Most dangerous encounter with a saw?

[toolfreak]

What is your most dangerous experience with your chainsaw. Mine is when I was up a ladder in my dads backyard cutting a 14" dead elm tree. I had to cut one of the limbs before we dropped the tree so it wouldn't hit the garage. I tried to cut a little notch in it for proper direction. The limb snapped right after I cut the notch and didn't tip over but slid straight down. I was about 25 feet in the air. Instantly I threw the saw and jumped. The limb broke the aluminum ladder. No damage to the saw or myself but my shorts were another story!

 

[JeffHK454]

Man Toolfreak theres going to be a flood of "******* novice with saw" posts with this one.......

And I once knocked out power to about 10K people on a Sunday morning with one poorly placed cut.....

And as kid I watched my father almost die from a wound at the hands of a 24" Pioneer. Trying to clear trees from a tornado, tangled and laid over on top of each other. My father was cutting a 20" or so Oak and when it broke through it touched a pinned sapling with a LOT of stored force. The saw kicked out of his hands and (pre-anti kickback) hit him from left ear to right collar bone.

with 260 stitches on the outside and 130 inside his mouth he was very lucky to be alive. He has had 6 surgeries, four to relieve scaring and two to remove small fragments of wood that have become infected.

I have a lot of respect for chainsaws!

Jeff

 

[toolfreak]

Man Toolfreak theres going to be a flood of "******* novice with saw" posts with this one.......

I know, but I'm in need of some laughs!:taped:

 

[vince]

Well i must tell you this is an interesting topic. This year i know two people who came very close to cutting off their legs. We, two good friends of mine and i were down an old logging road in a designated firewood cutting area. we were about 100' in the bush just in read of our choker. My friend was cutting a path to get to some big aspens. As he let go of the trigger his saw came into contact with a sappling, flinging his saw back around at his leg. we were lucky it never came back faster/harder. it cut through his carhartts and nicked his leg. luckily. he is a big man about 250 I don't think we could have carried him out of the bush to the truck and there is no cell service there. He could have died. anyways that is my close encounter this year.

PS i know all you pros know this but for everyone else spend the 100$ and get a good pair of chaps and be safe out there. accidents always happen way faster than you can react

 

[luckycutter]

Mine was the time the chain broke and flew off. Never did find it, and I am more aware of people being in the path if it ever happens again. When I read about other people's experiences I realize just how lucky I have been.

 

[TimberPig]

Well i must tell you this is an interesting topic. This year i know two people who came very close to cutting off their legs. We, two good friends of mine and i were down an old logging road in a designated firewood cutting area. we were about 100' in the bush just in read of our choker. My friend was cutting a path to get to some big aspens. As he let go of the trigger his saw came into contact with a sappling, flinging his saw back around at his leg. we were lucky it never came back faster/harder. it cut through his carhartts and nicked his leg. luckily. he is a big man about 250 I don't think we could have carried him out of the bush to the truck and there is no cell service there. He could have died. anyways that is my close encounter this year.

PS i know all you pros know this but for everyone else spend the 100$ and get a good pair of chaps and be safe out there. accidents always happen way faster than you can react

Even more than the chaps, this reminds you to be mindful of where your bar is at all times. The saw would never have kicked if he hadn't let it contact the sapling.

 

[Bob Wright]

Loaning mine to my grampa, he was using it switch handed (left hand on the throttle) and it kicked back ripping a big gash in his right arm...Bob

 

[Diesel JD]

Mine was the time that my ripping chain came loose and smacked me on the knee...I was only wearing shorts...and really didn't get much of a cut. I can only conclude that I had divine protection... cause I should have gotten a good cut that day.

