Scott Schoepp, chapter board member and recently retired superintendent of parks for Pierce County, presented a program about the use of chain saws.
Safety gear and tips
1. Chaps or protective pants – made of strong polyester with Avertic, Engtex, Armortex, Kevlar, or Tek materials to stop the chain. Wear when cutting, then remove to preserve them. If torn, buy another pair.
2. If you begin to fall, toss the saw away from you.
3. Helmet – look for expiration date and replace as needed; the plastic deteriorates.
4. Safety glasses
5. Ear plugs in addition to earmuffs
6. Gloves – rubber coated increases your grip; oiled deer skin are comfy
7. Stop Bleed gel packs ($5-10) carry in the pouch of your chaps
8. Tourniquet – practice how to put it on $25
9. TIP: After you fell a tree, limb it up on the opposite side of the log so the log is between you and the saw blade.
Fuel
1. Never use ethanol-based fuel in small engines. At the pump, use premium fuel, which typically is ethanol free, or buy nonethanol fuel. Consider buying engineered fuel, which is expensive but has a higher octane and preservatives so your saw will last longer; it also comes pre-mixed with oil. After you use your last tank of fuel in the fall, put in engineered fuel. Winter bar oil is thinner than bar oil for the rest of the year.
2. Consider running Seafoam (an oil additive) through the engine to keep it clean and lubricate moving parts. Don’t let fuel sit in your engine for more than two months.
3. When you run out of gas, fill the bar oil, too.
Chains
1. Four types: 1) anti-kickback chain, 2) professional square tooth chain that cuts more aggressively and may have more kickback; easier to sharpen and usually has a yellow link, which serves as a caution, 3) carbide chain, which is newer on the market and more expensive (more about that later), 4) ripping chain used if you want to cut lumber from a block of wood. When you buy a saw, it typically comes with an anti-kickback chain. Most woodland owners, especially if experienced with chainsaws, use a square tooth chain.
2. Chain tightness: you shouldn’t be able to pull the chain out of the track. Start out with chain tight because it will warm up and loosen as you use it. Also, a new chain will stretch with use. A sharp chain produces big chips, not small chips or dust. This is what you want. If you have to push the saw or are getting small chips and sawdust, it’s time to sharpen the saw.
Sharpening: Scott recommends using a vise and a chain file to sharpen the chain yourself. Be sure to use the correct size file for your chain. Keep the file clean. After every 3-4 strokes, tap the file on the vice to clean out the file. If you take your chain to be sharpened at a shop, they heat up the chain and use a grinding wheel that has grit that stays on the chain; this makes it difficult for you to sharpen the saw yourself.
Rakers: These allow the chainsaw teeth to cut down into the wood; they determine how deep your chain teeth will cut into the wood. They affect how clean the cut is and how often you need to sharpen your chain. If the rakers are too high, the cut will be shallow. If they’re too low, the cut will be too deep. When filing rakers and cutters, use a one-way push.
Use a depth gauge tool to make sure both rakers are the same depth. If not, file down the higher raker so the chain cuts well. The idea is to find that happy medium where the rakers barely touch the wood.
Bar
1. Flip the bar every time you sharpen the chain, so it wears evenly.
2. Buy an extra bar and chain! If you’re cutting and your saw gets pinched in the tree, you can remove the head and install the new bar and chain so you can free the pinched bar and chain.
3. Recondition the bar: After you have sharpened the saw 3-5 times or if the little ridge on the bar catches on wood, it’s time to recondition the bar by shaving off the edges. If one edge of the trough is longer than the other, take it down to even it. You can use a bar dressing tool.
Cutting firewood at a specific length: You can buy a Mingo Marker Firewood Measuring Tool, which you roll down the felled log; the marker puts dabs of paint at specific lengths along the log. OR, you can make your own tool, which is what Scott did. Attach a large round magnet to a piece of wood that’s the desired length for your firewood. The magnet adheres to bar to show you where to cut.
Choker chain – To pull a log, wrap a chain around it using a logging chain choker hook to easily tighten the chain around the log
Chainsaw brake – essential! Make it a habit to flip on the brake before starting the engine and immediately after you finish a cut. Don’t run a saw unless the chain brake is in good running order. The chain brake stops the rotation of the cutting chain in case of a sudden movement or kickback. If the brake switch goes off, Scott says he knows he’s doing something stupid; it’s time to stop and take a break.
Chainsaw chain catcher: This little device will stop your chain if it flies off the bar. Never stand in front of someone operating a saw.
Chainsaw spikes: These sharp metal protrusions, called dogs, are at the front of the saw, along the side of the bar. They help stabilize the saw by enabling you to rest the spikes on the log and providing leverage as you cut. Use these spikes as a fulcrum, to rock the saw. They prevent chainsaw slippage and kickback and allow for more precise cuts and greater control when felling large trees.
Air compressor: An air compressor is your chainsaw’s best friend. Use it to blow out the air filter and clean the dust from the rest of the saw. Before filling your saw with gas, blow off the area first. Blow out oil parts on the bar.
Summer and winter settings: Most saws have a summer setting for temps above 25 degree and winter setting for temps below 25. Your user manual may use other temps, but in our area, this is a good guide. Take the cover off the saw. In the summer mode, a flap covers a hole and blocks warm air from circulating and overheating the engine. In winter, lift up and turn the plastic flap to the winter setting so the warm air circulates and helps prevent ice buildup.
Spark arrester: This keeps sparks from flying out and starting a fire. If the arrester is plugged, the saw won’t run smoothly. To clean it, use a propane torch to burn off any carbon.
Clutch: If your chain is stalling out, your clutch and clutch drum may need replacing, which is rather easy.
Pruning a branch that’s as big as your arm or less: First cut off the bulk of the branch about six inches above the crotch; start with a small cut from the bottom of the branch and then cut from top down. That removes most of the weight from that limb. Now, make your final cut closer to the tree; start on outside of the branch bark ridge, then cut sloping away from the tree as you cut down. If you cut close to the tree in the beginning, the branch may tear off and peel down the tree.
Picaroon – a back-saving tool; use it to pick up and move pieces of wood without bending over.
Carbide chains – pros and cons
PRO: Stays sharp for a long time. Many sharpen the chain only once a year. Cuts dirty wood (embedded dirt and stones) and at ground level where there is more dirt and stays sharp. Rapco (a vendor) will sharpen, inspect and repair any damage so it’s as good as new. See below for other vendors.
CON: $10-12 more expensive; must send in to be sharpened, which costs about $15 and takes a couple days. Doesn’t get quite as sharp as a regular chain saw. You may be able to sharpen the carbide chain yourself with a diamond rotary bit on a Dremel tool with the right chain size. Vendors:
1. Northside Power in Woodville
2. ACE Hardware in River Falls
3. Rapco Industries (https://rapcoindustries.com)
4. Amazon: UDC Parts - 16" .050 gauge 55 drive link 3/8 pitch, low vibration, low kickback for $15.99; UPFOREST CHAINSAW 3 pack - 16" 55 link, .050 gauge, 3/8 pitch for $16.49 (I couldn't believe this was a 3 pack); 8TEN (sold by Mishon Corporation) full chisel 16" .050 gauge 3/8 pitch, 55 link for $24.95.
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