How to Use a Chainsaw
Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about How to Use a Chainsaw and hope the blog can help you.
This tool is famously fast and forceful, but extreme power requires extreme care. Stick to these safety guidelines, and follow our smart usage tips to stay injury-free.
The chainsaw—a portable power tool that cuts wood via a fast-moving chain that rotates around a guide bar—can make short work of pruning, felling, limbing, and bucking trees. It also ranks as the most dangerous power tool available without a license.
While it’s designed to cut with either the top or bottom of the blade, just about anything that comes in contact with the top half of the end tip of the blade (known as the kickback zone) can change the cutting momentum and cause the saw to slam back against you. Kickback can lead to catastrophic injury, so users must take extra precautions and always follow proper form for how to use a chainsaw in order to avoid disaster.
Before you pick up any chainsaw—high power or low, gas or electric—take the risks very seriously.
Essential Safety Tips for a Beginner or Experienced Chainsaw User
You can operate a chainsaw more safely and minimize the chances of kickback by keeping the chain sharp and tensioned and always cutting below shoulder height.
As well, today’s lower-powered chainsaws (including electric models)—developed not for pro lumberjacks, but for DIYers who want to get their own firewood and keep their property pruned—rely on a low-kickback chain that grabs less fiber as it rounds the kickback zone, minimizing the likelihood of kickback.
Familiarize yourself with the safety considerations reviewed here before attempting to operate a chainsaw, and then follow our practical tips for safe, effective cutting.
Before You Start
Whether you’re learning how to use a chainsaw for the first time or on a routine job, never operate this power tool alone. When something goes wrong, it happens fast. Having a friend nearby can save your life. If you’re working in the woods, set a traffic safety flag by your car. Make sure someone knows where you are and when you intend to return. Have a complete first aid kit on hand with at least one blood-clotting bandage.
Use Protective Equipment
Wear all necessary personal protective equipment, including chaps, a chainsaw helmet with face guard, gloves, and either steel-toed or logging boots. Never wear loose clothing, as it can get caught in the teeth of the saw.
Find the Correct Stance for Holding the Saw
Find a comfortable stance, and keep both feet firmly planted as you work. Hold the chainsaw with two hands and at an angle or a little to one side rather than directly in front of you, in case of kickback.
Think Before You Cut
Never operate a chainsaw on a ladder, and never cut limbs that are higher than your shoulder. (If you’re looking to cut something higher, consider an altogether different tool: a manual rope saw, often called a pocket chainsaw.) To remove lower branches and buttress roots prior to felling a tree, slice downward and use the pulling chain—that’s the portion of the chain as it wraps the bar’s bottom. If the tree is on an incline, always work uphill from it.
Also, be aware of the location of all power lines, and never fell a tree where there are utility lines, vehicles, buildings, and especially people within two-and-a-half tree lengths.
Use the Correct Chainsaw
Use the right-size chainsaw for the job. If you’re renting a chainsaw, discuss the scope of the job with the staff to learn what size motor they recommend, as blade size is relative to engine horsepower. Generally, the blade should be two inches longer than the wood it’s cutting. Light-duty cutting of firewood and such can be accomplished by a 14-inch blade, and 16- to 20-inch blades are appropriate for medium-duty cutting. The longer a blade, the harder it is to control, so novices should stick to blades less than 20 inches in length.
Never Mix Substances with Chainsaw Use
It should go without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: Always be stone-cold sober when operating a chainsaw!
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