Chopping wood

[JeremyinCzechRep]

I buy logs from a neighbour who owns an area of woodland. I chainsaw them into 40cm sections and then split them with an axe. While chainsawing I wear heavy boots, thick jeans, three laters on top, special chainsaw gloves, earpads and a helmet vith a visor. When splitting the logs, I wear shatterproof glasses and shin pads as I'm concerned that sometimes the axe cuts through the log and could end up embedded in my shin. I should that I do wear other clothes - not just glasses and shin pads.
What do you wear when you're sawing/chopping?

[Nick69]

Chainsaw I wear all the gear, chopping I wear safety specs.

[JeremyinCzechRep]

Could you be more specific about 'all the gear'?

[red]

What do you wear when you're sawing/chopping?

jeans, warm jumper

but we dont use chainsaws....bowsaw and ax.. do worry about the shins but so far so good...

[John Headstrong]

when chopping / spliting wood I always wear my steel topcap boots and normally my old leather jacket unless it is really hot (but I live in scotland, that don't happen often)


when using a chainsaw I use the whole kit, "Safety Boots, Type C Leggings (all round protection), Helmet & Gloves." is the minimum for certification and really, it makes sense to wear that stuff. I have a good friend that is a tree surgeon in London, for a while he had his old work trousers hanging up on his living room wall, there is a 4 inch gash between "knee and nuts" where a chainsaw slipped one day when it was wet and slippy.

[JulieSherris]

I bought myself a Smart Holder & a Smart Splitter last year when we moved here.....

I use a bow saw when using the holder & sawing the wood into it's lengths.... no safety gear, just my work gloves & then again when I use the splitter..... best bit of kit I have ever bought - just right for me to use & fill the woodpile

I bought hubby a chainsaw but decided that it was quite heavy, so I just stick with the bow saw

[gdb]

Anti saw boots. (Ribbed down the front to bounce the blade off also steel toe-caps). Chain gloves. (Chain mesh woven into the material I think). Same for trousers - these are made for the Swedish timber industry and have a weave in them. Helmet with visor. But just ordinary earplugs. (I cant stand ear protectors like an old fashioned set of headphones. I cant stand them).

When chopping - no protection. Maybe ordinary gloves. But I do often use a kind of bolt-action log splitter rather than an axe.

[matt_w]

I wear 'type a' trousers, climbing chainsaw boots, gloves, helmet (with integrated ear defenders. I use a big stihl that deserves a lot of respect so I don't tend to chance it. I have my UK chainsaw and tree felling tickets and I'd say for any regular user it is well worth doing (but expensive). I would never wear jeans whilst using a chainsaw personally, but that is your choice. According to the UK rules, you don't have to wear anything on your top half bar helmet and ear defenders. I have a chainsaw jacket as well, but after day 1 down the woods I learnt to leave it in the car (too hot to wear)

I've never had chance to cut through a leg or jeans, but I have cut through strops that are of equal or better cut resistance, let's say, hot knife and butter really does not illustrate how fast a (slowing) chain can cut thorugh these things.

When splitting I wear whatever I've got on which tends to be sturdy boots, jeans, t-shirt etc. I use quite a large elephants foot (big tree slice) to split on and a long handled axe, so it's not going anywhere near my feet.

[Bonniegirl]

Our old neighbour wears his trousers and a pair of boots! He's generally bare chested and has a pipe in his gob! He has MS and has a tendency to fall off the tree occasionally with chainsaw in hand! He bounces well!
Not exactly health and safety conscious! He's what they call here a tough Kiwi bloke! He scares the sh*t outta me!!

[frozenthunderbolt]

Been there cut that.

I wear earmuffs allways, and sometimes goggles.

I agree jeans offer no protection, the synthetic boxer shorts i was wearing however choked our chainie within 4mm of the saw entering my upper thigh.

lesson learnt - wear boxers!

But seriously, now any cutting i do up a tree or in an unsteady place i do wear chaps.

Splitting is a no brainer if you are any kind of smart and co-ordinated. steel toe shoes and thats about it.

[liskeardjane]

I chopped wood as a child! lovely cheese wedge shaped log splitter and then a sledge hammer and splitter!!!! and we did this in the summer so i would have worn wellies, shorts and tee shirt! I still get logs off the ex - kind of alimony! and he uses a hydraulic log splitter on the back of his fordson major!!!

[Green Aura]

Our logs come ready sliced!

And we have a Smart Splitter - I love it - it means I can go and chop logs without OH. You wouldn't catch me wielding an axe. Although before getting the above-mentioned beastie I was seen on occasion tapping bits of wood with a hatchet to make kindling, in a rather girly fashion

[Millymollymandy]

I've never chopped or split a log in my life - I have a husband.

And he has an electric hydraulic log splitter for the ones that come too big from the already split ones that are delivered. Bloody brilliant tool worth its weight in gold! Though the logs from the trees that were felled recently will have to be split but they are already sliced into 50cm lengths by the bloke who did the work.

I hate chainsaws and sh*t myself whenever I see my husband using one, which he only does very very carefully and both feet firmly on the ground. However I have no problems watching mad French people up ladders and trees with no protection wildly waving chainsaws about. They aren't related to me.

[indy]

At the risk of sounding daft.....which is emmenently usual what is a smart splitter?

[liskeardjane]

I actually miss splitting logs and used to love swinging an axe around - now I have to run and go rowing to keep my weight in check! I might get a wood burner just so I can get chopping again - Jane - the amazon! - in Liskeard!