Chainsaw Starting and Operation

So you want to cut trees or firewood or carve bears out of logs. The best way to start this is to choose the correct chainsaw. It all depends on what you are going to do with it, really. If you are going to cut big trees down for your friends or neighbors you’ll want a bigger saw. Something that can handle at least an 18 inch bar is sufficient, preferably bigger. If you are looking to carve bears, or just prune the trees in your yard, then go for a smaller chainsaw. Anywhere around a 12 inch bar will do the trick. If you plan on using it a lot, don’t buy an electric powered chainsaw. They lack power and are simply not nearly as portable.

I have been cutting trees and logs down now for about 18 years. My father and his father both frequently used chainsaws for their jobs. I frequently helped my dad out on his logging jobs as a child. He would obviously do all the felling, but that was good, because I was able to observe him and learn a little bit.

Several years later, I started a small business felling trees. I am not really in it for the money, because I have other goals, but I simply enjoy doing it. Now let’s dive in, PPE in place.

Starting the Saw

Depending on your saw, starting it can be quite a task. With Stihl chainsaws, for instance, my personal favorite brand, you have to pull the crank a bunch of times before it will start. This is the way they are designed. I can usually start my Stihl saws in 2-4 pulls, no matter what the weather is like. Husqvarna saws are a little different in starting method, but not by much. They can be bought at several big box home stores like Lowes, Tractor Supply Company or Home Depot. Stihl’s are only sold at Stihl dealerships, which can basically be found all over the world.

Operating the Saw

The most important part of operation is obvious. Don’t get injured. There are some helpful things to remember in order to keep your appendages. For starters, when you pick the saw up, make sure it has a chain brake. This is a lever on the saw that is in front of your top hand on the handle. Whether you are right handed or left, does not matter, but for clarity, we will say that the trigger/throttle hand is the back hand, and the other hand is the top hand. In any event, if the chain moves freely around the bar when the chainsaw is off, the chain brake will immediately stop the chain when it is activated. The way it is activated is by your top hand. If the chainsaw jumps when you are cutting, the brake will hit the back of your top hand, and engage the brake, instantly stopping the chain. A good rule of thumb then is to keep your top hand where it can access the chain brake.

More safety tips include, never have the chain saw over your limbs when cutting; never cut above your shoulders; and never cut a tree from a ladder. If the saw absolutely has to cut anything besides the tree, make sure it is the ground.

I have seen people operate chainsaws very timidly. This can be kind of hazardous because it is possible that people also have a timid grip on the saw. After you get the saw started, hold on to it. You don’t have to kill it, but make sure you have a firm grip, because it could jump on you.

Chainsaws are kind of like guns in a sense. You want to have a healthy fear of the tool. You don’t want to be afraid the saw, but you want to respect that it only does what it is told to do. You are basically telling a chainsaw what to do by your hands. If the saw jumps out of your control, then it is without a doubt, operator error. To have a healthy fear of something is the active knowledge of what something is capable of. In other words, keep safety in your mind when running a saw. If you are cutting a tree down, take the time to think about what the safest way possible is to do it.

When you are wanting to cut a tree that is on the ground, maybe for fire wood, or simply to make the tree movable, perhaps from a storm or something, put the chainsaw on the tree all the way to the felling teeth of the saw. The saw will cut better and it will be lighter for you if the tree or log is as close as it can be to the engine of the saw on the bar. This technique is what basically divides the people who do not know anything about chainsaws and the people who do. If you are cutting the log or the tree with the tip of the chainsaw bar, then you are doing much more work than you need to. Let the felling teeth grab the tree, and you will find the task much easier as well as faster.

I am sure I will post more on chainsaw operation and tips and tricks, but for now, this will get you started. Stay safe, and take your time. “Think before you act” (something my dad would sometimes say)!