which one first???

musky111 · March 12, 2004, 05:50:24 PM

Which one does every one feel is the most important to have. chainsaw chaps or a hardhat with face sheild and ear muffs. money is tight, so i can only get one item for now. which one? what do you guys think.
thanks. 8)

Ed_K · March 12, 2004, 06:01:32 PM

Get the Chaps, you can get some plastic safety glasses, ear plugs and a hardhat at a place like home depot.
But get the good hardhat as soon as posible.

chet · March 12, 2004, 06:25:32 PM

Not to make it sound like you don't need all the gear you mentioned But. If you are felling, a good hard hat first. All it takes is one good wack to da noggin and it might be all she wrote. They could probably stitch your leg back together if you cut it, but I don't think they have figured out a way to reinflate your noggin if ya crush it.

Duane_Moore · March 12, 2004, 07:28:51 PM

I vote for the chaps, put a bucket on your head, but the chaps are a must, :DDuh---Duane

isawlogs · March 13, 2004, 12:32:04 AM

That would depend on what your going to do .....If your felling ...get the hat and a pair of chainsaw gloves....
  If your going to buck up stove wood at a landing site get the chaps and a good pair of safety ( chainsaw ) gloves....
  When I first started felling in the late 70's we could buy pads that my mom would sew inside my pant leg , now I know that these where not the best to have but they would work....made of fiberglass strand with a nylon cover .
  No need to tell you that a saw can be very hard on skin and so can a falling limb ...a personel experience one does not want to try ...truss me on that one ... :'( ;) ;D

redpowerd · March 13, 2004, 01:23:51 AM

i sawed for a long time, i have saved many woolies with chaps.
woolies are 100
chaps are 50

shopteacher · March 13, 2004, 03:31:08 AM

All you got to do is figure out what you don't mind losing first. ;D Buy both, scrimp someplace else.

OneWithWood · March 13, 2004, 04:16:03 AM

A good helmet is around $40. A pair of chaps might be twice that. I lived dangerously for years by not wearing the chaps and being very careful to use the chain brake or shut the saw down when the blade was not in a log. I have always worn a hat, eye and ear protection, good gloves and safety boots..
The best advice I could give you would be to wait until you have acquired all of the above, including the chaps, before you start in.

Swede · March 13, 2004, 05:43:10 AM

I use dad´s chainsaw once a year or so for felling one or a few trees. Every time he tell me to be careful. Why does he try to take the saw back when I tell him not to worry because I´ll use my old pants? <:O

Swede. *always careful*

wiam · March 13, 2004, 06:26:52 AM

The first winter that I worked full time as a chopper, the guy I cut with kept telling me get chaps. One afternoon the chain stopped just as it hit my blue jeans and scared the crap out of me. I told the boss I would be back in the morning with chaps. That same winter I had a 6" fir tree fall on top or my helmet.

GET BOTH AND BE SAFE

The other aurgument I have heard is "I don't use my chainsaw that much". These people need safety equipment more than those who use a saw every day.

Will

Frickman · March 13, 2004, 07:07:09 AM

I hang around some stock car racers a little and they always say "If you can't afford good safety equipment, you can't afford to race." I think the same holds true for chain saw work. Scrounge, beg, and borrow till you can afford yourself some good equipment. It only takes one small accident to change your life forever.

Corley5 · March 14, 2004, 04:58:27 PM

If you're falling get the hard hat first. A plain hard hat is cheap. You don't need a fancy one with the screen and muffs. Earplugs and safety glasses will do the same thing.

redpowerd · March 14, 2004, 05:06:58 PM

my eyes are magnets for sawdust or metal shavins. the second i take my glasses off, stuff goes in. i find the screen helps keep your face from gettin whipped up in brush.

Sawyerfortyish · March 14, 2004, 05:42:25 PM

Chaps are a must for limbing however the hardhat is a must if felling. If you think your leg or your life is worth more than a 100 bucks worth of safty equipment dont go to the woods. If you were very experienced cutting you would already have these things. Don't go without them!

J_T · March 14, 2004, 06:07:02 PM

Yep I got experance the hard way Trust me you don't want it . :( Get what you need some way mine is all Sthil brand but I got a deal in with a MS310 saw . My life inshurance agent don't like loggers eather so I keep mine paid just in case .

Bronco · March 15, 2004, 10:35:41 AM

"Chainsaw gloves" is a new one for me. I'll check them out.

I started shopping for some kevlar lined leather logging boots but have only found Wesco's and Whites at $300.00 which is a bit out of my price range.

Does anyone know of a less expensive leather "safety" boot?

Kevin · March 15, 2004, 03:00:07 PM

There is a slip on ... saw jammer.
Check out the videos...
http://www.sawjammer.com/index1.html

rebocardo · March 15, 2004, 06:48:43 PM

Unless you are bucking trees already down, a hard hat and safety GOOGLES that at least wrap around the sides. Your eyes are the easiest thing to injure and the hardest to repair. It is hard to live a decent life without good eyes or a good brain.

As long as you are running safety chain and take great care, like you always should, it is hard to get a kickback.

Mark M · March 15, 2004, 07:11:59 PM

Hi Musky

If you want to instant mail me your address I'll send you a hardhat. My daughter and I picked up a couple at a safety booth at the Northstar Expo in Duluth last summer. I'd be glad to give you one.

Mark

Ron Scott · March 16, 2004, 06:19:23 PM

I sure wouldn't work a saw without "using" all the associated PPE. It looks like you have a hard hat source. They are usually easy to come by.

bull · March 17, 2004, 07:04:03 AM

Get the Chaps and the helmet even if its a cheap one......

Make sure you wear the chap even for a quick job..

I forgot the chaps one day, took a small limb in the head and ran the 21 inch bar across my left knee, wasn't much fun the doc wasn't able to just Stitch it up, Medical duct tape and a leg straightener for fifteen days, then rehab !!!!!

"When your fartin around in the back yard for a little fire wood
you don't think much about safety or getting hurt".

But when its how you make your living you *DanG well better think about safety.... You can by a fake leg but they sure as hell don't work as good as the real thing......

Talk to the guy you bought your saw from and explain you situation, if he is worth his salt and is lookin for future buisness he may just hand you a helmet...... I got 2 for free from the Husquavana rep at a show...... Talk it Up !!!!!

bull · March 17, 2004, 07:08:42 AM

what the hell is safety chain , if it will cut a tree it sure as hell will cut off your leg, "Kick back happens"

Stephen_Wiley · March 17, 2004, 08:55:14 AM

Musky,

Sometimes experience is the best teacher:

In thirty years of working forestry, logging, and arboriculture. I have witnessed the following:

leg, arm, hand injuries due to chainsaws; 16 people resulting in stitches.

head, neck injuries; 6 - 5 fatal, one parapelgic.

Unfortunately one of the fatals I mentioned above did have a hard hat on while falling, but he was bent over looking down exposing the back of his head and neck. The branch entered the back of his head and pierced completely through his neck.

Both safety items will minimize injury. But by far -----head protection is of the highest priority.

Get a hard hat, even if you have to go to goodwill or a garage sale to find one you can afford. !! Or better yet send your address to Mark for his offer.