[Closed] Chainsaw safety

Get some training - use and maintenance and get decent PPE.
Training could be a course or from a friend (mine was) and understand your limitations.
I only use mine for cross cutting; not felling as I wouldn't know where to start.
I'm more afraid / dislike using the angle grinder than the chainsaw.

You shouldn't be terrified, but you should have a healthy respect. 🙂
Get training from someone qualified. Just not worth it else.

I use mine with a stand with a metal protector over the chain part.

[img] [/img]
Something like this.

Get trained +1

Do you *need* a chainsaw? Good bow saw can work, reciprocating/alligator saw or some such are all safer...

You're in Sweden aren't you?
I did a short course through Medborgskolan, think it was about 4-500 sek (but ~15 years ago) just a long sunday afternoon in a farmyard with some logs, a dozen students and some short barred chainsaws (think the course was sort of limited to handling sub 40cm bars) so did some safety videos, how to look after them (all two strokes back then), sharpening/tensioning the chain, chopping for pruning and firewood then a bit of felling. (Tiny trees only)
Think it was 4 or 5 hours in total. Worth it.

Do you *need* a chainsaw? Good bow saw can work, reciprocating/alligator saw or some such are all safer...

It's not unusual for a countryside property here to have somewhere between 100 to several thousand trees on it. I've got about 1/4 of a hectare of forest. So i could probably get away without a chainsaw, just. But it's far more convenient and flexible than the alternatives.

Some of the houses round here have have 10+ hectares of forest.

Bow saw isn't going to cut it.
Getting someone in isn't going to be affordable.

We had one of those jig things that Roger Stern mentions. Absolutely useless. It couldn’t hold the ‘saw well enough for my liking and unless you have a perfect round log it tries to jump out all the time. We gave it away. I prefer to just put my foot on the log and use an old pallet to keep it off the floor.

+1 for a good bow saw. By the time you’ve got your chainsaw out, put on your ppe, checked the saw over, checked over where you’re cutting etc you could’ve had most of the branches off with a bow saw

Edit. Read your last post after posting mine. With that much woodland then yes a chainsaw, proper ppe and a course. But if you’re only doing 1 or 2 trees at a time then I’d still suggest a bow saw

I'm more afraid / dislike using the angle grinder than the chainsaw

Do I need a chainsaw is a good question. We have bought some land and cleared some trees last week with the help of the local priest who has a lot of experience felling trees. We also figured he had god on his side.

Anyhow, we now have lots of large branches, small trees and other detritus lying around, some of which is too big to take to the tip on a trailer.

Some can be firewood , some can be burned in situ, but there are also smaller trees that in the future we may want to take down, crpa to clear and so on.

There is also a culture here of "I have a fallen tree come and take some firewood"

It's a skill I'd like to learn and will only be hand in the future I think...?

It's all about mindfulness. Tiredness and distraction are what cause accidents.

what about a hidden nail in the trunk?

You end up with a few sparks and a blunt chain.

phew!

A lot of the problems working with chainsaws come down to trying to rush and cut corners.

Learn how to start the saw safely. Don't let anyone stand in front of you when the saw is moving - if the chain snaps that's where it flies. Make sure your work area is clear of obstructions so that you can stand in balance and aren't over-reaching to get to stuff. You're not a lumberjack trying to fell X trees per day so take your time.

The above and more will be covered by a course.

might not work on your property, but have a look at electric chainsaws. Not as powerful, but with less power comes less danger. If you're looking at occasional use, on smaller trees and 14" bar is enough, an electric job might be perfect.

I've got a 35 year-old Black and decker that used to be my dad's. It's been used on and off all that time, sometimes often, sometimes left for 5 years without being used. I've used it much more in the past couple of years clearing a load of trees and processing for firewood.

All I've needed to do is clear some sawdust out of the squeezey chain oil port and put a new chain on it.

And I probably shouldn't admit it on here, but I've spent plenty of time using it in shorts, t-shirt and trainers. Safety specs, though, I'm not mental. It doesn't have a flywheel, it slows down quickly, doesn't kick back in a dangerous way (and I've played with it to see how it reacts)

It may not be a "proper" chainsaw, but that makes it perfect for me. I'm not doing it for a living, so I don't care that it's a bit slower than a pro Stihl, it's still 10 times quicker than a bow saw.

Being terrified of a dangerous tool is a bad, bad recipe. I suggest a course would be the best option.

I have used a chainsaw. I was shown how to use one safely by others with experience. Its not rocket science at all.

Chainsaw trousers and boots as well as eye and ear protection are a must.

