What do I need to know about buying (and then using) a chainsaw?

We live in the middle of five heavily wooded acres. We’ve had a couple close calls where a tree fell near the driveway, but not across it. In addition there are a few dead trees that if the wind blows right can fall on our shed or near the house.

Since the possibility of needed a chainsaw to get out of the driveway may coincide with a power outage, I’d like to go gas. But in the six years that we’ve been here, we’ve yet to actually* need* a chainsaw, so whatever we get most likely won’t be used more than once or twice every few years—so if it’s gas, it should be something with an engine that can go for a long time without starting.

So … now what?

I love our Stihl Farm Boss. I probably start it up twice a year, and it always starts on the first dozen pulls. Once you have one you can take down trees before they become a problem, so you will likely use it more than you anticipate. Works nicely for pruning as well.

This would be pretty much any gas chainsaw. The key in your scenario isn’t the brand/make of saw, it’s how you maintain it after each use.

All you really need to do is use fuel stabilizer in the fuel, empty out the gas tank, and run the carb dry after each use.

You don’t have a neighbor within walking distance who would loan theirs out if you were stuck? If you’re only going to need 1-2 times every few years, doesn’t seem worth it to get one. Though I understand your concerns.

Although I agree with what you are saying, I’ll mention that I have never done any of that and yet I get mine running each time I need it.

I assume you already own a hockey mask?

Buy a name brand saw ( I’m with kayaker, can’t beat a Stihl) and buy it from a dealer that does service as well as sales. Don’t buy one from a Box Store such as Lowes, Home Depot or Walmart, go somewhere that has knowledge of the product and can work on it for you.
Also, invest in some PPE (personal protective equipment) and wear it! Safety glasses, hearing protection and chaps.

Get a Stihl or Husqavarna. The rest aren’t worth it. It you’re clearing tree trunks you need a long enough bar to go through the trunk, and a long bar on a small saw doesn’t do it, there won’t really be enough power. Learn how to change and tighten the chain properly, remove and clean spark plugs and the air filter. Keep plenty of bar oil on hand.

When trees fall and are suspended on branches or other stuff you have to be very careful. Even cutting branches suspended in air can shift the balance and cause the trunk to roll one way or the other. Cutting anything horizontal that is not flat on the ground can cause the wood to pinch the saw, so you need levers to suspend the log so that doesn’t happen.

Start slowly with fallen branches, logs on the ground, work your way up to handling whole trees.

Also, a winch is useful to have.

An old ad from Stihl was a picture of their logo with a dotted line around it. The caption said “Cut this out, stick it on your saw, and pretend that it starts.”

Map out your route to the local emergency room.

I’d go buy a Husky but you could probably get by with a Poulan if you’re really not using it much.

Fuel stabilizer is damned good advice. Also, put premium gas in your saw so you can reduce or avoid ethanol which is hell on small engines.

My dad’s recent exchange with the new sawyer:

New Guy: This saw will won’t cut worth a damn!

Dad: You have the chain on backwards.

New Guy: There’s a backwards!?

If you can find a local saw shop the proprietor will help you learn how to tune and file it. Remember to flip the bar over occasionally to avoid uneven wear. Make sure the gas is turned on before you start yanking your guts out.

The other additives are worse than the ethanol. They’ll gum up small carbs in no time. I’m told there’s only 81% actual gasoline in what we get for ‘regular’ gas around here.

Does it make more sense to invest in baking some pies/getting sports tickets/whatever for one of your neighbors who uses a chainsaw regularly?

Talk with the local county/state extension agent about chainsaw classes. And gear up with safety as well.

No, it’s not about cutting off your leg in an accident. It’s about cutting an artery and you won’t have enough time to complete that cell phone call to 911 before you will be dead.

Just sayin’ …

You don’t say what experience you have with cutting trees in general. You’d be well served to take a class like Duckster mentions, visit with someone who has some experience or, at worst to read an instructional guide on planning the cut of the tree. There can be a lot more to it than making a strike cut and following a dip angle. Get a little experience with your smaller trees first.

