Chainsaw safety Tips: Confine Your Cutting to the Wood

Do you use a chainsaw? If so, chainsaw protection should be top-of-mind as you make the wood chips fly and the firewood stack grow.

Chainsaws are remarkable tools. They allow us to desist jobs in just minutes that would otherwise want hours with an ax or handsaw. But it's that same amazing efficiency that can turn chainsaws into deadly, risky weapons. After all, that high-powered saw that will slice and dice a tree trunk in minutes could make mincemeat of your leg (or other corporal part) in a split second.

Black And Decker Dewalt

And when you're using a chainsaw, that's all it takes -- a split second. Just a split second of carelessness, just a momentary lapse in judgment, or just one attempt to use a saw that's not well maintained can cause a lifetime of regret, or even end a life.

Don't let fear of an crisis deter you from using a chainsaw. But do use that fear to motivate you into using your chainsaw safely.

Covering all of the tips and techniques for using a chainsaw safely and maintaining it in safe working order is far beyond the scope of a single article, of course. But here are three straightforward things you can do to make the use of your chainsaw a much safer proposition:

1) Use chainsaw protection equipment. No matter how well maintained your saw, and no matter how knowledgeable you are in all the allowable techniques for using your saw, an crisis could still occur.

It's similar to driving a car, where even the most skilled and alert of drivers zipping along in the safest and most well maintained of cars are still at risk of having an accident. But the driver -- if he or she is smart -- is prepared for that possibility by wearing a protection belt and selecting a car adequate with protection devices such as air bags and anti-lock brakes.

In much the same way, you can prepare for a worst-case scenario while using your chainsaw by wearing chainsaw protection equipment. Gear such as helmets with face shields, gloves and steel-toed boots can significantly reduce the risk of injury.

And chainsaw chaps are among the most foremost pieces of chainsaw protection equipment. Chainsaw chaps can safe you from the most base of chainsaw accidents -- cuts to the lower body. In fact, the most efficient chainsaw chaps are designed to stop a chainsaw turning at 2,750 feet per diminutive without even penetrating the inner layer of the chaps. That's impressive protection! A chainsaw turning at 2,750 feet per diminutive would slice through your blue jeans like gossamer silk.

2) Keep your saw sharp. Just as the most risky knife is a dull knife, a dull chainsaw chain is among the most risky of tools. A dull chain greatly increases the risk of that most risky chainsaw mishap, the kickback. And when a kickback does occur, it's likely to happen with much greater violence when a dull chain is involved.

Whether you grind your chains yourself with straightforward hand files (which you can do effectively if you utilize allowable techniques), or take them to a professional for sharpening, you'll greatly reduce the risk of an crisis by holding them sharp.

3) Be sure your chainsaw is remarkable for the job. You don't actually need a mega-horsepower chainsaw with a 3-foot bar to cut down saplings or to prune twigs. But you also wouldn't be wise to strike a 3-foot diameter tree trunk with a 10-inch bar chainsaw.

When you're evaluating whether your chainsaw is up to the job at hand, use the manufacturer's recommendations. If your saw isn't quite remarkable for the job, then buy or rent one that is.

And if you're a homeowner who uses a chainsaw primarily for some light duty pruning or cleanup, consider a saw like the Black & Decker Alligator Lopper. It's not a former chainsaw design; you use it just like a pair of lopping shears. But it will handle cuts of up to 4 inches in diameter with ease, and is one of the safest chainsaw designs on the market.

So by just simply selecting your chainsaw wisely, you can greatly reduce the risk of using a chainsaw.

By being aware of chainsaw protection tips and techniques, you'll be able to enjoy the fruits of your chainsaw labor in good health. After all, warming your tootsies with that nice cozy fire wouldn't be quite as pleasant if you lost a body part in the cutting of that firewood!

Chainsaw safety Tips: Confine Your Cutting to the Wood