How do you use your chain brake?

[Big Beech]

On my 090, rarely

[Graham]

Rightly or wrongly I hardly use it. Suppose that comes from the first ten years using saws without brakes. I can't stand the incessant clunking of chainbrakes from youngsters:001_smile:

[gensetsteve]

I think the slightly mature member may use them less as years ago we just did not have them so developed practices that meant we were aware of a live blade and always positioned the saw out of harms way. Now people seem to stand there with the saw running and the blade tapping their boot ?

[Stephen Blair]

If you don't use it everytime you move on the ground unless its at the other side of a stem you only have your own excuses and justification, age, experience and all that other stuff is an excuse, it's the only dangerous part of the saw and so simple to use and isnt expensive and quick to replace and repair.

[Johny Walker]

i rarely use it on the ground ,more up a tree but still not that often ,well dont want to ware it out now do i

[Stubby]

I think the " non users" , of which I am obviously one are coming out of the wood work as up until now they did not realize they were " doing it wrong " . Most of it is just common sense I recon . Don't put a running chain on yer leg .....

[Eddy_t]

Right then, by all you old fart's classification I am a 'youngster', I use the brake on my saws fitted with them when I move more than a couple of paces, when I set the saw down whilst idling or, most importantly, when climbing, such saws as my 090 and 051 never use the brake, mostly as it ain't there, but as time goes on, I find I use the brake less and less

 

 

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[Stubby]

Right then, by all you old fart's classification I am a 'youngster', I use the brake on my saws fitted with them when I move more than a couple of paces, when I set the saw down whilst idling or, most importantly, when climbing, such saws as my 090 and 051 never use the brake, mostly as it ain't there, but as time goes on, I find I use the brake less and less

 

 

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O.K......

[Andy Collins]

I'm not making any excuses, and I certainly don't recommend my techniques to others. My saw is either cutting, or off. I had a chap a few years back fresh off his course, followed the correct approved procedure step by step thinking I would be impressed. I wasn't, he did everything right until he realised he'd left the bar cover on, and after taking off the brake, he blipped the throttle, oh then grabbed the bar cover. Bare handed. In the pursuance of trying to get it all perfectly right, he could have got it oh so terribly wrong. Ok that's not an excuse to not use the chain brake, but it's similar to watching the speedo to keep to the speed limit, and hitting the child cos you didn't look up in time.

[Spruce Pirate]

Production cutters on the ground use the chain brake less than climbing arbs. I think climbers have good reason for using the brake more often. I agree, to an extent, it is lazy not to put the brake on when on the ground, but if you're an experienced full time user, the saw is tuned right and the chain is tensioned correctly the risk of injury is low. For freshly certified cutters and those cutting their own firewood I'd always recommend putting the brake on. I also think threatening to dock someone's wages is a good way of backing this recommendation up. Full time production cutters need to live up to their name and produce - constantly applying the brake hinders this process - I don't think climbers should judge them to be not applying the brake enough, just as I don't think production cutters should judge climbers as applying the brake too much. The two jobs both involve chainsaws, but are very different. Please note, I'm talking about production cutters in the wood, not a groundy in someone's garden, again these two situations are very different. It should also be remembered that switching the saw off is a very effective way of preventing the chain turning - far too many saws sit idling on the ground for long periods for no good reason.

 

Going back to the OP: I don't think NPTC should be teaching the full revs chain brake test any more. I think they have to teach testing the brake to the manufacturer's recommendation. In the case of Stihl I think this is apply the brake and blip the throttle twice? Husky might still be a full revs test, not sure. I think you should also be doing an inertia test by dropping the bar tip (saw switched off) onto a log/stump? I'll wait to be corrected.....