Personal Protective Equipment

00juice · Mar 1, 2007

What safety equipment does everyone where when milling? Safety glasses, ear plugs, ear muffs, helmet, face mask, respirator, chaps? Those who wear a respirator, do you wear it all the time, or only on certain species or situations. I've only been using safety glasses and ear plugs, but am thinking of one of the helmet combos. I am also curious of the need for a respirator.
Thanks

BobL · Mar 1, 2007

Firstly I should preface my comments by saying I am a not a professional miller.

I used to use a separate face sheild and ear muffs when milling and sanding (mainly dry hardwood timber) and was always either coughing up or blowing out of my nose various amounts of woody residues. A couple of years ago I completely lost my sense of smell for 6 weeks and the doc said it was almost certainly wood dust related. Apparently one can develope an allergy to a particular dust in a very short period. It was awful - all beer tasted like nothing!! I do not want that happening again.

For a year or so I worked with a gas mask type respirator but I found it too uncomfortable and found myself nor wearing it as often as I should so I bought a full cover, face shield, respirator, ear muff combo unit. At first I found it a bit clautrophobic but now I wear it with no problems even in full Aussie summer heat. The amount of stuff I cough up or blow out of my nose is now effectively zero. I do a lot of rip resawing in my shed with a table saw where I have dust extraction on the saw but the resawing throws dust everywhere so I use the combo unit in there as well.

I don't have any chaps but will probably get some if my planned amount of chainsaw milling eventuates. I've also started wearing some comfortable thin - padded in a few places, leather gloves that have saved me from the odd splinter and also helps against vibration produced by saws etc. And of course good steelcap boots should not be overlooked.

Cheers

00juice · Mar 1, 2007

BobL,
What brand/model helment are you using? Was it expensive? Where did you buy it?
Thanks

aquan8tor · Mar 1, 2007

I use Bailey's green chaps, a Stihl forester helmet with mesh faceshield and earmuffs, green 33dB earplugs under the muffs, a 3M organic vapor respirator, and a pair of ski goggles to keep fine dust out of my contact lenses. Also gloves of course, and long sleeves to keep sawdust off the skin. Walnut gives me a rash!!!!

Semi-Hex · Mar 1, 2007

It's funny that you bring this up. I worked in the seventies in logging. Our small company required use to use all available ppe, which at the time was steel toed boots, safety glasses, ear plugs (didn't like them) and a hard hat. If you didn't wear them you were fired. Well, you get used to wearing this stuff, so I've almost always worn them. I do see people today who complain about the comfort level but I find them quite easy to wear and I would rather have all of my body parts than not.
My 0.02 cents worth.

Semi-Hex · Mar 1, 2007

I wear a 3m mask too. I have a full beard so it doesn't seal that well, but redwood bark is about the worse stuff you can breathe and I have allergies to most pollens so the mask helps that way too.

BobL · Mar 1, 2007

00juice said:
BobL,
What brand/model helment are you using? Was it expensive? Where did you buy it?
Thanks

I use the Triton Powered Respirator as reviewed in this link. The hose problem described in the review has been fixed. There are also a set of filters useful for welding in confined spaces.

It's good for people with beards like myself. It does take some getting used to (especially the shroud) but I now use it even when it really hot and like the shroud because it keeps sawdust off your neck and going down the front of your shirt when sawing at odd angles.

The weakest part of the Triton unit are the earmuffs - they are only rated to 23 db. If I were a more regular or full time miller I would look to use something in the 30+ db range.

Something like a 3M HEPA Air Mate and a good pair of Peltor Muffs is another (more expensive) alternative.

Cheers

smitty12 · Mar 1, 2007

I just wear earplugs and safety glasses.

Im more worried about breathing the exhaust fumes than the wood dust and a standard resperator wont filter the exhaust fumes.

59Billy · Mar 2, 2007

Right now, just ear plugs, glasses, and chaps, plus a BDU jacket and boonie hat to keep the dust off. I'm about to add steel toes and (probably) a helpmet system.

Woodsurfer · Mar 2, 2007

I wear all my usual chainsaw stuff (steel toes, chaps, gloves, helmet/visor/muffs) plus a dust/organic mask. Sometimes the wind is right and I skip the mask...

