Kickback

[Erick]

A full or 3/4 wrap top handle will help with your hand position, but as far as I know no one makes a full on "left handed" saw. My younger brother is a lefty and still cuts right handed even with my 3/4 wrap, just no good way of getting out of the path of the bar and the chips.

 

[Erick]

oops I stand corected. :hmm3grin2orange:
Went to break in the middle of typing finised when I got back. Post a pic of that "lefty" would love to show it to my brother.

 

[clearance]

Hi all. PPE sounds like step one in the whole deal. But tell me does anyone make a left-handed saw? I'm myself a "port sider" but was tought to not cut across my body, so I cut right sided. I know this sounds like a crazy question but was just waundering. Dean'o

No, you can use a saw with your left hand on the trigger. Sometimes you have to to be safe. Before anyone starts beaking off, it says that fallers/buckers must be able to use a saw lefthanded in the Workers Compensation Board of B.C. manual, called of course W.C.B. Fallers and Buckers manual. Think about it, you are bucking a log on a sidehill, there is a rock or stump right where you have to stand to make your cut, are you going to look down onto the chain, or are you going to change hand position and cut safely?

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

I'm a lefty too, but I've neve thought about cutting left handed or right handed. I just cut. And everyone here knows I've got wraps on all of my saws, so maybe that makes a difference. It's not like shooting or baseball where eye dominance and fine hand/eye coordination are required. To me it's like driving. I don't drive left handed. I just drive. Maybe that's just me.

 

[Stihl 041S]

left handed saws

Erick;
Must have been an Oregon bar.
Cox mnfg. Santa Ana Calif Model 140-1
RC engine in a chainsaw, only model they made. My mom bought one for my dad after he got rid of the Diston he bought for $50 in 1948. She bought the little saw in about1968, said it was cute.
Sort of obscure.

 

[Tzed250]

Safety

Game of Logging guidelines say the left thumb must be wrapped around the front handle, and the brake must be set before the right hand leaves the rear handle.

 

[Canyon Angler]

Regarding wrapping the left-hand thumb around the handle: Does anybody actually NOT run the saw this way? I can't imagine NOT wrapping my thumb around the handlebar...seems like that's the "natural" way your hand "wants" to work, just like a monkey grabs a branch as he swings from tree to tree...it just seems like it would be awkward as all get-out to hold a branch or a saw handlebar or a bike handlebar or anything else WITHOUT wrapping the thumb around the backside...I mean, ain't that the purpose of an opposable thumb in the first place?

For target shooting, it's considered better form by many pistol shooters to hold the right thumb up high on the grip of the gun (up near the safety on an auto) so you have less tendency to put a death grip on the grip and move the sights out of alignment, and I know it took me the longest time to learn to hold the gun that way because it feels so "unnatural"...

Maybe it's just me, but reminding people to be sure to wrap their thumb around the handlebar of a saw is almost like telling people to remember to use both feet when walking...is there any other way to do it???

opcorn:

 

[blis]

Regarding wrapping the left-hand thumb around the handle: Does anybody actually NOT run the saw this way? I can't imagine NOT wrapping my thumb around the handlebar...seems like that's the "natural" way your hand "wants" to work, just like a monkey grabs a branch as he swings from tree to tree...it just seems like it would be awkward as all get-out to hold a branch or a saw handlebar or a bike handlebar or anything else WITHOUT wrapping the thumb around the backside...I mean, ain't that the purpose of an opposable thumb in the first place?

For target shooting, it's considered better form by many pistol shooters to hold the right thumb up high on the grip of the gun (up near the safety on an auto) so you have less tendency to put a death grip on the grip and move the sights out of alignment, and I know it took me the longest time to learn to hold the gun that way because it feels so "unnatural"...

Maybe it's just me, but reminding people to be sure to wrap their thumb around the handlebar of a saw is almost like telling people to remember to use both feet when walking...is there any other way to do it???

opcorn:

+1

 

[Tzed250]

training

I have seen a few that did not wrap their thumbs. Some must train themselves to do it, just as most people must train themselves NOT to wrap their thumbs around the steering wheel when they drive offroad.

 

[smokechase II]

handle stuff

Canyon Angler:

It’s natural to hold it both ways.
Mostly, its when tired that 'resting' your left thumb on the handlebar becomes the natural position.

This is going to sound silly, but it’s not a bad idea to do the tennis ball squeeze or other hand grip exercises if you don't run a saw regular.

 

[tek9tim]

Regarding wrapping the left-hand thumb around the handle: Does anybody actually NOT run the saw this way? I can't imagine NOT wrapping my thumb around the handlebar...seems like that's the "natural" way your hand "wants" to work, just like a monkey grabs a branch as he swings from tree to tree...it just seems like it would be awkward as all get-out to hold a branch or a saw handlebar or a bike handlebar or anything else WITHOUT wrapping the thumb around the backside...I mean, ain't that the purpose of an opposable thumb in the first place?

For target shooting, it's considered better form by many pistol shooters to hold the right thumb up high on the grip of the gun (up near the safety on an auto) so you have less tendency to put a death grip on the grip and move the sights out of alignment, and I know it took me the longest time to learn to hold the gun that way because it feels so "unnatural"...

Maybe it's just me, but reminding people to be sure to wrap their thumb around the handlebar of a saw is almost like telling people to remember to use both feet when walking...is there any other way to do it???

opcorn:

In training new sawyers, I have to break almost every single one of the not wrapping habit. The number one argument the have is that they feel like they lose dexterity if they don't have their thumb wrapped. I see guys with a lot of experience, but that never had proper training in the beginning who still don't wrap their thumb. Same with most homeowners.

 

[blis]

....

This is going to sound silly, but it’s not a bad idea to do the tennis ball squeeze or other hand grip exercises if you don't run a saw regular.

CoC or RB grippers are fine for that... 100-300 pounds of resistance depending which one you buy, should be plenty for holding the chainsaw

btw, I can close coc 1# (140lbs) with ease and get RB 180 down to parallel (~190 lbs)

 

[blis]

In training new sawyers, I have to break almost every single one of the not wrapping habit. The number one argument the have is that they feel like they lose dexterity if they don't have their thumb wrapped. I see guys with a lot of experience, but that never had proper training in the beginning who still don't wrap their thumb. Same with most homeowners.

Huh? you lose dexterity when wrapping your thumb around the handlebar?
Now thats a bad excuse,...