Hard hat, chainsaw gloves and saw pants?

[Ranger8006x6]

Hey Folks, I've been cutting trees on my property and once in a while helping someone else. I've never used a forestry hard hat with hearing protection and a face shield, chainsaw gloves and saw pants.  
I was wondering how many use this equipment and what brands are worth the money? Thanks

[Old saw fixer]

I use everything you listed, sadly not religiously.  Doing ground work I will use separate ear protection like muffs or plugs, and chaps if it's not too hot.  I rarely use gloves, I wear the fingertips out quickly.  I know I should do better, but...  Our hot humid weather in the summer is hard on me, at almost 73 and with "co-morbidities".  Certainly not an excuse for not protecting myself.  I have a new Protos Intergral helmet,  and an old Stihl helmet along with Stihl chaps and many pair of gloves with thumb, index and middle tips worn through.

[beenthere]

Always chaps and hard hat, with ear plugs. 
See no safety reason for gloves.

"worth the money".. ?  What is the cost of a leg wound, head wound, or any other injury ??

Hard to answer that. 

[hacknchop]

WHAT?  WHAT??   No I don't wear any stuff like that. Oh by the way do you have a spare band aid?

[Tom King]

I keep foamies ear plugs in whatever pants I have on, including shorts in the Summertime.

I wear chaps when I'm running a big saw, and a helmet when I'm dropping trees.

[Magicman]

I see no reason for the safety stuff listed above....


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

I don't think that the brand matters as much as having and wearing it.


 
Wanna see my toes ?? 

[Lostinmn]

Wanna see my toes ??  

You still have toes to show, what a braggart!    :D   

[Ron Scott]

Always wear the "certified" and OSHA required personal protective gear whenever running a chain saw! Magic man shows a few reasons why as can most woods workers.

[doctorb]

Magic-  

What are the tears for those pics.  Some of them are 10 years old, I recall!

Good to hear from you!

Doctorb

[Magicman]

Don't do as I did before I knew better, and sometime after I knew better.  The proper safety gear will help you to bleed and hurt less......use it.

The reason for the pictures was to show some examples of what can/will happen when the proper safety protection is not worn.  As I stated, I don't think that the brand matters as much as using it. 

[Old Greenhorn]

It's an interesting question that comes up here often. In short, it's a no brainer, if you are doing the work, you wear the gear. You may wait a while before you 'get hip' but as you progress, you realize there is a reason this gear exists. If you are lucky you just have a close call or two and say to yourself 'hmmm, maybe I should do something about that'. (This happened to me, and I am sure many others. Too soon old, too late smart.)
 I also have found it interesting that after several years reading here, that it seems to be the older folks or pros that accept this gear as a 'given', whereas some of the weekend warriors put off acceptance for years. Count me in the group where it is a no-brainer choice. Why would I not do what I can to prevent more serious injury or loss of a body part AND loss of several months working time or worse? No work, no eat.
 I am currently doing some contract milling for a young fella down the road who has no time to run his own mill. Today was a rare day when I was not working alone and he brought a couple of young guys in to help with manual labor cleaning up around the mill and other stuff. These young guys had no idea what they are doing...yet. He had them hand splitting cut up slabs off the mill for campfire wood with his longtime hand cutting it up to length. Before they started, he handed out ear plugs and taught them the proper way to 'install' them and had some good fun making fun of them when they did it wrong and did not get them in correctly. No equipment started until he did a casual inspection to make sure everybody was 'good'. I was pleased to see a young guy was careful to train the younger folks up right. I ran the mill all day and they did other stuff like cutting and splitting a cord of wood for an order and then went out and did a short tree job late in the day. We all met up at the house around 5:30 and had a beer or coke before heading home and as tradition here has it, some of the older guys shared some stories about 'jobs gone wrong' which is a subtle hint as to why we wear the gear and take the precautions we do.
 So yeah, I wear all the appropriate gear for the work I am doing. But unlike Magicman, I do NOT wear shorts when milling. I don't care HOW hot it gets. I just ain't gonna do it no more, my allergies would go ballistic.
 And Lynn, nobody wants to see those feet, we have seen them before and the nightmare's are just starting to go away for me. ;D :D :D

[Magicman]

But unlike Magicman, I do NOT wear shorts when milling.

Yup, I/we wear shorts for at least 3 months out of the year, but....


