I use a breakaway myself, but I make a conscious effort to not let my saw get hung up in a saw snatching cut. To me that is more important than relying on a breakaway lanyard. Its been so long since its happened I dont remember the last time. Knock on wood. But since I shared that, it'll happen tomorrow. Murphy's Law!
To Break Away or Not to Break Away
- Thread starter Jamin_Mayer
- Start date
- Location
- under grace
I would echo the sentiment of it not happening all that often.I am actually kind of agnostic about the whole thing. Bungee lanyard is what I currently have with no breakaway caritool Biner though.
- Location
- Bay Area CA.
Gotta get a polesaw blade tomorrow, I'll take a look at lanyards too...
After rereading my post I believe I may have come across a bit hardnosed. That was not my intent. I fully appreciate the need to use safety products for those moments when things go beyond our control.
What bothers me is that I see the use of safety equipment at the expense of proper technique. Chainsaw chaps duct taped to keep the gashed edges from fraying, chainsaw-proof boots with chainsaw nicks all over them, ground workers entering work zones unannounced feeling protected because they have a hard hat on. The list could go on.
Our safety equipment cannot protect us in all instances and should be used for its designed purpose, to protect or reduce injury from the unusual circumstances NOT the things that should be routine in our day-to-day work lives.
Dave
What bothers me is that I see the use of safety equipment at the expense of proper technique. Chainsaw chaps duct taped to keep the gashed edges from fraying, chainsaw-proof boots with chainsaw nicks all over them, ground workers entering work zones unannounced feeling protected because they have a hard hat on. The list could go on.
Our safety equipment cannot protect us in all instances and should be used for its designed purpose, to protect or reduce injury from the unusual circumstances NOT the things that should be routine in our day-to-day work lives.
Dave
Norm_Hall
New member
- Location
- Wauconda, (Chicago),IL,USA
Using a break-a-way lanyard is there for your protection. You can replace an 880 Stihl, but how can you replace your time spent in a hospital room.
I had a 24" saw get caught in the kerf of a large log in the early 1970's just as it was going over. I was able to keep grip on it to keep it from crashing to the ground, but it bent the bar and chain beyond repair. I had it attached to a chain saw lanyard I made out of 1/4" 3 strand which has an ABS of 1,800 pounds. If the chain were more in the kerf and I lost grasp and the saw fell with the log, it would have definitely done some bodily damage. After that, I detached the lanyard before making a cut. Now that break-a-way lanyards are manufactured for arborist use, we have a company policy that states they shall be used for "all tools aloft", except hand saws.
Chain saws are attached to the harness while climbing, not suspended from the lanyard, but the lanyard is still attached to both the saw and harness to protect the ground personnel.
Take some classes on cutting safely aloft or learn how to finish making cuts aloft using a hand saw, with the chain saw stowed. There are chain saw cutting techniques that prevent the kerf from grabbing the saw chain.
The life you save may be your own.
I had a 24" saw get caught in the kerf of a large log in the early 1970's just as it was going over. I was able to keep grip on it to keep it from crashing to the ground, but it bent the bar and chain beyond repair. I had it attached to a chain saw lanyard I made out of 1/4" 3 strand which has an ABS of 1,800 pounds. If the chain were more in the kerf and I lost grasp and the saw fell with the log, it would have definitely done some bodily damage. After that, I detached the lanyard before making a cut. Now that break-a-way lanyards are manufactured for arborist use, we have a company policy that states they shall be used for "all tools aloft", except hand saws.
Chain saws are attached to the harness while climbing, not suspended from the lanyard, but the lanyard is still attached to both the saw and harness to protect the ground personnel.
Take some classes on cutting safely aloft or learn how to finish making cuts aloft using a hand saw, with the chain saw stowed. There are chain saw cutting techniques that prevent the kerf from grabbing the saw chain.
The life you save may be your own.
- Location
- Home of the New Jersey Devils
Break away! All the time for me. Even with the 880. I just don't use it at all. It is there for emergency use only. I keep the saw clipped to my harness via large caritool.
treebing
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Detroit, Mi.
It seems that recently because of the convenience of one less dangling thing to get snagged on I have started to prefer the short lanyard and detaching myself from the saw completely. This said, There have been a few awkward situations of misjudgement when I wished I could just drop the saw on to my lanyard and quickly use two hands rather than reclip it. but no dropped saw yet!
