FEATURED ARTICLE:
All Chainsaws Require Protective Gear
Chainsaws are relatively benign when the motor isn’t running. Once that blade starts spinning, however, danger can come at you from any direction. There is plenty of safety gear available to counter most of the dangers you face. There is a type of gear for every part of your body, not matter what brand of chainsaw you have or how big your blade. Safety gear is a very important part of running a chainsaw.
There are many ways to get hurt while cutting wood with a chainsaw. Branches can spring suddenly loose and whip toward you with a lot of speed and force. They can break bone, but your face is also at risk. The engine of the saw is very loud and can cause damage to your inner ear. Wear a black helmet with hearing defenses.
Helmets are particularly important if you are on the ground with workers above you. Equipment and tools can fall and cause serious injury. They could even kill you. The proper chainsaw helmet will spread the force of impact, like a motorcycle helmet. Getting hit by a falling limb will then cause a slight headache, but no permanent damage.
If you are using an Echo chainsaw, you might want to limit yourself to protective gear made by that particular manufacturer. That is fine, but remember that, while not all gear is created equal, it is all interchangeable. A vest from Stihl will work just as well as one from Echo.
After protecting your ears and head, take a look at your eyes. You have two choices. You can either use a full-face visor or just rely on goggles. Some woodcutters use both. The visor will protect your face and eyes from flying debris. Because a properly sharpened chainsaw will only create wood chips, not sawdust, the rather large lattice on the visor works just fine and still allows the operator to see clearly.
Finally, you have to put something on your legs and feet. There are full trousers made from protective fabric, or chaps for the part-time sawyer. For the feet, any leather boot with hard, steel toes will offer adequate protection.
What if you use a different type of saw? Will that make a difference? No, whether you are cutting with a McCulloch chainsaw or some other brand, the need for safety is the same. In fact, many jurisdictions require the use of safety gear when operating a chainsaw. Make sure you are obeying the law!