  
We also wear welders leather waist aprons.    Now notice that Luke and I were only stylin' our new aprons and not sawing because neither of us had the proper footwear.

[Old Greenhorn]

Now notice that Luke and I were only stylin' our new aprons and not sawing because neither of us had the proper footwear.

Wait, WHAT?! Are you wearing those cute little preppy golf socks with SANDALS?! Don't you guys have a state law against such attire?
 I ain't much on fashion, but socks and sandals are something you would never find me in unless my house was on FIRE and I had to get out and that was all I could find.
 But then again, it is Mississippi, and my knowledge of the culture is very limited, having never been there. It must be something like the grits thing. (And BAM, there we are on food again.)

[Magicman]

You were supposed to be checking out da aprons.  8)

[barbender]

Magic, I feel like I watched a video at one of our spring First Aid classes, except all the pictures were of the same guy😂

[Tacotodd]

And not from a car wreck either :

[olcowhand]

Wanna see my toes ??  

NNNNOOOOOOOOOO! I haven't yet "unseen" your last post with a pic of your feet!
Falling trees, I always wear a Hard Hat with Muffs (I've had two near misses where I almost had my brainless scull crushed; one from a falling dead limb, and a hidden springpole that I unknowingly liberated from its constraint). Glasses always. Gloves always (there was one 13- stitch episode where I was afraid to remove my glove for fear that my thumb would come with it), although leather gloves are poor protection against a Saw....
PPE: Never inappropriate attire!
Steve

[HemlockKing]

Now notice that Luke and I were only stylin' our new aprons and not sawing because neither of us had the proper footwear.

Wait, WHAT?! Are you wearing those cute little preppy golf socks with SANDALS?! Don't you guys have a state law against such attire?
I ain't much on fashion, but socks and sandals are something you would never find me in unless my house was on FIRE and I had to get out and that was all I could find.
But then again, it is Mississippi, and my knowledge of the culture is very limited, having never been there. It must be something like the grits thing. (And BAM, there we are on food again.)

It's funny for me, I have no idea what you guys talk about when going on a bit grits, the slightest clue I have is it's a food. Grits in my neck of the woods means cigarettes, "you got a grit?"

[WDH]

A forestry helmet saved my life. 

[HemlockKing]

A forestry helmet saved my life.

Just a couple days ago mine too. Or at the very least a knockout 

[Old Greenhorn]

A forestry helmet saved my life.

Just a couple days ago mine too. Or at the very least a knockout

Yeah back in June. I don't know if it saved my life, but it saved from a serious hurtin' and at least a lost day's work. As soon as we could find my helmet and my vision cleared, I was back to work.

[Old Greenhorn]

It's funny for me, I have no idea what you guys talk about when going on a bit grits, the slightest clue I have is it's a food. Grits in my neck of the woods means cigarettes, "you got a grit?"

ANNND Here we go!
Grits is reported to be a food stuff and from what I am told, my lack of interest in them stems from the fact that I have never had 'proper grits'. From what I understand I was supposed to drown them in maple syrup which seems like a terrible thing to do to the syrup.
 To be fair I tried them again for breakfast in a restaurant on the way to the pigroast and they tasted just like the last time I tried them 40 years ago. Maybe they were the same ones. Kind of like oatmeal. To each his own. I think they have a different name for them up north but I forget it.

[Ron Scott]

Been saved 3 times by the hard hat over the years. The hard hats needed to be replaced!

[HemlockKing]

It's funny for me, I have no idea what you guys talk about when going on a bit grits, the slightest clue I have is it's a food. Grits in my neck of the woods means cigarettes, "you got a grit?"

ANNND Here we go!
Grits is reported to be a food stuff and from what I am told, my lack of interest in them stems from the fact that I have never had 'proper grits'. From what I understand I was supposed to drown them in maple syrup which seems like a terrible thing to do to the syrup.
To be fair I tried them again for breakfast in a restaurant on the way to the pigroast and they tasted just like the last time I tried them 40 years ago. Maybe they were the same ones. Kind of like oatmeal. To each his own. I think they have a different name for them up north but I forget it.

From what I read "grits is porridge boiled from cornmeal" , can't say I've had such a thing lol . I mean I wouldn't be shy to try some out but it doesn't sound super appetizing to me. I'll stick with my maple bacon and eggs for breakfast lol 

[btulloh]

Ohhhh . . . Where to begin? 

