Hey Boss,
Mostly due to Mennonite ancestors, I never learned how to run a chainsaw. I have fallen trees with an axe and used hand saws and wedges to cut and split firewood. Kinda slow, comparatively, but it gets me in the woods during fire restrictions.
Now I have a couple of job possibilities that require chainsaw skills. Please tell me everything you know about chainsaws. Thank you!
Dont buy a poulan.
Dont buy a low end husquvarna. It's a poulan.
See rule number one!
Chain saws are like firearms. You have to learn how to use them correctly. If I were you do lots of research and especially practice with the saw so you will get the feel of it and realize its operational hazards. Start off easy. Once you get the hang of it it??s pretty easy to use.
https://www.isa-arbor.com/myAccount/myEducation/resources/CEU-Oct10.pdf
Lots of research could help prevent something like this:
I'm being offered the loan of a Stihl with a twenty inch blade ... And some chaps.
half bubble, post: 450656, member: 175 wrote: I'm being offered the loan of a Stihl with a twenty inch blade ... And some chaps.
Good start. Best advice I can give is ...
1. Refrain from allowing the chain from coming in contact with any part of your anatomy while it is in motion. (duh)
2. Anticipate the forces of gravity upon the object being cut so as not to have the full weight of the tree bearing down on the bar as you attempt to cut thus binding the bar in such a manner as to require (a) another chainsaw to cut it free or (b) the use of a series of wedges to be driven into the cut in order to attempt to relieve the pressure sufficient that the bar can be extricated. Having wedges handy to hold the cut open can be a real help.
3. While cutting a large tree, have multiple escape routes cleared for a quick escape when it decides to fall in some unanticipated direction.
4. Always maintain sound footing. Slipping can be hazardous to your health. See No. 1.
If that's you in your picture, noway would I let you run a chainsaw. Clearing line is much more dangerous than falling trees. I'd hire an experienced Sawyer. They're faster, maintain their own saws and have learned what to be aware of.
My experience is guitar pickers don't make good Sawyer's. Besides chaps you need a hardhat with face protection.
Williwaw, post: 450660, member: 7066 wrote: Good start. Best advice I can give is ...
1. Refrain from allowing the chain from coming in contact with any part of your anatomy while it is in motion. (duh)
2. Anticipate the forces of gravity upon the object being cut so as not to have the full weight of the tree bearing down on the bar as you attempt to cut thus binding the bar in such a manner as to require (a) another chainsaw to cut it free or (b) the use of a series of wedges to be driven into the cut in order to attempt to relieve the pressure sufficient that the bar can be extricated. Having wedges handy to hold the cut open can be a real help.
3. While cutting a large tree, have multiple escape routes cleared for a quick escape when it decides to fall in some unanticipated direction.
4. Always maintain sound footing. Slipping can be hazardous to your health. See No. 1.
Great advice from Williwaw. A man using a chainsaw is like a lawyer questioning a witness. The lawyer only asks questions that he knows the answer to. Likewise, the sawyer should only take actions with a saw where he is very confident of the outcome. So no "hope the bar doesn't pinch" "hope the tree falls that way" "hope the chain has good tension" "I wonder if I can do this one-handed".
Giving written advice about chainsaw use is harder than I at first thought, because it just seems easier to show what is meant. Like on big logs, especially horizontal ones, making a cut on the bottom side first before cutting through fromt he top to help stop the pinch Williwaw mentioned. And the wedge cut on the side to make you feel better about the tree falling in a certain direction, that only works if the tree is balanced with roughly the same number of branches on all sides, otherwise, it will fall to the side with more branches, or leaves, or vines pulling it down, wedge cut or not. Always read the starting instructions on the saw, and follow the. Let the saw's engine warm up a bit before going to work, make sure you have oil in the reservoir for the bar, Keep the chain snug, make sure you have a chainsaw repair tool with you, and extra chains, and keep the chains sharpened between uses, make sure you install chains the correct direction, try to keep the chain from cutting dirt. Dont cut over your head if you can by any other means, best to not refuel a hot chainsaw, drink plenty of water, wear eye protection, Running two saws close to each other is a good way to have a tree accidentally land on someone.
half bubble, post: 450647, member: 175 wrote: Hey Boss,
Mostly due to Mennonite ancestors, I never learned how to run a chainsaw. I have fallen trees with an axe and used hand saws and wedges to cut and split firewood. Kinda slow, comparatively, but it gets me in the woods during fire restrictions.
Now I have a couple of job possibilities that require chainsaw skills. Please tell me everything you know about chainsaws. Thank you!
Are there Mennonite groups that prohibit chainsaw use? I've got quite a bit of Mennonite background myself, and my exposure is that Mennonites and Amish can be some of the more Jedi sawyers around...
Hey, Half Bubble,
Keep your feet planted well.
Dont violate your "safe zone".
Go slow.
Be ready.
Cutting with the top of the bar, pushes the material away, and you backward.
Cutting with the bottom of the bar pulls the material towards you. Let the front of the motor ride down the logs edge.
Keep a sharp chain.
Dont over file the rakers.
(Makes it agressive, and jumpy)
Dont put chain oil in the gas tank.
