# Do all loggers avoid safety like the plague?



## Billy_Bob (Oct 10, 2005)

I have a couple of friends who are loggers and wearing safety equipment is just not "the thing to do" in their book....

I loaned one guy my string trimmer and at the same time handed him my safety glasses. He said; "I'm a logger. I don't wear safety equipment!"
I said; "Ok, fine. But if you get something in your eye, don't blame me..." So later I saw him trimming, stopping, then rubbing his eyes. The trimmer is a two string Stihl which throws stuff *everywhere* (which is why I wear safety glasses).

I was out cutting wood with another guy today. Told him I had chaps, gloves, goggles - whatever he wanted. Said he didn't wear any of that stuff! So later he was sharpening his chainsaw. I asked if he wanted gloves. He said no. Then as he was sharpening it, he cut his finger. (Just a small cut.) I just looked at him and laughed. I said do you want gloves now? He said no...

BTW - I didn't used to be much wiser myself, until I sawed half-way through my finger with a skill saw. Now I tend to be a safety nut...


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## StIhL MaGnUm (Oct 11, 2005)

I always wear my safety gear mostly just boots and hard hat as I run skidder mainly , but when cutting always throw on chaps .. I already know what a saw can do , last year I cut my big toe on my left foot almost completely off . Safety is a MUST !!

Rob


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## smokechase II (Oct 11, 2005)

You didn't mention ear plugs.
What....
What did you say?


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## Billy_Bob (Oct 11, 2005)

smokechase II said:


> You didn't mention ear plugs.
> What....
> What did you say?



I had a guy come over and build a small barn/shed for me. He was using an air powered nail gun without ear plugs. Every time I talked to him, he said... Huh? What?

I learned I needed to talk LOUD...


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## turnkey4099 (Oct 11, 2005)

Didn't used to use anything but boots. Not now. Drive a nail, goggles on, hard hat, boots, chaps, ear muffs with the chain saw. Why the nail thing? I have 50% vision in my left eye now due to a misstrike, zing and light went out. Sick thing is the goggles were withing arms reach when it happened.

Harry K


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## Newfie (Oct 11, 2005)

Safety gear is for wusses. Loggers are tough thick headed morons who don't know any better.  


Do you base your opinions of all professions on your personal experiences w/ only a couple of individuals?


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## StIhL MaGnUm (Oct 11, 2005)

Be nice now Mike ...  

Rob


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## Newfie (Oct 11, 2005)

StIhL MaGnUm said:


> Be nice now Mike ...
> 
> Rob



I was trying to be.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Oct 12, 2005)

I sure see a lot of pics of people here cutting without any safety gear. And then I see posts like the above and, yep, like any other group, there is a range of attitudes, skills, experience, etc.


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## notahacker (Oct 12, 2005)

A major injury is bound to happen. :Monkey:


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## Ryan Willock (Oct 12, 2005)

If you are on my job you WILL wear steel toe boots (or safety toe) as well as a hard hat. I've found some people just will NOT wear ear plugs or muffs so thats their problem. A guy that was cutting timber for me broke a major safety rule three weeks ago. He was felling a 5'' beech tree to open up a new skid trail and didn't cut down a dead 13'' locast snag that was free standing about 30 feet away from him (I cut down all snags BEFORE I start cutting other timber or I push'em over with the dozer or skidder) it had no noticable lean to it nor had any equipment been near it nor had any trees near it been felled. It was NOT windy. The guy was cutting the beech as I was hooking up to a turn of logs about 100 yards away on a differnt part of the strip and I saw the snag start to fall in his direction and I yelled to him ( don't know why, like he could hear me over a saw and muffs anyway) well for some reason he took half a step back just as the tree hit his head and that was enough to save him, it drove him to the ground and he was back on his feet by the time I got to him. By the grace of God he was NOT hurt (save for a headach) but if he hadn't had his hard hat on it would have KILLED him! He wanted to go back to work but I wouldn't let him. This guy had had six years experiance in the woods so he knew better than to work near a snag but got lazy. He is no longer cutting timber for me. I've gone back to cutting my own timber and letting someone else run the loader and the skidder.


