I just impulse bought a chainsaw

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Muse

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,904
10,228
136
When I bought my electric pole saw (for around $80 IIRC) at Costco, around 10 years ago I spent quite a bit of time reading threads about chainsaws, paying a lot of attention to the safety aspects. A lot of people have suffered grievous injuries, died too, using a chainsaw.

I guess I have something like a sense of when there's danger now. A good idea is to expect the saw to kick ... jam and kick. Keep your head out of the way of where it might kick. So far, I don't recall anything happening that made me think I'd had a close call or even something dangerous. Keep thinking safety.

I don't drag out my chainsaw often. I think it's a good thing that you have to keep the chain oiled. It keeps me from using the saw casually.

I did not impulse buy my chainsaw. I think I may have been induced by seeing that deal at Costco, but I really needed one. Dang, I have chopped down well more than half of my 2 giant really old plum trees with that saw. I figure to remove the rest. The hard part is done now. The stumps will be another matter. I may contract that out.
 
sdifox

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
100,483
17,953
126
Muse said:
When I bought my electric pole saw (for around $80 IIRC) at Costco, around 10 years ago I spent quite a bit of time reading threads about chainsaws, paying a lot of attention to the safety aspects. A lot of people have suffered grievous injuries, died too, using a chainsaw.

I guess I have something like a sense of when there's danger now. A good idea is to expect the saw to kick ... jam and kick. Keep your head out of the way of where it might kick. So far, I don't recall anything happening that made me think I'd had a close call or even something dangerous. Keep thinking safety.
Click to expand...
Dude look at the date of op, it's some necro bot.
 
Muse

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,904
10,228
136
sdifox said:
Dude look at the date of op, it's some necro bot.
Click to expand...
Necro don't bother me. "Some things never change," and a lot of threads that are necroed have info that's pretty timeless. Anyway, the thread was already revived, so I just added some ideas that might save someone a hand, and etc.
 
lxskllr

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
60,175
10,638
126
Dude, WTF?!?!
What?! That looks about right...
"About right" isn't close enough you motherfucker! You better hope these arms don't work when I'm done healing!
 
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BudAshes

BudAshes

Lifer
Jul 20, 2003
13,991
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lxskllr said:
Dude, WTF?!?!
What?! That looks about right...
"About right" isn't close enough you motherfucker! You better hope these arms don't work when I'm done healing!
Click to expand...
tenor.gif
 
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thestrangebrew1

thestrangebrew1

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2011
4,061
756
126
I've got a tree that' I've mostly cut down using the sawzall but I'm in need of a chainsaw. I've got a small ryobi pole saw also but that wouldn't cut the thicker stuff. I don't trust myself at all with a chainsaw lol.
 
Aikouka

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
I impulse bought a Kobalt 80V chainsaw because it was like $200 but it came with a 5AH battery that costs more than $200 new. I was tempted to buy more of the chainsaws and just use the battery, but I didn't want to go through the hassle of selling the bare tool. However, I was really tempted given that most of my 2AH batteries are about 4-5 years old, and they are showing their age a bit. It takes 2.5 to 3 of the 2AH batteries to do my whole lawn, and I did the entire lawn with the 5AH battery while still having a good amount of charge left.

Although, I did see that I missed a heavily discounted electric lawn mower -- really just a newer version than what I have -- that was about a month prior to me getting the chainsaw. That would've been nice.
 
Muse

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,904
10,228
136
thestrangebrew1 said:
I've got a tree that' I've mostly cut down using the sawzall but I'm in need of a chainsaw. I've got a small ryobi pole saw also but that wouldn't cut the thicker stuff. I don't trust myself at all with a chainsaw lol.
Click to expand...
Better not to trust yourself than be overconfident.
 
Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,646
13,822
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www.anyf.ca
I just realized I never posted about my big tree in this thread. Ended up cutting most of it with that electric saw. Left the rest to an arborist though as there was one branch that was too sketchy to do myself, and trunk was thicker than what I wanted to put that little chainsaw through. The tree was splitting down the middle so I had to cut it before it breaks further after failed attempts at bracing it.





 
NuclearNed

NuclearNed

Raconteur
May 18, 2001
7,882
380
126
I did a bunch of chainsawing this afternoon - I had a large tree fall about a year ago, and I'm just now getting around to it. Not too long ago I sucked at chainsaw, but over the course of the past 2-3 years, I've gotten really good with it, mostly from watching Youtube videos (seriously). Youtube will show you how to do anything with a saw - from proper cutting technique, to cleaning out the carb. There isn't much that I haven't done with my Stihl gas saw - and also not much that I haven't done to it (I've repaired it in about a million different ways).

Echoing a previous poster - get a set of saw files and a depth gauge tool & keep your chain sharp. It's a safety issue (sharper chains cut better & safer). A sharp chain will prevent a lot of cussing - dull chains suck.

I've also had the misfortune of letting a running chainsaw ding my thigh. It can happen so fast you won't even realize it happened - so practice proper safety 100% of the time.
 
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Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,646
13,822
126
www.anyf.ca
I have a 120v electric Poulan I was given and the chain on it is dull as hell. At least I assume that's what the issue is since it barely cuts. I'll have to get the file and it will make a good one to practice on.

And yeah definitely want to be safe all the time as it does not take much for a serious injury. Pretty much have to be aware of everything including where a branch might fling when it's done cutting. Chainsaw + ladder was somewhat some advanced material for someone new at this but I took my time.
 
Muse

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,904
10,228
136
I cut down a lot of my larger giant plum tree a few weeks ago. A large branch hit me in the head, no damage done. I was wearing a bucket hat, but if I'd been smart I would have worn one of my hard hats!
 
sdifox

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
100,483
17,953
126
Red Squirrel said:
I have a 120v electric Poulan I was given and the chain on it is dull as hell. At least I assume that's what the issue is since it barely cuts. I'll have to get the file and it will make a good one to practice on.

And yeah definitely want to be safe all the time as it does not take much for a serious injury. Pretty much have to be aware of everything including where a branch might fling when it's done cutting. Chainsaw + ladder was somewhat some advanced material for someone new at this but I took my time.
Click to expand...


You know you are the op of this bot necroed thread right?
 
NuclearNed

NuclearNed

Raconteur
May 18, 2001
7,882
380
126
Red Squirrel said:
I have a 120v electric Poulan I was given and the chain on it is dull as hell. At least I assume that's what the issue is since it barely cuts. I'll have to get the file and it will make a good one to practice on.
Click to expand...

This is the easiest way to tell if your chain is dull: if it's producing sawdust instead of chips or long strands, then it needs to be sharpened. Recently I've taken this advice that I've seen many times on the internet: every time you put gas in the saw, sharpen the chain a little bit. That might seem excessive, but it keeps the saw performing like a champ. Not sure what the electric saw equivalent advice is...

Sharpening a chain by hand is easy, but borders on art. Basically, sharpen each tooth with exactly the same number of strokes, same stroke length, same angle, same pressure, etc. every single time. Check your depth gauges regularly, and grind them down only as needed (be sure to use a good depth gauge tool to grind them to exact depth - or risk ruining the chain)
 
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