- Location
- South Carolina
I would use the break-away if I had one. I unclip (against ANSI standards) shhhh
- Location
- 3b
Last 7yrs, saw has been high on my left hip, attached by a biner to a another large biner thats flip gate. easy to on and off. I personaly hate to have it attached when cutting. Having tried most methods over the years this one has workd best for me.
- Location
- Medina, Ohio
I think the caritool should be used for spare gear and thats it. I dont wanna trust my saw to a peice of gear with a 33 pound max load.
I had one that I used to hold my gloves and a few extra biners that broke when I was trying to squeeze through a tight crotch.
4' dog leash GH'd to ring on saw, clip to small harness ring. Bent gate paddle for hip stowage
I had one that I used to hold my gloves and a few extra biners that broke when I was trying to squeeze through a tight crotch.
4' dog leash GH'd to ring on saw, clip to small harness ring. Bent gate paddle for hip stowage
- Location
- Home of the New Jersey Devils
[ QUOTE ]
It seems that recently because of the convenience of one less dangling thing to get snagged on I have started to prefer the short lanyard and detaching myself from the saw completely
[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I don't let it dangle either. I have it attached with locking krabs on both ends, then clip it tight on my hip to a large caritool when not running it.
It seems that recently because of the convenience of one less dangling thing to get snagged on I have started to prefer the short lanyard and detaching myself from the saw completely
[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I don't let it dangle either. I have it attached with locking krabs on both ends, then clip it tight on my hip to a large caritool when not running it.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
[ QUOTE ]
I use the small carritool for attaching my saw lanyard to the saddle. It serves as the breakaway device incase the saw gets hung up in a falling spar or log.
Had a sugar maple from which I was dropping an 8inch horizontal stem. As it went over the saw got caught in the back cut and went with the limb.
I just felt a little tug as the carritool failed and the saw went down. If the log hadn't bounced then landed ont the saw everything would have been ok.
[/ QUOTE ]
Ouch! Poor little saw, did it hurt anything besides the bar?
You were there the only time my saw ever got away from me... big mimosa at the arboretum... I was wearing your funky spikes. I digress...
I use the little webbing thing with a ring lately. I guess if the saw hung in the back cut it would just go with the piece. I was using Tenex with some bungee cord sewn in it but the Tenex gets picked too easily. Not sure what I'm going try next, the little ring thing works fine so far.
Gerry,
THANK YOU for clarifying that. I've been trying to figure out what was going on with the saw cutting into the work. It makes perfect sense. It's easy to go too far when you're burning through a backcut.
I use the small carritool for attaching my saw lanyard to the saddle. It serves as the breakaway device incase the saw gets hung up in a falling spar or log.
Had a sugar maple from which I was dropping an 8inch horizontal stem. As it went over the saw got caught in the back cut and went with the limb.
I just felt a little tug as the carritool failed and the saw went down. If the log hadn't bounced then landed ont the saw everything would have been ok.
[/ QUOTE ]
Ouch! Poor little saw, did it hurt anything besides the bar?
You were there the only time my saw ever got away from me... big mimosa at the arboretum... I was wearing your funky spikes. I digress...
I use the little webbing thing with a ring lately. I guess if the saw hung in the back cut it would just go with the piece. I was using Tenex with some bungee cord sewn in it but the Tenex gets picked too easily. Not sure what I'm going try next, the little ring thing works fine so far.
Gerry,
THANK YOU for clarifying that. I've been trying to figure out what was going on with the saw cutting into the work. It makes perfect sense. It's easy to go too far when you're burning through a backcut.
- Location
- Missouri, USA
for most pruning work (192 & 200):
longest nylon webbing lanyard.
coiled to short mode (not attached) most of the time.
spill it out if needing two hands to manage material after cut.
large caritool.
ms361 and larger:
handle fits into large caritool.
two hands like a champ w/ proper cuts.
if over 18in diameter, make most of your cut then use long straight hand saw to finish.
im a control freak and like the independence. so i trust my hands and strength with
pruning saws.
bungee makes perfect since handling larger saws against big wood.
in those cases your usually on spikes in removal mode
not flying through the tree for the snag factor.
snag factor....
longest nylon webbing lanyard.
coiled to short mode (not attached) most of the time.
spill it out if needing two hands to manage material after cut.
large caritool.
ms361 and larger:
handle fits into large caritool.
two hands like a champ w/ proper cuts.
if over 18in diameter, make most of your cut then use long straight hand saw to finish.
im a control freak and like the independence. so i trust my hands and strength with
pruning saws.
bungee makes perfect since handling larger saws against big wood.
in those cases your usually on spikes in removal mode
not flying through the tree for the snag factor.
snag factor....
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