When Should Chainsaw Chaps Be Replaced?

If you are a serious firewood enthusiast, you know how important is chainsaw safety. One of the most important parts of the whole deal is undoubtedly the chaps.

Considering it is such a crucial piece of protection, they can’t last forever, right?

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You should consider getting a new pair when your’s has a lot of holes and cuts, or you’ve actually cut into it with the chainsaw.

This is kind of a common sense than anything, but it’s not uncommon for people to continue using chainsaw chaps once they’ve been cut into. Do not do that; if a saw ends up hitting at that exact place later, they won’t work.

But again, that is not the only time when you have to get rid of them. Small cuts and things of that nature can happen without any interference with the chainsaw – you climbing around the log pile, cutting the logs up may be enough to hook onto a branch and slash holes in the chaps.

Eventually those spots become entrances for any debris you may stumble into, such as the bar oil, sawdust, dirt. They ruin the internal layers, hence preventing the chaps from working properly when needed.

Can you repair them?

Well, to some extent you can. If you spot a cut early, you can actually patch it, but it must be done properly.

You can’t just take a needle and sew right into the material. Doing so will bind the fabrics, rendering the actual chainsaw stopping ability useless. You can only repair the nylon layer, nothing deeper.

This page from the United States of Agriculture Forest Service goes more in depth about the method.

In conclusion

I know that it can be hard to replace something which doesn’t seem that broken, but chaps are one of those safety things that should be replaced eventually, especially so if you cut wood all the time.