Chaps while cutting

[SCOTT S.]

No, not bad more of a good reminder, it was 3 inches long on the shin not very deep, he got lucky. It's sore but not going to keep him from work or anything.

 

[Blazing]

Never did but.... I was cutting in a lot if brush one day went to kick some loose stuff out the way crossing the saw over my body and caught my pants. No harm done but how much closer did I need to get for a wake up call.

 

[ElmBurner]

I voted "Most of the time", which for me is like 97%. Once in a while, when moving firewood from my stacks up to the porch, I'll spot a piece that is cut a little too long or is a little too big to fit into the fireplace. So I'll noodle/trim it quickly. I don't usually gear up all the way for that kind of stuff.

Anytime I plan on using the saw for more than a few minutes, I gear up all the way. Steel toe boots, chaps, helmet with face shield and ear protection, and chainsaw gloves. I try not to cut in the summer, for obvious reasons.

 

[bad news]

I just spoke to a guy the other day who was telling me he had his leg cut pretty badly by a saw that wasn't running. 30+ stitches. Just saying. I could count on one hand the number of times I've held a running saw without chaps on in my life. I'm the guy who puts his seatbelt on to move a car around the driveway though.

 

[D8Chumley]

I'm trying to envision how one would cut ones leg with a non running chainsaw. I came up with 2 scenarios. Dropped it on his leg or tripped over the bar. Good story, something I wouldn't have thought of- thank you. How exactly did he do it?

 

[Bad LP]

I'm trying to envision how one would cut ones leg with a non running chainsaw. I came up with 2 scenarios. Dropped it on his leg or tripped over the bar. Good story, something I wouldn't have thought of- thank you. How exactly did he do it?

Had a very good friend who has thousands of hours with a saw get a nasty cut on the arm with a non running saw when he tripped on some brush.

 

[Clyde S. Dale]

100% for me. Everything I do in my life I do with the intention of coming home safely and in 1 piece to my family. Steel toe boots, and the standard hard hat/ear protection set up as well. I also think about every cut before I make it and when I do make the cut my body is off set from the line of the saw bar should it decide to kickback.

 

[St. Coemgen]

Personally, away from the house I usually use a one man cross cut saw. Slower, but not too much slower, than a chain saw. It is quiet, peaceful work that I enjoy (I often have my earbuds in and listen to OTR shows -- something not possible due to noise with a chain saw). No chaps required. And while the teeth on one of those cross cut saws are pretty wicked, the maximum damage such a tool can do is pretty limited. I know I can easily walk away from any mishap in the woods. And it is not just your legs (i.e. with chaps) you need to worry about:



When I do use a chain saw, it is an electric one on logs hauled near the house, and then, yes, more protective garments are worn. I can show you one pair of protective insulated work trousers I was wearing when an angle cutter got away from me, twisted through the air and landed on my leg with the blade fully running under power. The trousers took all the anger out of the power tool. I had no injury. Be safe. Wear protective clothing when using power tools. And I know too many people missing fingers from power tools to prove my point (my own grandfather lost a finger to a table saw).

 

[Dobish]

i keep them in the box on top of the saw, with the earplugs and a pair of gloves. No reason not to put them on. I almost always have steel toes on, so that is not a big problem either.

 

[D8Chumley]

St Coemgen that is an interesting picture, what are the details? Looks like the chain broke, but beyond that?

 

[D8Chumley]

100% for me. Everything I do in my life I do with the intention of coming home safely and in 1 piece to my family. Steel toe boots, and the standard hard hat/ear protection set up as well. I also think about every cut before I make it and when I do make the cut my body is off set from the line of the saw bar should it decide to kickback.

That is our company motto- Home Safe Tonight. If you have ever seen our fuel trucks or job trailers it's plastered all over it. It's a culture you get used to, and for good reason. I am absolutely careful while cutting but you can never account for the unexpected. I just need to get to the next level with always wearing my chaps

 

[xman23]

I voted hardly ever. I have them. This year I'll start using them

 

[Sprinter]

I voted hardly ever. I have them. This year I'll start using them

And you can always change your vote when you do Too bad we can't do that after the elections...

 

[Dobish]

i know quite a few people that say "i never wear them, and I've never had an accident" but the first thing they say when they have an accident is "if i were wearing chaps/shoes/gloves, i wouldn't have had the accident.

I had an accident in October 2014 when I was felling a tree. A neighbor pulled up and I had already notched the tree, but I didn't want it to fall on their car. I pushed it the opposite direction, and my hand got stuck between the tree and the fence. I got to take a trip to the ER, 22 stitches, 6 weeks to PT, and some fun scars.

It all could have been prevented with a little bit of thought.. I wasn't wearing gloves, and I didn't block off the street. Lesson learned. In that case, the chaps didn't really help but the lesson is the same.

 

[D8Chumley]

Lots of good info here, thanks for sharing your stories. I don't have any, I guess that's a good thing. Even more of a reason to wear them 100%

 

[coltbean]

Thanks to this thread I just picked up a new set of Stihl chaps, $79.99 is cheaper than losing a leg.

 

[D8Chumley]

Agreed, $79 is a good price. Cheaper than the ER deductible as one member put it

 

[St. Coemgen]

St Coemgen that is an interesting picture, what are the details? Looks like the chain broke, but beyond that?

See: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/01/us/chainsaw-accident-survivor/

A result of kickback. Similar to what happened to me with the angle grinder incident I mentioned above. Kickback is unpredictable, and almost impossible to control. If I had not been wearing safety clothing, I suspect I might have been cut to the bone.

 

[D8Chumley]

Wow. Just wow. He is a lucky man. Thanks for the link

 

[Sprinter]

Well, for those occasions where chaps just aren't enough, here are some more options:

https://www.google.com/search?q=med...hUKEwj9rKHDtOnLAhUI4mMKHTSQA30QsAQIGw&dpr=1.5

 

[aussiedog3]

Every time, before I start the saw.

 

[Knots]

My brother's chaps have a small nick in them. Just sayin'…

I wear mine all the time. Seems like the most likely place for saw to accidentally cut.

 

[D8Chumley]

Mine also have a small nick, left leg about ankle height. I never nicked my pants when not wearing chaps, perhaps subconsciously I'm " less careful" when I have the chaps on? Who knows. Just a nick in the cover, no threads pulled out. I didn't even realize I had done it until I was done for the day and took them off

 

[DUMF]

"Some of the time" using chaps is like being a "little bit pregnant".
1. ANY nicks or slices into the chaps means that they should be replaced.
2. Learn what the chain brake is for: when the saw is running and you move WITH the saw running, hit the chain brake.
It's too easy to trip, and many of your saws have chain creep at idle or worse. Take a step, brake; it's what's required for
CLP ( Certified Professional Logger ) training. Adjust the idle and tune it.
3. As I recommended, if you're too hot cutting with chaps, cut nude under them ( remember black flies ).
4. OSHA stats : 80% of chainsaw accidents are to the left thigh ( where the femoral artery lies ). Bleed out can be under 3 minutes.

 

[D8Chumley]

I agree. Maybe I was not as diligent with the chain brake then, but I am much more now. Safety first, I'm noticing as I'm getting older I don't heal up quite so quickly. And as far as #3 goes, made me think of this:

Lol that's funny I don't care who you are
Edit: No, that's NOT me