How to Properly Cut Firewood with a Chainsaw

Increasingly, chain chainsaws began to be used not only for felling trees in forests, but also in private households of ordinary homeowners. Convenience and speed, with which the chainsaw copes with wood, allows it to be used for sawing firewood, cutting branches and branches. However, in the hands of an inexperienced person, a chainsaw can be a significant hazard. One awkward movement entails consequences in the form of cuts and more serious injuries. Therefore, before picking up this tool, you need to know how to correctly saw with a chainsaw.

Chainsaw. An effective tool for felling and cutting trees

Basic rules for working with a chainsaw

1. The need for personal protective equipment

When working with a chainsaw, you must protect yourself from the possible touch of the saw headset, falling branches and flying chips. Pick up padded pants that prevent the chain from coming into direct contact with the soft tissues of your legs. Be sure to purchase quality massive shoes, preferably work boots with a thick sole and a metal insert on the toe. It is important to wear a helmet so that the saw set, bouncing off a tree, does not injure your head. Safety glasses are another important part of the work suit, which is designed to protect your eyes from flying branches, wood chips and dust.

Tight pants, hard hat and goggles. Effective protection against injury

2. The correct position of the operator when working with a chainsaw

A working chainsaw should be held firmly with both hands, grasping the back and front handles with all fingers. Maintain balance and do not slouch at work. If it is necessary to bend over, it is advisable to bend the legs at the knees without changing the even position of the body.

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After you finish working with one object, you can go to another only when you turn off the chainsaw. It is not recommended to move with a rotating chain. It is dangerous!

The chainsaw is held firmly with both hands.

3. Caution when refueling

Engines in gasoline saws are two-stroke, so they need to be refueled with a gasoline-oil mixture. When the engine is hot, the machine must not be refilled; you should wait for it to cool. Be careful not to get gasoline on the saw headset or engine. If it is necessary to refuel the tool under operating conditions, do it at a distance of 3-6 m from the epicenter of work.

When refueling a chainsaw, try not to spill gasoline

Chainsaw launch. Rules for getting started

1. Place the tool on a hard surface so that the chain does not touch the ground or other objects.

The tire should not touch the ground at startup

2. Move the inertia brake handle away from you, thereby activating the chain brake. If this is not done, then at startup the circuit will immediately begin to rotate.

The brake handle must point away from the operator.

3. If there is a decompression valve, press it. This will reduce the pressure in the cylinder at startup.

Pressing the decompression valve makes starting the saw easier

4. When the engine is cold, pull out the choke control lever.

5. Pass the toe of the right foot through the rear handle, while holding the front handle securely with your left hand. Start pulling the starter cord with sharp, repetitive jerks until you hear a characteristic sound. The engine “sneezes”.

Pulling the starter cord will start the engine

6. Set the choke lever to its original position.

7. Continue pulling the starter cord until the saw starts.

8. Press the throttle and the engine will stop idling.

9. Release the chain from the brake and start work.

In the event that the engine is initially warm, there is no need to use the choke lever. All other startup steps remain completely identical. It also happens that the engine warms up, but it does not work to start the saw. Then it is recommended to pull out the choke lever by half and immediately push it back. The saw will start!

The chainsaw has started and is ready to go.

Now that the saw has started, you can start work. To do this, you need to understand how to work with a chainsaw, performing various tasks: felling a tree, pruning branches or bucking a trunk.

How to cut trees correctly with a chainsaw

A tree in the fall can injure you and others, so you should determine in which direction it will fall. This can be affected by the slope of the tree and the direction of the wind. Having determined this direction, warning signs should be placed at least two lengths of the tree trunk for the safety of people who may appear in the felling area.

Chainsaw tree felling. A challenge for professionals

From below, the trunk is cleaned of branches using the bottom of the tire. Now you can proceed to sawing the tree for directional felling (guide file). This is done in two stages. Initially, an inclined upper cut is made at 60 ° to a depth of 20-25% of the diameter of the tree. After that, a horizontal lower cut is performed, which should converge with the upper one.

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Next, you need to stand on the opposite side of the tree and perform a horizontal felling cut. It is important at the same time to stop on time and not reach the guide file at least 2-3 cm.

Sawed wood for directional felling: 1. Top file, 2. Lower file, 3. Horizontal felling cut

We cut branches from an already fallen tree

When cutting branches with a chainsaw, there is a danger of their rebound, so you need to work extremely carefully and methodically, trying not to use the nose of the tire. When working, lean the tool against the trunk or thigh, cutting branches with the lower and upper part of the tire. It’s more convenient to cut branches from the top of the trunk by putting the chainsaw on its side. If the tree has thick branches, it is advisable to cut them in parts. After the branches on the side and top of the trunk are cut, the tree can be turned over and sawed off the upper branches.

Chainsaw pruning does not tolerate distraction

Cutting a tree trunk into parts. Bucking

Before you start sawing the trunk, determine its voltage. In case of an incorrectly assessed situation, the trunk during the cut can bounce up and injure someone who is standing nearby. In the event that the pressure is directed from above, it is necessary to start sawing the barrel from above about 1/3 of the thickness, until it clamps the tire. After this, the cut continues, but from the bottom of the trunk.

If the pressure goes from below, then all these stages are performed exactly the opposite. First, the cut begins from below, and then continues from above to align the cuts.

Bucking a tree trunk is a great way to practice if you’re a beginner

Working with a chainsaw is a difficult and responsible task. If you have never before picked up this tool, then do not start to get acquainted with it through felling trees. Start with the simplest, for example, with bucking. Practice on a small pile of logs and only then move on to a larger scale of work.

Well, and about some factors that should be considered when working with a chainsaw, you can find out by watching a short.