Leg protection for electric (battery) chainsaw

[drboom]

I've recently added the milwaukee M18 chainsaw and am ensuring I have the correct PPE in preparation for fall. Leg protection (chaps) is obviously critical with a chainsaw but, I'm having trouble finding anything that is rated for an electrically driven chainsaw.

All of the chaps I've found are meant to bind up the blade but, it is my understanding, that this doesn't work with electrically driven chainsaws as they don't have the pulses of a gas cycle engine. I've contacted Milwaukee and they've been no help at all.

What to GJ'ers recommend for leg protection with an electric chainsaw?

Thanks, Jon

 

[LawnBoy-5247]

I don't know of any chaps rated for Electric saws, Stihl provides the following warning with their chainsaw chaps. Warning for electric chainsaw users! the fibers will not stop the sprocket on most battery and electric chainsaws due to their constant high torque

I would guess that manufacturers are relying on the coast down brake most electric chainsaws have in combination with an actual chain brake to suffice instead of a chain brake and chainsaw chaps used with a gas chainsaw.

 

[Treeman]

There are several YouTube videos showing that chaps "seem" to work with battery powered chainsaws. They imply that corded electric saws are different.

 

[CR888]

Kevlar fibers in chainsaw chaps/pants work by being drawn out and into the drive sprocket to bind it up. It essentially jams up the chain bringing it to a dead stop. The are not effective with electric saws due to the difficult ability to stall the torque of an electric motor. I've yet to see chaps rated for electric saws but I'd still wear them if using one. I did a test one day with some old chaps pinning the throttle on an electric corded saw & dumping it into chaps, it stopped the chain after the bar nose sprocket got bound up. Petrol saws stop faster with the drive sprocket binding near instantly. Modern saws have high chain speed so damage is done fast, wearing chaps/pants with kevlar is a good idea no matter electric or gas.

 

[WWheeler]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YHYR1LG/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Milton Shaw]

The way the title reads could bring up some interesting ideas. One,, I didn't know chain saws had legs, and why do they need protection.. Two, I have seen where chain saws got legs and are missing from truck/garage/etc. I didn't know chaps would not work. But either way they would give a lot more protection than Levi's or even shorts that I have seen some idiots using.

 

[drboom]

FWIW, the manual explicitly calls out the need for leg chaps made of cut resistant material. I'm a bit frustrated that Milwaukee is selling a product that they note requires gear that doesn't exist. Thanks for any useful pointers.

Cheeky suggestions like the chain mail by WWheeler welcome as well.

 

[kctyphoon]

I can honestly say - I’ve never worn a pair of chaps in my life.. i mean, you do what you think is best, but i think its overkill. Safety 3rd..

 

[Packard V8]

I can honestly say - I’ve never worn a pair of chaps in my life.. i mean, you do what you think is best, but i think its overkill. Safety 3rd..

X2 - your ***, your money, your decision, but I've never found a need for chaps in fifty years of normal homeowner chainsaw use.

Yes, chaps in eight-hour days swinging mondo commercial Stihl saws, on hillsides, brush, felling lots of trees; but with a battery-powered saw, not so much.

jack vines

 

[Todd.Brock]

While Chaps may seem like over kill to some, it still seems like Kevlar chaps would at least give a layer of protection to some degree vs wearing shorts and or jeans. It could be that extra 1/2
second to react and push the saw away or whatever.

That said- be careful and set up your cut, keep your work area clean if branches and stuff that could cause you to slip, keep your chain sharp, etc. etc. and you will probably do just fine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sierradmax]

looks like an electric saw vs. chaps to me... I thought it's meant to seize the drum/clutch...

 

[kctyphoon]

I’m honestly surprised this society hasn’t gotten to the point yet where people are told to wear helmets when driving their cars.

 

[American Locomotive]

drboom,

Unlike traditional electric saws that will keep applying torque even if the motor gets jammed, I suspect the M18 saw will cut motor power if the load gets too high (like most modern cordless tools). I don't know of any real way to test this besides sacrificing a pair of chaps and seeing if it binds up the saw (like in this video:

)

I’m honestly surprised this society hasn’t gotten to the point yet where people are told to wear helmets when driving their cars.

I'm honestly surprised that people still harass other people who try to do things safely and correctly.

