Tennis shoes, shorts, and Chainsaws

[Wow]

A Veteran at 70 years old, normally I don't scare easily but,,, Everytime I see someone using a Chainsaw while wearing street clothes, not even a hard hat, ear muffs and face shield, it really scares me. Recently I was watching YouTube because I'm bored to tears laid up with tendonitis in my right hand. Frankly, I was amazed at the Chainsaw videos with down right dangerous content. There were guys standing on metal ladders in jeans, bare faces heads ears, running chainsaws and trimming limbs large enough to knock them and the ladder down.
On and on, video after video more unsafe behavior, my gut knotted. It reminded me, when as a young man, many years ago, I'd anxiously watch my baby brother bouncing happily atop a bellowing, kicking, red eyed bull as if he thought it was safe to ride wild bucking bulls. Thankfully he's got a real job now, working as an Electrician, yeah, high voltage etc. Crazy kid. However, I figure like this, if people think bull riding is dangerous and Chainsaws aren't they are much braver men than me. If a man can't afford to buy (PPE) aka: Person Safety Equipment, Bunker Gear, with his Chainsaw, frankly he'd be better off riding bucking bulls wearing a straw hat and not cranking a Chainsaw. My oldest brother lost a finger trimming limbs. Once, a log I was limbing rolled a little bit causing me to get off balance. I let go of the throttle as I regained my footing but still nicked the toe of my Steel Toe work boot.
It was just a scratch. It left a knotch in the sole right up to the leather. No real harm done but that was still unnerving.
Not nearly as watching some of the guys on YouTube with their Chainsaws, bare legs cutting beams like its perfectly normal to wear street clothes while operating a crocodile and tiger all rolled into one. Hey, you guys give me chills.

 

[Little Al]

I think a lot depends on the experience & the respect to the saw & cutting as to how "lary" it appears the one weekend a year cutter/trimmer with Flip flops & shorts is at more risk of injury than an every day faller/cutter in 2 words knowledge/experience you will probably find the guy with knowledge will kit up as necessary but you always will get an idiot who knows best

 

[ATH]

Since you brought up the steel toes, a funny story (that I may have told before):
I worked as a summer intern on paper company land doing inventory, boundary maintenance and the like. After meeting a logging crew with one of the staff foresters he told me about the guy limbing the logs. "You may have noticed he is doing that in torn up tennis shoes. I did too and it scared me a bit. I went out and bought him some steel toe boots. I showed up at another job a couple of weeks later and he is back in his shoes. I asked if the boots I bought him didn't fit. He said they fit great but he had to keep stopping to sharpen his saw every time he hit them".

Logic just doesn't settle in on some...

I don't see how people can stand not using safety glasses. Even if you think there is no risk of catastrophic loos of you eyes, don't you just get sick of the sawdust in there??

 

[Wow]

Since you brought up the steel toes, a funny story (that I may have told before):
I worked as a summer intern on paper company land doing inventory, boundary maintenance and the like. After meeting a logging crew with one of the staff foresters he told me about the guy climbing the logs. "You may have noticed he is doing that in torn up tennis shoes. I did too and it scared me a bit. I went out and bought him some steel toe boots. I showed up at another job a couple of weeks later and he is back in his shoes. I asked if the boots I bought him didn't fit. He said they fit great but he had to keep stopping to sharpen his saw every time he hit them".

Logic just doesn't settle in on some...

I don't see how people can stand not using safety glasses. Even if you think there is no risk of catastrophic loos of you eyes, don't you just get sick of the sawdust in there??

Strange,. Some people have weired logic.
I've been a counselor for about 40 years. I find most upset people go by feeling and logic don't work with them. This is why a logical man can't solve a marriage problem with his upset wife. If someone is upset with you, you are coming their problem and your logical explanation is ignored. That's why I'm single. Ignorance is something I refuse to deal with. My logic is to walk away and not say another word. Have a great day

 

[CacaoBoy]

. . . I was watching YouTube because I'm bored to tears laid up with tendonitis in my right hand. Frankly, I was amazed at the Chainsaw videos with down right dangerous content

I, too, have been amazed by what is shown in some of the online videos. While there are many produced by professionals as a way of promoting their business by showing their skills, there seem to be far more by idiots. I have found myself thinking that perhaps video cameras just bring out the stupid in people.

