Ok admittedly this post is trollish....... sorry.
I've been cutting for 7-5 yrs now. Mainly taught by dad, mixed with some reading. I cut for fun, mainly firewood a few saw logs here and there to mill at the father in-laws for various projects....
Here's the thing. None of the people that I've cut with own or use a hard hat / faceshield. Ok.... if everyone jumped off a cliff would I follow.... no, I wouldn't. PPE is very important, I take safety very seriously at work (papermill) and often work as a supervisor ensuring others follow the rules and wear the proper PPE.
When cutting, I where full cut-resistant pants (similar to chaps), safety glasses, gloves, steel toe boots, and ear plugs. I'm sure a hardhat would be a good idea. When talking to dear ol' dad I got the "well if a branch falls on you would you rather have a bump on the head or a broken neck" speech. Followed by "If you are careful and watch what you are doing like I taught you, you shouldn't have anything fall on you". "If it looks dangerous, find another tree to pick on".
I'm not saying they are a bad, rather I'd just like to hear a few stories of how they've saved your azz, maybe some stories I can use to convince Dad its better safe than sorry.
PS: post #100.
Ever since I was about 18, I always wore ear muffs, while cutting fire wood. In 1991,I was 25, and I was cutting for a farmer, who wanted an old lane way removed, and he hired me to cut down the trees, and cut them into fire wood.
I fell a big Maple tree. The tree fell right here I planned it to fall.
There was a big Ash tree a few yards down the lane, so I went and cut that tree down. After I had the trunk cut through, as the tree was falling, it turned 1/4 of a turn, and fell on top of the Maple tree. Not where I planned at all.
So I started climbing the Ash tree. I cut through a limb, of the Ash tree, and all of a sudden. A tree limb from the Maple tree was sprung back from the weight of the Ash tree on top of it, sprung up over the Bar of the Chain Saw, good thing, and hit me square in the mouth. It snapped in half 4 of my upper front teeth. I helmet with a face shield would have saved my teeth, but I probably would have had a sore face for awhile, or a broken nose. Who Knows.
After that I didn't cut much fire wood like I do now. So when I started cutting the amount of fire wood fro my self 18 to 20 Bush Cords a year to heat my house over the winter, and 10 Bush cords to sell a year. I have 3 full hard hats, with face shields, and earmuffs, hanging up in the garage I also have2 pairs of ear muffs as well. One hardhat set is for me, one for my stepson, and the other is for my friend who help me with the cutting. The earmuffs are worn buy somebody who helps load the fire wood, and splits the wood with the tractor, and splitter, in a safe location away from the cutting of the tree.
I always ask my Mothers Boyfriend if he wants a helmet, and MR Cool always tells me no. I never cause an argument, But now after reading these posts, I will Insist that Hard hats will always be worn on this farm, from now on.
Rowan. You said 2 or three pages. I think that there is 7 by now.
Thanks. Bruce.