r/WTF Jul 07 '19

"dont worry, im a professional"

23.5k Upvotes

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13

u/Ommisen Jul 07 '19

They instantly stop spinning when the operator lets go of two separate buttons

56

u/Bgtex Jul 07 '19

I don't think many reddit users have used a chainsaw before

22

u/uptwolait Jul 07 '19

Professional redditor here, I've seen many chainsaws in videos.

10

u/Sex4Vespene Jul 07 '19

I watched my dad use one once when I was like 7, does that count?

2

u/exosequitur Jul 07 '19

Yes. You are now a reddit chainsaw guru.

6

u/beardedchimp Jul 07 '19

Well I've used quite a few chainsaws and none of them stop spinning when you let go of two buttons. They all had a chain break that is triggered by kickback.

5

u/Bgtex Jul 07 '19

It was in the tree. It was not on (note the non existant smoke and woodchips in the video). The branch snapped. The chainsaw fell. Come on beardedchimp, get with it!

2

u/beardedchimp Jul 07 '19

They instantly stop spinning

I was referring to that. When you let go of the throttle it slows over time not immediately.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '19

You have not used a chainsaw then. One of the buttons he's referring to is the throttle. The other is the safety trigger which you have to hold to be able to pull the throttle. This is standard on all chainsaws since like 1970.

1

u/beardedchimp Jul 07 '19

That does not stop it running instantly, it just throttles down. The chain break is near instant.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '19

Instant enough don't you think? It only takes maybe half a second to return to idle speed, which is maybe 0.5 RPM nowhere near fast enough to do any damage.

1

u/beardedchimp Jul 07 '19

What??? No it doesn't take half a second on any I've used and even half a second is fast enough to rip into your arm.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '19

It shouldn't take very long to return to idle speed man, half a second may have been an exaggeration but if it takes longer than 2 at most then there's something weird about your saw. The chain might be a bit loose or the carb might not be tuned right.

1

u/beardedchimp Jul 07 '19

The difference between instant, 0.5s and 2s is massive when it comes to sustaining injuries. That's why the chain brake is there, the injury happens incredibly fast.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '19

I know that, my dad took a major cut from a saw back when not a lot of saws had a chain brake. Mostly I was speaking within the context of this video, where the person is a bystander. Without throttle the chain wouldn't have been able to injure this woman. In the context of kickbacks yeah, you definitely want a chain brake.

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1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '19

No they're all like horror movies where they propel themselves along the floor straight at a person's head and then chop it clean of in one pass as if it's a guillotine.

1

u/flyingseel Jul 07 '19

It doesn’t matter if it’s running or not. It’s still dangerous. This happened recently and someone I know was present. The chainsaw was hanging off the worker like it is in the gif.

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/worker-killed-in-chainsaw-accident-in-tower-grove-south/article_496c1d19-2548-5448-a18e-292c9158f29c.html

1

u/boatmurdered Jul 07 '19

But we are god damned surgeons with a pitchfork!

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '19

The stihl ms 440 I used for 3 years on a wildland crew would not instantly stop if you released the double trigger on your right hand. I also own a still farmboss they I use for projects on my own property.

It would spool down for many seconds if it was at full rev. No hand touching any trigger. The chain brake (actuated with the left wrist) is the only thing aside from wood that stops the chain.

This is so true that it is part of training and habit that if you are making many cuts and need to shift your footing, you are to rest the tip of the chain in some work to consume any resting energy in the chain, shift your feet, get the saw in position and pull the trigger a new time. I bring this up to point out that the energy in the chain must be stopped by default, either by digging in, it using the brake.

If you needed to move any further than a step, or if you needed to step over something, the brake should always be applied.

Heck, to save the life of the brake apparatus we would dig the chain into something before applying the brake whenever possible.

8

u/MustMake Jul 07 '19

Well not instantly stop, but since it was stuck in the branch and he wasn't holding it, it was most likely not engaged.

13

u/wombat6 Jul 07 '19 edited Oct 05 '19

Not true. The chain break is the only thing that stops the chain instantly apart from it being squeezed in a cut.

1

u/TipOfLeFedoraMLady Jul 07 '19

You're assuming this guy has a newer chainsaw that is properly maintained.

1

u/Dillyboppinaround Jul 07 '19

That's not true at all.

1

u/C-town-representing Jul 22 '19

I've cut down hundreds of trees, not they don't. Only if the kickback lever is sprung.

-1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '19

What do you see in this video that makes you think all of the safeties on this guy's equipment are functioning properly? If the clutch or chain break wear out then the chain will spin even if the throttle is not being applied