# injured sharpenng chain



## imagineero (Nov 26, 2011)

Hi All,
Just thought I would post this up. I often end up getting little nicks/scratches when hand sharpening. I try to wear gloves when I'm doing a bunch of saws - I wear kevlar blue welding gloves - but when doing a quick touch up I often don't bother. The gloves are great. You don't lose much feel and you can freely grab the chain and not be at risk of a cut. The way I sharpen is to fasten the whole saw in a vice. I have 30 degree marks on the bench so I can get a consistent angle. I use both hands on the file - one at the front and one at the back. 

How I end up nicking myself is that sometimes the tooth has become shallow... the file isnt deep enough in the gullet. If have time, I'll file the gullet out deeper but if I'm in a hurry I just give it a few licks. The file ends up skidding off the top of the tooth and you nick yourself on the cutter, or sometimes on the dogs.

Couple of days ago I was filing up a bunch of saws and wasnt wearing gloves. I like to put quite a lot of 'push' into my file so I only do one stroke or two rather than 3 or 4. With 2 hands you can really put some lean on the file especially if the chain brake is engaged. The file skidded off the top of the cutter, and my right hand smashed into the cutter full force. The cutter sliced open the outside of my right index finger, a cut about an inch and a half long, pretty much to the bone. It needed stitches but my local medical centre didnt have a doctor on staff that late at night so they supeglued it back together. It will heal fine but leave a scar. I'll be wearing gloves from now on.

Shaun


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## derwoodii (Nov 27, 2011)

I'm with ya sport, your story is shared by all who hand file. Not only to suffer the pain and grief of a deep cut but the kicking to ya self for rushin n thinkin you'll get away with a quickie hand job file.


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## imagineero (Nov 27, 2011)

The only surprise is that it took me this long to seriously injure myself. I haven't kept a tally of the number of times I've filed a chain but it would have to be well into the 10's of thousands. Over that time I've had hundreds of nicks and scratches, but never a serious cut. Gloves will be mandatory for hand sharpening for me from now on.

Shaun


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## RandyMac (Nov 27, 2011)

I've been there too Shaun. Took six stitches on the bird finger knuckle, lost at sliver of cartilage to boot.
A week after I pulled the stitches, I got a cut that connected the ends of the first cut. The hell of it is, I was wearing gloves, but they were White Ox with canvas backs. I went to all leather for filing after that.
I also took to sharpening the bits close to the body of the saw, when the filed skipped over, I only banged knuckles on alloy or risked impalement on the spikes. Chain cuts are wicked.


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## treemandan (Nov 27, 2011)

It seems like the Pferd brand/type of sharpener affords a little bit more of a sheild than a round file alone. 

Nasty bit of fortune. I hope you'll be allright.


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## ray benson (Nov 27, 2011)

Seems when I forget to put on the gloves to sharpen - the file slips. Many cuts through the years, luckily none needing stitches.


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## Philbert (Nov 27, 2011)

I think that Baileys used to sell a 'safety' (safe-tee?) file handle to protect your hand somewhat. Never tried it. Don't know if it was clumsy to use, etc.

I think that in one thread someone suggested placing a large plastic or leather washer at the end of the file handle to act as a gauntlet, and protect your file holding hand in case it slips.

Philbert


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## redneck51587 (Nov 27, 2011)

OUCH! I usually get my hands a couple times a year... rolling the chain while taking down rakers. if you got a big chisel chain it can really take a chunk out! LOL


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## Philbert (Nov 27, 2011)

Philbert said:


> I think that Baileys used to sell a 'safety' (safe-tee?) file handle to protect your hand somewhat.



Here it is - there are some good comments posted in these threads as well:

http://www.arboristsite.com/baileys/94162.htm

http://www.arboristsite.com/baileys/93431.htm

Philbert

(sorry - photo won't post?)


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## Pelorus (Nov 27, 2011)

A sharp file is less likely to contribute to pain.


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## mdavlee (Nov 27, 2011)

I've had a few that were a little more than 1/8" deep but nothing requiring stitches. I usually wear mechanix gloves when sharpening. I use one hand most of the time on the file.


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## dancan (Nov 27, 2011)

Not been cut while sharpening but I had a log roll out from under me and got a 4" gash on the back of my biceps from a non running saw with a sharp chain .
Didn't that ever bleed all over the place .


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## imagineero (Nov 28, 2011)

had a relatively easy work day today, moved some removals to next week and did a light trim on a liquid ambar and a jacaranda. Felt like things were going pretty well but found that by lunch the superglue had let go. Maybe should have gone with some JB weld and duct tape :-( 

I think I'll be sticking with a regular file handle with the kevlar welding gloves. Good quality gloves last for years if you use them for filing only, and still give you a lot of feel.

