Discussion
currybum said:
You need boots, gloves, trousers and helmet you shouldn't be doing anything without this lot. which comes in at about £100-£150.
Difficult to have a small chainsaw accident.
All the pros wear a helmet - mostly for the visor and ear defenders most don't wear the rest for normal work.Difficult to have a small chainsaw accident.
Trousers - it's pretty hard to hit your leg.
Boots - I wear riggers - they'd take a glancing blow
Gloves - most only cover the back of your left hand - how the hell are you going to hit that ?
Pros one handed, 40ft up a tree are a different game to you or I chopping, down the odd tree.
I've cut down and logged probably 100 decent sized trees with no issues, the main thing to remember is to stop if you get tired - that's when accidents happen.
With less kit and feeling vulnerable you are more likely to be careful.
Although a little out of date, these stats are why I wear protective gear, especially chainsaw trousers when using my chainsaw.
According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission there were over 28,500 chain saw injuries in 1999. More than 36% were injuries to the legs and knees.
The average chainsaw injury requires 110 stitches
source
According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission there were over 28,500 chain saw injuries in 1999. More than 36% were injuries to the legs and knees.
The average chainsaw injury requires 110 stitches
source
loafer123 said:
I have a friend who chopped his own arm off (since reattached), and he is a very capable guy, so stay safe and wear the right stuff.
Is a chainsaw jacket even available ?I think most Pro injuries with a saw are whilst they are in the tree and operating a one handed saw as the majority of injuries in the previous post are to the hand and with a std saw both hands are holding it.
Renovation said:
All the pros wear a helmet - mostly for the visor and ear defenders most don't wear the rest for normal work.
Trousers - it's pretty hard to hit your leg.
Boots - I wear riggers - they'd take a glancing blow
Gloves - most only cover the back of your left hand - how the hell are you going to hit that ?
Pros one handed, 40ft up a tree are a different game to you or I chopping, down the odd tree.
I've cut down and logged probably 100 decent sized trees with no issues, the main thing to remember is to stop if you get tired - that's when accidents happen.
With less kit and feeling vulnerable you are more likely to be careful.
bTrousers - it's pretty hard to hit your leg.
Boots - I wear riggers - they'd take a glancing blow
Gloves - most only cover the back of your left hand - how the hell are you going to hit that ?
Pros one handed, 40ft up a tree are a different game to you or I chopping, down the odd tree.
I've cut down and logged probably 100 decent sized trees with no issues, the main thing to remember is to stop if you get tired - that's when accidents happen.
With less kit and feeling vulnerable you are more likely to be careful.
ksI wear chainsaw trousers, steel toes and a hat with visor - I'll find a vid of a test on a pork leg wearing jeans versus a pork leg wearing chainsaw trousers - it is gruesome. Chainsaws don't cut flesh, they rip chunks out of it.
A girl at work had a brother who had a top-handler and was using it as a ground saw to take branches off a felled tree - simple as anything to do, also totally the wrong tool for the job and too easy to get slack about it and treat it like a reciprocating saw.
It kicked back on him, chain brake didn't come on, and it pretty much cut his face in half. He lived, but he certainly isn't a looker any more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pilcLXpdJK0 - vid.
A girl at work had a brother who had a top-handler and was using it as a ground saw to take branches off a felled tree - simple as anything to do, also totally the wrong tool for the job and too easy to get slack about it and treat it like a reciprocating saw.
It kicked back on him, chain brake didn't come on, and it pretty much cut his face in half. He lived, but he certainly isn't a looker any more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pilcLXpdJK0 - vid.
I always wear chainsaw trousers and boots, even when only doing a little bit of cutting. The pro tree guy I use for bigger stuff suggested that even for small stuff you should wear the gear. Even when he's sawing logs in his garden, he's always geared up. It's just not worth the risk for 150 quid.
Starts first time doesn't have to mean starts first pull, though!
But aye, I know what you mean - same as any 2T engine, full choke and pull until it coughs, then choke off and pull till it starts.
I have a Stihl MS200T top handler, great little saw, and it only ever needs one pull on the choke, then one without, and it fired straight away. Not cheap though, and I don't think Stihl even sell them (or any top handler) to you unless you can prove you have your chainsaw cert.
But aye, I know what you mean - same as any 2T engine, full choke and pull until it coughs, then choke off and pull till it starts.
I have a Stihl MS200T top handler, great little saw, and it only ever needs one pull on the choke, then one without, and it fired straight away. Not cheap though, and I don't think Stihl even sell them (or any top handler) to you unless you can prove you have your chainsaw cert.
dickymint said:
Somebody mentioned his saw always started first time? I've never ever known a chainsaw to start first time from cold - even my brand new Stihl MS211C needs a minimum of 2 pulls.
guindilias said:
Starts first time doesn't have to mean starts first pull, though!