Chainsaws are dangerous tools. You went on and on in other threads about how this M18 saw is as powerful and as useful as "real" gas saws. Well, real gas saws, getting used for real work, can cause real serious injuries.

 

[Packard V8]

I'm honestly surprised that people still harass other people who try to do things safely and correctly. Chainsaws are dangerous tools.

Well then, don't forget to wear steel toed boots with metatarsal protectors.

jack vines

 

[American Locomotive]

Well then, don't forget to wear steel toed boots with metatarsal protectors.


jack vines

I also fully suit up when I ride my motorcycle - full face helmet, kevlar gloves, armored jacket w/back brace, armored pants, and boots. Even when I'm just taking it for a quick spin down a low-traffic back road to the gas station in town I fully suit up.


There is never, ever, anything wrong with looking out for your safety. There are 36,000 chainsaw accidents every year in this country. Why harass someone if they're trying to reduce their risk of becoming a statistic?

 

[Packard V8]

I also fully suit up when I ride my motorcycle - full face helmet, kevlar gloves, armored jacket w/back brace, armored pants, and boots. . . . There is never, ever, anything wrong with looking out for your safety.

For true, but we all look at risk differently. When one is at home operating a chain saw, he is somewhat in control of the process and is unlikely to be acted upon by outside forces.

On a motorcycle on the highway, there are constant variables beyond one's control. It took two not-my-fault collisions ("I just didn't see you coming!") so I sold my motorcycles many years ago when I realized how inherently unsafe it was to be on the road with cars and trucks. No matter how much armor one wears, it might not be enough when a car or truck hits a motorcycle at speed.

According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Despite providing less than 1% of miles driven, motorcycles made up 15% of traffic deaths; 72.34 per 100,000 registered motorcycles ended up in fatal crashes. Motorcycles also have a high fatality rate per unit of distance traveled. Per vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclists' risk of a fatal crash is 35 times greater than a passenger car. The UK Department for Transport indicated that motorcycles have 16 times the rate of serious injuries compared to cars.

A national study by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATS) found that:
Motorcycle rider death rates increased among all rider age groups
Motorcycle rider deaths were nearly 30 times more than drivers of other vehicles
Motorcycle riders aged below 40 are 36 times more likely to be killed than other vehicle operators of the same age.
Motorcycle riders aged 40 years and over are 20 times more likely to be killed than other drivers of that same age.

Your opinions and results may vary. It is to be hoped when you ride your motorcycle the armor won't be needed. I wasn't so fortunate.

jack vines

 

[American Locomotive]

Things go wrong with chainsaws all the time - hence the 36,000 chainsaw accidents every year. The average chainsaw accident requires 110 stitches. I'm sure for every serious chainsaw accident, there were dozens of close calls as well.

The M18 saw is not a little garden pruning saw. It's a serious, powerful saw, meant to do serious work. It's going to be used in situations that a gas saw might, so it makes sense to use the same safety precautions you would for a gas saw.

There is not a single person on this planet who's tougher than a chainsaw. There is absolutely nothing wrong at all with wanting to use chaps to prevent yourself from becoming a statistic. You wear the chaps in hopes that they won't be needed either, but you will be glad if they are.

 

[Y00PER]

I can honestly say - I’ve never worn a pair of chaps in my life.. i mean, you do what you think is best, but i think its overkill. Safety 3rd..

I have only worn them when the sawmill i used to work for mandated them (probably an OSHA requirement). Typically i am dressed in the complete opposite end of the spectrum that a chain saw manufacturer would want modeling in their brochures.

 

[bwringer]

I gotta be honest, I never dreamed that chaps would be less effective with electric chainsaws.

Ya learn something new every day.

Still, if you manage to somehow hit your leg with a chainsaw without letting go of the switch, you're bound to be somewhat better off with the chaps than without.

 

[WWheeler]

looks like an electric saw vs. chaps to me... I thought it's meant to seize the drum/clutch...

From that vid it looks like chaps perform their function just fine with a cordless saw. I never would have guessed it could be an issue.

Also agree on wearing chaps, or better yet chainsaw pants.

