[MD]

I need to speak about this, because a guy close to here just had a chainsaw kickback catch him in the neck. He bled out in seconds.

#1 NEVER put any of your body parts in the plane of a chainsaw cut. Human tendency is to put you eyes right over the top of any saw cut, in order to keep the kerf straight. Do NOT do that with a chainsaw. It is a very powerful tool, but deadly. Kickbacks are deadly, and happen faster than even the most experienced operator can react to. Keep your body, all of it, to the side at all times.

#2 See #1

#3 See #1

#4 Plan your cuts wisely, and if the saw jams in the kerf, STOP, and work it out of the jam manually.

#5 stop when you are tired. take a break

#6 Don't use a dull chain. It it isn't cutting easy, stop, get it on the vise, and hone every tooth

And finally, if you are wondering what any of those instructions meant, don't pull the start cord until you do. Until then, leave the work to those that do.

[rockdoc123]

add to that:

-keep the chain oiled and clean
-always wear chainsaw pants (I know 2 fellows who took serious damage...hey we are experienced we don't need to worry about that, chainsaw pants are for amateurs)
- wear face protection
- understand what you are cutting (old dried out wood versus young wood with lots of sap, wood with lots of hard knots etc). If the blade seems to be having a bit of trouble, back off and start again slowly.
- understand where the blade might end up after the cut is finished, make sure your foot, leg etc isn't anywhere near there.

If all of this seems like it will make you feel less like a lumber jack then buy yourself a good swede saw and a well-balanced axe.

[MD]

excellent add, rd, well said

[evilgenius]

Additionally, I would say; don't allow seeming economic necessity to make your decisions for you. It's easy to become familiar with a tool, such that you have a lapse. Working when tired or losing the fear of injury are easy to come by when you feel you have to get something done in a period of time.

The roads are full of drivers who used to be good drivers, until they started working for Uber or Lyft. Now they make sudden u-turns in the wrong places, just like any cab driver, and can't be trusted from moment to moment as to where they are going. Even the most experienced contractor can cut off a hand, if they become complacent. I know a guy who cut his hand wide open with a table saw, he said it looked like that monster from the Predator movies, when it kicked back. I know another who was making the last cut on his new deck, had to 'get it done,' who doesn't have some fingers anymore. Don't try to get through with the job by some deadline when you haven't honestly asked yourself if you are tired. Don't lie to yourself about the answer.

[MD]

Additionally, I would say; don't allow seeming economic necessity to make your decisions for you. It's easy to become familiar with a tool, such that you have a lapse. Working when tired or losing the fear of injury are easy to come by when you feel you have to get something done in a period of time.

The roads are full of drivers who used to be good drivers, until they started working for Uber or Lyft. Now they make sudden u-turns in the wrong places, just like any cab driver, and can't be trusted from moment to moment as to where they are going. Even the most experienced contractor can cut off a hand, if they become complacent. I know a guy who cut his hand wide open with a table saw, he said it looked like that monster from the Predator movies, when it kicked back. I know another who was making the last cut on his new deck, had to 'get it done,' who doesn't have some fingers anymore. Don't try to get through with the job by some deadline when you haven't honestly asked yourself if you are tired. Don't lie to yourself about the answer.

+1

[jedrider]

Great SURVIVOR stuff. I like it.

In the meantime, I'll call a tree service. I marvel at these guys that can do it. I've never seen them wear face protection, though. They seem to have been born climbing trees and wielding a chain saw.

[Plantagenet]

I need to speak about this, because a guy close to here just had a chainsaw kickback catch him in the neck. He bled out in seconds.

That brings me up cold. Let me add to that warning.

I do a lot of work with chainsaws. I put in a couple of cords of firewood over the short Alaskan summer. In the winter I burn wood to help heat my city cabin when its -40 to -50 outside.

Cutting trees is usually OK, but be VERY VERY CAREFUL when using a chainsaw to cut up anything that might have nails in it.

I was just cutting up pieces of a 70-year-old dock down at my lake cabin last week----when I hit a nail buried deep in the wood. Scary as hell. I was worried about nails and kickback so I was being really careful and standing off to the side. And when the saw hit the nail it actually cut into it rather then kicking back. When the sound of the cutting changed I jerked that saw out as quick as I could and saw an evil shiny little spot glinting back at me from deep in the wood. Nail. Goddam nail.

