Chain Saw Safety

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The first step in chain saw safety is to wear protective dress: non-slip boots, gloves, jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and goggles.
The first step in chain saw safety is to wear protective dress: non-slip boots, gloves, jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and goggles.
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Here's the grip required for safe maneuvering of the machine.
Here's the grip required for safe maneuvering of the machine.
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Be familiar with basic maintenance chores, including adjustment of the chain.
Be familiar with basic maintenance chores, including adjustment of the chain.
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A woodcutter demonstrates the proper stance (feet apart, left foot slightly forward) and the use of a sawbuck for safe cutting.
A woodcutter demonstrates the proper stance (feet apart, left foot slightly forward) and the use of a sawbuck for safe cutting.
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Start the engine on a flat surface, making certain the bar is clear of obstacles.
Start the engine on a flat surface, making certain the bar is clear of obstacles.
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Note that the tip of the saw is about to come in contact with an unseen log. This is a very dangerous way to cut wood.
Note that the tip of the saw is about to come in contact with an unseen log. This is a very dangerous way to cut wood.
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Keep the tip of your saw clear or you might experience kickback, which forces the saw's chain up toward your body.
Keep the tip of your saw clear or you might experience kickback, which forces the saw's chain up toward your body.

When I first decided to try to make it on my own in an isolated mountain cabin, I suppose I let the “glamor” of the idea get in the way of common sense. Anyway, I soon discovered that the self-sufficient lifestyle demanded that I put myself into a “crash course” mentality in order to pick up the innumerable necessary skills that my city-girl life hadn’t taught me.

Since my new home was wood-heated (and because the Colorado winters can be pretty harsh), one of my first self-teaching projects began when I bought a chain saw and set out to gather my own fuel supply.

A lot of my urban friends were skeptical. After all, as they pointed out, I am a small woman. And was I sure, they asked, that I was “up to” tackling such a noisy and dangerous tool? But, after a lot of preparation and a few mistakes (none of which did me any serious harm), I learned the ways of chain saw safety. I can now sit by a warm stove and look out the window at a substantial wood pile, feeling a good deal of pride and satisfaction in what I’m capable of accomplishing.

This article, which is based upon my own learning experiences, will share with you–the beginning chain saw operator–some techniques that, I hope, will Increase your competence and your confidence.

Before You Begin

  • Published on Jan 1, 1981
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