On a hot day, I'm a sight covered in sweat and dust. :rock:

00juice · Mar 2, 2007

I think i'm going to add a helmet combo to my milling setup. Can you comment on the model's you all have for comfort, durability. I only know one person personally who has one of these setups. His was a bailey special, and One of the clips on the helmet broke on the first day. So, I just want to make sure I get something that will work well, last , and be as comfortable as possible.
Thanks
Brian

aquan8tor · Mar 2, 2007

I like my Stihl combo; it was about $45 I think, but it does NOT have the filter apparatus. One thing I do like about it is the dial-ratcheting suspension, which lets you custom-fit the helmet to keep it snug on your head. That sold me. Easy adjustment!! Other helmets that I've seen have snap-closure bands for adjustment, which seemed like more of a PITA.

stonykill · Mar 2, 2007

00juice said:
What safety equipment does everyone where when milling? Safety glasses, ear plugs, ear muffs, helmet, face mask, respirator, chaps? Those who wear a respirator, do you wear it all the time, or only on certain species or situations. I've only been using safety glasses and ear plugs, but am thinking of one of the helmet combos. I am also curious of the need for a respirator.
Thanks

I started milling with just glasses and a hat. One of the 1st trees I milled, I hit a hidden nail, of which a piece hit me in the cheek. I now wear a helmet, faceshield, ear protection combo, and wear a dust mask all the time. I figured I wear a dust mask sanding, and milling creates way more dust than sanding. I just use disposable respirators most of the time, although I have used a paint respirator as well, this works much better, but gets hot.:rockn:

woodshop · Mar 2, 2007

Didn't always, but got serious about 5 years ago for various reasons and now wear the whole shabang. Pain at first until you get used to it... now almost no hassle at all, any of it. Chaps, steel toes, helmet/face shield/earmuffs AND earplugs. Good quality respirator usually only when milling, due to face so close to exhaust and thus breathing that in all day, which is NOT good... goes right from lungs into your bloodstream among other things when you breath that exhaust in so close for that long a period. Bottom line is... 10-15 years down the road, do you want to still be healthy with your hearing OK, sight OK all your fingers and toes there, skull in one piece? Then just bite the bullet, spend the cash for the ppe and just do it. How much is your sight worth to you?

Working as a logger years ago I was hit in the head by the end of a log that had been hit and thrown up at me by a load of logs behind a skidder going through the woods about 50 feet away from me. Domino effect you sometimes get when logs are laying all over the place like pickup sticks. Anyway, it cracked my helmet open and threw me on the ground after a few loops, but I walked away with just a headache. Had I not had my pretty orange helmet on that day, you probably wouldn't be reading this right now.

urbanlumberinc · Mar 6, 2007

That triton helmet looks pretty sweet, do you have problems with sweat dripping and fogging? I've tried milling with a respirator, and find that I cant pull enough air through one while working hard (milling). As a result I oftentimes find myself breathing through my teeth. I do wear all the other safety gear (chaps, forestry helmet, logger boots, gloves, etc.

woodshop · Mar 6, 2007

urbanlumberinc said:
That triton helmet looks pretty sweet, do you have problems with sweat dripping and fogging? I've tried milling with a respirator, and find that I cant pull enough air through one while working hard (milling). As a result I oftentimes find myself breathing through my teeth. I do wear all the other safety gear (chaps, forestry helmet, logger boots, gloves, etc.

Get a better respirator, or blow out/replace the filters on the one that you couldn't suck enough air through, as that shouldn't be a problem. I find that when milling, that fine dust gets in those two big filters and clogs them up in only a session or two. I just take the air hose and blow them clean and they are good to go again. Every few months I just replace the filters.

BobL · Mar 6, 2007

urbanlumberinc said:
That triton helmet looks pretty sweet, do you have problems with sweat dripping and fogging? I've tried milling with a respirator, and find that I cant pull enough air through one while working hard (milling). As a result I oftentimes find myself breathing through my teeth. I do wear all the other safety gear (chaps, forestry helmet, logger boots, gloves, etc.

The amount of air available is no problem - it's very different from a standard respirator and you never have to pull air. At normal/hot temperatures fogging is not a problem. The sweat issue is not as bad as you might think. Although the shroud/sheild increases the amount of sweat, the air flow over your face neck helps dry it out a little as well. If you are working really hard the sweating will overpower the air flow and after a couple of hours at it I am glad to pull it off. As it very rarely gets below freezing where I live I can't say how it is at low temps.

00juice · Mar 6, 2007

Where do you get your triton system from, and what are they worth?

BobL · Mar 6, 2007

00juice said:
Where do you get your triton system from, and what are they worth?

I bought mine from a large discount hardware store in Australia. I believe they have a RRP of about $200 in the USA but have also seen them on line for less.

WoodBurner44 · Mar 6, 2007

Milling Gear

Prescription safety glasses, hard hat-earmuff-face mask combo, steel toe boots, leather gloves. 3M mask when the air is not carrying sawdust away from me. I add chaps when logging or climbing.

Personal Protective Equipment

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