But aye, I know what you mean - same as any 2T engine, full choke and pull until it coughs, then choke off and pull till it starts.
I have a Stihl MS200T top handler, great little saw, and it only ever needs one pull on the choke, then one without, and it fired straight away. Not cheap though, and I don't think Stihl even sell them (or any top handler) to you unless you can prove you have your chainsaw cert.
Same with my Stihl 16" choke on, pull 3 or 4 times until it coughs, then choke of and it will usually start on the first pull.But aye, I know what you mean - same as any 2T engine, full choke and pull until it coughs, then choke off and pull till it starts.
I have a Stihl MS200T top handler, great little saw, and it only ever needs one pull on the choke, then one without, and it fired straight away. Not cheap though, and I don't think Stihl even sell them (or any top handler) to you unless you can prove you have your chainsaw cert.
dickymint said:
Somebody mentioned his saw always started first time? I've never ever known a chainsaw to start first time from cold - even my brand new Stihl MS211C needs a minimum of 2 pulls.
Only issue I have with it is if it runs out of petrol, starting it again after i've re-filled it can be a bit of a bugger. Not sure if it is to do with the engine being hot, or if I need to draw the petrol through or something.
Yep, no fuel pump so it relies on an impulse line using crankcase vacuum to get fuel to the carb. So if you've run out, you need a good few pulls to get fuel up the line to the carb. I've fitted one of my old (magnesium) 041 Stihls with a clear cut-out in the tank, lit up by an LED so I can see the fuel level and don't run out halfway through a tree!
Also a heated handle - 8mm microbore piping diverting some of the exhaust gas through the handle, so no need for huge gloves when using it in the snow!
Also a heated handle - 8mm microbore piping diverting some of the exhaust gas through the handle, so no need for huge gloves when using it in the snow!
Well having watched a few second hand ones on ebay they do seem to go for silly money. I've just seen a second hand Stihl MS170 go for £30 less than I can buy it new in a local dealer!
Think it's going to have to be a toss up between a factory refurbished McCulloch for £100 or £180 for an entry level Stihl new.
Think it's going to have to be a toss up between a factory refurbished McCulloch for £100 or £180 for an entry level Stihl new.
RizzoTheRat said:
Well having watched a few second hand ones on ebay they do seem to go for silly money. I've just seen a second hand Stihl MS170 go for £30 less than I can buy it new in a local dealer!
Think it's going to have to be a toss up between a factory refurbished McCulloch for £100 or £180 for an entry level Stihl new.
A Stihl ms170 is £169 rrp on the Stihl website. I paid £135 for mine at a stihl dealer.Think it's going to have to be a toss up between a factory refurbished McCulloch for £100 or £180 for an entry level Stihl new.
guindilias said:
I wear chainsaw trousers, steel toes and a hat with visor - I'll find a vid of a test on a pork leg wearing jeans versus a pork leg wearing chainsaw trousers - it is gruesome. Chainsaws don't cut flesh, they rip chunks out of it.
A girl at work had a brother who had a top-handler and was using it as a ground saw to take branches off a felled tree - simple as anything to do, also totally the wrong tool for the job and too easy to get slack about it and treat it like a reciprocating saw.
It kicked back on him, chain brake didn't come on, and it pretty much cut his face in half. He lived, but he certainly isn't a looker any more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pilcLXpdJK0 - vid.
They still sell them on Ebay as very cheap/small chainsaws, usually 10" blade, they are top handled and lethal in the wrong hands, IMO it's an absolute disgrace that Ebay allow people to sell these particular saws to the general public, and that it's not illegal to do so without the actual chainsaw license being presented and then with a very strong warning. A girl at work had a brother who had a top-handler and was using it as a ground saw to take branches off a felled tree - simple as anything to do, also totally the wrong tool for the job and too easy to get slack about it and treat it like a reciprocating saw.
It kicked back on him, chain brake didn't come on, and it pretty much cut his face in half. He lived, but he certainly isn't a looker any more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pilcLXpdJK0 - vid.
As others have said, steel toe capped boots, chainsaw trousers, gloves and helmet are mandatory wear. Anyone saying otherwise is IMO a bellend. It only takes a split second to ruin your life, even if you are only using the saw to cut a small bit of wood for a minute.
Which makes them more compact and light to hold when you are up a tree, less likely to snad things because their shorter, and more likely to be used with an outstretched arm because you are up a tree - which reduces the risk of injury in the event of kickback.
Most decent ones have a lanyard attachment so you can hang them from a belt, they are very light.
Most decent ones have a lanyard attachment so you can hang them from a belt, they are very light.
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