Protection--what do you wear?

[beelsr]

Gloves and a hardhat... That's it...

Hope that paints a good mental picture for you'se.

Gary

latex hardhat?

 

[beelsr]

What do you wear chainsawing? I have some some marks and cuts on my Carhart Arctic pants--it woke me up! I wear eye and hearing protection and gloves. I am terrified of kick back and always try to position myself so I am not in line if the saw does kickback--and never saw alone! I have a hard hat, but am thinking of one of those face, head, ear hats. Chaps? yes or no? What about a cut shirt? Plastic motocross chest protector?

PPE is always a compromise. Motorcycle helmets limit vision but would I ride without one? No. Wearing a seatbelt keeps you from being thrown from the vehicle in a crash. Would I drive without wearing a seatbelt? No. Hearing protection limits what normal sound level stuff you hear when shooting. Do I shoot without hearing protection? No.

You have to do the math in your head to figure out what situations are more likely and what the downsides to increased protection levels are. There's always a tradeoff. In just about everything. That said....

I wear either protective pants or chaps - depending on the weather. You're going to be wearing something over the legs, might as well have something that stops a chain. Steel-toes boots at a minimum - although I mainly wear my Matterhorn kevlar-lined chainsaw-rated boots. Again, flip flops are out. On the melon, I have the non-PNW standard ear muff/visor/hardhats. One piece that covers all 3. I wear whatever gloves I have hanging on the belt - usually latex or nitrile palm-coated ones since they absorb a little vibe and I find most leather gloves are too bulky. Don't wear a protective shirt.

 

[WVhunter]

I wear chaps 99% of the time, glasses, muffs, gloves and boots. The older I get the more I think about stuff like that.
Tom

 

[Rudy M.]

WOW! This thread really took off and it's nice to see so many people wearing so much PPE--this tells me I need to buy more stuff--at least chaps and some steel toed boots. No one mentioned "caulked" boots or studded boots? Are these only for climbing in trees? I have some ????? rubber boots that I studded once, and they were awesome for walking on ice and wet logs, but they did not work well in metal tree stands for archery deer hunting! They were not steel toed either.

What are the lightest weight safety chaps out there for year-round use (hot and cold wx) to wear over jeans or over insulated clothing? I see some of the chaps have 6 and some have 9 layers of the tangle fiber stuff. Is the 9 layers pretty heavy and stiff? Is 6 sufficient?

Is the Stihl helmet with a screen face sheild and muffs a pretty good one? Comfortable? I normally cut blow downs and don't go much felling, but you never know!

I never cut alone. Good tip on the cell phone--let your watcher/helper know you have it and have them hold it while you cut! A long time ago my Dad went to visit a customer/farmer (my Dad had a bushel basket business and we had a logging crew). They guy's wife told my Dad what part of the orchard the man was trimming trees in. My Dad found the guy dead--saw kicked back and cut is neck. He was trimming apple trees with a chainsaw over his head. Very sad and preventable.

 

[NovaMan]

Check out this video: http://www.labonville.com/videos/v2.htm
All the chaps stopped the saw and would have kept it from slicing through your leg, but the Labonville 850s seemed to work best. They're a site sponsor.

 

[Cedarkerf]

WOW! This thread really took off and it's nice to see so many people wearing so much PPE--this tells me I need to buy more stuff--at least chaps and some steel toed boots. No one mentioned "caulked" boots or studded boots? Are these only for climbing in trees? I have some ????? rubber boots that I studded once, and they were awesome for walking on ice and wet logs, but they did not work well in metal tree stands for archery deer hunting! They were not steel toed either.

What are the lightest weight safety chaps out there for year-round use (hot and cold wx) to wear over jeans or over insulated clothing? I see some of the chaps have 6 and some have 9 layers of the tangle fiber stuff. Is the 9 layers pretty heavy and stiff? Is 6 sufficient?

Is the Stihl helmet with a screen face sheild and muffs a pretty good one? Comfortable? I normally cut blow downs and don't go much felling, but you never know!

I never cut alone. Good tip on the cell phone--let your watcher/helper know you have it and have them hold it while you cut! A long time ago my Dad went to visit a customer/farmer (my Dad had a bushel basket business and we had a logging crew). They guy's wife told my Dad what part of the orchard the man was trimming trees in. My Dad found the guy dead--saw kicked back and cut is neck. He was trimming apple trees with a chainsaw over his head. Very sad and preventable.

"Caulked, Corked, Calk boots are for walking on logs and woodie debris like branches and rotting wood. Not for climbing .

