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Had a bad day yesterday..

300 H and H

300 H and H

Bronze Member
GOLD Patron
A wind/rain storm hit here night before last. Took down a very large hard maple tree. We started cutting it up for campfire wood. When we were nearly done, I made the mistake of letting out of the throttle of the chain saw, and letting it down too close to my knee. The chain was still rolling around when it touched my jeans. 18 stitches later and a tetnus shot, and now both my left arm and knee are hurting pretty good. And, I am embarrassed that I was not carefull enough. I was gettting pretty tired, and should have quit and finished it today.

The good news its it was not deep enough of a wound that just stitches were required. I am thinking it is time for me to get some chaps to protect my legs when using my chain saws.:whistling:

Be carefull out there...

Kirk
 
Wowzers. Could have been allot worse. Be careful. I remember as a kid my dad was using the whipper snipper to trim grass. He was holding it and turned to see where I was. The head of the whipper snipper still spinning hit my hand. That hurt but no stitches.
 
JimVT said:
I got mine at this place. I even wear them while on my bike.
although the price jumped $20 since I got them.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_192767-86886-531309565_0__
Click to expand...

Those are the ones that I have. I got them after a near miss, a very near miss, when doing some serious cutting down in the "thicket". OK, I admit that I don't wear them every time I pick up a chain saw but if I'm going to be using it for more than a couple of minutes then I put them on along with the safety hat and visor. I find that I'm using the 6' pole saw more and more, even for cutting up small stuff on the ground. The further I stay away from that moving chain, the happier I am.

Kirk, I'm afraid to say this but you were lucky. A chain saw may cut wood fairly smoothly but it tears and rips its way through flesh and leaves a terrible scar. I hope that didn't depress you too much. Get well soon my friend and for God's sake, BE CAREFUL.
 
Boys and their toys. :hammer: The trouble is that some of them are DANGEROUS! :doh:

The one thing that Dad taught me when skiing, forget that last run down the hill if you're tired. That's when you break a leg.

You were very lucky. Chain saw injuries are nasty. Get those chaps.
 
I have to agree with ETF Kirk. You were lucky that all it took was stitches. Man that could have ended up so much worse. Count your blessings, and to all, be careful out there (myself included ...I can get a little care free with the chain saw even though I know better. Sharing tidbits like this can help us all remember safety when we have tools such as that in our hands.)
 
"Safety is no accident"

Kirk, glad you'll be ok. Humans are pretty fragile. Everybody be careful, please!
 
Kirk, stuff like that happens all the time. The key was you said you were getting tired. That's when we all let our guard down and that is when we make mistakes.

Glad it wasn't too bad. Well, 18 stitches is bad, but at least it sounds like it was mostly superficial.

Bet that tetnus shot hurt worse that the chain saw.
 
Everyone else has already said it all so I'm not going to repeat any of it, except to say stay well. You have our sympathy and
best wishes for a speedy recovery. :flowers:

 
18 stitches is something to write home about, but it could have been a lot worse!! Hope ya heal fast. Any power tool needs respect and your total attention but a chain saw is the one of the most dangerous.
Mike
 
If it's any consolation I'm carrying a scar right below my left knee from the exact same carelessness myself. I wasn't tired, I wasn't in a hurry, but I was too complacent with handling my saw and it cut me, end of story.
 
It was a 32" Stihl MS 390. Big saw, and a bit heavy. With my long arms and that long bar I can reach out there and cut. But my arms were tired and I should have just accepted that it would take some time the next day to finish up. Right now the tractor and loader and about 25% of the tree are out next to the road in front of the house. With farming, spraying herbicide on soybeans being paramount, they may be there for a while. Oh boy...

Regards, Kirk
 
300 H and H said:
It was a 32" Stihl MS 390. Big saw, and a bit heavy.
Click to expand...

That's a big boy. (I bet nobody has said that to you in a while).

What size of trees do you have up there?

I don't think that I've ever seen one that big except on TV. A couple of years back, after spending a week cutting on a huge oak tree with an 18" bar, I decided that I needed something bigger. I went to the local Stihl dealer and handled a professional 24" saw. I decided that, at my advanced years, that thing was just too heavy for me to swing for more than an hour or two. So, as logic would dictate, I went in the opposite direction. I got a 12" arborist's saw. I use the heck out of that thing. It's light, easy to use and it can handle most things except for the trunk on big trees.
 
