# Cut by saw that was not running.



## clint53 (Nov 21, 2013)

Back in the early 80s I was cutting firewood and I had just finished cutting up a hickory tree, that was downhill from my truck. My XL-12 was off and I was wearing White Mule gloves. As I was going up hill to put my saw near my truck, I got my big feet tangled in some small vines and fell forward. Instead of dropping the saw, I held onto it and when it hit the ground my hand came of the handle and hit the chain. The chain when between my ring and middle fingers. It cut through the glove and cut a deep 3/4 inch gash between the fingers. I could look inside the palm of my hand.

The doctor couldn't put and stitches in it because it was gapped open. He cleaned it up and taped my fingers together.

Every since that day, if I even think I am about the fall I throw the saw away from me, weather its running or not. I have done this many times and I haven't hurt a saw yet. I don't care if it did, I can buy another saw, but not a hand or face.

Thanks for reading.

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## sgreanbeans (Nov 21, 2013)

I had a guy cut his inner arm by his shoulder with a non running 200t. He slipped and ran his arm across it, sliced it pretty good, took a few stitches to stop the leak. Sharp is sharp, running or not.


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## clint53 (Nov 21, 2013)

I have seen guys carry there saw on there shoulder while holding the tip of the bar and the chain a couple of inches from there neck. They are just one slip away from serious trouble.


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## Gologit (Nov 21, 2013)

Gologit said:


> You mean like this?
> 
> 
> 
> ...





clint53 said:


> I have seen guys carry there saw on there shoulder while holding the tip of the bar and the chain a couple of inches from there neck. They are just one slip away from serious trouble.




You mean like this? I've seen guys carry their saw this way quite a bit. I haven't seen anybody get seriously hurt.


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## clint53 (Nov 21, 2013)

I am 60 now and I plan on getting much older. I have been cutting firewood for myself, family members and my hunting club since 1976 with only one cut. So I don't take chances, because luck doesn't last forever........But I'm still riding a Harley and I have the scars to prove it. This contradiction should really get something started.


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## Gologit (Nov 21, 2013)

clint53 said:


> I am 60 now and I plan on getting much older. I have been cutting firewood for myself, family members and my hunting club since 1976 with only one cut. So I don't take chances, because luck doesn't last forever........But I'm still riding a Harley and I have the scars to prove it. This contradiction should really get something started.




Nope, no contradiction there. You're comfortable riding your Harley at 60 and I'm comfortable carrying a saw on my shoulder at 67. 

And, for what it's worth, if I'm walking really rough ground or anything steep I'll usually unload the saw and carry it in my hand. We have to pack our saws a long way sometimes and they just ride nice up there on the shoulder.


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## clint53 (Nov 22, 2013)

I hope both of us are able to continue cutting into our 70's. One reason I'm still cutting is my 92 year old neighbor. His motto is "If you don't use it you lose it". I came home last week and he was splitting firewood with a sledge hammer and wedges.

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## bootboy (Nov 22, 2013)

Gologit said:


> You mean like this? I've seen guys carry their saw this way quite a bit. I haven't seen anybody get seriously hurt.




That's why I have a piece of fire hose to slip over the bar for when my 460 is wearing either the 24" or 30" bar. Burliest and cheapest sheath you can get.

I've gacked a finger or two on a sharp chain in a moment of carelessness. 

Always wear gloves when sharpening!


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## rarefish383 (Nov 22, 2013)

Old fire hose is great stuff, we used to use it to cover our pole saw blades. Protects the blade and user. Been nicked many times by none moving sharp stuff. New several climbers that had nasty scars from a pole saw, scalp, neck and shoulder. Had the saw hanging above them and it got bumped off it's twig, Joe.


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## greg storms (Nov 22, 2013)

clint53 said:


> I have seen guys carry there saw on there shoulder while holding the tip of the bar and the chain a couple of inches from there neck. They are just one slip away from serious trouble.


 That looks cool...like on TV... but, that's way too close to the juglar artery far safety's sake!!


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## SecondGenMonkey (Nov 23, 2013)

I used to get myself while sharpening saws before I learned you don't need a bunch of force to file a stupid chain... ah, 17. Too stupid to be careful but quick healing enough to not care.

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## robespierre (Dec 4, 2013)

I guess the proper way to carry your saw is to have the blade behind you and the engine portion in front of you.If you trip and fall you don't have the blade to contend with.


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## blades (Dec 4, 2013)

Yes and no, for balance blade behind and easier to get through stuff, but most people falling forward will extend their arms to break fall, if you don't toss that saw where do you think the blade is?