Probably just best you stick with what you're used to.  

[WDH]

Northern Glacial frozen types cannot cook grits. 

[Old saw fixer]

I like grits, and I like cheese but not together.

[HemlockKing]

Northern Glacial frozen types cannot cook grits.

Sou western ns is southernmost point of Canada, not too glaciated!  :D 

[hacknchop]

Thumbs up to safety equipment and those who wear them. As for grits only had them once when I visited Detroit stayed with a family that had moved there from somewhere south , anyway I liked them and would gladly eat them again.Might be worth noting that I can't think of any type of food I don't like and sometimes I think when a person doesn't like something it's not the food's fault ,he likely just wasn't hungry enough.

[Ed_K]

 I'm with Ron, 3 times now hopefully not again. Rita just asked what grits was, I told her their like cream of wheat. Good with maple syrup and with just butter.

[Magicman]

Rita just asked what grits was, I told her their like cream of wheat

Unfortunate that was not a good description.  Grits are made from corn, not wheat.  I dislike cream of wheat.

From what I read "grits is porridge boiled from cornmeal"

No matter what Wiki says, Grits are not made from cornmeal either.  We called cooked cornmeal "mush", which I ate growing up but never liked.

Hominy grits is a type of grits made from hominy, thus the name "Hominy Grits".   Grits are ground much courser than cornmeal.

[HemlockKing]

The topic usually comes back to food lol . It's on our minds often 

On the topic of safety equipment, does anyone have recommendations for good leg protection in summer? I haven't been wearing my chainsaw pants as they are like snow pants, is there anything that doesn't make you feel bundled up? 

[Tacotodd]

On the topic of safety equipment, does anyone have recommendations for good leg protection in summer? I haven't been wearing my chainsaw pants as they are like snow pants, is there anything that doesn't make you feel bundled up?

Probably not, but I sure am interested in what everyone has to say  :P

[Ed_K]

 Fruit of loom and wrap around chap's  ;D.

[thecfarm]

Food? I haven't seen it mentioned yet.

[John Mc]

On the topic of safety equipment, does anyone have recommendations for good leg protection in summer? I haven't been wearing my chainsaw pants as they are like snow pants, is there anything that doesn't make you feel bundled up?

Check out Pfanner Gladiator Ventilation pants. If there were any dealers in my ares that sold the Pfanner pants, I'd already own a pair - I just would like to try them on before buying, and that does not seem possible in my area.

Also, look at Husqvarna Technical Forest Pants. I'm not sure if they are quite as cool as the Gladiator Ventilation pants, but they are reportedly much cooler than full-wrap chaps.

[Old Greenhorn]

Meant to reply to this last question earlier and forgot. In my opinion ALL chainsaw pants are like sauna pants int he summer. But the pfanners and others like C-loggers are good summer wear. I got the Elvex pants with venting in the back of the legs and butt and worer them through gosh awful hot days in June doing the mushroom log harvest and they were more bearable than wearing chaps all day. Of course you can take chaps off when you take a break. I am happy with the Elvex.

[breederman]

I'm glad this topic came back up. It reminded me to pick up a new forestry helmet when I was in town today. 

[Ron Scott]

The are some newer vented chainsaw pants, but they are expensive. They still get warm in very hot weather however. I'm still partial to the heavier Kevlar chaps for when cutting with the saw and take then off to cool the legs down when taking a break. We don't have the constantly hot weather here in Michigan though.

Ed-K has the best answer. 

DefenderPRO Tough Chainsaw Pants - Summer Edition

[John Mc]

DefenderPRO Tough Chainsaw Pants - Summer Edition

I've heard good things about the Clogger DefenderPro pants. My only gripe is that they don't come in different lengths. The Medium size would fit me in the waist, but is about 2" too long in the inseam.

THat's one of the reasons I'll probably end up with the Pfanners.

[Larry]

A forestry helmet saved my life.

Same here.  The limb put me on the ground and cracked the helmet.

[DMcCoy]

I wear;
Chaps and hearing protection anytime using a gas chainsaw.  If my chaps get cut I know they need replacing.
Hardhat if felling - I have been driven to my knees by falling branches by head impact while wearing a hardhat.
Eye glasses - If I didn't wear eyeglasses I would want a face shield. Even so I think it would be smarter of me to wear a face shield as the occasion chip gets around them and into my eyes.
Gloves- Your wife might like rough hands mine does not...and it saves time in cleaning pitch and sap off.

