Chainsaw advice

[XTR2Turbo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqCsh9zvD5M

 

Don't google chainsaw injury if at all squeamish !!!

[stu999]

Oh, do tell!!! 

[alexander72]

heheheh - circular saws are hot and tend to quarterise the wound as they go through - chainsaws are "ripping planes" basically with opposed 30 degree teeth - they pull the wood apart by taking a tiny slice of wood at a time - a chainsaw on the body just digs in real quick - Tolf will agree i'm sure - used properly they are safe….

 

 

:-) 

[alexander72]

XTR2 - thats very gruesome but sadly accurate - most people ive investigated have said things like "i looked down and my hand was by my boot" because the damage is done in a tenth of a second 

[Paul Ash]

FMPW :- All good sound advise so far.

Having worked & repaired chainsaws & strimmers etc for over 15 years in a previous life.

 

Stihl & Husqvarna would be my recommendations as they both fight for the top spot in chainsaw world.

I personally prefer Husqvarna, as found them always much easier to strip down & repair, but that's my opinion. Will also depend on where your nearest dealer is.

 

A husqy 135 would be more than adequate.

 

Please buy a chainsaw from a reputable dealer (not a DIY store). The saw should be assembled by the dealer, PDI inspected, run & tuned. You should also receive some basic training.

Too many times I have had people walk into the shop stating that the saw doesn't work properly only to find it has been taken out of the box at home without having proper tuning or inspection. One guy had even managed to run a saw with the chain on backwards !

 

These things can cause serious damage if not used correctly.

As advised please invest in the correct safety equipment.

[Justin767]

I've logged up about ten 30-40cm trees and a multitude of smaller stuff with my Husqvarna saw over the years and been very pleased with it..

I forget the model number off the top of my head but it's one of the smaller models from their professional ('XP') range..

I tend to do big logging sessions with a mate indexing the branches through my saw horse - 2 people make the job about 5x quicker and keep the wood under firmer control while you can concentrate on the sawing..

As highlighted - wear the gear, have a phone or mate to hand, keep the chain sharp, lock the chain-brake when not cutting, be sure to clear rolling logs from near your feet and don't bother chopping up the straggly ends of branches (the risks multiply but the weight of wood to burn plummets)

You'll need some proper advice / instruction if felling a tree or you'll end up with your saw clamped in the trunk or the tree landing in the wrong place!!

Your chain will last a long time if you ensure you don't contact it with soil (or hidden nails!!) Also be sure to keep the chain oil reservoir from running out. (& Don't fill it with used motor oil!?!)

I only use about 400 litres of oil a year in the house now, the stove keeps us toasty, so a good saw will pay for itself pretty quickly.

I also use an electric / hydraulic ram log splitter - they're great bits of kit - a lot more precise and rapid than swinging away with an axe. But avoid straining them with knotted chunks and don't dump heavy discs of tree trunk down on them or the feet bend, the motor contacts the ground and the manifold ends up splitting.!.

Mine is a horizontal 6 or 7 ton one (Handy) they cost about £179

[alexander72]

good advice Justin.

[Paul Edden]

Brian,

I have a set of Chainsaw trousers surplus to requirements - think they are about 36 - 38 waist and 31 inside leg.

These will stop a chainsaw dead (no pun intended) if the worse happens and you slip.

Recently moved house, so no longer have need to use a chainsaw - so the trousers just sitting in the wardrobe.

NEVER EVER used my chainsaw without wearing these trousers - as I find it is always your legs (and femoral artery) that appear most vulnerable - completely agree with all the PPE comments on here - lethal tools which can bite when you least expect it. PM if interested.

Have a great Christmas,

P.

[jeff oakley]

It is not just chainsaws, any rotating cutting tool is dangerous. I was using a nine inch angle grinder to cut up an Astra when it kicked back. It hit my leg and cut my leg to the bone. Although it hurt, being a man, a plaster was sufficent to carry on until the job was done.

 

Sometimes we all cut corners, unless you are a H&S advisor, who never cut anything, get it wrong and hit an artery and you die especially if you are on your own in a workshop.

[alexander72]

Echo what Jeff Oakley said.

 

And to add to what Paul, our esteemed Chairman says, the design of Chainsaw Resisitant clothing is such that it is not considered to be chainsaw proof.  The trousers, gloves, boots or whatever have long strands of kevlar in them. 

 

They are designed to clog up the drive sprocket that runs off a centrifugal clutch and drives the chain. 

 

The CE standard is for a retardation rate that stops a chain from 20m/sec in under 0.5 of a second.  There is also a higher band Class C that works at 24m/second.

 

Some of my saws run at 27m/second that i use in the tree.

 

If you think about it - even with a home owner saw that runs at 20m/second  if it takes half a second to stop that 's 10 metres worth of sharp cutty teeth going into your trousers. 

 

I always teach that PPE is only designed to reduce the severity of an injury. 

 

Merry Christmas

 

James

[M444TTB]

A few years back my team did a 'charity' team building day helping clear some trees and big bushes. The guys there (mostly retired types kicked out by their wives every morning plus the odd weirdo) had a variety of chainsaws from the flipping enormous to the tiny things on a pole. They wouldn't let us use them so we stood back and watched them get each stuck in various trees. I'm no expert but I wouldn't have let them use a petrol powered strimmer let alone a chainsaw! I draw the line at an angle grinder and I can't say I enjoy using those.

[stu999]

Sometimes we all cut corners, unless you are a H&S advisor...

IMHO they tend to be the worst...!

[Boombang]

My old H&S Manager set fire to the offices through plugging in a 1/4 adaptor into a 1/4 adaptor into a 1/4 adaptor into a 1/4 adaptor and using every socket.  Pretty standard work for H&S folk.  Ironically he wasn't healthy either.

[bhouse]

Excellent advice and thank you all very much.

And Paul -how much would you like for the trousers? They should fit me after my new lower stress, healthier, French lifestyle takes effect!

Merry Christmas to one and all!

Brian

[Norman Verona]

Brian, You'll have to learn to be very very very patient if you want a stress free life in France

 

To give an example. I ordered some building materials from Brico Marche. I planned my work around doing that job when the stuff came in the following Thursday. I went to collect to be told it hadn't come in because they forgot to order it. They just couldn't understand why I was annoyed. All they kept saying was "But it'll be in next week, no problem"

 

We now never expect delivery dates or any other dates to be met then we're pleasantly surprised when they are.

 

Have fun.