 

[stihlgoin]

Here's one that i wont soon forget... just before Christmas (less than a month ago) just got home from purchasing new chain... got distracted when talking to my neighbor and putting on chain at the same time... got er all on and inadvertently over tightened the chain... thought i'd be smart and slowly pour fresh bar and chain oil while rotating the new chain... fingers went forward chain did not. Need i say more, and still healing one good gash on left index finger. REMEMBER GUYS... SAFETY FIRST. good luck

 

[Gypo Logger]

I've been on the wrong end of a saw a time. or two.
Once I almost bucked my left hand off at the wrist, but was lucky enough to get sewn up by a neuro surgeon that specialized in chainsaw injuries in Nanaimo B.C.
Anyway, I have regained full use. It's been 25 years since the injury and the stiffness in the wrist makes me a better filer! lol
The saw that got me was a razor sharp Husky 266.
Safety First!
John

 

[MotoBoyMatt]

Here's one that i wont soon forget... just before Christmas (less than a month ago) just got home from purchasing new chain... got distracted when talking to my neighbor and putting on chain at the same time... got er all on and inadvertently over tightened the chain... thought i'd be smart and slowly pour fresh bar and chain oil while rotating the new chain... fingers went forward chain did not. Need i say more, and still healing one good gash on left index finger. REMEMBER GUYS... SAFETY FIRST. good luck

I did the same thing weekend after Labor Day except I was inspecting the chain after shutting the saw down. Sprocket was alittle worn and the chain jammed alittle. When a saw that's not running makes me leave a blood trail I don't want to think about what a chain under full power could do.

 

[Marky Mark]

Here's one of the very first stupid posts. It shows how some have come along way.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=3738&highlight=stupid

 

[Andyshine77]

One summer (I think I was 16) I had a job with my uncle clearing a small wooded lot that was to be built on later that year. My uncle did 90% of the cutting, I did all the grunt work, pulling all the brush, movin the logs, you know the fun stuff. Well one day we started to work on a large Ash tree that had been topped by a spring storm. I started cutting with an old top handle mac. As I was cutting my uncle decided to lay down the stump. I was having fun cutting, when bam the saw hit me in the forehead, I though I was ok until I felt blood running down my chest. You should have seen the look on my uncles face when he saw me bleeding like a pig. The stump fell on some old branches that were hidden in the tall grass, the branches popped up hitting the trunk of the tree that I was cutting causing it and the saw to jump up and hit me. I had to have 36 stitches. I don't know if you can see the scar in the picture or not but i'll post it anyway.

Be safe Andy.

 

[Roanoker-494]

Chainbrake problems

Mine was when I was in PA helping my buddies cut firewood. I was using a Husky model 51, not a huge saw but enough, and the chainbrake jammed on. I tried several times to gently fix it, then I got a little PO'ed at her. I slammed my hand, plam first, into the brake handle and it snapped clean off leaving nothing but a brand new 20" bar and chain to break my fall. My hand hit the chain about half way up and continued to the tip of the bar, with out the chain moving. I wrapped my hand in a towel and headed for the house, never went to have it sewn up, neariest hospital was like 3 hours away. Friends don't let friends saw drunk, but the rednecks I was with will.

 

[Sprig]

My quick lesson in chainsaw respect happened when I was in my early 20's and bullet proof. I was working in a sawmill in Cowichan Bay, feeding the 'hog' (its like the scariest chipper you've ever seen fed by a 4ft wide conveyor belt that was fed by a chain conveyor under the (de) barker. The hog wouldn't be happy with anything too long or solid as it was made for making mulch outta the bark and besides, I'd be the one to have to crawl inside it and clean the messes out, so when we ran cedar there'd be a watcher at the mouth (yes safety line, full control, metal detector, etc etc).
Anyhow, one particularly boring shift I had been bucking up all the crap that had been left beside the belt and feeding it in. There was a nice 3'dia, 4ft long chunk that caught my eye, hm, that'd make a nice chair, says I, for sitting by the controls. So I went to work at it (we got a deal from Dolmar at the time for a bunch of their upper-mid sized saws, real screamers with 20"-30" bars) and as the project neared completion I was going to plunge-cut the block to form the legs. For some reason I shall never understand to this day other than being tired and plainly stupidly addled, I tried this cut by holding the saw sideways (instead of pushing it in from behind it as I should have) and it kicked into my left leg faster than a blink. Oh sh*t I said to myself, I just cut my new chaps. On closer inspection it was "Oh Sh*t, cut my jeans too. On even closer inspection it was "Uh-oh, I'm not wearing white longjohns!", the fat under the dermis, quite exposed. Seven stiches I am not proud of, it could have been far, far worse. Never ever got lazy with a saw since (never really was), stupid stupid stupid. Explaining that to my foreman as he drove me up to the doc's was equally belittling and the strip that got torn off me by him hurt worse (the cut only sortta stung a bit if I recall).
Gypo, I don't remember the doctor's name in Nanaimo but if it is the one I'm thinking of he was (is still I think) a neuro/micro surgeon of renown who saved my friend Keith McFearsons life about 20some-odd yrs ago when he took a kick-back to the face while spacing up around Nanaimo Lakes, cut him from the top of his temple to his collarbone, to the bone. It happened to be the one day a week that particular doctor was in and he did a masterful job of putting the pieces back together. The fact that the crew had an experienced firstaid man and a fast truck no doubt also saved his life (as it was he had to walk a couple of hundred feet out of the bush holding his face on, *shudder*) The last time I saw Keith was about 12yrs ago and he could smile straightly again and had most of the feeling in his cheek back, you can hardly see the scar, simply fkn amazing. Last I'd heard through mutual friends he was still spacing trees, talk about a big horse to climb back up on.
Work safe, use your head, be happy!
Regards, Serge