Separate note - My big saws have a kickback safety brake.  I click it 'on' when carrying a running saw through brush and branches.  I've tripped enough to know this is a good habit.

[John Mc]

Separate note - My big saws have a kickback safety brake. I click it 'on' when carrying a running saw through brush and branches. I've tripped enough to know this is a good habit.

Don't ALL of your saws have a safety brake? -- or are some of them antiques?

[Magicman]

 

 
I have two 'fine running' Homelite XL12's that I retired because they don't have chain brakes.  The above picture  is of my right upper arm showing the results of a kickback. 

[lxskllr]

I wear a helmet almost all the time, even milling, cause I prefer muffs to plugs. I also like the face shield. Every once in a blue moon I'll wear earplugs, but I'm not crazy about them. Chaps all the time unless I'm climbing, or doing literally a couple cuts, and that's usually with my tophandle. I pay particular attention when I cut without chaps. I wear those milling too, cause I'm kneeling in sawdust, and it keeps me clean. If it looks like it's gonna turn into more than a "couple cut job", I go get them. Gloves almost all the time cause I don't like crud on my hands. They also add a little dampening for vibration.

[DMcCoy]

Separate note - My big saws have a kickback safety brake. I click it 'on' when carrying a running saw through brush and branches. I've tripped enough to know this is a good habit.

Don't ALL of your saws have a safety brake? -- or are some of them antiques?

Antiques?  What?  40 yr old chainsaws are antiques?  I'm older than you and your older than they are...
Antiques are always older than me by at least 1 yr...

[John Mc]

Antiques? What? 40 yr old chainsaws are antiques? I'm older than you and your older than they are... Antiques are always older than me by at least 1 yr...

You are so right! I should have referred to them as "classics".

My truck can safely be called an antique, since it's 11 years older than I am.

[SawyerTed]

I'm a little late to this one.  Grits have saved my life on several occasions. :D  One memorable time was after a temporary 8 month self imposed exile to the great Pacific Northwest city of Seattle.  In 1982 they didn't have grits there nor did anyone there have any idea what pimento cheese is.  I resorted to making my own pimento cheese but never milled my own grits.  Anyway they served grits for breakfast on the plane from Atlanta to Charlotte on the last leg of my return flight.  Between the grits and the gorgeous flight attendant with a beautiful Southern drawl, I was revived (we actually dated a few times)!

As for chainsaw PPE, always to safety glasses, yes always to a hard hat when doing work in the woods and most other times, yes always hearing protection and chainsaw chaps almost always.  Gloves only when it is cold.  In the late 1980's, during my early weekend warrior days, I suffered through a chainsaw kickback that cut my left shin into the bone.  The cut was ghastly and the subsequent surgery and infection were no picnic.  While I am certain I ate grits while recovering, I don't recall them with the same vividness as that flight from Atlanta 

[Tacotodd]

 ;D to Ted. 👍👍👍 in many more ways than 1.

[Texas Ranger]

One time, was enough to convince me to wear one all the time.  Woke up on my face looking at dirt and leaves, with a split hard hat.  I was please it was the top side of the dirt.

[Stephen1]

I wear chaps, I have nicked them the odd time saved my legs, muffs, eye protection, they even have bifocals in them. I wear them all day. I bought chainsaw pants to wear in the colder weather. Then I don't have to keep putting my chaps on.

[Ron Scott]

Well done! 

[upnut]

Buddy of mine just sent me pics of bloody jeans and a bandaged up leg...."time to look for chaps..." I directed him here to follow discussions and a link to Baily's Online. Thank you all for great advice!

Scott B.

[barbender]

I always wear a forestry helmet, safety boots, and ear plugs. The saw chaps...I can't describe how much I hate those things. I'm beginning to feel I would be safer in the big picture leaving them in the truck. To begin with, they are so hot that I get overheated, and then fatigued. On top of that they make it hard to move and tend to get snagged on branches and brush. The hot aspect is hard to get away from, but the clumsiness is just a poor design IMO. Wrapped around your legs with all of those buckles and straps, they just drive me nuts. I see Forester is making some now that are bibs, which make more sensen but the seat is still open. Kinda looks like something from the Blue Oyster Bar...😂

[upnut]

I swear the first time I strapped mine on it felt like I was carrying a chainsaw to a pillow fight, now its second nature, don't even notice them. Right now I use the Stihl apron style, which are better than nothing. The next ones will be full wrap, which may trap more heat, but better coverage. There is data showing where the majority of chainsaw cuts are inflicted, its worth studying.....

