About once or twice a year, I like to get back to my caveman roots, and cut a tree down for firewood the next year. So like Thor and our other caveman ancestors I take out my power tools to accomplish this. One tool that never seems to work correctly for me it the chain saw. This limits the size of tree I can harvest, as I have to be able to cut it down and up with a circular or recopricating saw.
Now when a chainsaw is new (or a new chain) it seems to cut wonderfully, but that seems to suddenly deteriorate so that the chain is more just wearing down the log instead of cutting through.
The chainsaws I have used are the smaller types that you have to keep pressing the oil button to lube the chain, which I do constantly, in the hopes of extending the life of the chain, but it doesn’t really seem to help much, and once the chain stops cutting and starts just ‘nawing’ away at the log it’s all over for it.
So I know I can’t be using it correctly, no way would this be such a popular tool if it wears out so quickly. What am I doing wrong?
You know, burn me for a heretic, but if we’re not supposed to give our opinions on minor medical matters that we’ve all experienced without risking getting smacked down by the mods due to the possibility of The Reader getting sued by somebody who took the wrong advice, I have to think that giving advice on how to use a chainsaw might not be the best idea ever.
Somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but to me substituting a circular saw for a chainsaw sounds incredibly dangerous. It was designed for an entirely different purpose and it’s probably better to, like eniplasuggests, just invest in a better saw.
Circular saw or Sawzall for cutting down trees?! Yikes, that’s a disaster waiting to happen.
Go to the place you bought the chainsaw (or if that is a big box retailer find a chainsaw shop) and see if they run intro courses on how to use and maintain a chainsaw. Proper safety gear (helmet, chaps, ear protection) and technique should be covered. Sharpening chains isn’t that difficult, but a little time consuming to get right. If you are really only using the saw once a year you should be able to touch it up yourself but you might want to get is professionally sharpened once in a while.
My dad had two. The first was a generic (possible black & decker?) one, and it had spotty work performance at best. The second one was a ‘Stihl’ chainsaw and not the bottom of the line. It went through trees and fallen limbs like butter.
He was always super-protective of that one, too, saying that it was very expensive. I’m not sure what he paid, but I think it was a lot.
About the only way the quality of the cut can suddenly deteriorate is if your chain encounters something other than wood: dirt, rocks, metal. If you can avoid that, a sharp chain should cut for a long time. You know it’s getting a bit dull by the size of chips it’s making (larger = sharper).
You can & should learn how to touch up a chain with a sharpening file. But professional sharpening is a good thing now and then. One issue is the “registration” of the teeth - for best results they need to all be the same length.
The purpose of the oiler you refer to is to reduce friction between the chain and the bar - oil has only a minor effect on chain sharpness. Most modern high-quality chainsaws are self-oiling - you don’t have to remember to push that button.
If you really use your saw no more than twice a year, I suppose it doesn’t matter too much. But there are few tools where quality makes more difference than it does for a chainsaw. The big names are generally considered to be Husqvarna, Jonsereds and Stihl. I use my Stihl a lot and wouldn’t be without it.
If you search for Chainsaw Use, you’ll find tons of great links. Here is an excellent compilation.
I concur that quality is very important in chainsaws, starting with the chain. According to my uncle Jack, a chainsaw sales representative for 20+ years, one of the main reasons for the success of Stihl and Poulan was the quality of their chains.
I’ve got to ask, what kind of trees are you cutting? If your chains are going dull on maple, you’ve got bad chains, or are getting them into the dirt. If you’re cutting walnut, well, then maybe you need to sharpen your chains more often.
I spent last weekend working with a former professional tree-trimmer (he now coordinates all of the tree-timmers for Excel Energy in MN, WI, IA, SD and ND).
He swears by Stihl. So do his trimmers.
As a matter of fact, of the 10 saws that survived the project weekend, 9 of them were Stihl saws. 2 of which were more than 20 years old, and 1 that was 30 years old. We managed to disable 6 saws during the weekend, only one of which was a Stihl (We broke the plastic oil cap. Total cost $4.50)
We ran the saws for over 15 hours each, nearly nonstop during the weekend. It made for an interesting stress test.
As far as chains, he’d swap his chain about every 2 hours. He felt that was about as long as he could go without a break, and a fresh blade would cut better as well.
OK I think I see my problem (well with the chain saw anyway), letting the chain not only touch the ground, but finish the cut while it is touching the gound (once the tree is down).
To answer some comments:
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slaphead** Yes I know that I can sharpen the chain, but since it didn’t last I didn’t see the point.
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lieu** These trees are mine, no nails to worry about.
Ethilrist I promise not to ask medical advice on this board if I get hurt following the advice given by fellow dopers
Danalan Not sure what type of trees, leafy ones.
FWIM’s the chainsaw is a older (apx 10-15 yrs) Stilh, I’m pretty sure it was the dirt issue.
We used Stihl, Jonsered, and Husqvarna saws when I was on trail crew. We ran them many hours a day, every day, for weeks on end. All other saws gave us mechanical problems over time but these seemed to be the easiest to keep running, they had the least vibrations, and were lighter.
But any saw in good working order and with a sharp chain will run for a few hours without getting dull or breaking down. Make sure that it’s oiling properly, the bar tip is greased, the oil/gas mix is right, and you keep it away from dirt. You are using the saw for limited times, so reliability isn’t as big a factor. But a dull or badly adjusted chain will make any saw cut like crap. Get that addressed first, then keep the saw out of the dirt and learn how to cut down trees. Most folks will get the saw pinned in the cut if they don’t know what they are doing. It may feel like the saw isn’t cutting, but in fact it’s pinned by the tree.
Yeah. But even when you are finished cutting, and ready to buck it. Try not to let the chain rest on the ground. Even while the saw is not running. Most saws will ‘rest’ with the blade in the air, but on uneven ground, still don’t let the chain touch the ground. The oil on the chain will pick up all the sand and dirt.
Always try to rest the blade/chain on a log or piece of wood that is on the ground. If it’s a good saw like a Stihl, It won’t mater if it’s nose up and sideways.
And… when the tree is down, you can often take advantages of the branches that are supporting it to buck it, cut branches and buck it. Get the saw in the dirt and its down time.
Some of the bigger names in chainsaws should have additional materials and advice available on their websites; Husqvarna, for example, has all sorts of safety information and general tree-cutting tips available as PDF files. The last time I checked, they also had (free!) replacement manuals available for download.
Keeping your saw’s chain out of the dirt, as others have advised, will solve your problems. If you use ONLY your chainsaw to process firewood, you’ll be done in 1/4 the time, and much happier with the entire process.
Not necessary. The oiler button is to provide EXTRA oil in unusual circumstances. The chain is oiled automatically, unless there’s a problem. Oil shouldn’t be running all over the place. As long a the chain feels a little oily, all’s well. A good guide for this is that most saws are designed so that the gas and oil run out at about the same time.
You’ve already got most of the advice you need from others. One of the smaller Stihl or Husqvarna models can be purchased for around $300, and it’s well worth the investment.
On the other hand, no saw, regardless of quality, will cut properly if the chain isn’t kept sharp. Maybe go to a nearby saw shop and watch them sharpen a chain, for your future reference.
A chain can be so totally abused that it has to be replaced rather than sharpened, so do be careful of hitting the ground or other foreign objects.