I would say the same for the motorcycle gear, except in my state even just wearing a helmet you will get a lot of flak for it from other riders. Pretty sure it's been years since I've seen anyone wearing so much as a helmet. It's a lot more common around here to see guys wearing a tank top, shorts, and flip flops. I couldn't imagine doing that myself not even for a trip to the end of my block and back but it seems to be standard biker gear these days. Even seen some barefoot.

 

[bob15]

I’m honestly surprised this society hasn’t gotten to the point yet where people are told to wear helmets when driving their cars.

Do you wear a seat belt in a car/truck?

When you're on the job, do you: wear a helmet when climbing a pole? Use a safety harness? Wear a hard hat? Any insulated tools?

Why not wear a simple item that could save a life or a limb or at least serious injury? When using a chainsaw, eye and ear protection also not important?

Or would you rather have this happen to you:

 

[bczygan]

I've used my plug in saw quite a bit.

One time, clearing a yard full of limbs I got so tired, sweat dripping in my eyes, that I was stumbling over limbs.

Realized it was time to take a break.

Using it with a really dull chain was also not good.

The saw doesn't know it isn't a professional one, or that you are a homeowner and not a lumberjack.

That said, I've never been proactive with safety equipment. Maybe now is a good time to start ingraining new habits.

Bill

 

[American Locomotive]

That said, I've never been proactive with safety equipment. Maybe now is a good time to start ingraining new habits.

Bill

IMO, safety gear becomes less and less of a "hassle" to put it on the more you use it. Eventually it becomes second nature, and you don't even think about it anymore. It will eventually feel wrong to do whatever task without that safety gear.

Like seat belts in a car. I don't even actively think about putting my belt on - it's an automatic action. I feel "wrong" if I don't have a belt on in a vehicle. Same thing with my motorcycle gear when riding, hearing protection while mowing the lawn, safety glasses while grinding, etc...

 

[acer66]

IMO, safety gear becomes less and less of a "hassle" to put it on the more you use it. Eventually it becomes second nature, and you don't even think about it anymore. It will eventually feel wrong to do whatever task without that safety gear.

Like seat belts in a car. I don't even actively think about putting my belt on - it's an automatic action. I feel "wrong" if I don't have a belt on in a vehicle. Same thing with my motorcycle gear when riding, hearing protection while mowing the lawn, safety glasses while grinding, etc...

Very good point, I finally in my older days got used to wear, hearing, dust etc protection on my job
and I wish I had started earlier but oh well you live and learn.

 

[cjarvis]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YHYR1LG/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I like the way you think, but the mail needs to be riveted for best protection. Plate armor over the top would be even better...

 

[Steve_P]

This is an old thread but I'm shocked that people are dismissing proper PPE when using a chainsaw!!! Table saw and chainsaw send more people to the ER than any other tools.
A guy I used to work with, experienced chainsaw operator, had a chainsaw kick back on him in the 1980s (before the anti-kickback features were standard) and the chain hit, and destroyed, the inside of his LH leg. He was at a remote location and about bled to death by the time he got to the ER. He has a hellacious scar, brutal, that runs from ~6" below his crotch to his calf.
Regardless of whether the chaps are rated for battery saws, they've gotta be better than Levis.

 

[yatg]

Banned spammer

And if you read further in the comments.

"There is a warning about using electric chain saws with this product as not meeting the minimum protection for safety, however, I brought a battery powered chainsaw and the few YouTube videos I saw testing a battery chain saw cutting into chaps show that they are just as effective at stopping the chain saw as a gas powered chain saw. A corded electric chainsaw not so much."

Still, better than nothing. Maybe I'll get a pair .. in stylish orange and black.

 

[sparky 1971]

The closest I come is double front logger pants. Usually, when I am running a chainsaw, it's tree trimming time in the spring and summer. Way too hot for that, so carpenters shorts are my leg PPE of choice, along with tinted safety glasses and maxiflex gloves, of course. My electric chain saw is a pole saw, so it's quite a ways away from me though. The three gas saws are what I am more worried about, but not enough to put on all those clothes.

 

[rlitman]

...Regardless of whether the chaps are rated for battery saws, they've gotta be better than Levis.

Not really. If they don't stop the saw, they aren't better, and give you a false sense of security.
That being said, brand name battery saws will all have current limitation which acts as an analog for torque limitation, and as stated above, the kevlar strands will likely stall them.