Scott B.

This is the one I was thinking of...

[Tacotodd]

I've taken a liking to the slip IN chainsaw protectors that I got from Madsens. They snap in on slightly modified jeans (or my BDU's). The slight modification involved basically refers to a strap on the inside for the pads to slip into and the snaps correctly place those pads. It's not as good of a system as full blown chainsaw pants or even chaps, but they aren't as unwieldy as chaps (or hot) and aren't as hot as reg saw pants either. Those pads are a LOT less expensive ta boot! I'm sure that they are not as protective as the real deal, but when clean you can't tell them from regular jeans anyway.

AND, they are better than NOTHING!

[BradMarks]

I wear Labonville chaps, Bugz Eyes, gloves. Hearing is already shot on the port side so I skip the plugs. Hard hat if warranted.  Question for those who wear full wrap chaps (I don't). Has anyone prior to acquiring or during use of full wrap chaps cut the back of their leg? Or know of someone who has?  In all my years I have not. Just wondering.

[upnut]

Brad- I'm glad you asked about that, made me go back and reconsider full wrap chaps. My Stihl apron chaps tend to leave the inside of my legs unprotected, so I figured full wraps were the answer. Labonville makes an apron wrap chap that may be just the ticket for the improved protection I'm looking for.

Scott B.

[John Mc]

I wear Labonville chaps, Bugz Eyes, gloves. Hearing is already shot on the port side so I skip the plugs. Hard hat if warranted.  Question for those who wear full wrap chaps (I don't). Has anyone prior to acquiring or during use of full wrap chaps cut the back of their leg? Or know of someone who has?  In all my years I have not. Just wondering.

Back of leg cuts are rare. Snagging an apron chap and pulling it around your leg with the chainsaw and then cutting the front  or side of your leg is not so uncommon. Likewise pulling the leg of apron chaps up with a running chainsaw then cutting the front of your leg does happen. The full wrap chaps just do not seem to pull up when snagged. The chain cuts the outer layer and grabs the protective fiber inside rather than pulling up the chap.

[Old Greenhorn]

I was trying to remember this thread and figure out how it got revived. SO I went back and re-read the whole thing. Upnut, you are correct, it is a good thread and even includes grits. 

 I always am thinking about this stuff and trying to find better gear for what I do (more comfortable with proper protection. This changes with the seasons. Felling in June is very different than felling in February and comfort levels vary widely. Recently I tired a pair of mesh goggles that TacoTodd gifted me and they worked great in certain conditions. Those had a head strap. I then ordered a set of the same brand in a temple style (eyeglasses types) and they are nice because I can flip them up without effort better than the goggles, but the goggles keep more stuff out. SO they both have a sweet spot. It is nice to have options in the bag. I also bounce between ear plugs and muffs. Muffs are better in the cold weather, plugs are better for all day work but are a pain to remove and put back in. I also sometimes have ear problems with too much ear plug use, so the muffs allow me a choice. Same with the leg protection, I have chaps and pants. Pants are great for all day, chaps are handy for off and on use, but they are hot. I have to 'plan' to wear the pants for that day, but the chaps are always handy in the truck if I have to do some cutting.

 The only close call I have had was with a 372 and a 24" bar which swings a little on the heavy side. I was bucking up on a log pile and had my left foot up on the log. When I finished the cut I withdrew the saw and the chain was still spinning down. It caught the inside of the heel cup on my left boot and sliced all the covering off but didn't make it as far as meat. I got lucky. That makes me think I should consider inside the leg protection a little more. My pants have that, but not my chaps.

 My old husky chaps are in great shape. I dry them after use and keep them folded in a jump bag with the other gear. In a week moment I might consider those Labonville full wraps, I certainly see the value in that. I think it's  all about the options and being able to pick the options that work best that day.

 Yeah, get the gear and wear it. It only takes 2 seconds to learn why the hard way, or you can just use your head and plan for it. Now I just gotta get me one of those swanky aprons like MM has for sawmill and splitting work and I am all set.

[thecfarm]

Well the OP has not been back since mid  August.   :(
But for others who are reading and posting this is why to wear chaps.

wear your chaps!!!