You always hear that it happens fast and it’s certainly true. I got bit today while cutting logs…bit on the hand by the chain. I cut logs on the forks of the tractor. This log was down to 4’ long so 2 more cuts needed to be made. I’ve done this literally thousands of times as I cut a few hundred cords a year. As I cut the 16” part that was over the edge of the right fork the log started to fall off the forks to that side as I wasn’t 100% through. As the log slid/started to fall, I took my left hand off the saw and tried to balance the log and keep if from falling. As I did that my saw which was in my right hand raised up as the weight of the log threw me slightly off balance. In a fraction of a second my left hand came in contact with the top of the chain which was still in motion but thankfully maybe only 5-10% of max rpm. I immediately threw the saw to the ground and clenched my left hand to my shirt. In seconds I saw blood. I then turned the saw off and gave my hand a look. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. I cleaned the wound and it mostly stopped bleeding. I went home and did some leaf blowing around the pool and driveway as we had some wind yesterday. My wife then convinced me to go to urgent care. Although the doctor said it wasn’t a necessity, a few stitches would have it heal up quicker so she ended up giving me 4. So yes, something bit me and it happened fast!
Dang it man! Glad it wasn’t worse than that!!! These machines are great at reacting to the dynamic conditions present.
Scary chit Joe. It sure does happen fast. Glad the damage is minimal as it could've been a lot worse. I'm sure many of us veteran saw users have done things we shouldn't and walked away unscathed. Lesson learned and take a few extra seconds in the future.
I liked the post to show I saw it. BUT I don't like what happened. Scary stuff especially after seeing my husband go through losing a finger to a woodsplitter many years ago.
Wow, so glad you didn’t lose a finger or worse. I want to thank you for sharing that with us here to just keep everyone on the careful lookout for how easily these things can happen. I love the cutting and gathering and l really like my saws but they can be so very dangerous. Gotta stay alert and be careful!
Producing firewood is no walk in the park and requires constant vigilance. Bad things happen in a blink of an eye. Feel comfortable that you will recover quickly and be ready to meet this Winter’s demand.
When I saw the title of the thread, I was hoping it wasn't a saw bite. Glad you only needed a few stitches. Not ideal, but beats many of the other potential scenarios. Heal fast and hoard on!
Wow, brother. I know how that was scary. Glad it wasn't any worse, that's bad enough. We cut off the forks sometimes also, had a few fall in the middle of the cut. Something to watch out for...
Didn’t do much of anything Sunday but today I had a landscaping job lined up with 3 helpers for 10 yards of mulch. Was moving carefully with the hand and all went well. After that went to see if I could run the saw and the answer was yes. Stitches are looking good and I’m on the mend.
So true...in 2000, my dad had a board kick back on a table saw, he lost index and middle finger, they pinned his thumb back on... It was an older saw, didn't have guards...
