The chainsaw is notorious among power tool users who tell stories of noise, vibration and serious injury caused by the chain of an out of control chainsaw.
In this article I will go over a few important considerations for safety based on my 30 plus years of experience cutting wood using my Stihl Chainsaw.
Safety glasses are mandatory; the preferred models are made with a wrap around style that kind of seals to your face to provide the best protection from flying wood chips.
Hearing protection will be needed even for short periods of use.
Do not under estimate the hearing damage that can be caused by the buzzing chainsaw.
Over the ear muffs or in-ear foam style are both good choices.
High top work boots with vibram soles are recommended.
Don't even think about just getting by with tennis or running shoes.
In a few minutes they will be full of chips causing total discomfort and distraction, not to mention outburst of profanity.
Thick chaps are recommended as the chips will be flying literally by the millions along with larger chunks of wood.
Limbs can fly out and hit your legs scraping and gouging right through your jeans.
Never once have I been on a wood cutting session where I came away without a bad scrape or two done by limbs popping loose and hitting my legs.
Just get the chaps; you will be very glad you did at the end of the day when you recount the times those chaps saved you from heavy contact with a limb after you cut it lose from the tree trunk.
Remember when planning a wood cutting day you need to be sure your chain is sharp first.
Take the chain in to have it sharpened or just buy a new sharp chain if you are planning a whole day of wood cutting.
Nothing is worse then being out in the woods and finding out your chainsaw is just not cutting it because of a dull chain.
The most important aspect of safety while using your Chainsaw is to become familiar with its operation and safety features.
You will be adjusting and the chain, filling gas, mixing gas/oil and handling a chainsaw blade filled with sharp teeth all day.
Take the time to do all this with common sense and a safe attitude.
Be sure your chainsaw is equipped with a chain brake that stops the chain should the bar kick upward.
This chain brake is a movable guard between the chain and your handle where your hand holds the chainsaw.
It is designed to cause the chain to stop should the guard be pushed forward by the motion of the chainsaw kicking back and upward toward your hands and face.
Do you have a very old chainsaw without a chain brake? Retire it and get a newer model with a chain brake.
The safety improvement is worth it as the accident rate for chainsaws with chain brakes are much lower and when we talk of accidents with a chainsaw we are talking ugly things you don't want to ever experience.
Take breaks often and don't get rushed when using your chainsaw.
Breaks are important to keep the vibration of the saw from building up numbness in your hands.
This happens after a few hours of using a chainsaw without taking regular breaks.
Hand numbness can cause you to lose your grip at a critical time resulting in an accident.
Check local laws before your wood cutting expedition; some times local laws will require your chainsaw to be equipped with an approved spark arrestor.
Newer chainsaws are usually so equipped but why take a chance and risk a fine if your saw does not have an approved spark arrestor? Another requirement in some areas is to carry water or fire extinguishers and stay in the woodcutting area for a few hours after you finish running the chainsaw.
This is to make certain no fires have started resulting form your woodcutting activity.
Although Chainsaw safety can sound complicated it is based on common sense and proven methods for working safely.
Remember, you will never be sorry for being too safe but the consequences for being unsafe with a chainsaw are unthinkable!
In this article I will go over a few important considerations for safety based on my 30 plus years of experience cutting wood using my Stihl Chainsaw.
Safety glasses are mandatory; the preferred models are made with a wrap around style that kind of seals to your face to provide the best protection from flying wood chips.
Hearing protection will be needed even for short periods of use.
Do not under estimate the hearing damage that can be caused by the buzzing chainsaw.
Over the ear muffs or in-ear foam style are both good choices.
High top work boots with vibram soles are recommended.
Don't even think about just getting by with tennis or running shoes.
In a few minutes they will be full of chips causing total discomfort and distraction, not to mention outburst of profanity.
Thick chaps are recommended as the chips will be flying literally by the millions along with larger chunks of wood.
Limbs can fly out and hit your legs scraping and gouging right through your jeans.
Never once have I been on a wood cutting session where I came away without a bad scrape or two done by limbs popping loose and hitting my legs.
Just get the chaps; you will be very glad you did at the end of the day when you recount the times those chaps saved you from heavy contact with a limb after you cut it lose from the tree trunk.
Remember when planning a wood cutting day you need to be sure your chain is sharp first.
Take the chain in to have it sharpened or just buy a new sharp chain if you are planning a whole day of wood cutting.
Nothing is worse then being out in the woods and finding out your chainsaw is just not cutting it because of a dull chain.
The most important aspect of safety while using your Chainsaw is to become familiar with its operation and safety features.
You will be adjusting and the chain, filling gas, mixing gas/oil and handling a chainsaw blade filled with sharp teeth all day.
Take the time to do all this with common sense and a safe attitude.
Be sure your chainsaw is equipped with a chain brake that stops the chain should the bar kick upward.
This chain brake is a movable guard between the chain and your handle where your hand holds the chainsaw.
It is designed to cause the chain to stop should the guard be pushed forward by the motion of the chainsaw kicking back and upward toward your hands and face.
Do you have a very old chainsaw without a chain brake? Retire it and get a newer model with a chain brake.
The safety improvement is worth it as the accident rate for chainsaws with chain brakes are much lower and when we talk of accidents with a chainsaw we are talking ugly things you don't want to ever experience.
Take breaks often and don't get rushed when using your chainsaw.
Breaks are important to keep the vibration of the saw from building up numbness in your hands.
This happens after a few hours of using a chainsaw without taking regular breaks.
Hand numbness can cause you to lose your grip at a critical time resulting in an accident.
Check local laws before your wood cutting expedition; some times local laws will require your chainsaw to be equipped with an approved spark arrestor.
Newer chainsaws are usually so equipped but why take a chance and risk a fine if your saw does not have an approved spark arrestor? Another requirement in some areas is to carry water or fire extinguishers and stay in the woodcutting area for a few hours after you finish running the chainsaw.
This is to make certain no fires have started resulting form your woodcutting activity.
Although Chainsaw safety can sound complicated it is based on common sense and proven methods for working safely.
Remember, you will never be sorry for being too safe but the consequences for being unsafe with a chainsaw are unthinkable!