How to Work with Chainsaws: Full Guide With Tips and Tricks

Chainsaws provide homeowners the opportunity to trim their tree gardens and cut firewood without engaging professionals. However, first-time users get apprehensive when using the tool, citing safety concerns. Of course, improper use of these machines can be hazardous; loss of limbs, injuries to the neck and head, and even death. I thought I’d put together an article to help beginners understand how to work with a chainsaw safely to cut trees, and logs.

These are just a few chainsaw tips for beginners to feel confident when handling a chainsaw. There is a host of other activities that beginners need to learn when using chainsaws.

You first need to get acquainted with the three basic tasks that come with operating the machine: bucking, limbing, and felling. Bucking involves cutting the cut tree trunk to length while limbing is the removal of the branches of the cut tree. Felling involves skillfully cutting the tree so that it falls where it is expected, so it is important that you take the appropriate precautionary steps before doing it.

Before discussing limbing, bucking, and felling, you need to know how to cut with a chainsaw. You begin by checking the controls, bar, handles, the chain's tension and sharpness. Be sure to fill the oil and gas reservoirs before using the saw.

Starting the chainsaw

Several pulls should get the saw popping; at this point, deactivate the choke and pull the starter rope. The chainsaw should start.

How to Work with a chainsaw to Cut Down a Tree

When you are using a chainsaw to cut a tree, it is important to plan for the fall. These steps should help you know how to use a chainsaw to cut down a tree:

How to Work with a Chainsaw to Cut Logs

Begin by trimming any branches on the log. A sixteen-inch chainsaw provides ample cutting speed, power, and capacity without being too heavy. You can then cut the log into small pieces (16 inches long) for use in fireplaces or woodstoves. Be sure not to cut the log all the way if it is lying on the ground. As such, make a shallow groove into the wood and space them evenly without busting out the tape measure.

Don't cut the log using the nose as it may cause a kickback. Place the motor housing on the end of the log and let the bar lie flat on the log. When you have cut ¾ of the way through the log, roll it 180-degrees and cut through the remaining quarter.

How to Work with a Chainsaw to Cut Large Logs

How to Cut Firewood

The best way to cut firewood to length is to slice the log into eight-foot logs. The standard length for cutting firewood is sixteen inches. These steps should guide you through the process:

Electric chainsaws are ideal for light landscaping duties like pruning and trimming branches and felling small trees for firewood. The only downside to using electric chainsaws is that it is less powerful when compared to regular gas-powered chainsaws. Additionally, it has to be tethered to a power extension cord, which limits your scope of work. Here's how to use an electric chainsaw:

How to Work with ​a Chainsaw Safely

Before using a chainsaw, read the owner’s manual to understand the safety features and all the controls. Knowing how to use a chainsaw safely also involves wearing protective gear for ear and eye protection, hard hat, heavy-duty gloves, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of sturdy boots.

A chainsaw helmet comes fitted with a mesh face shield, and flip-up earmuffs may come in handy. You need to hold the front handle using the left hand with the thumb wrapped underneath when cutting. Note that the saw cuts best when the engine is activated at full throttle.

It is only possible by cutting the compression wood first as it allows the log to move towards the direction of tension. When bucking large logs, make several cuts to release tension wood; for small logs, however, two cuts are enough. The first bucking cut should be shallow, as it is intended to severe a short length of compressed wood. The second cut should release the tensioned wood.