Newbie with some questions

[Stevie777]

Hi, Chainsaw virgin here. Never held one in my life, but i need one so i bought this..

 

As i said in my introduction post i needed a saw to cut small branches and thin (cookies.. US, Blame youtube).

Anyway, What have i done?. I am still waiting on the saw to arrive but have read up a fair bit on maintenance, safety, ppe etc.. Worked in various heavy engineers jobs over the years and so far have all my digits and limbs still attatched to my torso. Couple of bumps and nicks but nothing too severe.

 

I dont need to be cutting anything down, just cutting up fallen trees. Obviously i know the pitfalls of cutting tree limbs under tension so will be avoiding that if neccessary. I'm sure this is a 61cc engine and no chain break so what should i look out for as far as safety goes. Firstly i will take the saw apart and check for wear and tear and replace any parts that need replacing before putting it to work.

 

The guy who sold it to me assures me it's a powerfull saw with a good chain. That's all i have to go on. I bid on it with very little time left so never really had a chance to do my homework or ask questions on this one. I usually spend weeks doing homework on things i no very little about. At £64 i didn't see it as much of a gamble. Looks in decent condish considering it's age.

 

I'll get a video up once it arrives and hopefully someone can give me advice on how they think it might be running. Cheers for now..S

 

 

 

[stihlmadasever]

Get a modern saw,thats got an accident written all over it.

A newbie using a chainsaw with no chainbreak is a reciepe for a trip to A&E.

Modern saws have more safety features,if you were an experienced handler id say fair dos but ive got the fear

[Stubby]

When I started out saws never had a chain brake and I'm still breathing . I'd be more concerned at the possible lack of AV ? Anyway you might do worse than take your CS30/31 or whatever its called now .

Edited June 6, 2017 by Stubby

[Stevie777]

Get a modern saw,thats got an accident written all over it.

A newbie using a chainsaw with no chainbreak is a reciepe for a trip to A&E.

Modern saws have more safety features,if you were an experienced handler id say fair dos but ive got the fear

 

I hear you, But i like old tools. I like bringing older tools back to life. I never bought it just to cut wood. I'll be very careful and wont be firing it up until i'm damn sure i know what to look out for. If the chain and bar needs replaced, I'll replace it, If any of the working parts need attention i'll do that also. As i said earlier, I have worked in some really scary environments and lived to tell the tale. I'm very much safety concious.

[Stevie777]

When I started out saws never had a chain brake and I'm still breathing . I'd be more concerned at the possible lack of AV ? Anyway you might do worse than take you CS30/31 or whatever its called now .

yeah, been looking into courses for a month or so..Expensive or what. Youtube can only teach you so much. Even though they cover just about every aspect of chainsaw safety you still need to get hands on experience with anything as dangerous as a chainsaw. Going by what i have read and watched the tree seems to be the biggest killer.

 

Over the years i have learnt to practice good health and safety in the work place. So much so i've left jobs because of managment pressure to get the job done, dont ask questions and forget health and safety for now. etc etc..we've all been there i'm sure. I've learned to say no.

 

I'm not going to win a pulitzer prize for maths related space stuff, but i have loads of common sense....B...b...b...but you bought a chainsaw with no chainbrake.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Stevie777

[Stevie777]

but ive got the fear

Yeah me too, but it keeps me alert.

[Stevie777]

BTW, I'm Stevie from the Land of the rising Haggis. please to meet you all.

[Shane]

Cutting up fallen trees can be more dangerous than cutting down a tree.

You mention being aware of the dangers of tension (not really the same as experience) - I assume with your background that compression is also fully understood.

The issues and pitfalls with fallen trees are such that there are courses specific to windblown trees.

 

For a self-confessed novice to start out with a saw with no chainbrake will not be seen by many as a wise move. If you are careful you may never get kickback (experience teaches us to work in a way that avoids it) but it is in the early stages of gaining experience that it is most likely.

Without a chainbrake you are leaving yourself (no atter how full of common sense you are) wide open to a common event without having one of the best defences for it in place.

 

I have no intention of raining on your parade and I hope to see a lot more posts from you but while you are learning be monstrously careful using that saw.

 

If you were a relative of mine I would come and take that saw from you and lend you one with a brake. Assume each cut can go wrong, then you will not be taken by surprise.

[stihlmadasever]

Scottish then mate happy days.welcome to the forum,maybe you could conscider just doing your cs 30 which is just chainsaw maintenance and crosscutting,about 350 quid.It covers all aspects of what you would need.

[Shane]

Scottish then mate happy days.welcome to the forum,maybe you could conscider just doing your cs 30 which is just chainsaw maintenance and crosscutting,about 350 quid.It covers all aspects of what you would need.

 

He's talking about cutting up fallen trees, that can be fun without the experience. Taking off all the side branches while the root plate is still attached for example while walking along the trunk for easy access.