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Protective equipment? what is really recommended?

Started by jjmk98k, January 09, 2004, 06:04:09 PM

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jjmk98k

Ok, just something I need to ask.

 I am a casual chainsaw user, for small tree felling and firewood cutting. I am going to be using my Husqvarna 350 for most of the work. I have heavy leather work gloves, protective chaps ( Husqvarna), safety glasses, steel toes boots and ear defenders. I also carry some "personal size" emergency eyewash stuff  and a first aid kit in my "kit bag" for when I do the heavy work...

Is there really anything else I would need? Is a helmet / face screen/ ear defender "all-in-one" really worth the $$$ for the casual user like me? I am very safety concience ( from my career as a Air Force A-10 "Thunderbolt II mechanic) and just to make sure I am equipped with all I need.

Thanks, Jim

Jim

Warminster PA, not quite hell, but it is a local phone call. SUPPORT THE TROOPS!

Kevin

Jim;
If you are working in any forest wear a hardhat.
The face shield and safety glasses should be worn together.
To answer your question ... is it worth the money? You bet!
A blood stopper bandage is something else you should carry.

jjmk98k

Ok, I just needed some "more experienced" advice. So wear safety glasses under the face screen.... got it!

Yeah, makes sense I guess, spend all the money on everything else, why not $40 more for a brain bucket / combo.


Thanks, Jim
Jim

Warminster PA, not quite hell, but it is a local phone call. SUPPORT THE TROOPS!

rebocardo

Always a helmet. Try to wear safety glasses with side shields. They help deflect a lot of stuff, especially saw dust and twigs/branches that get you from the side.

Cell phone/cb if you are out in the woods.

Folding buck knife.

Since I work alone, I keep a six foot 1" pry bar handy in case I ever have to move something off me or a foot. I jam it into the ground vertical within arm's reach. Especially when I am felling a tree.

Duct tape and a towel. I know it sounds gruesome, but, if you get a bad cut in your leg, duct taping it tight as much as you can might give you enough minutes to save your life.

I know it is not a "safety" item per say, but, I consider plastic wedges a safety item because it helps prevent a lot of potential problems.


logbutcher

Double ditto on full safety gear "Personal Protective Equipment" PPE.
Learn emergency first aid: stopping bleeding. Duct tape, towel are mandatory. Just add Kotex or sanitary napkins to the list as "bloodstoppers". Keep a couple in your pockets.
Take a pro cutting class to understand how to fell safely. Read the tree, plan the escape route, use wedges to drop the tree where you want it. Use the chain brake always. Walk away from "hangers"...they'll come down eventually.
Sermon over.

jjmk98k

great! all kind of advice and I really appreciate it!
Jim

Warminster PA, not quite hell, but it is a local phone call. SUPPORT THE TROOPS!

slowzuki

Knowing how to tie a tournequet could save your life.

Above the injured area, tie a strong stick against you limb with rope, clothing, bandage or belt.  Twist the stick to tighten the tournequet.

You will need to do this quickly before you go into shock and bleed to death.  Obviously you would make do with what materials you have on hand.

Ken

Buzz-sawyer

...a couple more things bout tournequets,,,once applied cannot be removed...once applied pressure must be periodically loosened...if not the limb will be lost...and they are the last recourse to use to stop bleeding....
    HEAR THAT BLADE SING!

Frickman

I also do the whole hardhat, chaps, etc. thing, and have for so long that I feel naked without it when I'm in the woods. The scary thing though is how many years did I work without using these things. I'm thankful nothing ever happened back then. My chaps have stopped several broken and thrown chains that would have ended up in my leg.
If you're not broke down once in a while, you're not working hard enough

I'm not a hillbilly. I'm an "Appalachian American"

Retired  Conventional hand-felling logging operation with cable skidder and forwarder, Frick 01 handset sawmill

Pretend farmer when I have the time

oldsaw-addict

Dern straight take the towel and duct tape no matter WHAT. I have a  roll with me all the time, but I mostly do backyard tree removals, so ALWAYS take a couple felling wedges with you in the woods, they tend to prevent some pretty expensive accidents, on the madsens website theres proof of what can happen without the wedges. I am a firm believer in taking a mil-spec first aid kit into the forest plus joining BSA and learning scout first aid for basic injuries. It can really help to have the hardhat face shield combo and the chainsaw chaps on when the chain breaks or whatever, personally I've been in the tree business for a number of years and to date Ive had 0 thats right ZERO accidents from chainsaws or sawchains hitting my body, mostly because I take good care of my saw and inspect every little thing before going to work in the morning, especially the chain brake. If you do get in trouble out in the woods, a cell phone, some flares and a flare gun are potential lifesavers. the flare gun because if the medics have to airlift you out they can find your location easily, the ground flares because if you are being taken out by ambulance the flares are very easy to see from a good distance and they can be used to light fires for warmth or signaling. I  dont really need the flares in a persons yard to get help, I'd just cut the engine on the saw and start yelling for help, they're bound to hear you sooner or later. but the cell phone is a real life saving tool in ANY location for help, always carry one with a fully charged battery and possibly even a spare battery as well, they can come in very handy. that should be some pretty effective stuff to carry in combination with the other things mentioned. In the event that something goes wrong, these things WILL help to if not actually save your life. I live on the extreme side of life but I dont like to take chances when my limbs are the things at risk.
Let there be saws for all mankind!

tony_marks

  the most important thing i got is an mind trained to look for the worst that can happen.. if people just look and think it thru they could prevent 90 percent of accidents..i cant remember having an accident,, that didnt happen because i was too tired ..by the grace of god,and my late moms prayers ,,none
 ofum killed me..think ,,word means different things to different people..
  ps if u dont have the knowledge to know what to look for.. u got no buisiness felling any tree..jmo

