The Basics
Chainsaw Maintenance
This is a topic that can make the difference between a smooth day or heading into town for parts. This is admittedly an area that I need more practice in. This is why I will lean on the pros to explain it thoroughly. Though I think you can boil it down to this: take care of your tools and they will take care of you.
The videos in this section give a comprehensive overview of every step of chainsaw maintenance. Researching this section has answered some questions of mine including how sharp your chain should be and how often to sharpen your chain. From an article from Power Pro Equipment :
Chainsaw experts (like professional woodsmen etc…) suggest that you should sharpen your chain when you have to apply pressure as you’re cutting. A good, sharp chainsaw should really work like the old “hot knife through butter”–you’re just there to guide it without forcing the cut.
Every saw has its own little quirks that can take time to learn. If you have an oil/gas-powered saw it can be helpful to learn how these motors work. It took me some time doing it the hard way before I researched how these engines work differently from four-stroke engines and how to diagnose problems.
Operating A Chainsaw
This is a debated topic in the world of chainsaw enthusiasts. Per Stihl and Husqvarna the two approved methods of starting a 2-stroke chainsaw are depicted by the man in Halloween colors. The two approved methods of starting the saw are on the ground, or between your knees. I will give the standing method a go this spring as I usually do the ground method.
When I started YouTube training myself to run a saw and fell trees I started the saw completely wrong for months. Because of the videos I watched. I thought when you were starting the saw you are supposed to have your finger on the throttle! I’ve been told recently that this is a method to clear a flooded saws cylinder. However, in my case, I just wore out my whole arm trying to pull my shoulder out of the socket. If you have to yank on the cord more than 10 times something is probably wrong!
To help you get it right the first time I’ve included Stihl and Husqvarna instructions on how to run a chainsaw. The included short and long-form videos are walkthroughs of running the saw.
Keep It Simple
Perfecting a simple felling cut like the Open Face (the safest method)or Conventional face cuts, while avoiding making a Dutchman, is challenging. This is why I suggest starting small with the Sawzall, as I did. When you make the transition to a chainsaw you definitely need to think about the difference in the chainsaw bar and chain width verse the Sawzall kerf. Kerf is a woodworking term for the width of a saw blade.
Personally, I forgot to factor this in when I made the transition to felling with my chainsaw. When your blood pressure is up and you’re preparing to fall a tree it’s easy to forget the details. This is why the most essential part of felling is planning and visualizing the whole process before starting the saw. Visualize the whole sequence of events from any hazards, how the cuts will go, and what your escape routes are.
In this section, I’ve linked as many resources as possible to give you as many views and perspectives on how to drop trees safely. This is also where I remind you of my disclaimer, and that this blog is an educational resource and not an instructional manual.
My Third Largest Tree To Date
