cut-resistant gear doesnt work with electric saws ???
Electric motor needs more to stall them out as they make more torque as the speed slows down, where as a gas saw makes less, and so stalls out quicker. 
But once you get enough nylon wrapped around the drive sprocket, it's still going to stop.
The chaps etc aren't so much "cut resistant", as the saw still cuts into them. But in doing so it drags out clumps of super stringy nylon that binds up the drive sprocket almost instantly. As long as that happens before the chain gets through the layers into the soft meaty bits underneath, then the chaps have done their job. 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

John Mc

Quote from: Ianab on March 10, 2019, 09:56:54 PMElectric motor needs more to stall them out as they make more torque as the speed slows down, where as a gas saw makes less, and so stalls out quicker. But once you get enough nylon wrapped around the drive sprocket, it's still going to stop.


Torque also drops off dramatically as a gas engine slows down. Also when the gas engine stalls, it's dead. Nothing more to worry about. Not so with the electric motor: it still keeps trying to turn as long as you pull the trigger. So it's possible the electric motor could start moving again if the material shifts a bit. (unless they've added some sort of sensor to it to kick it off.)
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

HolmenTree

I had a employee once who did a helmet test. He was feeding the chipper on a hot sunny day when he tried to work without his helmet to cool down. After 5 minutes with the sun shining on his bare head he put his helmet back on.
He was wearing ear plugs as I warned him ear muffs are way too hot.
Always wear flip up screens on my helmets too.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

lxskllr

If I'm not on a construction site, my standard hot weather hat's a boonie hat. It holds in heat, but blocks the sun, and it helps that it's absorbent. With a hardhat, the moisture has nowhere to go but back down over your head. I do have a vented hardhat, but I'm not sure it helps much. It might make things better in Tuscon, but not here in humid MD.

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