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## Ryan Willock (Oct 12, 2005)

Oh, the part of the tree that hit him was 12'' in diameter. It broke upon contact with his hard hat.


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## Gypo Logger (Oct 12, 2005)

Billy Bob, I have no idea what you are talking about.
John


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## Ryan Willock (Oct 12, 2005)

John, thats nuts! I hung a couple today myself. I hate when that happens.


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## spencerhenry (Oct 12, 2005)

one thing i can say for sure is that gypo is always good for a laugh.

i dont consider myself a logger, though i do cut alot of trees, and clear rights of way, and buy standing timber. i didnt own chaps until about a month ago, and have only used them once. i always use ear protection, and almost always eye protection, and i dont cut in sneakers anymore. 
i am a framer by trade, only use glasses when i cant stand the sun, or there is too much dust to see. dont use ear protection unless doing lots of stationary sawing, or concrete drilling. never wear safety toe boots (sneakers, unless it is too cold). hell, i never wear gloves except with sheet metal, or its too cold. now that i think about it, i never used a seat belt unless i am in the race car. hard hats... i dont think so.
in 21 years of framing, have knicked myself with a saw once, bounced a couple of nail gun nails off of body parts, and never fallen. 
maybe i found logging because of my lack of concern for safety gear??? or maybe people who dont like to be told what to do and how to do it gravitate towards jobs that they can be their own person???


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## eyeinstine (Oct 12, 2005)

Gypo Logger said:


> Billy Bob, I have no idea what you are talking about.
> John



hey John, 
is that the same tree (oak?) that you got hung up in the smoking saw - tree kick video?? Looks like the same hang up to me; see, i told you that you need this heavy smokin' pro mac 10-10 to give you the 'powers' to keep those big $$$ trees from snagging up..

And another thing, why not take the ATV to the trees your gonna cut?? I know its a long walk back to the truck or skidder, but c'mon, standing on the snag and cutting off the top, so when the tree whips back upright it shoots you like a human canon ball back to the truck is the lazy way of doing things..

 
Ron


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## Gypo Logger (Oct 14, 2005)

Hi Spencer, I don't know why everyone has to insist that we are dangerous?
Ron that's a diffent tree I think, I just felled another one on top of it to make a teepee.
John


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## Rotax Robert (Oct 14, 2005)

Hey gypo you still got that picture of you making the facecut while I back cut at the same time? It sure did save time on the job.


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## Mange (Oct 14, 2005)

Here is very strict rules on safety, most loggers must use all safety gear, if they want to work.

Pants, boots, hardhat with screen and ear protection, gloves.
Some is even requiered to have a service contract with dealer, so the company can check the gas and oil run is up to standards.

No pro logger here mix their gas, all run Aspen, some use dino chain oil, but not with the big company's.


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## Gypo Logger (Oct 16, 2005)

Rotax Robert said:


> Hey gypo you still got that picture of you making the facecut while I back cut at the same time? It sure did save time on the job.


 Hey Robert, here it is. Two saws are better than one.
John


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## Locoweed (Oct 16, 2005)

Wonder what Gypo does to keep his right hand so strong he can cut one handed? <G>


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## SWE#Kipp (Oct 16, 2005)

Locoweed said:


> Wonder what Gypo does to keep his right hand so strong he can cut one handed? <G>



it's a device called wanker spanker a very fun equipment to work out with


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## Sizzle-Chest (Oct 16, 2005)

Oh man, gypo, I couldnt stop laughing at your pictures. My wife even thought they were funny. In that one where your standing on the hang up, did you actually make that cut? I'm guessing not, since you'd have gone down with the tree! 

I should come work for you, here's my safety record:

Ruined 5 different pairs of chaps due to carelessness, the last ones I cut all the way through, the chain got bound up, but the dawgs went into my leg. 

Fell one douglas fir tree right on someone's fence 10 minutes after they told me "what ever you do, don't hit that fence".