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## Locust Cutter (Dec 4, 2013)

For get the blade, I'd be worried about the bumper spikes and my neck!!! I have no problem carrying by the tip, it works.


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## imagineero (Dec 27, 2013)

I had a near miss earlier this year. Was carrying a 660 with a 36" bar, fresh full chisel square found chain and as i walked twisted my ankle and spun, dragging the bar across my chainsaw pants. Had a wad of about $2,000 in hundreds in the pocket, folded in half with a rubber band on them. Chain went right through the outer fabric, tore a good chunk out of the cash, and lifted some of the matting of the chaps. Saw wasn't running.

Bank exchanged the damaged money without question. Made me really think about how dangerous a non running saw is. I've had stitches on my right index finger from sharpening, always wear welder a gloves now. You get used to it.

Shaun


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## clint53 (Dec 27, 2013)

imagineero said:


> I had a near miss earlier this year. Was carrying a 660 with a 36" bar, fresh full chisel square found chain and as i walked twisted my ankle and spun, dragging the bar across my chainsaw pants. Had a wad of about $2,000 in hundreds in the pocket, folded in half with a rubber band on them. Chain went right through the outer fabric, tore a good chunk out of the cash, and lifted some of the matting of the chaps. Saw wasn't running.
> 
> Bank exchanged the damaged money without question. Made me really think about how dangerous a non running saw is. I've had stitches on my right index finger from sharpening, always wear welder a gloves now. You get used to it.
> 
> Shaun


I've been cutting firewood for 37 years and had never had any chaps. I bought a pair of Husky's 2 weeks ago. The very first time I worn them I cut a 1 1/2 inch hole across the thigh. It made me stop and think.


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## blades (Dec 28, 2013)

complacency?


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## clint53 (Dec 28, 2013)

Yes indeed.

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## nmurph (Dec 31, 2013)

I tripped and fell on a chainless bar this past summer. The wire edge on the bar peeled two slabs of skin off the underside of my wrist. It took a few stitches to get everything closed.


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## clint53 (Jan 3, 2014)

nmurph said:


> I tripped and fell on a chainless bar this past summer. The wire edge on the bar peeled two slabs of skin off the underside of my wrist. It took a few stitches to get everything closed.


Sorry to hear about your injury. I'm glad it wasn't any worse. Sometimes you can get bit when you least expect it.


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## techdave (Jan 31, 2014)

For those of us on trail crews, the shoulder carry wont work, there is always something else that needs carrying. Easiest way is to scabbard& cover it and hang it off the day pack. For bigger saws (044/372) and up, we use specialized saw packs. They work great. Of course I can see how if a logger was working a landing or strip there would be no way to back it between trees, still got to carry it there,


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## CRESTLINE (Feb 6, 2014)

Learned my lesson with a dull file. I had to push down on the file hard to get it to cut and it broke. Ended up with 6 stiches in two fingers when my fist hit the freshly sharpened chain. No gloves but I don't think they would have prevented the injury.


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## Greg Perryman (Feb 6, 2014)

Im 31, when I was in my teenage years, my dad was giving me lesson on how to sharpen a chain. His file had a wooden handle that like to fall of every now and then. Dad had a bad habit of slamming the file against the work bench to seat it back into the handle. I saw first hand how the file went through his wrist and was poking out the other side. To this day he still wont touch a file.


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## Matt81 (Mar 1, 2014)

robespierre said:


> I guess the proper way to carry your saw is to have the blade behind you and the engine portion in front of you.If you trip and fall you don't have the blade to contend with.





blades said:


> Yes and no, for balance blade behind and easier to get through stuff, but most people falling forward will extend their arms to break fall, if you don't toss that saw where do you think the blade is?



Many things i have heard or read say that this is the best and safest way to carry a saw. When you fall it is instinct to put your hands out to stop the fall. Maybe you will drop the saw before but if you don't......



imagineero said:


> I had a near miss earlier this year. Was carrying a 660 with a 36" bar, fresh full chisel square found chain and as i walked twisted my ankle and spun, dragging the bar across my chainsaw pants. Had a wad of about $2,000 in hundreds in the pocket, folded in half with a rubber band on them. Chain went right through the outer fabric, tore a good chunk out of the cash, and lifted some of the matting of the chaps. Saw wasn't running. Bank exchanged the damaged money without question. Made me really think about how dangerous a non running saw is. I've had stitches on my right index finger from sharpening, always wear welder a gloves now. You get used to it. Shaun



What is it with an 066? Glad to hear you are ok and that you got the cash replaced. I always wear gloves when cutting and when sharpening and dressing. When i have to carry a saw by hand a long way i leave the scabbard on and have it locked in place with a small keyring biner to the front handle with some small diameter accessory cord.

