electric chain saw safety

Last Saturday a local woodlot owners association had a meeting where an instructor from the Forest Industry Safety and Training Institute gave an abbreviated (but excellent) class on chain saw use complete (after lunch) with some pictures of injuries. He said the only time he had ever been injured was not when he was working in the woods but rather on a weekend when he was only going to do 'a little work' before deer hunting when he cut through his hunting boots and got his toe.

When you drop a tree or cut it up (at least for me) it is the real thing so I wear the chaps and helmet costume for safety. But it dawned on me when one is making a bowl blank in the garage you are just going to be using the saw for a 'little while' so costumes are a hassle and it is easy to think you won't have an acident. Deciding how safe you want to be also is more complicated when using an electric chainsaw inside. They stop pretty quidk when you release the trigger and the electric saw I have seems to run slower than my gas one.

Has anyone heard much about electric versus gas chainsaw safety? Obviously touch a running chain and you get blood but the electric ones seem tamer ... or are they?

Reply to
TWW
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Hello,

I cannot recall any specific accidents caused by using an electric chainsaw, but I'm sure they exist. For me personally, I opt to wear the chainsaw chaps and steel toe boots when using my electric chainsaw. I also wear the ear muffs for hearing protection, because the sound of an electric chainsaw running in an enclosed room with a concrete floor is objectionable.

Most of my smaller blank processing is done with an 18" bandsaw, so I only use my Stihl E-220 electric chainsaw when working on blanks that are greater than 10" - 12" in thickness, or are especially heavy making it difficult to manipulate them on the bandsaw. When I need to work on one of the bigger blanks (I turn bowls up to 46" in diameter), I use the electric chainsaw and wear all of the appropriate safety material.

I figure a trip to the emergency room (even with a minor cut) will cost more than $500.00, so it's cheap insurance and I don't want to be the poster boy for "avoidable chainsaw accidents." When I was in the Fire Department years ago, we had a saying that we lived by: "Don't buy cheap accidents" It works for me... :-)

Reply to
Steve Russell

My chain saw experience is almost all with gas saws. But the few electric saws that I have used have MUCH lower chain speeds than gas saws do. Getting one horsepower or so down a skinny power cord limits the total cutting ability, so I suppose they limit chain speed to what the motor can handle without burning out immediately. Having never seen a $200-$400 electric chain saw (to compare to a higher-end gas saw) though, maybe all I know about are the inexpensive ones.

Pete Stanaitis

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TWW wrote:

Reply to
spaco

Just my limited personal experience... electric for years and now a few years of light use with gas..

The biggest plus of electric for me is the light weight and lower noise level.. That can also be a safety issue, because it doesn't "feel" like a "real" saw and the normal fear/healthy respect is missing..

The electric might be a little less distracting for beginners... no choke, pull starter, running out of gas, etc... You hold the trigger down and cut until you're done..

I feel for most jobs the power of gas makes it a little safer because you might tend to push the cuts with electric because it just isn't happening as fast as a gas saw cuts??

I've been lucky enough to never even get a nick from a chain saw, but if I ever stop being scared of it and aware of how bad you could get hurt if you're NOT careful, I'll sell them in a garage sale.. YMWV

mac

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Reply to
mac davis

Would less power and speed offer a better chance for kickbacks? Even so and over all, I want to 'believe' that using an electric chainsaw in the friendly confines is safer, but the difference in serious injuries caused by a gas or an electric chain saw is probably akin to the difference between being hit by a Mack truck or a freight train. Much different, but less difference.

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

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Reply to
Arch

Reply to
robo hippy

Hello Pete,

You're right that the smaller electrics do have a lower chain speed, thus limiting the ability to make heavier cuts. However, the Stihl E-220 I used inside my studio is one very bad boy indeed...

It features a 2.3HP motor and easily sports a 20" bar. I have used it on occasion with a 32" bar as well. It's 1700 watts, or 15 amps and it has a

*very* fast chain speed - not as fast as my other two petrol Stihl's (026 and 066), but much faster than any other electric I've seen.

When I purchased it a few years ago, it cost $660.00USD and the shop told me that it was the best model available in an electric. After using it for several years, I would have to agree. I have buried the full 20" of the bar in Mesquite and it just keeps on cutting...

One nice thing about this saw is that it has a thermal overload feature. If the motor gets too hot, it breaks the circuit to keep from burning up the motor. There is a small reset button on the side of the housing that gets you up and running again.

It's a great saw, but it's also crazy expensive for all but professional woodturners like myself. I've yet to meet a hobby turner that has one since you can get a really nice petrol saw for the same money.

Most of the chaps around the Houston area use the sub $100.00 electric chain saws and just run them until they burn up. One friend of mine replaces his small electric every year or so. That can get expensive, but over time it's not too bad to swallow for most turners. Although my saw cost over $600.00, it's still going strong (no repairs of any kind) after seven or eight years.

Take care and all the best to you and yours!

Reply to
Steve Russell

In a similar demonstration, I was told that chaps are no protection for an electric saw.

As I understand it, the fabric in chain saw chaps cuts into fibers, which jam the saw, which kills the gas motor, but not the electric.

Reply to
Old guy

Totally agree with this. You should study the safety precautions that come with the saw, and heed every one of them without fail. If you get tired, take a break. And always, always keep a respectful distance from that turning cutter, just like a table saw.

I have tried to use an electric chain saw, but the power was so low that it was mostly frustrating. I love my Stihl Farm Boss, which I bought last year after 20 years of using another Stihl saw.

S.

Reply to
samson

Take a look at this.

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ABC ( Oz ) New Inventors 25th October find Petrol Sawsall I had to use Flash to play it.

Quite impressive

Reply to
Alan

After a year stored in a seatainer and another 6 months stored on my back verandah while waiting for the new shed to be constructed, I finally managed to do some turning.

What did I make ?

First, 2 axles on the metal lathe as the old lawnmower wheels used to move the wood lathe had disintegrated while standing in the seatainer and the replacement wheels had a different axle size.

Once the wheels were in position I could move it onto working position, then remove wheels and start turning after sharpening gouge,skew & parting tool.

My tractor with FEL will not fit into shed. It was not happy moving

700 kg of metal lathe to the doorway, moved to position on rollers.

Then the Woodfast Cobra got power, 1800 rpm and I roughed out a well seasoned piece of Jarrah, hit it with the skew ( Sorby Oval ) and made

2 file handles

I will not use files without handles as I have seen a couple of spiked palms from the tang, messy.

I have 7 Sheoak bowl blanks left, having had to dispose of about 2 tonnes of turning blanks which would not fit in the seatainer and a fair amount of Jarrah for spindles, pepper mills etc.

Next thing is to get proper power into the shed instead of 2 x

15A/240V extension leads.

Life is getting better and summer is coming.

Alan

Reply to
Alan

Hello Alan,

I have an Arbortech Allsaw... :-) It's a great tool with many different uses. I have the electric version, but other than that, it's identical to the petrol version. Sweet!!!

Reply to
Steve Russell

Hello Alan,

Glad to hear you're back up and running. When I go on vacation to Hawaii for two weeks, I come back feeling great! (but also like I need a turning fix...) We're just going into winter here in Houston. It's been really hot of late, so I'm looking forward to cooler temps. Take care and all the best to you and yours!

Reply to
Steve Russell

Reply to
robo hippy

Hey Alan, glad you can feed your turning addiction again!

I'm guess that from your wood selection, metric weights and "shed", that you're in Australia?

mac

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Reply to
mac davis

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