Stan

A cell phone wouldn't do me much good here at home. When my wife's girl friends stop by they all call the office and leave our home phone number. They're in real estate.  :(
I may have been born on a turnip truck, but I didn't just fall off.

logbutcher

Now we're talking. Did we understand that Frickman cuts nude ?  That's true PPE.
Start a new topic "Nude Chainsaws". The horror of it. ;D

Stan

No, he said he wears chaps and a helmet. That's not quite the same as nude, but the horror remains.  8)
I may have been born on a turnip truck, but I didn't just fall off.

jjmk98k

WOW, thanks for all the replies and advice. I am fairly well trained in first aid ( military kind of drills basic First Aid into us) and like to think things out before doing anything.

I'd like to think i am smart enough and have a good amount of common sense ( just a badd speller sometymes)  to handle anything, but not cocky enough to rush in and do things hap-hazardly. You guys all offered up some good points and I appreciate it. Lucky for me my co-worker has done some "hobby" tree cutting for some time and he has offered me some techniquies for felling.

I guess for a beginner like me it's good to start out with smaller trees, read them and have a feel for what they are going to do.  Another thing, don't be doing this stuff alone as best possible.

Thanks again for your time and for responding.

Jim

Jim

Warminster PA, not quite hell, but it is a local phone call. SUPPORT THE TROOPS!

Frickman

"Nude Chainsaws." Now there's a topic I don't want to see.
If you're not broke down once in a while, you're not working hard enough

I'm not a hillbilly. I'm an "Appalachian American"

Retired  Conventional hand-felling logging operation with cable skidder and forwarder, Frick 01 handset sawmill

Pretend farmer when I have the time

jjmk98k

well, If we were to get some of the girls on "FOX news" cutting (no saws running) wood in the nude....

 ;D
Jim

Warminster PA, not quite hell, but it is a local phone call. SUPPORT THE TROOPS!

tawilson

Speaking of shoes, does anyone make something to go over them that is made of the fiber like in chaps. Seems like I've seen something like that before, but don't think it was chainsaw related. I ruined a brand new pair of boots yesterday, luckily that was all that got ruined! The goretex and double layer of socks did more to stop the chain than the leather did.
This is only my second post here but I have been lurking and reading rabidly since I found this site. Thanks guys.
Tom
2017 LT40HDG35 WIDE
BMS250 and BMT250 sharpener/setter
Woodmaster 725

Ianab

yes there are boots designed with chainsaw protection in mind. I assume they incorporate a layer of chainstop material over a normal type boot. Not gone that far myself, just wear my normal steel caps and keep an eye on where the bar is heading.
Apart from that the other PPE is my normal garb , boots, chaps, leather gloves and helmet with muffs and visor. I try and wear em when ever I'm running a saw. The worst would be to get carted off to hospital with a gashed leg when you had a set of chaps in the back of the wagon  :o
I like the 3 in one helmet, your muffs, hat and visor are all in one and sit on your head, even if the hat is only keeping the sun off  ;)
Just pull down the muffs and visor when you are running machinery
 
Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

rebocardo

> Speaking of shoes

http://onlinestore.forestindustry.com/cgi-bin/baileys/catch.html?id=QNUjdhUb&product=new0234

VIKING - Bushwacker Pro Chain Saw Boots  
Item No: VW 58  
  
 $84.95
Buy Now!  
 
Hand-crafted for durability and comfort with a top safety rating - CSA Class 1 The steel toe exceeds CSA top rating 200 (joule impact pro-tection). Water-proof hand layered rubber with ballistic nylon provides great chain saw protection. Nitrile sole is oil, chemical, and shock resistant. Soft 420 denier nylon rip-stop debris collar, reflective stripe and air cushioned heel pockets. Available in sizes 5-15 (even sizes only). Vibram Soles.


IndyIan

I have the boots rebocardo posted.  My neighbor has "tested"  :o the same ones a couple times and no stiches  :)  In fact both times he didn't even feel anything and only noticed the cuts minutes later.  I use them in fall, winter and spring.

In the summer I have some ballistic nylon work boots that I use.  They survived a season of treeplanting so they're pretty tough.  They're not real logger boots but I think they are better than leather work boots for cutting resistance.

Ian

Stan

My chaps have a 36" leg inseam length, my legs have a 31" inseam length, the other 5" goes a long way toward covering the boots down to the steel.  8) Best thing about this method is the cost.  ;)
I may have been born on a turnip truck, but I didn't just fall off.

rebocardo

> In the summer I have some ballistic nylon work boots that I use

What are they and where do you get them? I need new boots and have been putting it off because the boots I really want are over $200 and I can not afford them for a single use.

I thought about the ones from Bailey, but, with the chaps and hard hat on I nearly sweat to death in the hot GA sun, and those boots look way too warm.

IndyIan

Rebocardo,
I got them at the local Mark's Work Warehouse, dunno if you have them in the US.  I believe they were $180 and I'm glad I got them.  I saw several $100 leather boots being held together with duct tape at my tree planting camp after a month. :(

Anyways I'm pretty sure they don't meet any chainsaw use standards but I'll have to check.  I do figure they're better than leather but I don't want to test that! :o

Ian

DBob

Just so you know, a few minutes ago I read on-line at the newspaper USA TODAY web site where the "Rock Musician" Ted Nugent, injured himself with a chain saw. He needed 40 stitches in his leg.
Another example of not wearing the PPE.

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