Dangerous things but not difficult to use safely. I am sure there would be someone in your locality who can how you how. Being scared of them is healthy and keeps you safe

I notice in my last post that the y from 'handy' is missing. i.e I had lost part of my hand(y)

an ominous omen.

[i]Bow saw isn't going to cut it.[/i]

[img] [/img]

I notice in my last post that the y from 'handy' is missing. i.e I had lost part of my hand(y)

an ominous omen.

🙂 Fear is the mind killer...!

I've spent plenty of time using it in shorts, t-shirt and trainers. Safety specs, though, I'm not mental.

Heh. Actually seeing the carnage to your leg is the important bit, right.

I was first shown how to use a chainsaw by a guy who'd been a forester for 30+ years. He was a useless teacher! Did a two day course on chainsaw maintenance and cross cutting that was far far better, came out much more confident.

I wouldn't recommend trying to learn from YouTube until you've done a course. There are many examples of 'how to' vids that are garbage, and dangerous.

As above, get chainsaw boots and trousers (you're most likely to cut yourself here), ear and eye protection; learn how to maintain your saw, particularly sharpening the chain (a dull chain is more dangerous than a sharp one); learn about kickback; and learn about tension and compression so that you're not pinching your saw and having to rescue it (best case), or getting killed by an unexpected sudden release of tension (worst case).

BTW, blown trees might look the easiest to deal with, but they're probably the most dangerous. The accredited course(s) sequence in order of skill/experience is: corss cutting > small trees > medium/large trees > windblow.

Good luck!

I've got one of those jigs Rotor Stern showed, excellent bit of kit, never had any problems with it not holding the saw or jumping around ad have used it on lots of wood (we felled about eight big pines from our garden and are surrounded by forest too so there's some clearing / thieving firewood to be done too). Ours is the Portek version, it's so safe that Mrs Kilo is quite happy using it and it makes cutting wood quite a quick safe process.

PeterPoddy - Member
We had one of those jig things that Roger Stern mentions. Absolutely useless. It couldn’t hold the ‘saw well enough for my liking and unless you have a perfect round log it tries to jump out all the time. We gave it away. [b]I prefer to just put my foot on the log and use an old pallet to keep it off the floor.[/b]

Do not do this....

If you've got a friend or neighbour that works with them a lot, they can show you and should tell you if you look like a liability.
Otherwise seek out some proper tuition, it's the stuff which isn't cutting things that is really useful to know, with the right setup and planning, there's not much to go wrong.

Whitestone- chain catcher should prevent that and has done for me on a few occasions. Harvesters can fire them, but rare and hence the safe working distances.

Check out battery operated reciprocating saws. We keep one in the van and quite often use it instead of the chainsaw as it has a number of advantages. Its light, quiet and safe. Also blades are cheap so you always have a sharp one. Its also suprising how large a piece of timber you can cut and how quickly it does it.

Training could be a course or from a friend

was first shown how to use a chainsaw by a guy who'd been a forester for 30+ years. He was a useless teacher!

Knowing how to do something and knowing how to teach someone to do something are very different things.

A friend might offer to show you the ropes but a good friend would tell you to invest a small amount of time in money in learning properly.

Kit - Member

I was first shown how to use a chainsaw by a guy who'd been a forester for 30+ years. He was a useless teacher! Did a two day course on chainsaw maintenance and cross cutting that was far far better, came out much more confident.

As above, doing something for a long time doesn't mean you can teach it well. Also a lot of bad habits can accumulate, or good practices that are fundamentally important points can be forgotten as they have become mere habit. We should all probably understand this from mountainbiking.

I wouldn't recommend trying to learn from YouTube until you've done a course. There are many examples of 'how to' vids that are garbage, and dangerous.

There are videos by Husqvarna, Stihl and the Canadian Forestry that are good and cover safety aspects in a lot of detail. Certainly better than nothing if a person is going to try and do some cutting without formal training.

There are videos by Husqvarna, Stihl and the Canadian Forestry that are good and cover safety aspects in a lot of detail. Certainly better than nothing if a person is going to try and do some cutting without formal training.

A video has no way of watching you, seeing if you are comprehending what you’ve been told or stopping you if you’re getting it wrong. And when you get I wrong a video can’t call an ambulance 🙂

maccruiskeen - Member

A video has no way of watching you, seeing if you are comprehending what you’ve been told or stopping you if you’re getting it wrong.

Yeah, and a city and guilds course has no way of stopping you from going to your local hardware shop, buying a 60cc saw and just going for it when you get home. People are gonna people and some won't bother with a expensive training. For them a video is better than nothing.

On Husqvarna.ie the 365 is listed as their best selling saw, despite the fact that it's far too big for most professional use.