A chainsaw can be a great power tool that the user should spend a lot of time looking for the best professional chainsaw; often times it allows the user to save a lot of time and effort that might otherwise have to be spent on tough manual labor. But, the downside is that this powerful chainsaw can provide some very serious safety risks such as nasty cuts and injuries and even potential dismemberment of fingers and hands if the accident is really serious.
Safety equipment and precautions to take
First of all, you should ideally use a chainsaw only when you are well equipped. This will mean that you will have to wear safety goggles, gloves, a hard hat and even earplugs to save your eardrums from the chainsaws that can get really loud sometimes.
Next, find a good spot to use the chainsaw. Do not ever use it in confined spaces where there might be a chance to trip or bump into something. It is also important to make sure that there are no flammable materials near your workplace as chainsaws can produce sparks that can fly quite a long distance.
Starting the chainsaw and using it
Once you are ready, start the chainsaw by placing it on the ground. Firmly put your foot over it and use your bodyweight to hold it down in place and then pull a starter cord. Ideally, you want to buy a chainsaw with an easy start option that will allow you to start up the chainsaw with the most minimal pulls. Most of the chainsaw related accidents are those that happen when someone is trying to start up a chainsaw while holding it in their hands. The sudden vibration caused by the motor will often cause them to lose balance and inflict an injury on themselves.
Once you have the chainsaw started, use it by holding it close to your body and never use it while holding it above your shoulder height. As a general thumb of rule, your balance should never be compromised when you are trying to use a chainsaw. Also, blunt blades or really tough wood will make you wrestle with your chainsaw as it struggles to cut. You must be especially careful when this happens. Instead of trying to force your way through a tough piece of wood, you might want to consider sharpening the blades of your chainsaw or maybe upgrading to one that is more powerful.
A good chainsaw can cost anywhere from a $120 to all the way up to several hundred Dollars. Most the chainsaws these days are built with very durable parts that will ensure a long life. However, even these well-engineered power tools will require a little bit of maintenance in order to keep them going great for a long time. More and more people are choosing electric chainsaw over gas-powered ones as they are quieter and easier to maintain
Maintenance of the blade and knowing when the blade needs sharpening
While most of the other parts of a chainsaw are built to last, the saw itself will experience a lot of wear and tear and will require periodic maintenance. A really sharp chainsaw is one that will cut through wood without the user having to apply pressure on the chainsaw, trying to force its way through the timber. The weight of the chainsaw itself should be enough to do the cutting job. If you are beginning to use your body weight to press down on the saw to cut properly, you will be well advised to stop using your chainsaw and sharpen it first. Another good sign that your saw needs sharpening is when you start to see a lot of sawdust during Chain Cutting. A sharp blade will usually throw out debris that is larger and chunkier while the presence of sawdust will mean that your blades are struggling to do the job.
How to do maintenance work on the saw?
Many chainsaws these days are sold with a small maintenance kit that will consist of a rounded file, a file gauge, a flat file and a brush to clean debris. If such a kit was not included with your chainsaw purchase, you can purchase one for as little as $20.
Your owner’s manual will usually give you very good instructions on how to file your chainsaw. If you can’t find it there, search video sites such as Youtube for popular videos that will show you how to file and sharpen a chain. While sharpening the blade, it is very important that you use the right file size that is recommended for your saw in the owner manual.
Maintenance of chainsaws with automatic oilers
Some of the higher priced chainsaws will come with an automatic oiler that will greatly lengthen the life of a saw but this feature will be useless if you do not remember to top up the oil container. A good way to get over this would be to purchase a chainsaw that will be designed with a view window to easily check the oil level.
