How often do you lock your chain?

[TGB]

I work alongside a slight lass who within the last year has gained her CS30+31. She uses the chain-brake when needed which is good. But the manner in which she does so makes me cringe.

 

She has very short hands and I can only assume she has difficulty rotating her left hand far enough to activate the brake. So instead she uses her right hand; and makes a real point of drawing back her arm, then thrusting forward to ram the heel of the palm against the topmost part of the brake.

 

It's only a matter of time before she misses the brake and rams her hand onto the chain.

[Pumpy]

The only "training" I had with a chainsaw was in the forces in the 80's, it was an irking great big hydraulic saw for underwater use, 5 mins at most, the "instructor" spent more time showing how to clag the kit together and start it, 30 seconds demonstrating how to avoid kickback, I don't even remember it having a chain brake.

 

Since then I'd never used the chain-brake on saws, I thought it made it harder to start from cold too, until I recently employed a climber for 3-4 weeks, I did all the groundwork. I noticed he always activated the brake, so I asked about it, after 5 mins of chat/tuition (cheers Collin!) I saw the light, decided it was a habit worth taking up, it just makes sense IMO.

[Urban-rustic]

I've only recently done my CS30, but can see that it's just common sense to use a device which has been designed and built on your saw for the purpose of protecting the user.

I don't think anyone can realistically say they will never have an accident with any piece of equipment, but the combination of design, build, maintenance and safe working practises all go hand in hand to make the use of any tools or equipment as safe as possible.

There's risk in everything we do !, training and common sense reduce the risk.

 

Learn, use and work safe !!!

 

Chain brake on when not in use. SIMPLES !!!

 

[Mortimer Firewood]

Chain Brake is there for a reason safety use it stay safe. You would look stupid if stuck in a hospital bed from not using it.

[lakeyboy]

Haven't got any certificates but I do have common sense a spilt second flick of the wrist and no mishaps yet if I pass a saw to my boss or his father inlaw they assume the brake is off but it's just their habit I suppose not that they lack common sense

 

 

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[Big J]

The chain brake is there as a safety feature for kickback. It doesn't need to be on all the time you aren't cutting. If you are carrying the saw, it's by the front handle and it's not possible to engage the throttle.

 

The only time that I use it is climbing up and down steep slopes or through very thick brash. Otherwise it just slows you down (I'll not hear argument to the contrary - it really does).

 

 

Jonathan

[Stubby]

The chain brake is there as a safety feature for kickback. It doesn't need to be on all the time you aren't cutting. If you are carrying the saw, it's by the front handle and it's not possible to engage the throttle.

 

The only time that I use it is climbing up and down steep slopes or through very thick brash. Otherwise it just slows you down (I'll not hear argument to the contrary - it really does).

 

 

Jonathan

 

Agreed .

[B.C. Tree Services]

While we're on the subject ...

 

Bought a brand new 460 from fr jones 4 years ago. It had a little under an hours use when it started to smoke and we realised the clutch had burnt out!! We took it apart and couldn't find out why this had happened until we went to put it back together and realised there was no c clip!

 

So we finished work early, as this was the only big saw we had on site, and needed! I drove an hour and a half back up to fr jones 4 hrs in total including being there. I explained what happened and that the saw had obviously not been assembled properly and that they needed to reimburse me with a new clutch etc.

 

Well.. I had 4 blokes behind the counter trying to tell me that as an inexperienced chainsaw operator (at the time I had been using them for 10 years) that I had been using the saw with the chain brake on!! I said this was not possible and argued with them for a while about it and they patronisingly said, 'have you ever used a saw this powerful before? A saw this powerful will override the chain brake, Stihl have even released this information'... I laughed... Feeling intimidated, frustrated and about to loose my temper, I took a deep breath and realised I could not win this battle against 4 numpties blatantly trying to pull one over on me. I paid the fee and will never return.

 

Has anyone else ever had this experience? With 'the power of the saw overriding the chain brake on a brand new saw? ROFL. Or with the customer service at fr jones?

Edited April 10, 2013 by B.C. Tree Services

[difflock]

Wor Director here at work( a hateful, stupid, arrogent, lying bully of an Ex PE Teacher) borrowed the work Chainsaw, and brought it back saying there was something wrong with it.

He had attempted, and re-attempted to use it with the Chain Brake engaged.

I could hardly keep my face straight.

This was perhaps one of the reasons me an him did not get on.

But since the chain brake is only there to stop a freely spinning chain, it is possible that the chain brake is essentially on an 026 is the same right up through a 460 to a 660/880, the only extra braking power required being that to kill the extra monumentum of the longer heavier chain on the longer bar.

Is this correct or am I spouting Gibberish?

Cheers

Marcus

[Graham]

Spent the first ten years of cutting with saws that didn't have chain brakes so I tend not to use them much. What does annoy me are all these NPTC trained guys clunking chain brakes on all the time. It's there in the event of kickback not each time you move two yards.