 

[ATH]

I have a theory that as soon as somebody straps on a GoPro they drop 30-40 IQ points. Some have fewer to spare than others...

 

[capetrees]

Work boots, glasses, gloves and ear plugs always. Shorts in the summer when it's hot and never hardhats. Too clumsy. Steel toes are out too as my feet are extremely wide and the steel toes don't fit well ever.

It does come down to skill of the person on the saw. Mistakes happen but much less with greater skill.

 

[Wow]

Work boots, glasses, gloves and ear plugs always. Shorts in the summer when it's hot and never hardhats. Too clumsy. Steel toes are out too as my feet are extremely wide and the steel toes don't fit well ever.

It does come down to skill of the person on the saw. Mistakes happen but much less with greater skill.

Danged! I wish I was that skilled. After 40 years of handling Chainsaws and only once nicking my jeans at the thigh and barely touching my boot toe, I'm still very aware of the dangers. Back before they built chain guards and brakes I ran a noisy old green Poulan. Watching that chain speeding past my hand kept me a bit edgy. Later I got another Poulan. May have been an Eager Beaver. It to had no hand guard or brake either. After a helper put bar oil in the fuel tank and washing the tank out would not solve the problem I tore the saw apart. The saw was fed fuel by a thick felt wick which was oil soaked. After a good cleaning it ran great. Then I saw (can't remember the year) a saw with Chain brake. I have it stored. It is a McCullough Eager Beaver. Bought it and felt much safer but boy was it loud. Finally got a green Poulan 2150. They made several models of the 2150, some with a chain brake. I still have the saw. If I remember correctly it's about 38cc and about 10 pounds bar and all. Back in the early days it was my climbing saw. But it had a plastic hand guard and no chain brake. Several years ago I found a part number for the 2150 that came with Chain brake and ordered the side plate chain guard with a chain brake. It fit my saw but the color was red (maybe orange) and I painted it green. The part also fit a small Husky because the paperwork with it said Husqvarna. That saw needs attention, maybe fuel lines, filter, carb cleaned but boy that little saw really did cut well. It was like riding a motorcycle 100 miles without good shocks. After using it for a while my arms and hands numbed and tingled. It's not been cranked since 2015 when I bought an Echo cs310. Great little saw but way to slow for me. Sold it hardly used 150 $ about a month ago. Should have bought the cs490 instead or a least the cs352. Well, a man never gets to many saws. .
My compliant is with direct drive Corded saws. I like light, so electric corded it is, but,, and that's a big but. Not the kind you see in Walmart but huge. I keep thinking, WHY , don't they use centrifugal clutch instead of direct drive? Maybe someone does but that's a Unicorn, I've never seen.
My thinking is IF, and again it's a big if, kinda like IF frogs had wings, chaps might work with Electrics IF they had clutches. My Electric Worx (The approximately 15 amp one) has a trigger switch that sticks on. The saw just keeps running until it unplugged. Good luck finding a replacement part from Worx. I built a special extension cord with a 15 amp rated on off switch in the cord. That Worx (an attempt at humor, play on word). But still its not like having a new replacement part. Battery powered saws aren't enough lighter than small gas saws for me. I'm convinced my gas saws are far more practical and built to last longer. Of course I could be wrong, ask my X and I'm guaranteed to be wrong. Mixing my own fuel may be cheaper (in the long run) than replacing batteries and it's easier to carry fuel to the woods than a generator for a battery charger. Then, there's the problem of weather. Getting caught in a downpour has never hurt my gas saws. I had one lost a week. Found it after a few thunder storms and cranked right up. Oh yeas you can dry electric out. Maybe no problem, but that's like extra chance and work. If someone else will make dinner I'm staying out of the kitchen. No need to solve a problem that can be prevented. Now, did I miss anything?

 

[CacaoBoy]

After 40 years of handling Chainsaws and only once nicking my jeans at the thigh and barely touching my boot toe, I'm still very aware of the dangers.

My introduction to chainsaws came when I was a teenager and did a ridealong with an ambulance service. The way that guy had torn up his leg is something I hope never to forget.

