Market research for chainsaw safety

[BobL]

This is the only real CS injury I received.
I normally always wear chaps although I'm not really sure if chaps would have helped with the following .

Mum calls me up and wants a small (12ft high maybe 6" wide trunk) tree taken down. I go around there and she's not home. Put on chaps and using a 441 with 25" bar I take down tree. Break it up and leave the wood in one pile and the branches and leave in another. I'm not sure if mum wants a bit of stump left there or not - I go with "yes". Notice chain is really loose and really needs adjusting.

Just then mum turns up and says will I come in for a cup of Joe - Sure. Remove chaps and half an hour later I mention the stump height and mum says - ground level please. I grabbed the saw started it up and the chain comes off - fortunately it's caught by the chain catcher but successful swings around and goes straight between my legs and whacks me fair in the privates.

It was actually not that bad - no blood - chain was not spinning, and far less pain that being kicked in the privates. But later it did hurt and one of the family jewels cam up with a bright purple and yellow bruise. Sheer carelessness and could have been worse.

This is interesting

 

[J. Davis]

I have cut myself through carelessness and inexperience. It was a minor thing on my left wrist (hold a branch while cutting it, and while being up in the tree in an awkward position). But it taught me a good lesson. And I had been running a saw for years before it happened.

I think the issue of kickback is extremely overplayed. Most homeowners don't run saws powerful enough to kick that hard. And in my ~30 years of running a saw, (I started when I was 10) I've never once had a kickback.

 

[Philbert]

I think the issue of kickback is extremely overplayed. Most homeowners don't run saws powerful enough to kick that hard.

Philbert

 

[DutchWoodPecker]

I think the issue of kickback is extremely overplayed. Most homeowners don't run saws powerful enough to kick that hard. And in my ~30 years of running a saw, (I started when I was 10) I've never once had a kickback.

But most home owners will also not wear helmets and face shield, that can take off some of the energy of a kickback.
Just safety goggles if even that which will be neatly cut in twain by a saw.

 

[blades]

sooner or later it will get you, one way or another. first time put knuckle through hand guard- 116si,20" blade, there was a branch hiding somewhat under the off side under some derbis very wide gap-but not quite. Another time was a 30" log that moved due to stress relief blade got pinched at the same time, there was 6" of clearance at the start between it and the one behind it. This was pick-up-stix mess of big long logs. Had to cut the blade out with another saw no way to move anything. I did make a big wedge to prevent that occuring again before digging out the first blade. 7900,32" blade. It was early spring and niether the tractor nor my truck could get enough purchase to move anything.

 

[BobL]

I've 'felt kickback" on several occasions and it fair scared the bejesus outta me. My CS use is 90% in mills where there is far less chance of kickback so I've even removed the chain brake/clutch cover from some of my saws to fit the mills and get more cut width.
BUT
I have to be super careful that these saws are not used outside mills without putting the chain brake back on.

When I got my 880 I redesigned my big mill so the chain brake handle could stay on the saw and was still able to use a modded the clutch cover.

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

Cutting after hurricanes and tornadoes is a part of life for me, and you can't walk into a natural disaster zone and see every danger ( copperheads) ,but if you utilize throttle control and a strong grip your going to at least be prepared for kick back
Lazi'fair grip and not feathering the throttle through a pinch situation is a good way to get into trouble, the fellow in the video also hit a chain link fence. All of his actions leading to injury were preventable, stupidity is not.

 

[DutchWoodPecker]

Cutting after hurricanes and tornadoes is a part of life for me, and you can't walk into a natural disaster zone and see every danger ( copperheads) ,but if you utilize throttle control and a strong grip your going to at least be prepared for kick back
Lazi'fair grip and not feathering the throttle through a pinch situation is a good way to get into trouble, the fellow in the video also hit a chain link fence. All of his actions leading to injury were preventable, stupidity is not.

Is that legal in the US? Here that is considered poaching and law enforcement is out in force after storms to make sure enthusiasts do not poach firewood.
Also, very close after a storm folk with trees on their land that they want to get of cut them down, and then say the storm did it, so they do not have to pay the fine.
It is essential to get the hinch ugly and big, and the drop in the direction of the storm, to make it appear natural .

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

I work for the Park Service, we're clearing roads and such. I'm in one of the guys wearing a uniform .