Shaun


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## derwoodii (Nov 28, 2011)

Philbert said:


> Here it is - there are some good comments posted in these threads as well:
> 
> http://www.arboristsite.com/baileys/94162.htm
> 
> ...



Wow a hand guard idea, sure but its wee bit over the top.


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## logbutcher (Dec 5, 2011)

Great combination: the Pferd system with Kevlar gloves. Good idea !

The local butchers that do game here in Maine ( deer, moose, bear ) use what they call "butcher's gloves" for doing meat. Thin enough to feel the tools with the protection from Kevlar.


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## climberjones (Dec 16, 2011)

imagineero said:


> Hi All,
> Just thought I would post this up. I often end up getting little nicks/scratches when hand sharpening. I try to wear gloves when I'm doing a bunch of saws - I wear kevlar blue welding gloves - but when doing a quick touch up I often don't bother. The gloves are great. You don't lose much feel and you can freely grab the chain and not be at risk of a cut. The way I sharpen is to fasten the whole saw in a vice. I have 30 degree marks on the bench so I can get a consistent angle. I use both hands on the file - one at the front and one at the back.
> 
> How I end up nicking myself is that sometimes the tooth has become shallow... the file isnt deep enough in the gullet. If have time, I'll file the gullet out deeper but if I'm in a hurry I just give it a few licks. The file ends up skidding off the top of the tooth and you nick yourself on the cutter, or sometimes on the dogs.
> ...


I did the exact same thing cut the knucle on my right index finger to the tendon like to never got the bleeding to stop !It was five or six years ago and i still cant bend it all the way! I now were gloves when sharpening!


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## climberjones (Dec 16, 2011)

Del_Corbin said:


> You guys must really be pushing the file!
> 
> I've been lucky I guess and have not cut myself sharpening chain other than a small nick.
> 
> ...



You will get bit eventually i assure you ! I glove the file hand not the one that move the chain.:smile2:


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## tree md (Dec 18, 2011)

I've been nicked a few times but never anything serious. I use a shop towel that I keep in my sawbox to hold the bar and move the chain (mostly because the bar is hot most of the time when I'm filing) and bare hand the file. My hand filing is usually just a touch up on the job site. Any heavy sharpening is done in the shop with my bench grinder.


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## beastmaster (Dec 18, 2011)

That is one of those ,"do as I say, not as I do,'' things. I strongly recommend to trainees to always ware gloves, only a fool does it with out a glove and risk injury. My self, I never use gloves, and have a few little scars to prove it. I seem to never have a file handle around either. A good file handle can help keep your hands out of harms way some, but yeah every one should ware gloves while sharpening a chain. I've tried. 
Glad it wasn't any worse. imagineero


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## blackoak (Dec 19, 2011)

Worst chainsaw injuries I have had is with the saw not running and in a vise sharpening a chain. 12 stitches in my right hand bird finger one time and 4 stitches same place and finger another time about a month later. You would think I would learn.


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## PGFMAN (Dec 20, 2011)

I sharpened one of my saws while milling. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. The next few days my eye got more and more sensitive to light until I could not open it at all unless I wanted a severe head ache and a waterfall coming out of my eye. I went to the doctors and had no idea what was wrong. They said I have a shard of metal in my eye and a rust ring was forming on the eye around the metal. Next they took a hypodermic needle, and with no numbing, dug the piece of metal out of my eye while I held it open with my fingers. This was about 4 days after the sharpening. The next day I felt good as new. But it was close to infection. Point is... Don't mess around with eye injuries. It is very easy to loose them. And wear goggles from time to time. Oh and I was sharpening the chain by hand not grinder.


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## PGFMAN (Dec 20, 2011)

While I was there the doctor told me of other cases he had. One was a homeowner leaf blowing by the curb infront of their house. And twig ricocheted and hit his eye. He lost the eye to infection. The doctor said branches and twigs are worse than metal bc they are organic and have a lot more bacteria.


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## tree md (Dec 20, 2011)

Back many years ago, when I did landscaping, I got a metal fragment in my eye from using an edger without eye protection. It was one of those straight blade edgers that you use on an a stihl string trimmer type power head. By the end of that day I could really feel it. I went to the eye doctor and they numbed it and pulled the fragment out with an electromagnet. I never do anything without eye protection anymore.

Also had a wheel on my bench grinder blow up in my face onetime. Was wearing safety goggles that time.


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## PGFMAN (Dec 20, 2011)

Damn they grinding wheel could have done some damage. Good thing you had eye protection.


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