chainsaws, safety gear, firewood, oh my!

[eulabes]

We purchased a wood burning stove and chainsaw. The chainsaw kind of freaks me out. I've got to get over this! I've read the manual and plenty of online instructions, but the thing that gets me is kickback.

Have you experienced it? Would you advise getting a helmet/ear/face protector before starting, how about the chaps?

I'm scavenging tons of dried wood right now for use in the fall. If I were to cut trees now, would it be ready for this winter? FIL insists all wood needs more than a year to dry

TIA!

eulabes

[tamatik]

I,ve used my chainsaw MANY times this year and never had kickback.but I did see it happen to my boss once..He wasn,t cut/hurt but he had the hugest bruise and was limping for a week or two.Just missed his "family" parts.
As for chaps..if you can get,em get,em.its extra protection..and a facemask is good also..keeps them small chips outta your face.and WORK BOOTS.I hate seeing people wear sandals or runners..but they do.
If you cut wood now..and the weather is hot for a spell the wood should be good to burn this winter.especially if you have wood already..that gives it more time to dry..Theres not much sap in it this time of year.Good idea to put it undercover but with lotsa airmovement..tarps have a tendency to make the wood mouldy and it don,t dry near as fast
my 2 cents
Gord in BC

[vancom]

we cut our wood early this year (Jan) for use in late fall and split all of it soon thereafter. "Green" wood is "wet" and will burn but just takes longer to get a hot burn.

son cut his leg while using chainsaw earlier this summer--needed stitches and we took him to a local care center. No big deal but I was FREAKED out. DH kept reminding me that kids need to learn to use this stuff, and I agree but I was worried nonetheless.

Vanessa in TN

[whodunit]

You need to learn how to stand to prevent getting caught by kick back. Use the saw off to the side of you so should it kick your clear.

I havent ever experinced kickback.

I think a face shield would be handy, however I just use saftey glasses and ear protection.

Mrs Whodunit

[MELOC]

i have never had a saw come back at me but i have had pieces of wood tossed at me from the saw catching a piece that was already cut and laying around. i try to keep the cut logs away from the log i am cutting. try to secure the log you are cutting especially when it gets down to the point where you are making the last cut leaving two pieces. small pieces about three inches and under like to get caught on the chain and fling back at you.

i recently switched chain from oregon brand to stihl brand. the stihl brand chain really catches and flings wood IMHO. the oregon chain had blunt metal pieces on the chain that only allowed the chain to cut a little at a time and not dig in too deep. the deeper the cut the more it catches and flings wood IMHO. perhaps you can shop for chain that will reduce the amount of kickback potential.

my huskvarna also has a brake in front of the handle that will shut of the chain rotation if anything pushes it back. i like that feature. i imagine all modern saws have it.

i would recommend you be sure to keep the target log free from other debris and previously cut wood. get rid of the obstructions. keep a firm grip with the hand that holds the saw. do not try to power or push the saw through the log, let it cut through. i would wear safty glasses or goggles. i think a helmet may be distracting to your attention and maybe discouraging. it will be hot as well. whatever makes you feel comfortable though.

[The Paw]

Eye and ear protection is pretty much mandatory. If you think you will use them consistently, full face shield, workboots and chaps are certainly not a bad idea.

I haven't experienced kickback of any magnitude. many saws come with a saftety feature, a kind of plastic bar that kits your arm in the event of kickback and activates a brake or kill switch. My Homelite also has a little sheild attached to the end of the bar, so that you don't catch the tip on anything. It stops plunge cuts, but the saw isn't really big enough to be doing that anyway, so no harm done.

If you are cutting deadfall that has been laying around for awhile, you should be able to burn most of it this winter. If you cut green (or even half-dead) trees, it is probably better for next year. You can usually tell how dry it is by the amount of "checking" (i.e. cracks) in the end of a piece.

It's not as scary as it seems, particularly if you take your time and don't get lazy about precautions.

[Obser]

Safety chains are available (and are standard equipment on many saws). Their safety feature is a flat raised rail between cutting teeth. They cost about the same as standard and cut about as well (some would disagree) in non-professional use.

It is the TIP of the bar area that causes kickback. There are or were some shields that supposedly prevented it, but I haven’t seen them lately. They may have pre-dated the safety chains. In any event, watch out for the TIP.

Kickback is more a problem when working around brush, branches, briars and vines than it is in making clean cuts in logs. Sometimes getting the chain into “tangles” on the far side of a cut can result in a kick. .