I generally don’t recommend most home owners even bother owning a chain saw. They generally don’t see enough use and end up sitting so long they need service before they are usable. One per circle of friends or extended family is generally enough. Also renting them is reasonably cheap compared to the cost of owning and maintaining them.

I agree Stihl is a solid brand. I wouldn’t buy Husqavarna solely on brand name they are not what they used to be, check the reviews any any specific piece, Echo is another brand worth considering.

Buying from a real power equipment place has many advantages. Most will take the time to teach chain saw 101. They stand by what they sell and can repair it.

One of the main things you are paying more money for is less vibration transferred to the user. This isn’t that important if you aren’t planning on using it much. A day spent using a cheap chainsaw will leave you sore and wondering why your teeth keep chattering, not a lovely experience but once a year to save 500 bucks is IMHO a worthwhile sacrifice. Guys that use them all the time it’s definitely worth the extra money.

For general use I’d aim for a 18 inch bar. Many in that size can also support a 20 inch bar.

Price range will be from 100-900. You get what you pay for but if you are only using the saw every couple years you could be using a new cheap saw every time you need it for 8 years before you hit the cost of the expensive one. The ones 500 and over probably aren’t worth looking at unless you plan on going into business cutting trees or are rich enough not to care.

If you just want to start out without a heavy investment you could just pick up a 100 dollar Poulan and use it for a year or two. After that you’ll have a better idea of what you want in the next purchase. They are cheap and they work, but they aren’t that comfortable and starting on the first pull is a miracle.

Sitting around unused kills them. Make sure to pull it out every 6 months or so and run it for a bit even if you just spin it in place, but generally once you get it started you’ll find something that just needs cutting.

Having a chainsaw does not make you an instant lumberjack. There is still a lot of physical work involved and thought needs to be put into any project. Large trees, especially ones close to homes our power lines are still best left to professionals. One saw doesn’t cover every job. There are reasons for those 2000 dollar chainsaws, those jobs are not ones you want to take on yourself.

Safety glasses and hearing protection are a must. Chaps and a hard hat are a good idea. There are two schools of thoughts on gloves. Some say always, others say never.

The most common fatalities with chainsaws are people cutting above their heads and it kicking back into their skull or cutting through something and the weight of the saw carrying through and cutting the femoral artery. These things are easily avoided by stopping and thinking. Always visualize where it will travel to if you lose control and avoid being in that path. The hard hat and chaps are pretty helpful there too but it’s best not to do something stupid to begin with.

Chain saw manuals are generally pretty short. Read the freaking manual. They are very simple machines and understanding what the different screws and fluids are is important.

And remember: if you do cut through your femoral artery, try not to cut through your femoral artery.

Seriously though. Get a bit of safety training. It’s not just about safely using the kit, it’s about safely evaluating and planning the work to be done, learning to see the risks, etc too.

My best single piece of advice is to keep both hands on the saw grip until the blade has completely wound down. The tendency can be to get lazy and hold the saw with one hand while grabbing brush or whatever. Even a blade idling down can take your fingers and hand with it.

So fuel stabilizer is bad? Huh, I’ve always had good luck with it myself.

No, not fuel stabilizers like StaBil, the problem seems to be in the crap they add to ‘regular’ before it’s pumped.

But follow the directions on the stabilizer. I know one guy who couldn;t start his lawnmower on a mix that was half StaBil. He poured the whole can into the tank.

Beer plus chainsaw is always a bad idea. Bear, a chainsaw, and two or more bored guys are a REALLY BAD IDEA! You are not fucking Myth Busters!

When camping, do not leave the chainsaw on the ground, at night, so that when your wife gets up to pee behind a tree, with no shoes on because why would she need shoes that might get splashed on anyway, she doesn’t step on the chainsaw blade and when going down in pain and agony puts her hand on the same blade, therefore slicing her foot and hand, possible attracting zombie bears with the scent of blood and human flesh.