Got another douglas fir tree hung up in an oak, cut the oak and both trees landed on the land owner's water well pump, destroying it. 

Cut another hang up above my head and got clobered by the tree when it fell.


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## Gypo Logger (Oct 17, 2005)

That's a rather good track record you have there SizzleChest, but if you haven't driven over a saw yet then to are too inexperienced I'd say. LOL
John


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## chicken89 (Oct 19, 2005)

run over saws? how about two Stihl 440s in under a week. one was only a few days old. good thing one was with a truck and one with a bobcat, we might have had to fire a truck


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## jp hallman (Oct 21, 2005)

Ryan Willock said:


> If you are on my job you WILL wear steel toe boots (or safety toe) as well as a hard hat. I've found some people just will NOT wear ear plugs or muffs so thats their problem. A guy that was cutting timber for me broke a major safety rule three weeks ago. He was felling a 5'' beech tree to open up a new skid trail and didn't cut down a dead 13'' locast snag that was free standing about 30 feet away from him (I cut down all snags BEFORE I start cutting other timber or I push'em over with the dozer or skidder) it had no noticable lean to it nor had any equipment been near it nor had any trees near it been felled. It was NOT windy. The guy was cutting the beech as I was hooking up to a turn of logs about 100 yards away on a differnt part of the strip and I saw the snag start to fall in his direction and I yelled to him ( don't know why, like he could hear me over a saw and muffs anyway) well for some reason he took half a step back just as the tree hit his head and that was enough to save him, it drove him to the ground and he was back on his feet by the time I got to him. By the grace of God he was NOT hurt (save for a headach) but if he hadn't had his hard hat on it would have KILLED him! He wanted to go back to work but I wouldn't let him. This guy had had six years experiance in the woods so he knew better than to work near a snag but got lazy. He is no longer cutting timber for me. I've gone back to cutting my own timber and letting someone else run the loader and the skidder.



I agree with all your safety equipment ideas except the STEEL TOED BOOTS!
Steel caps can amputate your toes if a log rolls on em'. At the least with "soft" boots you'll just have smashed toes that might stand a chance of being saved.


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## Sizzle-Chest (Oct 21, 2005)

Hey Willock, I'll come cut your timber. I got an ear plug and everthing. What do you say? I'm real handy with the saw. For example, what a seasoned faller like myself would have done was put a face into that snag, then dumped that beach tree right into it, domino style. Two birds my friend, I would save you time and money cutting twice, maybe thrice as fast, depending on how many trees I could line up. See you monday morning on the landing bud!


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## Tree Sling'r (Oct 22, 2005)

If anyone had a brain they would know it is all mandatory when having employees. Workers Comp and lawsuits - yeah that stuff happens. I wear it all, just habit.

Heres a question what kind of moron would wear steel toe boots while working around logs? I have seen and herd of many instances wear toes have gotten snipped off just because something moved or rolled and because of a steel toe they have a club for a foot.


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## Tree Sling'r (Oct 22, 2005)

Sizzle-Chest said:


> Hey Willock, I'll come cut your timber. I got an ear plug and everthing. What do you say? I'm real handy with the saw. For example, what a seasoned faller like myself would have done was put a face into that snag, then dumped that beach tree right into it, domino style. Two birds my friend, I would save you time and money cutting twice, maybe thrice as fast, depending on how many trees I could line up. See you monday morning on the landing bud!



Do it to get hang-ups out - call it a "Suicide Wedge" or "Gypo Jack"


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## Sizzle-Chest (Oct 22, 2005)

Tree Sling'r said:


> Do it to get hang-ups out - call it a "Suicide Wedge" or "Gypo Jack"



Hey tree slinger, you got redwoods around yer parts? Ever cut any?


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## JimL (Oct 23, 2005)

i wear hearing and eye protection along with a hardhat. chaps only when im told to. im bad about that. ive gotten my ass chewed on for not wearing chaps a bunch of times at work. not much of a chance of getting fired now. i sit in the cab all day and trim trees. gettin kinda boring.


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