Small saws which have the hands close together seem to me to be more likely to cause injury because the operator doesn’t have leverage to control the saw that s/he has with a larger saw that has handles further apart. The difference can be 6” separation on a small saw vs. double that or more on a large one (Just my observation and opinion).

I have had saws kick many times, but that caused no problem or injury. My saws tend to be big, I pay attention (as though I was doing something that could be dangerous – which I am) and I control the saw if it kicks.

[Dave S.]

I would highly advise using the full "loggers" type helmet with shield and ear muffs, chaps, and work boots or steel toe shoes. Chainsaw injuries happen too fast, and to all levels of operators to not use utmost in caution when operating them.

There are three dirrerent reactions from a chainsaw- kickback, pushback, and pull in. Kickback is most obvious. Pushback is when you are cutting with the top of the bar and the force of cutting pushes the saw towards you, and when it reaches the tip you may experience kickback. If you are cutting with the bottom of the bar but away from the dogs the saw will be pulled toward the log, and if the tip should be forced into another log you will again get kickback.

The safety brakes on most modern saws are inertia brakes. They can be applied when you are walking around with a running saw, or if you feel that you may need to stop the chain suddenly you can apply it with a flip of your wrist. When you experience kickback and the brake comes on it is not from hitting your wrist, it is from the handles inertia, or risistence to change in state of motion, that activates it. To test an inertia brake, hold the tip of your saw over a stump (saw not running), or block of wood and let go with your left hand, allowing the tip to hit the stump. The brake should go on, if not you need to clean out the goop under the side cover.

Make sure you have decent footing at all times, and try not to work where you have to trip over brush and debris. Also try to keep your cutting below waist level if at all possible, it is a more secure stance and keeps the saw away from your face.

I realize this is a lot of info, but it is important, and you will be less freaked out with a little experince.

Just about any wood you cut now will be ready for this winter. Although some woods do need a little longer to season, red oak is one. Red oak will burn, but still has so much water in it still that it won't be as efficient. Ash can be burned almost as soon as it is cut, as can cherry. Wood should be split as soon as possible. I have cut red oak logs that had been piled on the header for five years and they were about as wet as when they were felled.

Good luck and hope you enjoy putting up the wood, I do!

[rambler]

I've gotten mild kickback now & then, nothing that scared me so not _the_ kickback I suppose.

Never have the saw lined up with your head, etc. The blade should be a tad bit off to one side. So it can kick back over your shoulder, not through you.

If you are asking if you need such & such safety equip, the answer will always be yes. Of course.

I wear glasses, & most of my cutting is in winter when my ears are covered some. That's what I wear of the list.....


Green wood cut now might burn ok next late winter or early spring. But I would not want to rely upon it to be dry by this fall, for all winter. Could gum up your chimney...

Dead stuff now will burn fine this fall. In any case, cutting it & splitting it will speed up the drying....

--->Paul

[silverbackMP]

It's good to mix green and dry wood IMHO, unless you want to be feeding the stove every couple of hours. Put in a bunch of green prior to leaving for work and bedtime and you should still have coals when you get home or wakeup. It burns slower. Red oak included. Of course you will get more creosote build up but it should be no problem if you clean your pipe every other fall as should anyway (every fall if it is not straight and has lots of bends).

[insanity]

If you drop a few trees now they will be dry enough to burn good this winter.Especially if you split it now.Seasoned no.But dry enough yes.We also mix in green week or two old wood as said above.
Note if you drop trees to let them season do not cut them to fire wood length unless you have time to split them then.As the ends season they get harder to split.I often drop trees and cut them into logs and let them lay until its cool enough to cut them the rest of the way.

As for chain saw safety the best advise i can give you is always no whats around you.Look for a path or many paths of retreat when falling trees.And always cut from the outside in when clearing branches.Dont wade up into them where you can not take a step back in case the saw gets hung or kicks back.Most folks i no of that where cut by saws usually got them selves tangled in the brush and could not escape the saw as the bar got pinched (chain still spinning) in a branch while the tree rolled or fell father down.This will happen ever so often.Just be prepare by having an escape route plained at all times.

Ive been running saws since i was ten years old.And iv never had a kick back that scared me.
I have had saws run back out of a cut when using the top of the bar to cut.Gotta watch that and be prepared for it just in case.
The biggest thing is making sure you got a grip on the saw and that your arm on the top bar is straight at all times.Locked if you feel the need.There no way a saw can kick up into your face/body if your elbow is locked.

