Lessons Learned. Time to buy a lottery ticket.

[Richy65]

 

 Must have been my lucky day today. I had a lot of rough scrub to clear to get to a load of spindly "weed" trees that are nothing but a nuisance - They can grow 80 feet tall but never get fatter than about 4 inches, the seed everywhere and are like an infestation once they get a hold. These things are extremely skinny and springy, they really can flex a lot.
I needed to clear some jungle just to get to these trees to lop them, then get in and repair my electrical supply cables, then get out and clear some bigger trees that had grown around my place without me noticing.
On the last of the springy trees, which was covered in vines and creepers to about 50 foot high, my saw caught on a vine, not more than 1/8" thick but it snagged and pulled at the saw. In an instance I felt a dull thud just above my knee.

When I looked down, the saw had swung to my right (This is the problem being a left hander, the bar is practically right between my legs when running it, so if it goes left I get a problem if it goes right I get a problem - Does Stihl make a left handed saw????)

The amazing thing is, it ripped about a 1" slit in my jeans and just nicked my leg with about a 1/2" scuff. - I think it might be time to by some protection!



 

 


 

 

[Southside]

Absolutely need chaps and a helmet when working in those conditions.  For sure you got lucky, that's a very common spot on the leg to get bitten.  Is that an electrical wire you knicked also? 

[Old Greenhorn]

The time to buy protection is long past. I am having a hard time understanding your problem holding and positioning the saw. I am a right handed person, but based on the cutting situation I often grab and work the saw left handed, that is with my left hand on the throttle handle and right hand on top or side of the bar. I am not clear on how the saw winds up between your legs. I think you need to look at how you are holding that saw. For instance on back cuts I often hold the saw handle in my left hand and the cross bar in my right and push the saw out ahead of me while I am down on one knee and this allows me to watch the top for movement and know when to walk down my escape path.
 Also, clearing a lot of that undergrowth we see in the photo will make it safer for you to work around that tree and get out. Be safe out there, you only get one chance with each tree. Chaps are cheaper than surgeons. 

[firefighter ontheside]

Definitely lucky.  Yikes.  Time to invest in some chaps or chainsaw pants.

[Richy65]

Tell me about it! Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I cannot buy any protective clothing here other than glasses or a hard hat. Most of the guys that had run chainsaws for me when I was building the place turned up in a pair of shorts, wearing flip flops and a Tee Shirt. They would shimmy up a tree with the saw on a rope and chop away all day, the biggest problem they seemed to have was being stung by red ants. Safety is no where on the radar here.

I got very lucky today, understand that, I will see if it is possible to get some protection imported from Amazon or E bay, sadly, the customs department here are more like thieves than employees.

Absolutely need chaps and a helmet when working in those conditions.  For sure you got lucky, that's a very common spot on the leg to get bitten.  Is that an electrical wire you knicked also?

No, the electrical wires are what I am trying to repair, they have been rubbed, damaged by the falling trees during our monsoon. I need to clear all the scrub to get at the junk trees that keep dropping, then repair my cables, then get in and clear the bigger unwanted trees. The small spindly vines and springy half inch weed trees are so much more of a problem than the big stuff. Regarding what Greenhorn was saying, being left handed, the saw bar is constantly right in the middle of your legs, so if it snags, you get a problem if it goes left or right, whereas if you operate it from a right handed position, it is normally running off to one side. The other problem is the handle grip, it is totally upside down for my comfort when slung 90 degrees. I should have been sent to one of those Catholic schools when I was a kid where the nuns would tie your left hand behind you to force you to use the right.
Just to add to the fun, dodging snakes, giant poisonous centipedes and huge wild bee nests up in the branches just give it a bit more spice, and with my health the way it is, I cannot run from danger.....anymore.

[Old Greenhorn]

I am sorry, but I still don't understand your issue. Yes, I get that it may be a bit awkward to run a 'right handed saw' but millions do it. I am wondering if it is the way you are trying to position the saw. I don't see why you can't grasp the saw handle with your left hand and the corner of the bar where it bends over the left side of the saw and pick it up for horizontal cutting. Hold the saw on the outside left side of your left leg, not between your knees, and cut to the left, away from your leg.

 Much of this is learned habits, but you have to work at it a bit. I never think about if I am holding left hand or right, it just happens. This 'between the legs' thing, with all respect, is I think a bad habit you taught yourself or picked up from someone else. You always want to have the saw go to a safe area if/when something goes wrong.

 The handle, BTW, should be ambidextrous (same for either hand) so perhaps I am missing something. Perhaps the particular saw model you are using has something to do with it, but doubtful. I think you can adjust your habits, learn new tricks, and cut more comfortably and safely. We all learned at some point. Best of luck.

[bluthum]

Vines are a hazard in many ways. Vines still on the tree and rooted into the ground can throw you around very unexpectedly and unpredictably as the tree falls. This can cause a fatality. 

[Southside]

Do you have a top handle saw by chance? 

[sawguy21]

I am naturally left-handed as well yet started using a saw in the normal position which I find more comfortable, it also keeps the moving chain away from tender fleshy parts. Are you holding the saw straight out in front of you while slashing? That is a sure way to get hurt.

[Iwawoodwork]

I understand what he is saying about the saw, think about the side of the saw the bar is bolted on. when us right handers pick it up the bar is off set to the right. When a lefty picks it up, the saw bar is centered more to the left, between the legs, and when slashing or making a face/ back cut with he saw held on its side the handlebar/tube is built for easier use for a right-handed person. As saw guy says a change in habits maybe the thing to learn from this close call.

[barbender]

I remember an old pulp cutter on here saying all the guys he saw get cut were lefties, running the left handed. I wondered why that would make a difference but the bar facing you makes sense. 

 Like OG, in certain situations I will grab the saw left handed, but it's rare. I probably never would, but I got kind of used to it when building a log shell. There is a cut you make on a saddle notch that is called a "scarf" in that trade. It's a long, sweeping cut used to flatten the sides of the log in the notch. Anyways, it is best performed left handed, because you need the control of your strong hand to control the depth and angle of the forward handle. When I find myself in situations out in the woods that are similar, that cut still feels natural.

[Guydreads]

Just got chaps last year. 50 bucks a pop, protect legs well, you don't get as wet in swampy areas... win win overall, other than the heat generated. Providence is a good thing to us all.