 

[cuinrearview]

Not sure why, but i cringe a lot harder at all the "tough guys" on bikes without helmets. With a saw, your well being is in your own hands. Not so much on a bike...

 

[Wow]

Not sure why, but i cringe a lot harder at all the "tough guys" on bikes without helmets. With a saw, your well being is in your own hands. Not so much on a bike...

I rode a motor bike a while back in the 70s. At a green light a man turned left from the opposing lane saw me panicked and stopped blocking the intersection. I almost lost a leg, spent 40+ days flat of my back, was 2 years walking again and have never been able to run again. My family are all runners. I loved running. My baby daughter won a scholarship running. I ran 5 miles every other day before heading to work. I still miss running and now, at times, I can't walk very far without resting, but,,, that Helmet saved my life. It was cracked.

 

[cuinrearview]

I rode a motor bike a while back in the 70s. At a green light a man turned left from the opposing lane saw me panicked and stopped blocking the intersection. I almost lost a leg, spent 40+ days flat of my back, was 2 years walking again and have never been able to run again. My family are all runners. I loved running. My baby daughter won a scholarship running. I ran 5 miles every other day before heading to work. I still miss running and now, at times, I can't walk very far without resting, but,,, that Helmet saved my life. It was cracked.

I had plenty of close calls when i rode. Nothing like that though. People riding without helmets remind me of that line in the movie Fight Club: "On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero". I'm against helmet laws, only because I'm against laws in general. Any maybe down deep I applaud Darwin...

 

[Wow]

I had plenty of close calls when i rode. Nothing like that though. People riding without helmets remind me of that line in the movie Fight Club: "On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero". I'm against helmet laws, only because I'm against laws in general. Any maybe down deep I applaud Darwin...

Agreed! Laws are a real ape thing. We have an over abundance of human apes because of laws. If we went back to simple basics like the 10 Moses gave us that would be plenty. Fools could die early before breeding. If a dope head overdoses, let him die and we'll have less thieft. Humans are like Chainsaws. Bad ones are trash. Why keep them around. Butt whippings and short ropes could eliminate jails. We aren't strong enough as a nation. Crime can't be eliminated but it could be reduced if we used common sense. These do folders ain't never lived where I've lived. I'll give a helping hand to an honest man but shooting a thief is easier for me than a poor ole hungry dog. Heck, I feed stray's all the time. But no one can fix a fool. Let them die naturally. If we don't make safety laws for them most will sleep on the train tracks.

 

[thetoolnut]

Strange,. Some people have weired logic.
I've been a counselor for about 40 years. I find most upset people go by feeling and logic don't work with them. This is why a logical man can't solve a marriage problem with his upset wife. If someone is upset with you, you are coming their problem and your logical explanation is ignored. That's why I'm single. Ignorance is something I refuse to deal with. My logic is to walk away and not say another word. Have a great day

Men are creatures of logic whereas women are creatures of emotion.

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[thetoolnut]

Work boots, glasses, gloves and ear plugs always. Shorts in the summer when it's hot and never hardhats. Too clumsy. Steel toes are out too as my feet are extremely wide and the steel toes don't fit well ever.

It does come down to skill of the person on the saw. Mistakes happen but much less with greater skill.

Shorts!!! Running a saw???

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[capetrees]

Close to 40 years and no issues.

 

[thetoolnut]

Close to 40 years and no issues.

Commercial climber?

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[Little Al]

Work boots, glasses, gloves and ear plugs always. Shorts in the summer when it's hot and never hardhats. Too clumsy. Steel toes are out too as my feet are extremely wide and the steel toes don't fit well ever
If you have the misfortune to have a "Nasty" the saw being inanimate object & will not care one jot if your foot is normal or extra wide if you make a mistake it will remove your toes no matter how wide with equal ease they do a Kevlar material enhanced wide footwear

 

[CacaoBoy]

Shorts!!! Running a saw???

If one is wearing quality chaps, is a layer of denim the full length of the legs likely to make a difference?

 

[Wow]

If one is wearing quality chaps, is a layer of denim the full length of the legs likely to make a difference?

Probably nothing behind the chaps makes a difference. However, each to his own. NONE of the guys I've seen wearing shorts were wearing chaps. If they were I'd not been concerned.