What you need to know before using a chainsaw?

Are you new to chainsaws and don’t know where to start? First you should know that it is not a log splitter neither you can take wood splitter rental. Well, you’ve come to the right place, because in this post, I’ll be going over some basic things you need to know about before using a chainsaw.

So let’s get straight in this!

Avoid cutting with the nose

There’s something called kickback which can be deadly. Kickback is where the nose of the bar hits something and as a result, the chainsaw is flung in the direction of the user. The blades are rotating at a rapid speed and if it hits you, it’s going to be deadly.

There’s a safety mechanism in place to prevent kickback called the chain brake. When there’s kickback, the chain brake will automatically stop the chain from turning, preventing your face from getting mauled. It activates by your hand hitting the handle or via inertia. More about this here.

Your chainsaw won’t cut through everything

What happens when people get a chainsaw is they seem to think it can do anything. A small electric chainsaw isn’t going to cut down a large oak tree but can cut rick of wood. So don’t destroy your chainsaw by doing something like that. And if you have a large chainsaw, don’t try to prune with it. It’s too heavy and big for a delicate task like that. Understand what your chainsaw was designed to do and stick with that.

Start it from the ground

When you have more experience, you can start your chainsaw whilst you’re holding it. But for now, start it on the ground. Put your foot through the handle to make sure it’s not going anywhere and then you can start it. Regardless if it’s an electric or gas/petrol powered chainsaw.

Wear safety gear

A lot of chainsaw users don’t like to wear safety gear, please don’t be like them. You’ll hear plenty of stories where a piece of wood has gotten stuck in someone’s eye. Do yourself a favor and get some safety glasses. Make sure you’re wearing chainsaw chaps to protect your legs and gloves to protect your hands.

Just use a Stilhl sharpener

It’s only a matter of time before your chainsaw becomes dull. Instead of using lots of time with a file to sharpen your chain that will make your chain blades uneven, use a Stihl sharpener. They’re a lot easier to use, save you time, and make sure your teeth are equally sharpened.

Read the manual

This isn’t one of those tech gadgets where you can never read the manual and it’ll work just fine. There may be things in there unique to your chainsaw so you need to know exactly what they are.