Whoa.

Be very very careful. It can happen to you.

[Ibon]

Here is the dude that has been processing all our timber for our cabins.

[rockdoc123]

I marvel at these guys that can do it. I've never seen them wear face protection, though. They seem to have been born climbing trees and wielding a chain saw.

in industries where there are strict safety policies, this would be standard. One of the big issues with industrial accidents (including small power tools) is the casual approach that users take ....hey I've done this a thousand times, I know what I'm doing. And then something happens.

If you have used a chain saw much, depending on what you are cutting you'll understand there is a ton of sharp wood material flying around. Get a piece of that in your eye and it could be quite serious. Or worse yet the chain breaks and flies in the direction of your head. A face shield may just save your life.

Of course the old handymen will claim that is just overkill, we don't need no stinking face shields or chainsaw pants. I remember this same attitude on the rigs in the old days until some dipshit got his arm caught in the chain, or someone dropped a spanner on his unprotected boot from the monkey boards.

When it comes to power tools you are almost always your own worst enemy, why make it worse?

[Shaved Monkey]

Aparently eyelids arent the best eye protection they are too thin and sometime the blink reflex just isnt enough

[vtsnowedin]

I've been running chain saws for forty five years. I have learned a bit too late to always wear ear protection but don't bother with Kevlar pants of face shields. I do wear glasses and always buy high strength lenses so cant say I wouldn't wear face shields if I was not a glasses wearer. I have just one scar on a knee from running away from a tree that was trying to squash me in knee deep snow and the chain still turning clipped it.
The most dangerous thing other then falling big trees is cutting up the limbs that have been bent by the weight of the tree resting on them. When you cut them free they can snap back and take your head clean off. The advice about not leaving any body part in the kickback plane is excellent.Even if the chain brake works and you are wearing a helmet the bar can give you a nasty cut right between your eyes if you have chosen to hold your head right on the bulls eye.
Did you happen to see Sister Mary Chainsaw cutting up trees down in Florida while wearing her habit? I've got nothing against a woman using power tools they know how to use but a chain saw and a flowing dress do not go together well.

[rockdoc123]

Did you happen to see Sister Mary Chainsaw cutting up trees down in Florida while wearing her habit? I've got nothing against a woman using power tools they know how to use but a chain saw and a flowing dress do not go together well.

I did see that...I, however, do not think a habit is excellent protection from either a wayward chain, guard, blade or tree chunk.

If you look closely at the video it appears she is cutting down with her legs immediately in the path of the blade when it is eventually free which I don't think is a good idea. Also, she seems to have this weird sawing motion when she is cutting as if the flowing blade needs some extra help? That, in my opinion (and I suppose your mileage can vary on that), is a bad idea...the chain needs to flow as smooth as possible, no point in making its job more difficult. But heck, it's an elderly nun with a damn chain saw....hard to criticize.

[SeaGypsy]

All good advice. Kickback is usually from hitting something hard, let the saw do the work. If you have to push, your chain is blunt. If the saw is doing the work, oiled & sharp, it becomes natural to anticipate & control kickback. If it's sticky & blunt you are asking for trouble.

[Outcast_Searcher]

This reminds me of how "brave experts" are killed so often, vs. "scared amatuers". Swimming/boating is an example. I know how to swim, but I'm a weak swimmer when it comes to any distance. And I know that, so even on a fairly narrow river, I'm happy to wear my life preserver. If anything happens, at least drowning or just unpleasantness and swallowing a lot of water is unlikely.

But expert swimmers will tend to say they don't NEED a lifejacket. And that's fine until something happens and they hit their head on a rock or something -- and then they drown.

You can't make people behave safely in all conditions, even if government tries to mandate lots of rules. But for me, it doesn't take too many legit stories of people being maimed or killed doing "X" to make me take safety seriously.

And being called a coward never leaves so much as a mark, so that's fine with me.