 

[ChillyB]

Is that legal in the US? Here that is considered poaching and law enforcement is out in force after storms to make sure enthusiasts do not poach firewood.
Also, very close after a storm folk with trees on their land that they want to get of cut them down, and then say the storm did it, so they do not have to pay the fine.
It is essential to get the hinch ugly and big, and the drop in the direction of the storm, to make it appear natural .

Sometimes its a simple post that makes me extremely grateful to be an American living in a fairly free state out in the country.

 

[camel2019]

Thanks for your help and response Steve, much appreciated. I am studying Electrical Engineering. We are possibly looking for ways to stop kickback for amateur users who are not trained as well as professionals and as part of this we need injury data.

There’s already measures for kickback reduction atleast in home owner grade saws both chain brakes and low profile chains as well as those guards that go over the bar tip. dont think you can reduce it much more.

 

[DutchWoodPecker]

Sometimes its a simple post that makes me extremely grateful to be an American living in a fairly free state out in the country.

We both have our good things and our bad things, and there is remarkably little overlap.

 

[SteveInOregon]

Hi,

I am carrying out some research into chainsaw safety as part of my University degree. As part of the research I need to find out some data regarding chainsaw injuries. If you have a minute could you please have a go at the quick question Poll attached, it would be a great help! Feel free to discuss about the accident in the replies or what your thoughts are on how a chainsaw could be made safer.
NOTE: No names or any personal data will be used in the data received

Thanks for your time!

CHAPS/ PPE: If you look at my first pair of chainsaw chaps you will see a bunch of rip -cuts- slices in the knee / lower thigh. Why because I would be limbing felled trees with about an 18" bar and right after I two hands on the saw, cut off a limb . Well I would sometimes need to reach out and grab the cut off limb to get it out of my way in order to continue to walking the log to keep limbing the danger was / is when I let one hand ( NOT the trigger / throttle hand ) off the saw the saw chain although not under gas, not being given feul, just decelerating but still spinning pretty fast would fall down towards my legs as I am simultaneously concentrating on moving the free / cut limb out of my face and thus the now heavy saw would fall down and bounce off my thigh .

This would happen when I am sweaty and tired and now the not so heavy saw is becoming heavy.

After cutting my chaps a couple times on each knee / thigh I knew I was in borrowed time.

I got a longer bar 22" for my main limbing - bucking saw , and I also got another much smaller saw so when I am not walking the log and I am walking on the side of the log I would use the very small lightweight saw.
I also would take a break, drink some water, dry my sweaty forehead , regroup and start over when I'm tired.
To me the danger is letting go of a live saw even when it's NOT triggered / throttled under power.

The only other time I've come close to cutting myself is walking up and down hills and tripping / stumbling and instantly having to let go of the saw and make dam sure I kind of help myself fall away from the saw lol. ( It's kinda weird, you have to be there )

Strategic Falling us what I learned when scrambling down to that awesome river fishing spot, tripping and having to chuck my expensive fishing rod away from my fall line while simultaniously stumbling lol.

 

[CIAmike11]

In my opinion most of these research studies I’ve seen have one major issue. They are just generalized as “chainsaw incidents or accidents” They fail to differentiate between professional users and “home owners” or people that just run chainsaws for firewood ( not firewood processing business),cleaning up their property, helping neighbors etc. accidents happen with chainsaws, it’s part of the game we play. But for sake of research studies and somewhat accurate statistics… I believe the injuries category needs to be separated into professional job-site injuries and injuries not on job sites I.e home and residential users.

 

[Philbert]

Give it up guys. Another ‘student / class research troll’. OP has not been on here since first day.

These threads come up periodically.

Philbert

 

[Old-Feller]

Yes he has been on several other forums too, He has ghosted all of them I will give him the same answer I gave him on the other forums:

"Don't Let Soy-boys With Man-buns Run Chainsaws"

I'm sure he is doing this research for the benefit of insurance companies.

 

[Cheap40v]

My neighbor took a 36 inch bar to the face on some kind of husqvarna saw in a kickback incident.

 

[user 185711]

Nobody wants someone in another industry telling them how to do their tree work, but people in tree work love to tell everyone else how to do their work. I hope you all at least realize you are no different from these people.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Nobody wants someone in another industry telling them how to do their tree work, but people in tree work love to tell everyone else how to do their work. I hope you all at least realize you are no different from these people.

That doesn't even make sense.