first real saw and new found respect

[wood junky]

Ok so on the advice of the folks here and some folks I work with, i made my saw purchase and my ppe purchases at the same time.

I ended up with a ms 361 20" and I am waiting on a jonny red 2171 24" with the beater trade in.

My former saws are a Homelite timberman and poulan home depot special.

After 2 full days of cutting I am amazed with the preformance of the 361, but wow is my level of precaution turned way up.

these tools require a new level of respect that I was not giving to my other saws. I feel very lucky to have not been injured in the past.

The power that even small saws have is amazing-


I could not look more like a newbie than to show up with a brand new saw and new ppe. I am suprised no one tried to give me a wedgie.

thanks for all of the advice y'all

Kevin

 

[mini kahuna]

their is nothing wrong with a little "fear and respect" when using power equipment,don't feel embarrassed using ppe either.
you doing the correct thing protecting yourself good job.
let the "cowboys" with t-shirts and cutoff jeans be the ones taking a trip to the hospital.

 

[DOLMARatOs]

PPE is the smartest move anyone can make. I see so many so-called professionals who don't wear chaps and eye protection. I've seen guys cutting in tennis-shoes.

PPE is inexpensive and with a little care it can last longer than the saw. Imagine the cost of 20-30 stitches in your leg, or having a piece of saw debris removed from your eye. Hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

The only people that do not need PPE are people that do not own or operate saws.

Way to go showing up properly equipped.

 

[CaseyForrest]

Absolutely, safety should be the first thought, not the afterthought.

Dont let the fact that those around dont use PPE let you get lazy and say to yourself "I dont need those glasses, Im just making one or two cuts."

 

[twoodward15]

Take those two small saws and do the muffler mod on them. You'll notice that they will put out power comparable to a stock high end saw. They will be a tad louder, but you will see and feel the power that was missing all along. Then you'll have two more good saws!

 

[twoodward15]

Take those two small saws and do the muffler mod on them. You'll notice that they will put out power comparable to a stock high end saw. They will be a tad louder, but you will see and feel the power that was missing all along. Then you'll have two more good saws!

 

[oldsaw]

Yep, know what you mean. I went from my Super XL with a 16"bar to an 066 with a 36". I never had to think much about where the bar tip was with a 16" bar, but the tip on that 36 is a looong ways away, and that saw has LOTS of power.

You think about stuff more with a high powered saw and a big bar...that's a good thing.

Mark

 

[computeruser]

Very well said. I can assure you that you're not the first person to feel that way when they finally entered the world of "real" saws!

Don't lose that awe and caution. And keep wearing that PPE - fear not, it'll look dirty enough pretty soon!

 

[DOLMARatOs]

The ladies like it when you wear those chaps and the helmet after dark

Also, the earplugs come in great handy when the missus is yelling at you for buying another saw.

 

[wood junky]

PPE is the smartest move anyone can make. I see so many so-called professionals who don't wear chaps and eye protection. I've seen guys cutting in tennis-shoes.

PPE is inexpensive and with a little care it can last longer than the saw. Imagine the cost of 20-30 stitches in your leg, or having a piece of saw debris removed from your eye. Hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

The only people that do not need PPE are people that do not own or operate saws.

Way to go showing up properly equipped.

No doubt that the lost time and co pays for a serious injury far out way a couple of hundred bucks on PPE. I figure with the way the saw addictions go around here I will drop a couple thousand more on saws and some how justify why I need an 88 for firewood.

 

[musch]

Don't feel silly wearing ppe
You can easily cut the inside of your thigh, and bleed to death before you get to the hospital.
Not only is it possible, it happens.
So if you think how uncool you look wearing chaps, think how uncool it would be to leave your loved ones behind.
Those new saws are awesome, but they do deserve all the respect you have for 'em.

 

[Marc1]

Has anyone actualy had ppe 'work' on him, preventing injury?
How does it work?

 

[blis]

Has anyone actualy had ppe 'work' on him, preventing injury?
How does it work?

for example, pants work by filling up the teeth of chain, so it cant cut and it also stalls the saw really quickly, and that is how most ppe work...

 

[ASEMASTER]

cut pants

Has anyone actualy had ppe 'work' on him, preventing injury?
How does it work?