 

[jokers]

Here's one of the very first stupid posts. It shows how some have come along way.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=3738&highlight=stupid

Good post Marky.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Hi Serge, I wonder if your friend and I had the same doctor? I bet we did.
I was also injuried while spacing on Van Is. as well near Ladysmith.
A 16" Hemlock I was stump jumping,teetered off a first growth stump I didn't see, caught the saw and shot it straight up and it sliced my wrist while airborn, even though the chainbrake was engaged.
Since we worked strips side by side, I had to alert the cutter beside me.Climbing thru slash I got to where he was working and waited for him to turn around while I was holding my arm up with blood draining off my elbow and my shirt sleeve soaked in blood.
Anyway, when Tony turned around and saw me, he freaked and argued with me about the direction out. It seemed like he was in more shock then I.
With me leading the way we got to the truck and to Ladysmith emerg.
The doctor on duty, after seeing the extent of the damage sent me by ambulance to Nanaimo where the specialist sewed me up.
I often think of that time and would like to thank that doctor for how well he treated me. It was 1981 maybe 82 and I as living at Arcady Court in Ladysmith at the time which was a small cabin by the ocean. I continued to space trees for 2 years after that and worked for Silva Services out of Duncan before I became a sub contractor. I saw alot of nice country at that time.
John

 

[toocheaptosmoke]

luckily, the worst encounter i had was when I left a saw on the floor of my shop. I soon forgot it was there and tripped on it while carrying some stuff through. I fell on a wooden bench, smashed it, and almost broke my right arm in the process.

 

[CaseyForrest]

One of my managers and I were in the woods clearing out a path for a new road. Now, My manager is no dummie, hes been around and has QUITE a bit of common sense. Anyway, he walks up to this Shagbark Hickory, probably 3' DBH. Im almost 200" away from him working, and I look up and see this thing coming down, ( I wanted to cut it!) So I start heading up toward where the stump is only to see my manager wadded up on the ground. Well, after 2 collapsed lungs, all his ribs broken, broken jaw, and broken leg, I go back to see why the tree took him out and he didnt account for the natural lean of the tree. His notch and his felling cut where correct, just not in the correct spot.

 

[Sprig]

Heya John, small world sometimes, you probably stomped around some of the same ground I did (planted all around Ladysmith/ Copper Canyon area for a Mac&Blo replant crew '74-'77). Lived in Duncan till '89 before moving over here. Beauty part of the country is Van. Is. On retrospection, I think the doctor in question was actually a plastic surgeon by specialty, damn lucky thing when you think on it, too many weren't so lucky. Great pic BTW.
Just a quick addition to Keith's (and it was around the same time you were in the industry) story on what actually happened; From what he could remember (and me) he was clearing some high slash/small branches, wot, arms extended reaching (really dumb), caught the tip on a small treetrunk which flipped the saw. A little reminder to never, ever, cut blindly into the bush, make darned sure you know what is in there.
Regards, Serge