Always be prepared when clearing brush.As said this is when most kick backs happen.Pay attention when cutting one small branch what other branches the tip may come into contact with.

It would be highly advisable to have someone show you the proper way to fall trees and such.

As for saftey gear the only thing i highly recommend is eye protection and good boots.The higher the uppers the better.Not just to protect you from cutting but from sprangs and crushing injury form logs falling and rolling about.

[silverbackMP]

Another good time to split wood is during a good freeze. Frozen oak splits like butter. I actually find it enjoyable to manually split wood in about 20-25 degree weather.

There are a few kinds of wood that is near impossible to split; pis elm is one of these. Your maul will just "sink in."

[Cabin Fever]

I agree with your FIL. Any alive trees cut now will not be fully seasoned to burn this winter. I cut my firewood two years in advance to allow for prpoer drying.

As far as kick back goes, never try to cut two pieces of wood at the same time...this will cause kickback. As someone else said, kickback can also happend when brush or limbs are next to or below the wood that you are cutting. When the saw starts cutting that second piece of wood (th eunderlying brush or limb) the chain can pinch and cause kickback.

[MorrisonCorner]

When you're first starting out with a saw you want to bear this in mind at all times:

If you're tired... STOP.

STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP.

Did I mention "stop?"

Accidents can happen any time. Pinched blades, kick back, debris flying off a log, a shift which causes the log to roll towards you. Experienced loggers (we lost one this week) have been crushed by falling trees (our latest was on his tractor when a tree which he'd accidentally hung up snapped loose and crushed him... ). My husband dang near killed himself a couple of weeks ago trying to take a large limb off a cherry.

But if you're not tired you can shift your feet fast, you're thinking clearly, you've got the strength to hang on to the saw or pull back if you need to. If you're tired... you don't.

Running a chainsaw takes considerable upper body strength. If you haven't built up that endurance for heaven sakes, take a break. It's only wood. It will still be there when you've taken a break or knocked off for the day. DO NOT, no joke, cut off more than you can chew by creating deadlines for yourself and then trying to meet them regardless of how tired you've become.

You get tired you do stupid things. My husband was once racing a storm and working much too hard. He quit when he realized he'd almost reached out to snap a branch away from the running blade and almost rested his hand on the chain. And earlier in the day he'd been laughing about the safety manual which has a little picture which says "don't stop the moving chain with your hand." Well.. duh.

If you're tired.. stop. No safety gear is going to save you if you do something stupid because you're tired and not thinking clearly.

[MTNwomanAR]

Great advice from all folks here.........I am a woman that cuts my own wood. I use safety glasses. I don't have chaps. The advice about being tired and taking a break is GREAT advice.......When I get tired, I stop, get all my oil, gas, etc out, sit down, and do my fill ups, and touch up the chain, if needed.........plua, I just usually sit there and enjoy being in nature....... My saw has a safety on it, that when it gets hit, stops the chain. At first, when I used it, and I hit a tree/branch, and it stopped, it kind of freaked me out...... Just wasn't used to it, as my old saw doesn't have it...............I cut dead wood, even though it doesn't last as long as green/seasoned wood....There is so much standing dead around my place, that it seems to me a shame to ever cut a green, living tree..... :baby04:

[Gideon]

Lots of sage advice that needs to be heeded. Have been using saws forever it seems and cutting when tired is probably the easiest to get you hurt. That saw will cut meat much easier than wood and strictly relies on your brains to keep it from doing so. I do not use much safety gear but I have scars also. A buddy had a chain break and put 70 stitches across his face/head. Logging is the number one killer around here but we are in heavy timber country. Just be careful and remember-it is your brains that direct/deflect it. As for cutting firewood: an old saying that is very true --light nights in January. I try to cut all my firewood on light nights(full moon) and it dries better. Another note: if you are cutting your own wood for a house/building use the same method. The lumber will not turn dark or rot nearly as fast. wc

[Kickapoo]

I just started using chain saws this past year and it isn't as hard or scary as I thought it might be. Buy chaps and a helmet with a visor right away. Wear them for your loved ones sake if not your own. I would never operate a saw without them; My family depends on me to be healthy and have a full set of limbs.

[punkrockpilot]

I never use my chainsaws without wearing a hardhat that has eye and ear protection and gloves - at the least you should fully read and understand the safety instructions and only use the saw when you can fully concentrate on your work.