How to Safely Operate a Gas Chainsaw

When you’re holding a tool with sharp metal teeth moving at 90 feet per second, you should keep a few safety tips in mind:

• Gas chainsaws are only for cutting wood.
• Wear snug-fitting, heavy-duty clothes, chaps, gloves, boots, hearing protection, and safety glasses. And if you’re felling a whole tree, wear a hard hat.
• Hold firmly with both hands. Left hand in front with thumb wrapped around handle, arm straight, elbow locked. Right hand on rear handle, arm slightly bent.
• Get in a stable position, feet apart.
• Stand off to the left in case of kickback (which we’ll cover down below).

Cutting Basics

• With the saw running at full speed, press against the wood with firm, steady pressure.
• Don’t force it. Let the chain do the cutting.
• Maintain pressure until the end of the cut, then ease up to finish.
• Release the throttle control as soon as you’re done, and let the saw come to a complete stop.
• After cutting, the engine and muffler can stay hot for up to 10 minutes, so put the saw where children and pets can’t get to it.

Avoiding Kickback

Kickback happens when the chain’s rotational energy gets thrown back at you, and you lose control of the saw. Kinds of kickback to watch out for:

• ROTATIONAL KICKBACK (Don’t touch the tip)

Rotational kickback is the most common, and the most dangerous. To avoid it, never touch the upper tip of the saw to any object – otherwise the saw gets kicked back, straight at you. That’s why standing to the left is a good idea.

• LINEAR KICKBACK (Don’t pinch the chain)

If the chain gets pinched on either side by the wood being cut, the whole saw can get pushed back at you, full speed. Don’t pinch the chain.

• PULL-IN KICKBACK (Something’s in the wood)

If your saw hits a branch on the other end of the wood, or even a nail, it can yank the saw forward and away from you. Be sure to check around the area you’ll be cutting before cutting.

Besides the tips above, here are a few more ways to stay safe while cutting:

• Don’t overreach
• Don’t try to cut above your shoulders
• Don’t cut more than one log or branch at a time

If the saw does kick back, or hits something, or just starts vibrating a little too much, use the emergency stopping feature. Better safe than really, really sorry.

Your chainsaw’s most important safety feature is you.
So read your owner’s manual, and respect the saw.

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