Thread: Chaps ?...Do I need them for chainsawing ?

I just bought a chainsaw too, and wouldn't touch the thing without chaps and sturdy boots. I didn't get a full-face helmet (a bit spendy for me, when I don't do much real felling), but always wear my eye and ear protection too.

I got Husqvarna 587160704 Technical Apron Wrap Chap, 36 to 38-Inch Orange: Amazon.com.au: Lawn & Garden - seem to do the job, though no groin protection. I can do without toes, but... !

You could always get one of those carbon-fibre things that cricket players wear....Or go for Titanium if you want real protection. Or go for black leather like 60's urban cowboys used to wear. Hmmm, Oxford St, those quail little downstairs bars........
But most chainsaw accidents are well below that vital area. You should be good for almost any eventuality.

Don't kid yourself. A chainsaw is not at all particular which part of the human anatomy it devours. I have seen injuries from the top of the head to the big toe and all points in between.

Check out post #5
Chaps ?...Do I need them for chainsawing ?

Roughly 1/3rd are on the legs, 1/3rd on the left hand/arm, and 1/3rd elsewhere.

Chainsawing is like a wedding..... You shouldn't rock up to either in stubbies and thongs.

Have witnessed a chainsaw chomping through a knee cap
The poor fellow was performing a back cut on a paddock tree when blade kicked back and got him
He stood for a moment,with 'jelly' oozing from the wound...then collapsed to the ground
If you operate a chainsaw...wear CHAPS!!!
Mr Fiddleback

Originally Posted by Old Hilly

You could always get one of those carbon-fibre things that cricket players wear....Or go for Titanium if you want real protection. Or go for black leather like 60's urban cowboys used to wear. Hmmm, Oxford St, those quail little downstairs bars........

The fast way chainsaw can cut through leather boots means leather is a complete waste of time.

The Mohs hardness of carbon fibre is only about 2, its usually embedded in epoxy which has a hardness of about 3 where as tool steel is in the 4-4.5 range.
Regular chainsaw chain will therefore win!

Titanium would work but not against carbide tipped chain.

Chainsaw chaps use long kevlar fibres laying semi loose inside a ballistic nylon type fabric pouches covering the chaps. The way they work is the chain slices its way through these pouches and pulls out great hanks of the Kevlar fibres which instantly jams the chain around the the drive sprocket area.

Check this out

You need chaps or chainsaw pants.

Like your legs, huh? Like to walk around, unassisted? Like the look of your face in the mirror?

Buy the best chainsaw safety equipment that you can afford and then some.
Chainsaw chaps are magic at stopping a full speed chain. Believe what you see.
Legal requirement here as a condition of employment in the forest industry.
Any full speed 36" or 42" chain is a deadly weapon.

I have spruce trees (16" dbh) that need some pruning work every 5 years or so. The guy who does it
is totally rigged out for safety first.

I've been gifted 2 power saws. One gasser, one electric.
Have not used either one until I buy the recommended suite of safety clothing.

Probably the worst thing to happen with "garden equipment" is the proliferation of battery powered chainsaws being sold on "big box" stores like the blue or green sheds. There is minimal, if any, advice as to the suitability of the tool for the task or warnings (other than the pages of warnings in a booklet that no-one reads). There is nobody standing there to tell a customer "mate, this thing can bloody well kill you!".There are no sets of safety gear nearby and certainly no expensive "chainsaw chaps" anywhere in the shop. If you want to buy a firearm you need to do a safety course and pass a test before you can walk into a shop and buy one. You need a license to drive a car. All you need to buy something that can absolutely change your life in a fraction of a second is a credit card. Sometimes I wonder about this modern world we live in.

Originally Posted by Old Hilly

Probably the worst thing to happen with "garden equipment" is the proliferation of battery powered chainsaws being sold on "big box" stores like the blue or green sheds. There is minimal, if any, advice as to the suitability of the tool for the task or warnings (other than the pages of warnings in a booklet that no-one reads). There is nobody standing there to tell a customer "mate, this thing can bloody well kill you!".There are no sets of safety gear nearby and certainly no expensive "chainsaw chaps" anywhere in the shop.

Some thing most regular chainsaw users are not always aware of is that chainsaw chaps are not very effective against any electric chainsaws so they may provide a false sense of security to users of electric saws. The reason these chainsaws are not very effective is that unlike petrol motors, electric motors still retain high torque at low RPMs and will still cut through the kevlar fibres inside the chaps. Petrol motors only have decent torque/HP at high RPM as soon as they are slowed down they are easily stalled by the kevlar fibres pulled out of the chaps and jamming the drive sprocket.

In terms of kick back the short bars usually used on battery saws helps as it makes them a bit more controllable that bigger petrol saws with longer bars.

The most common small chainsaw injury used to be on the left hand as operators would hold a branch or piece of wood with their left hand while operating the saw just with only their right hand. I note most electric saw now require both hands to be on the saw for it to operate

FWIW, in 1967 Stihl released an electric corded saw called an E30 and it came in several power variants and with up to a 900mm bar. One ran on 440V/50Hz and generated 2.7kW, and one ran on 265V 200Hz generated 4kW. No chain brake. Imagine standing in a muddy pool of water hanging onto a 440V saw!!