I have been cutting on my own since i was about 15-16 years old. I have never had any kind of injury or accident other than being stupid and dressing bars without gloves. That was until June 2013.
I was on a dairy farm and we were removing a huge 45m eucalyptus that had a 6m diameter trunk a the base. It had snapped due to it being a double leader from a meter and a half up and basically the larger part of the tree had snapped off and torn right down to the ground but was hung up on another nearby big tree. We ended up pulling it out by the base with a large sling and a big tractor because it was too unsafe to do anything else.

I was cutting up the trunk into smaller sections for a smaller tractor to be able to move it all to another area on the farm to be processed for firewood later. I ran out of fuel and had to walk uphill to the truck with the 066. The grass was up to just below my knees and it was very wet. I had to step over a large log but did not realise that there was another small diameter log next to the log i was stepping over.
I was carrying the saw with the blade facing behind. I slipped over instantly and landed on my backside on the far side of the log. I had no time to remember to let go of the saw. When i stood up i picked up the saw and walked to the truck but noticed blood everywhere. I had ripped a 4" tear between my wrist and elbow on the chain plus punctured myself on the oversize falling spikes.

Hospital trip and 14 stitches later for the gash i was ok. Man the chain made a mess. It ripped skin away from both sides of the cut with the left and right teeth and the doc had to trim away all the jagged bits of flesh and skin and then pull the two sides together before putting in the stitches. I had to hold the forceps to close the cut because he had no nurse to assist him. Good thing i'm ok with this sort of thing. I must admit it is a different perspective when it's me being sewn up and not someone else!  Boy when the anesthetic wore off did it hurt from the skin being pulled so tight to close the gash!

Because i had the saw bar facing behind, and out of sight, when i fell it was not in my thoughts. I believe that if i had the bar facing forwards i would have had the saw in my vision when i fell and probably fell on the rear of the saw near the throttle and not on the chain.

It is the only accident i have ever had, and hope to ever have with a saw!! I don't really want to think about if it had been running!!


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## imagineero (Mar 1, 2014)

If you cut down a 20 foot diameter euc with an 066 I'll buy you a beer mate ;-)


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## Matt81 (Mar 6, 2014)

imagineero said:


> If you cut down a 20 foot diameter euc with an 066 I'll buy you a beer mate ;-)




Ha Ha.  Didn't re-read it before i posted. I made a wee typo. I have fixed it now. If i was cutting a 20 footer with an 066 i would have been knocking on your door for the beer! I would have needed it! 

It was a 20 footer right at the base, but it was a double leader from around chest high. I was only cutting the smaller diameter stuff to allow the tractor to be able to move it.


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## Guido Salvage (Apr 12, 2014)

Many cuts (and some scars) from chains, both running and non running. I tend to get cut more removing mufflers than anything.

My oldest daughter still has a scar on her foot where she tripped over the bar of an old Lancaster I had on the garage floor.


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## GroundSquirrel (Apr 22, 2014)

Gologit said:


> You mean like this? I've seen guys carry their saw this way quite a bit. I haven't seen anybody get seriously hurt.


That is not allowed on our crew! It's a sure way to get reamed out, or even sent home for the day if you don't listen the first time you get reamed out. Boss man prefers a two handed carry when possible, preferably with the bar pointing well away or off to your side. Second best in his book is how robespierre describes. There are pros and cons for that method, yes-- but perhaps one of the biggest pro factors with the second method is that the blade is not snuggling the carotid and jugular! 

Personally, if there is enough room to do so, I prefer to carry with the blade out to my side. Yes, my arm is turned, but at least that sharp thing is not as likely to hit me if I stumble or fall.


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## jonserdave (Sep 6, 2014)

sgreanbeans said:


> I had a guy cut his inner arm by his shoulder with a non running 200t. He slipped and ran his arm across it, sliced it pretty good, took a few stitches to stop the leak. Sharp is sharp, running or not.


The safety manual suggests that you carry the saw with the blade facing backward which decreases the chance of falling on the business end,, unless you go over backward and go tumbling down a hill!!


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## Matt81 (Sep 7, 2014)

jonserdave said:


> The safety manual suggests that you carry the saw with the blade facing backward which decreases the chance of falling on the business end,, unless you go over backward and go tumbling down a hill!!



