Saw Pants for milling?

[18 stoner]

As title really, just wondering what PPE we should be wearing while milling?

[Hodge]

i use helmet,visor, ear defenders, chainsaw boots and chainsaw pants.

[Tree Man Tom]

I imagine you should wear normal PPE as if you were cross cutting etc..

 

Personally, i would wear normal PPE but just ear muffs and glasses instead of helmet

[openboater]

So do I , but I've only milled once (so far). I would think the least critical bit of that list would be the chainsaw boots, unless you're milling around your ankles, but I always feel a bit more comfortable with toe capped boots on so why not wear chainsaw boots anyway ?

If a chain snapped at speed on a mill with 2 powerheads would the standard chain catcher on a saw be enough to control it ?

My mill has two Stihl 084s and 178 drive links of .404 chain. If the chain snapped I would be amazed if it didn't whip about at all.

For this reason I would think allround protection would be preferable. A broken chain that's over 8 feet long travelling at 40mph powered by 244cc is worth wearing trousers for .

If you're milling the first cut on a big tree all the action could be going on at chest height. I prefer not to dwell on that thought but upper body protection is worth considering if you follow the 'worst scenario' attitude.

Sweet dreams.

Angus .

[Ian Flatters]

Boots, trousers, glassess and ear muffs thats it for me.

[tommer9]

There is alot more vibe from the mill than when crosscutting in my experience, so maybe gloves would be a consideration?

I have often milled without ballisitics, and the chain did come off once, but just dies in the kerf. I tend to be wearing them anyway though usually.

[Ben Ballard]

i use all the normal chainsaw gear with a xtra thick pair of gloves,would use a dust mask for some wood ,like yew,was thinking about getting some knee pads

[18 stoner]

I was really wondering if there were any specific HSE requirements.

 

If you go along the protection incase of chain breakage route, lower body is as at risk as upper body and arms.

 

 

But in 25 years fo saw use i have NEVER broken a chain

 

I have however seen accidents as a result of bad usage, bad maintenance, but none that could happen when a saw was in a mill.

 

Room for thought?

[Ben Ballard]

milling is the only time i have considered getting a chainsaw jacket but always been put of with getting to hot,be ok in the winter:001_smile:

[tommer9]

I was really wondering if there were any specific HSE requirements.

 

If you go along the protection incase of chain breakage route, lower body is as at risk as upper body and arms.

 

 

But in 25 years fo saw use i have NEVER broken a chain

 

I have however seen accidents as a result of bad usage, bad maintenance, but none that could happen when a saw was in a mill.

 

Room for thought?

 

You have hit the nail on the head really, which was sort of what i was driving at with my post. My chain came off soon after i bought my mill- I had no experience then of how to tension a 48" bar......like you say, bad usage/ maintenance etc, and in that case I was in no danger whatsoever.

 

I think that the arrangement of the clamp on the bar at the powerhead end would catch a chain in the unlikely event of it throwing back far sooner than it got anywhere near your left hand, which on an 088 set up would be something like 18" out from the log/ base of the bar.

 

I have come across no specific HSE legislation regarding this, but TBH it strikes me as safer than normal saw use. The most dangerous scenario as i see it could be if you stumbled just as you drew the saw out of the end of the cut and caught yourself on it for example...?