Think faster than your saw cuts.
Learn the meaning of "relief cuts".
Dont cut the limb, you are standing on.
Use vegetable oil in the chain oil, if you are cutting up an elk/deer/food item.
Rinse out the vegetable oil, when finished.
Watch other users. Ask questions.
Dont cut yourself!
Watch out for others.
Dont land tree on truck, or house.
😉
N
Skeeter1996, post: 450665, member: 9224 wrote: If that's you in your picture, noway would I let you run a chainsaw. Clearing line is much more dangerous than falling trees. I'd hire an experienced Sawyer. They're faster, maintain their own saws and have learned what to be aware of.
My experience is guitar pickers don't make good Sawyer's. Besides chaps you need a hardhat with face protection
Not all guitar pickers are bad news around chainsaws. I've been cutting firewood for exlusive home heating since the age of 14, made a living selling firewood in college and did a lot of large scale timber framing with a chainsaw. I may have actually started cutting before picking though so maybe i slipped through a loophole.
Best advice is to avoid using the tip of the bar/chain. Always have a couple inches sticking out past what you are cutting.
Put it away when your arms start getting tired. The only times I have nicked myself with a chain saw was when I was exhausted.
Currently my boot has a nice gouge from a chainsaw nick.
Well running chain saws are meant to be operated at full throttle or nearly full throttle. That keeps the carbon burned off everything. Don't be afraid to goose the throttle....more gas means more lubrication for the engine, more lube for the bar, more air moving over the head. Sure you can baby it some, but you don't want to run it for extended periods of time at low RPM's.
As with any tool - sharper is safer.
Dad taught me how to run a small brushing saw when I was 11 years old.
Showed me how to hold it with the right hands and how to start it and shut it off.
That was it...turned me loose cutting brush.
Tom Bushelman, post: 450675, member: 1320 wrote: Not all guitar pickers are bad news around chainsaws. I've been cutting firewood for exlusive home heating since the age of 14, made a living selling firewood in college and did a lot of large scale timber framing with a chainsaw. I may have actually started cutting before picking though so maybe i slipped through a loophole.
It struck me a little funny judging whether someone would be good with a chainsaw based on their guitar-picking ability.
To expand on what imaudigger posted above in his first paragraph -
1. Understand the kickback hazard when the upper quadrant of the bar tip contacts wood - use your search engine to learn more
2. Avoid having your head in the same plane as the bar - just in case there is a kickback.
There is much good information available on the interwebs, such as a publication called Fallers' and Buckers' Handbook by the Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia.
GB
Tom Adams, post: 450680, member: 7285 wrote: It struck me a little funny judging whether someone would be good with a chainsaw based on their guitar-picking ability.
I think it might be the rplstoday equivalent of this 🙂
Monte, post: 450667, member: 11913 wrote: Giving written advice about chainsaw use is harder than I at first thought, because it just seems easier to show what is meant. Like on big logs, especially horizontal ones, making a cut on the bottom side first before cutting through fromt he top to help stop the pinch Williwaw mentioned. And the wedge cut on the side to make you feel better about the tree falling in a certain direction, that only works if the tree is balanced with roughly the same number of branches on all sides, otherwise, it will fall to the side with more branches, or leaves, or vines pulling it down, wedge cut or not. Always read the starting instructions on the saw, and follow the. Let the saw's engine warm up a bit before going to work, make sure you have oil in the reservoir for the bar, Keep the chain snug, make sure you have a chainsaw repair tool with you, and extra chains, and keep the chains sharpened between uses, make sure you install chains the correct direction, try to keep the chain from cutting dirt. Dont cut over your head if you can by any other means, best to not refuel a hot chainsaw, drink plenty of water, wear eye protection, Running two saws close to each other is a good way to have a tree accidentally land on someone.
To add to what Monte said. The chaps are a great idea, but not foolproof. Eye and EAR protection are needed, a face shield is much better than just goggles. A GOOD pair of gloves can prevent a lot of hand fatigue and provide a much better grip on the saw.
Andy
Tom Bushelman, post: 450675, member: 1320 wrote: Not all guitar pickers are bad news around chainsaws. I've been cutting firewood for exlusive home heating since the age of 14, made a living selling firewood in college and did a lot of large scale timber framing with a chainsaw. I may have actually started cutting before picking though so maybe i slipped through a loophole.
Which did you learn to do first?
Skeeter1996, post: 450665, member: 9224 wrote: If that's you in your picture, noway would I let you run a chainsaw. Clearing line is much more dangerous than falling trees. I'd hire an experienced Sawyer. They're faster, maintain their own saws and have learned what to be aware of.
My experience is guitar pickers don't make good Sawyer's. Besides chaps you need a hardhat with face protection.
I'm the bass player?
Sometimes safety equipment can be more dangerous than helpful. I have found many chaps are bulky and heavy, which makes it difficult to walk through limbs and brush. Hearing protection is good, but not to the point that you can't hear someone warning you of a danger.
half bubble, post: 450697, member: 175 wrote: I'm the bass player?
Take a step back and stay away from the saw. You don't have the time to listen to all my bass player stories.