 

[lync]

Safety equipment

The timing of this post is a coincidence. Anytime I cut except when Im in the tree or bucket, petzl hardhat /safety glasses /ear plugs /chaps/ leather work boots /sticky gloves/. It was warm today so I was going to skip the chaps, however I said if I should cut myself today I'll be wishing I was wearing them. Took under 1 minute to suit up and less than 30 seconds to remove when finished.
In my past life my friend was saved by his bullet resistant vest, when another officer mistook him for a bad guy in a low light situation, round hit him right in the sternum. We joked at the hospital emergency room while he was being checked out, he didn't always wear a vest but that night he decided to. Luck or fate God only knows.
You can't pick the day your going to be shot, or in our case today, the day your going to get cut. Stack the odds in your favor, better hot than shot (or cut).
Corey

 

[musch]

A couple of stitches would easily cost you a hundred and fifty bucks.
For that, you can get nice chaps a forestry helmet gloves and cheap shatter-proof glasses.
Look at it as a pay me now, or pay me later proposition.

 

[John Ellison]

Ear/eye, chaps, hard hat, boots, gloves when cold.

And I clear around where I'm cutting for a good escape path. Areas with vines are the roughest terrain for me.

Right on DGG, me too. Years ago I worried that my chaps strap would hang up on something as I "escaped" but then realized that just meant that I was not clearing a good path(s).

 

[chainsawchick67]

A couple of stitches would easily cost you a hundred and fifty bucks.
For that, you can get nice chaps a forestry helmet gloves and cheap shatter-proof glasses.
Look at it as a pay me now, or pay me later proposition.

+1 This is good advice. A kid I went to school with was cutting firewood and was not wearing chaps and nearly bled to death because he cut his leg wide open. Causing him to miss most of his junior year of high school and cost his family thousands for reconstructive surgery on his whole leg. PPE might seem a bit pricey, but if it saves you one stitch, or your life, it was a good investment!

 

[JPP]

Is the Stihl helmet with a screen face sheild and muffs a pretty good one? Comfortable? I normally cut blow downs and don't go much felling, but you never know!

.

Yes, it is very comfortable. I wear mine when I cut wood and when I use my trimmer. Well worth the $39 I paid for it, buy one.

 

[timistall]

I use safety glasses, ear plugs, leather work boots and leather gloves.

Either those or a Trojan.

Never really felt that I needed any more than that. Probaly should have more........

Ear plugs and a nose clip (I hate the loud screams of women and the smell of burning rubber):hmm3grin2orange:

 

[SWE#Kipp]

I wear chainsaw protective pants, boots and a husky forest helmet
next helmet will be a peltor, I like their muffs better !!
Good advice on clearing the escape path, should always be done when called for !!

 

[jhellwig]

Ear plugs and a nose clip (I hate the loud screams of women and the smell of burning rubber):hmm3grin2orange:

I do believe that I put those statements in the wrong order.

 

[Jumper]

The whole shebang:

Steel toed boots, ear plugs under Pelter earmuffs, hard hat, visor,safety prescription eyeglasses, chainsaw pants and gloves.

I did have a pair of chaps a few years ago but prefer pants. The lightweight summer ones I have are actually pretty comfortable to wear.

 

[Tree Sling'r]

Merrill caulked hikers, Labonville inside chaps, cotton liner gloves, A REAL hardhat (Mac-T) and Oakley M Frame glasses - ear plugs.
M-F.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

And I try to leave my brain turned on, too.

That's the most important part of it! :rockn:

And your brain is of low wattage???

Thought so!!!

 

[Gologit]

Good chaps, Wesco boots, MacT, common sense.

 

[musch]

It is total B.S. to think that chaps would slow you down.
I cut in some of the most rugged terrain around, 60 degree slopes, rock outcroppings, sandy soil, and if anything, I can push through the thorny oaks better with chaps on. Sounds like a bad excuse from someone who never wore em.
As far as the Stihl helmet, I have found that even with the mesh screen, it is advisable to wear some sunglasses, because small particles and sawdust get in your eyes, and that pretty much sucks even if it doesn't blind ya.
opcorn:

 

[logbutcher]

Can You Say "PPE" ??

It is total B.S. to think that chaps would slow you down.
I cut in some of the most rugged terrain around, 60 degree slopes, rock outcroppings, sandy soil, and if anything, I can push through the thorny oaks better with chaps on. Sounds like a bad excuse from someone who never wore em.
As far as the Stihl helmet, I have found that even with the mesh screen, it is advisable to wear some sunglasses, because small particles and sawdust get in your eyes, and that pretty much sucks even if it doesn't blind ya.
opcorn:

Say it : FULL PPE. And, repeat. Is there really any question, except for the brain impaired. As was said, do the math: E.R. Costs vs cost of FULL PPE. More brain stuff mentioned: THIMK about that escape route. Plan the cut. Take G.O.L.
BTW, Musch has a point. Those slivers of stihl after sharpening can and will fly off. Guess where they go ? You don't wear PPE, do you sharpen the chain ??:bang:
Now to something really important, first aid care. Remember the first aid kit =
KOTEX pads and duct tape. Know where to pressure the bleed ? You will bleed won't you ?:censored: :censored: