Chain saws

Got my pacemaker October 2013 and so far I have not had any problems with my electric power tools. I use a chainsaw and I also do some welding with my wire welder. Have not used either one of them and I wanted to ask if anyone has used a welder with wire feed or a chainsaw since having the pace maker implanted. I have been warned about using either of those tools. I can do without the wire feed welder and use my gas welder instead but I heat my house with wood and I usually harvest wood myself so using a chainsaw is a hard one to give up. Anyone using a chainsaw or wire feed welders? Let me know if you have any experience with those. Thanks, Electro

6 Comments

No Problems

by Theknotguy - 2014-03-25 02:03:52

Most of those warnings are CYA by the manufacturer. I sit next to an 88 year old guy in church. He runs his chain saw all the time. No problem. Complains he can't pick up 1/2 of a tree like he used to.

Wire welders shouldn't be a problem either. Generator is way over on the cart and you're welding over here. Just keep the arc more than 6 inches from the PM and make sure everything is well grounded 1st. Besides, if you get the arc closer than 6 inches to the PM you're not that good of a welder anyway.

I was leaning over two different car engines. Closest I got my PM to the alternator while it was running was two feet. No problems. Didn't collapse and have the fan blade make stripes on my hide.

Theknotguy

it's fine

by Tracey_E - 2014-03-25 11:03:26

Chain saws are ok to use. I don't know much about welders, only that we can't Arc weld, is that the same as wire feeder? If you do a search for "welding", this comes up all the time and there are lots of previous posts discussing it.

chain saw

by manaman - 2014-03-26 01:03:28

Just cut of a large oak tree with no issues at all (just a lot slower than I used to be)
Cecil

Not a chain saw, but. . .

by SteveE - 2014-03-26 09:03:55

I haven't used a chain saw, but I had a goofy situation when running a random-orbital buffer that could also happen with a chain saw.

I was buffing some wall paneling after polishing it. After I did about 20 linear feet of buffing, I noticed my heart racing. I felt really lousy and had to lay down on the floor to get my head clear again. I went back to buffing, and the same thing happened. Then I realized that I was holding the buffer in my left hand. I switched to my right and the heart race issue went away.

I concluded, with much laughter at myself, that the vibration of the buffer was traveling up my left arm and was shaking my left chest area at a fast rate. This was driving my pacer's rate response function crazy. The pacer thought I was running a marathon!

So, be aware of tools that rattle your chest if you have rate response turned on. A lot of shaking can cause your heart to race when otherwise nothing is wrong.

was told by a doctor this morning....

by ChrisW12208 - 2014-06-28 06:06:47

that chainsaws have ungrounded alternators that can have stray currents. While holding a chainsaw you have both hands on it therefore stray currents will go right through your chest. Not good.

welding and playing with chainsaw is ok

by sacsgokartman - 2014-10-09 07:10:39

hello check it out if we all listened to our dr`s we would not have these things in our chest .so why now are you so worried about what he or she said ,live life i weld all the time and yes i use a chain saw aswell and nothing went wrong my heart only pumps 15% i have a icd plus they say i have sudden death syndrome my dr told me my job was to much stress i said for who ?i love my job . anyway live life as you once did befor the implants trust me you`ll be much happier in your life .

You know you're wired when...

Your device acts like a police scanner.

Member Quotes

I am 100% pacemaker dependant and have been all my life. I try not to think about how a little metal box keeps me alive - it would drive me crazy. So I lead a very active life.