Frank,

The over all length of the bar is 32" with about 28" useable. The tree I was working on is roughly 50"+ across at the base. Big tree... and HARD maple. Dangerous to cut as the branches break with out warning, as they are almost brittle. Great firewood though.

Regards, Kirk
 
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You guys do realize these things are powered by an engine, right? You pull the cord and it whirs, and the blade moves, so you don't have to saw.............
 
Good thing it wasn't worse and a few minutes break makes a difference if the job has to be done. That's all you need, a few minutes and you'll be fresh.

That hard Maple got me thinking about tone wood for luthiers. Maybe you can make money off of it. Don't just chop it up for firewood.
 
I feel you: my uncle cut off 2 of his fingers when he was working at a factory, it was horrendous. I'm glad you didn't cut off your leg. Stay safe!
 
Update...

The stiches are out, but the left side of the cut has broken open about 1/2"..

They tell me now it will be another 4-6 weeks of bandaging it while it heals from the inside out..

Wow I wanted this to be over... Not to be yet. Just hope I can keep infectons from setting in..

Regards, Kirk
 
Keep at it so it does not get infected. Summer plans can change in the blink of an eye or a trip on a step. My SIL's sister tripped on a step coming up from their boat. Danged if she did not break her ankle. A clean break of the rear bone in the ankle but now she is out of commission. She went to doc yesterday and I have not heard the outcome. She is a nurse and was thinking it would be a six week cast ....then you have to recoup from the cast and stiffness ...so she is out of commission for the rest of the summer. Beach vacation plans etc etc .... not sure how any of that will go now.
 
Glad to hear you are mending. Surprised they did not put steri- stitches on the open area to help hold it while it heals. Saws can be dangerous and around here you see a lot of folks get hurt from them. Some of the Amish have taken to wearing the chaps and helmets when logging, others don't use any protection. 2 of my neighbors took a fall yesterday while roofing and the one roof jack pulled out. One is in the hospital in Rochester and the other is just sore as hell. With my health I don't climb ladders or do much chain sawing anymore.
 
I bought a pair of safty chaps this afternoon....

And you can bet I will wear them when the time comes.

Some lessons in life are harder than others. This one is one that will stay with me for a very long time. A hundred bucks seems cheap today.

And thanks Doc, and yes no swimming no water sports for maybe the rest of the summer. Hope your sister is on the mend as well..

Keep safe out there and wear your protective equiptment when cutting...

Regards, Kirk
 
I think we all take safety a bit too lightly.

Last time I was chainsawing I was wearing short and a Hawaiian shirt. Oh, I did have ear protection.
 
Melensdad said:
I think we all take safety a bit too lightly.

Last time I was chainsawing I was wearing short and a Hawaiian shirt. Oh, I did have ear protection.
Click to expand...

This thread is sobering. I'm going to cut grass in a few minutes now that the temp has dropped some.
Before I go out I think I'll put on something other than these sandals. :ermm:

 
Danang Sailor said:
This thread is sobering. I'm going to cut grass in a few minutes now that the temp has dropped some.
Before I go out I think I'll put on something other than these sandals. :ermm:
Click to expand...

Yup.

For chainsaw work I do not have chaps. But I have a Stihl helmet with mesh face guard and ear protection. Sometimes I dress properly (minus the chaps) and sometimes I'm a total idiot.

I have to spend less time being an idiot.
 
The chaps I bought are from Stihl. Figure they know how to stop one of their own...
Bob this is the area you need the most protection for while using your saw. Hint, hint...

Kirk
 
Melensdad said:
I think we all take safety a bit too lightly.

Last time I was chainsawing I was wearing short and a Hawaiian shirt. Oh, I did have ear protection.
Click to expand...

I had shorts and chaps with tenni shoes last week. could be some what safer.
45 min from any people and no phone. I did have my amature radio.
jim
 
Melensdad said:
I think we all take safety a bit too lightly.

Last time I was chainsawing I was wearing short and a Hawaiian shirt. Oh, I did have ear protection.
Click to expand...

I'm a bit like you. Often I don't dress appropriately. I have all the equipment, chaps, helmet, face mask and hearing protection, but if it's hot and you're only going to be making a few cuts, it's seems like too much trouble to get all "dressed up". That's probably when I'll get bit.

By the way Kirk, how are you healing up?
 
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