How to Use a Chainsaw Safely

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Whether you're felling your first tree or your 200th, take time to think about safety.
Whether you're felling your first tree or your 200th, take time to think about safety.
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Stay safe when using a chainsaw.
Stay safe when using a chainsaw.
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You should be fully protected with workboots, jeans, long-sleeved shirt, gloves, eye protection and hard hat.
You should be fully protected with workboots, jeans, long-sleeved shirt, gloves, eye protection and hard hat.

You don’t have to spend much time in a woodlot to learn that a chain saw is one dangerous tool — far more dangerous than the much maligned gun. Because the dangers inherent in operating a chain saw can’t be foreseen, the most important safety precaution is to stay alert, concentrate, and always expect the unexpected. Quit working when you feel tired, extremely hot or cold, hungry, or frustrated, no matter how badly you need the firewood or the income from its sale. Fatigue and frustration reduce your alertness and increase the chance that kickback or a bouncing tree will catch you by surprise.

Safe Clothing

Start thinking about safety from the moment you get dressed in the morning. Select clothing that’s warm but not bulky or baggy. A guide bar as short as 16 inches has about 25 razor-sharp teeth revolving at approximately 50 feet per second–teeth that are eager to grab a sleeve, shirttail, or pant leg and chew through to bare skin. Avoid this source of injury by avoiding loose clothing.

Wear a pair of especially sturdy pants. Some woodcutters wear jeans. I prefer Carhartt bib overalls, made of exceptionally heavy fabric that’s doubled along the thighs and knees. Although they cost about $32 a pair, they last twice as long as any other pants I’ve worn in the woods. Even if you don’t snag your pants on a saw tooth, working in the woods still wears pants out pretty fast. A pair of chaps, at $60, both saves wear and tear on your clothing and protects your legs against a close encounter with a whirling saw chain.

In cold weather, keep your upper body warm with several layers of clothing so you can take something off as the day warms, and put it back on toward evening when the weather cools. You’ll fatigue less quickly if you maintain a comfortable body temperature.

  • Published on Oct 1, 1993
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