If you plan of braving the forests you can bet you'll run into dead fall. In many places controlled burns are used to keep underbrush down, this also means not all trees will survive... falling and blocking your path.
Regardless of the brand you own or favor you can bet your going to use it at some point, so i am going to attempt to put some pretty self explanatory but often overlooked safety tips out here.
Minimum personal protective equipment:
1) Heavy duty leather work gloves.
2) Eye protection
3) Ear muffs/plugs your preference
4) Tough toe/Steel toe leather work boots
5) Double knee pants and or saw chaps
6) Hard Hat
If you will be climbing you should probably use a fall protection harness. Just make sure you tie off the the part of the tree that is not going to fall and your tied to it... its not pretty.
Please find attached for your viewing pleasure a PPE grid i flat out stole from OSHA :-) gotta love the windows snipping tool.
Saw Maintenance:
Minimum contents of my saw case have been a file to sharpen the chain, the saw specific multi-tool, bar oil (real bar oil not burnt motor oil), Mix fuel oil, an air filter, spare chain, and a spark plug. my saw didn't come with a stihl case so i just carry a small plastic tool box with the stuff in it and the 2.5 gallon gas can.
Mixing Gas: I used the pre-measured bottles of 2 cycle oil and poor it in the 2.5 gallon can before filling the can and only put 2 gallons in... makes it easy to poor too. i use a reputable name in oil or brand specific when it is available and i always run the highest octane gas i can find with little or no ethanol. This fuel is available in many lawn/garden sections at a premium... i recently had this discussion with another member here on the forum who really knew his stuff and he was right, it may be pricey but it is fantastic stuff and my saws loved it last weekend. But if i use fuel containing ethanol i then add a dash of marine grade stabil I have attached the link for it here bellow.... been running ethanol fuel for 4 years with this in it and never had the carb off of my echo or my stihl.
http://www.goldeagle.com/STA-BIL360-Performance-Marine-Campaign?gclid=CJGknbPp78oCFVQ2gQodBPcHGQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
Chains: There are a plethora of chains available, i use a standard Oregon chain and i am happy there because it has a good cut rate and lasts pretty good... high performance (faster cutting) chains dull faster and need pretty serious HP to be effective... even then they can be hard on the centrifugal clutch system. Brand loyalty can lead you to choose your echo/stihl/husq/solo whatever saw brand you think is best. Smaller saws (16" and down) tend to dull faster. AVOID DIRT. dirt combined with oil makes a crude substance much like lapping compound, (a liquid abrasive)... combine that with a good backing of wood to work against and the rate at which the teeth are passing through... and you've got yourself a dull but well polished chain my friend.
Bars: Not all Bars are created equal, but you should maintain them as equals. never over tighten the chain, this will damage the roller bearing in the sprocket at the tip of the bar. Cutting mother earth does no favors for the bar either, those abrasive properties oil and grit will create accelerated wear... you'll want to avoid pulling the bar left or right should you get it stuck in the cut. The bar is much stronger from top to bottom if you must do this to try and free the saw. If another saw is available to cut yours out do so from a direction as to avoid getting them both stuck... i usually drive wedges in to open the cut or my winch/highlift... Checking bar oiling system: bring the tip of the saw within 1 inch of a solid surface and bring the saw to maximum operating speed for approx 2 seconds... the oil streak should exceed 3 inches in length. ( said the chainsaw mechanic in town )
Please find attached for your viewing pleasure some saw basics from a reputable company. Not my favorite... but reputable. (sorry that guy is so boring btw... try to stay awake lol)
Understanding what direction to cut and avoiding a pinched bar or further frustration comes with practice. Some more time spent on youtube probably wouldn't hurt.
This is by no means a comprehensive post... i want you to comment, post, share and add to it... whatever you can do to contribute for the safety and productivity of your fellow man/woman to your left and right. This was just off the top of my head and i am very much sure i have missed a thing or two, so share your tips/tricks and the like.
Regardless of the brand you own or favor you can bet your going to use it at some point, so i am going to attempt to put some pretty self explanatory but often overlooked safety tips out here.
Minimum personal protective equipment:
1) Heavy duty leather work gloves.
2) Eye protection
3) Ear muffs/plugs your preference
4) Tough toe/Steel toe leather work boots
5) Double knee pants and or saw chaps
6) Hard Hat
If you will be climbing you should probably use a fall protection harness. Just make sure you tie off the the part of the tree that is not going to fall and your tied to it... its not pretty.
Please find attached for your viewing pleasure a PPE grid i flat out stole from OSHA :-) gotta love the windows snipping tool.
Saw Maintenance:
Minimum contents of my saw case have been a file to sharpen the chain, the saw specific multi-tool, bar oil (real bar oil not burnt motor oil), Mix fuel oil, an air filter, spare chain, and a spark plug. my saw didn't come with a stihl case so i just carry a small plastic tool box with the stuff in it and the 2.5 gallon gas can.
Mixing Gas: I used the pre-measured bottles of 2 cycle oil and poor it in the 2.5 gallon can before filling the can and only put 2 gallons in... makes it easy to poor too. i use a reputable name in oil or brand specific when it is available and i always run the highest octane gas i can find with little or no ethanol. This fuel is available in many lawn/garden sections at a premium... i recently had this discussion with another member here on the forum who really knew his stuff and he was right, it may be pricey but it is fantastic stuff and my saws loved it last weekend. But if i use fuel containing ethanol i then add a dash of marine grade stabil I have attached the link for it here bellow.... been running ethanol fuel for 4 years with this in it and never had the carb off of my echo or my stihl.
http://www.goldeagle.com/STA-BIL360-Performance-Marine-Campaign?gclid=CJGknbPp78oCFVQ2gQodBPcHGQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
Chains: There are a plethora of chains available, i use a standard Oregon chain and i am happy there because it has a good cut rate and lasts pretty good... high performance (faster cutting) chains dull faster and need pretty serious HP to be effective... even then they can be hard on the centrifugal clutch system. Brand loyalty can lead you to choose your echo/stihl/husq/solo whatever saw brand you think is best. Smaller saws (16" and down) tend to dull faster. AVOID DIRT. dirt combined with oil makes a crude substance much like lapping compound, (a liquid abrasive)... combine that with a good backing of wood to work against and the rate at which the teeth are passing through... and you've got yourself a dull but well polished chain my friend.
Bars: Not all Bars are created equal, but you should maintain them as equals. never over tighten the chain, this will damage the roller bearing in the sprocket at the tip of the bar. Cutting mother earth does no favors for the bar either, those abrasive properties oil and grit will create accelerated wear... you'll want to avoid pulling the bar left or right should you get it stuck in the cut. The bar is much stronger from top to bottom if you must do this to try and free the saw. If another saw is available to cut yours out do so from a direction as to avoid getting them both stuck... i usually drive wedges in to open the cut or my winch/highlift... Checking bar oiling system: bring the tip of the saw within 1 inch of a solid surface and bring the saw to maximum operating speed for approx 2 seconds... the oil streak should exceed 3 inches in length. ( said the chainsaw mechanic in town )
Please find attached for your viewing pleasure some saw basics from a reputable company. Not my favorite... but reputable. (sorry that guy is so boring btw... try to stay awake lol)
Understanding what direction to cut and avoiding a pinched bar or further frustration comes with practice. Some more time spent on youtube probably wouldn't hurt.
This is by no means a comprehensive post... i want you to comment, post, share and add to it... whatever you can do to contribute for the safety and productivity of your fellow man/woman to your left and right. This was just off the top of my head and i am very much sure i have missed a thing or two, so share your tips/tricks and the like.
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