Long before they had chaps ,when carring my saw (off) I triped and one tooth went throught the blue jeans and in to my leg not real serious but stuff like this happens . Now imagine if it was running?

 

[johncinco]

Chicks dig guys in PPE.

 

[Fumbler]

Has anyone actualy had ppe 'work' on him, preventing injury?
How does it work?

Luckily I've never had to rely on PPE saving my butt :knock on wood:
I have been working in the woods with other people when it happend to them.
They were both felling trees and both had finished cuts.
They took their right hands off the saw to move brush while the chains were still spinning.
Both ended up with spectra filled clutches and surprised looks on their faces. What happend was they let the saws swing counter clockwise a little and the saws got a hold of their upper left thighs. No injury to either.
Makes you respect the chaps a little more.

Chaps work because they are loosly filled with aramid fibers. When the saw cuts through the outer layer, the chains grab a hold of the very strong fibers and pulls a bunch of it out of the chaps. The fibers then clog up the clutch causing the chain to stop moving.

 

[polexie]

Yep, Stihl shoes and trousers saved my right foot and lower leg about 10 years ago . The 044 pulled the fibers right out. The guy i was working for at that time was buying the ppe if you started for him. (good guy)

It just happend due to a dull moment that i had then.
Ever since i wear it for the smallest log or whatever i'm using a chainsaw for.

I've seen other guys that didnt wear it, you dont want to know what it looks like. Once saw the neighboor of my parents almost getting killed by a rented Stihl. 52 stitches in his chest and neck.:help: :monkey: :deadhorse:

Now i know you have pro users and guys which use one, once i a life time.

Just use it!!!!

 

[SteveH]

With that new saw, now's as good a time as any to get into the safety thing, big time. Many of us started out just getting a saw and cutting for a few years, luck with us I guess as to getting hurt, or not. I didn't buy chaps for the first 25 yr., or anything else except good boots and common sense. Then I had a couple near-episodes and got out the catalogue and ordered some stuff. I don't cut without the chaps now, not even if it's for fifteen minutes for some fast little chore.

Friend and I watched a neighbor in the next yard to my friend cutting up some logs he'd had delivered. Buncha guys over to help him, or maybe they'd split the cost of the truck and were sharing the wood. In any case, they were all of them husky young dudes and all in cutoffs, tennies, sleeveless t's and no gloves. They were wearing sunglasses, couple of them baseball caps. Big cooler of brewskis and a lotta joking and horsing around with about six chainsaws running. Few of their little kids racing around the stack of wood, all amongst the adults. Didn't see anyone get hurt, but it was about as amazing a sight as I've seen in a long, long time.

 

[Stihl #1]

I had a Sycamore that was leaning after Isabel blew threw here a couple of years ago. Put on the STIHL ProMark boots and chaps, cleared the area, made my notch, got set for the felling cut, and as the tree started going down I stepped back and tripped on a root. The bar came across my left knee, with the chain just coasting down. I wasn't on the throttle. It made it through the chaps and gave me a nick on my kneecap the size of a BB. RS chain on a MS 361. I sat there absolutely not believing this had happened. So fast, I guess thats why they call them accidents. I had checked behind to be sure my exit path was open, but didn't pay attention to the ground being rough.
If I did not have the chaps on, I would have been torn up big time. I will not cut anything without chaps on, ever, for any reason. I also have a pair of the gloves with the Entex on the top of the left glove, as that is where most hand injuries happen. When felling and especially in the woods, I wear a helmet system, for protection against falling limbs, sometimes called "Widowmakers" as you usually can't hear them falling over the noise of the saw, and I always wear hearing protectors anyway.
Wearing PPE is considered a pain or too much trouble by some folks, but as has been said, with the kind of power and performance modern saws are capable of, it is foolish not to use PPE.

 

[Wes]

I don't understand people who will work without eye and ear protection. You avoid a lot of fatigue without the saw making your ears ring, and you don't have to squint and worry about your eyes with some cheaters on.

I've worked a lot with my neighbor, cutting firewood or clearing our fences. He won't wear eyes, and spends all day digging crap out of his eyes and getting his wife to pick things off of his eyeball. Dumb.