[Outcast_Searcher]

I need to speak about this, because a guy close to here just had a chainsaw kickback catch him in the neck. He bled out in seconds.

That brings me up cold. Let me add to that warning.

I do a lot of work with chainsaws. I put in a couple of cords of firewood over the short Alaskan summer. In the winter I burn wood to help heat my city cabin when its -40 to -50 outside.

I've been watching "Life Below Zero" on Netflix on and off for months. It's a reality show about folks in the boonies in Alaska doing all kinds of stuff that looks wildly dangerous and unpleasant to your typical city folk.

I realize it's a reality show -- but if it portrays the way some decent percentage of these folks eke out a living at ALL, I don't see how many of them live to retirement. If my car breaks down, it's annoying. I carry a couple heavy blankets in case it happens on a zero degree day and I have to wait a couple hours for help. (Again, that coward thing. Works for me. I'm also very careful on ladders.)

I just can't imagine running around 20 or 50 miles from much of anything on a dogsled or a snow machine and just dealing with it when something goes wrong. It's not like these people seem to have good cell access way out in the boonies (as I'd expect).

Plant, are you familiar with any of those cold weather reality shows? Are they 100% BS, if you know? Or is there actually some documentary type stuff in there?

[MD]

I just can't imagine running around 20 or 50 miles from much of anything on a dogsled or a snow machine and just dealing with it when something goes wrong. It's not like these people seem to have good cell access way out in the boonies (as I'd expect).

Plant, are you familiar with any of those cold weather reality shows? Are they 100% BS, if you know? Or is there actually some documentary type stuff in there?

I suspect they are mostly staged productions. I also suspect that most "lone wolf" types die young. I've seen some of those reality clips where teams of sleds go out to hunt. That's much more believable. I did a bit of sledding as a kid. They were very finicky machines prone to fuel problems, very hard to start when bitter cold. I remember more than once trying to heat sparkplugs with a lighter in swirling slow and wind. Somehow we alsways managaed to get the sleds home, but we were never more than a mile or so away from a warm house. Of course those were sleds from the 70s. I expect they are much more reliable today, like cars.

[Ibon]

The Overshoot Predator does not appreciate this thread. He was counting on a little help here from Stihl and Husqvarna.

[Cog]

Stihl chainsaws are very good. But with chainsaws which I use rarely, take your time and think a bit about what you are getting read to cut, and you will live a long life, with PPE or not.

[hvacman]

I've done my share of fire-wood cutting and timber falling back my back-to-the-land days. Knew a lot of professionals who worked in the woods - and some who died there. My two cents:

- Know a chain saw and understand that it can cut through you as thoroughly and quickly as it can soft pine. Previous posts did a good job on covering basic chainsaw safety.

- Know the trees even better. Know how to plumb a tree and figure out the best fall line. Gravity makes things happen fast, with force, and not always in the direction you expected. Have your exit path planned and clear before starting your notch cuts or back cuts. Plan a good hinge to keep the butt from moving from the stump, but In planning the distance to travel on your exit path away from the stump once the tree starts to fall, remember that low branches frequently cause the tree butt to break the hinge and "kick back" towards the stump as it hits the ground. Move quickly, but remember to let the chain stop before starting to walk (or run!) from the stump to your exit point. Even when on the ground, fallen trees are dangerous when limbing and bucking, especially on a slope. Even a relatively small log can weigh over 1000 pounds and crush you if it rolls on you. Chainsaws injure. Trees kill.

- Look up before you cut. There is a reason the old pros call certain types of weak or dead branches "widow makers". See above about what gravity does to things and can do to you.

[vtsnowedin]

- Look up before you cut. There is a reason the old pros call certain types of weak or dead branches "widow makers". See above about what gravity does to things and can do to you.

Good advise.
A Widaah makah is the broken off top of a tree that has straddled a limb lower down in the tree or in one next to it and is just hanging there waiting to fall off at the least jar. The motion of the tree you are cutting is often enough to trip the trigger.
I have left trees for years waiting for the top to fall down so I could cut the rest of the tree safely. Even a fifty pound piece is enough to kill you if it has just fallen thirty feet as it will be traveling down at about 35 feet per second or 24 miles per hour.