That is how i have always carried a big saw, with the blade facing behind me. If i were to trip and fall forwards all i need to do is let go of the saw and there is no chance of me falling on it. Sounds good to me and i have read it everywhere in saw manuals. Doesn't work so good in practice......  mainly because i found you have to realise you are falling and let go of the saw. If it is real sudden you have no time to react.

Only bad injury i have ever had from a saw in 15 years was from a 066 with a 25" bar. Saw had quit and i was walking back up the hill to refuel with blade facing behind me. Was on a dairy farm, long knee length lush green wet grass. Went to step over a large log in my path and could not see a smaller log right where i was putting my foot down. I went over like i stepped on marbles, quicker than i could react or do anything. When i stood up another member or my crew came over to see if i was ok. I said yeah and went to pick up the saw from behind me and my right arm hurt like hell when i gripped the saw and the other guy said hey wheres all that blood coming from? Halfway up my forearm on the inside was a good 5" tear and it looked to me like it went deep into the muscle. I was checking it out to see how bad it was and the other guy nearly fainted and told me to get myself to a hospital. So i drove myself into emergency department and needed something like 18 stitches.
Hurt like hell because the chain does not cut a clean wound. The doc had to trim the jagged edges back to make it all neat and even so it needed to be pulled really tight to get it to join up. He did a great job and luckily it only nicked the tendons and muscle.


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## ANewSawyer (Sep 8, 2014)

I had wondered if it was possible to get cut on a non running saw and this thread is the answer. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as sharp as you guys can get your chains.


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## tla100 (Sep 11, 2014)

I have put a couple deep gashes in fingers from sharpening, I guess I need to get the welding gloves out, which is funny because I only wear gloves less than 1% of the time I weld.


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## _RJ_ (Mar 27, 2015)

Sorry for bringing up an old thread and since people started talking about how they carried their saw, I thought about this. A couple years ago I bought this pack for building fence in the high country after the snow melts. I have to walk a long ways in some steep terrain, alone, while repairing fence, clearing trees, and making new post stays or rock jacks and this thing is awesome. I've never hung a 32"+ bar out of it but it does well with 28" providing you're not in reprod, or old growth. I think they still make them. Here is just a pic I pulled from the internet. If anyone want's I can make a list or something of everything I can fit in there. Chaps, tools, food/water, plus more.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Mar 27, 2015)

But doing that makes you the "super logger" like on the Ax Man show! 

Edit... that was meant to quote the comment on carrying the saw on your shoulder, with sharp chain near your neck.


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## _RJ_ (Mar 27, 2015)

ValleyFirewood said:


> But doing that makes you the "super logger" like on the Ax Man show!
> 
> Edit... that was meant to quote the comment on carrying the saw on your shoulder, with sharp chain near your neck.


True... I've seen a couple of them go down before and get nicked, nothing serious though. Some guys have a piece of leather they put on their shoulder when carrying like that. Not that is going to help too much, especially the dogs.


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## greg storms (Mar 27, 2015)

back in the 1970s, I was working at a grain elevator on the Mississippi River. I was a medical first responder and a fellow worker got hit in the face by a chain that was 1 leg of a four leggged bridle used to pick up barge covers. The chain ripped open his face (cheek) on 1 side and was quite disgusting and bloody. I had to transport him 50 miles to a plastic surgeon, Once at the surgeon's office and admitted to a surgery room, a giddy nurse came in all excited, wanting to see "the chain saw massacred face". Some fools love to see devastation and it's amazing how gossip changes the facts of an incident. Be safe. BTW, I like RJ's post #33 And would like to see contents posted....


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## _RJ_ (Mar 29, 2015)

greg storms said:


> back in the 1970s, I was working at a grain elevator on the Mississippi River. I was a medical first responder and a fellow worker got hit in the face by a chain that was 1 leg of a four leggged bridle used to pick up barge covers. The chain ripped open his face (cheek) on 1 side and was quite disgusting and bloody. I had to transport him 50 miles to a plastic surgeon, Once at the surgeon's office and admitted to a surgery room, a giddy nurse came in all excited, wanting to see "the chain saw massacred face". Some fools love to see devastation and it's amazing how gossip changes the facts of an incident. Be safe. BTW, I like RJ's post #33 And would like to see contents posted....



I'll get it posted up. I'm currently out scouting for spring bear.

I don't have everything with me but here are a couple of pics. The bag has a good amount of room in it. I can store up to an 18" bar fully zipped up inside. MSR fuel bottles on each side for oil and gas. Fence stretchers and nails, 2lb. sledge, wedges, chainsaw maintenance items, half roll of barbed wire, 1 gal. water, head to toe PPE


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