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I really enjoy using my entry level saw from STIHL, strong enough to do light to medium work. Plus using the STIHL 2 in 1 chain sharpener makes it easy to use in the field.

not bad for $200 bucks, plus the woodcutter kit really saved my face this week. first use and the shield protected my face from a wood chunk its in the video around the 10 min mark.

What entry level chainsaw do you have that you like a lot?

Sorry but you have some very scary bad habits with your saw. I suggest that you get some training by a qualified operator before you maim or kill yourself...

Darryl G said:

Sorry but you have some very scary bad habits with your saw. I suggest that you get some training by a qualified operator before you maim or kill yourself...

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sure i have a lot to learn just like the next guy, I never said I was a pro lol

It's not a "lol" matter. You cut with the top side tip of your bar in a dangerous manner, cut your notch way too deep on one tree dropping it in the wrong directlion and passed under the large tree as it was falling. Really, please learn how to perform tree work properly and safely before you hurt yourself. You seem like a good guy who means well and I'm not meaning to degrade you, but you really don't know what you're doing.

For the record I'm not a tree professional but did work as a groundsman for a tree service in the 90s for a year and was trained in the safe use of a chainsaw by my arborist boss. I'm concerned for your safety...

Edit:. These guys are tree professionals and have some excellent instructional videos. Some of their methods are different from those that are conventional in the USA. https://youtu.be/u20DSLQ_8zU

Think I'd take that video down. Way too many bad things going on on it.

I don't know what an 'entry level' saw is. I only have 'big' and 'little' ones.

I wouldn't dare post a video of myself using them. I've owned chainsaws for at least 50 years and have never drawn blood but it was not because I don't have bad habits. Back when I acquired my bad habits, there were no youtube videos explaining how to do things right. Now, there are many things I used to do without giving it a second thought that I won't do today for love nor money.

But there are also things I see being done today that are things I wouldn't consider doing back then. Such as plunge cuts. A new (for me) way of felling a tree is to cut the hinge, then plunge cut all the way through the tree, then work toward the side opposite the hinge.

I haven't had the need to fell any trees lately to try it but that plunge cut still gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Only thing I've ever found of value on You-Tube video's is the horrible music people put with their video's. Makes me want to turn them off. People think they are movie stars... They aren't.:laughing:

yeah definitely the music on some videos gets on my nerves too but then again you can't have music that can be enjoyed by every single person that's watching the video that's just how it is if there's a video I like but I don't care for the music I just turn the sound off I don't cry about it LOL most the time I'll turn the video off if I can't understand what the person is saying or if I just don't like the video I don't give it too much of a thought lol.

a beginner saw is basically the lowest level brand makes of a saw if it is geared towards a homeowner that would be considered an entry-level saw but there are also entry-level saws at the pro level as well.

some people don't like the video then really bother me at all that's just how videos are some people like stuff some people don't like stuff.

I'm definitely not a pro and I don't claim to be I'm probably a little better than a total beginner because a total beginner doesn't know a single thing doesn't even know how to turn on the chainsaw doesn't even know how to put fuel in it Etc. I am learning and I do expect to learn from people who are better than me who are willing to let me know a few things here and there because I want to get better at learning about chainsaws and to get better at using chainsaws and of course the only way to do that is to get out there and do what you have been learning from people who know how to do it. I've been using chainsaws for several years never had any issues never cut myself never damaged anything always got the job done so there's more than one way to do anything there's a right way for sure and a wrong way for sure and then there are multiple ways to get the job done kind of just depends where you're at in your experience and how you choose to do things.

I for myself definitely want to learn all of the right ways as possible because I would like to grow my Channel with a playlist about chainsaws history of different brands the ability and functionality of different model chainsaws in action tune-up on chainsaws maintenance how to select different types of chainsaws for the job and so on.

so I definitely welcome all comments it's okay if I have bad habits if you don't mind Point them out to me and I will be sure to work on those so that way my video is going forward will be a lot better to the viewer it will be showing the viewer a safer way to use a chainsaw.

I appreciate everybody watching and commenting we will chat with you soon

Hi again. I'm going to make some detailed comments relating to things I think you do/did "wrong" or in an unsafe manner when I get a chance, but here's what I consider to be the biggest and most dangerous "mistake" you made. You walked under the bigger tree with your back to it after you made your final cut and then placed yourself in the possible path of it as it fell. Your escape path should be 45 degrees away from the direction of fall. I would have done the final cut with the top of the bar giving a clear escape path from it at 45 degrees.

Here are some screen shots showing what I'm talking about. Unfortunately they'll expire and be unavailable at some point in the future.

http://puu.sh/Bx1Mn.jpg
http://puu.sh/Bx22a.jpg

This guy is an "accident waiting to happen". I cut several dead trees per year to feed my outdoor wood furnace in the Winter, and if I was as careless as he is, I'd be long gone by now.

Ok. Here we go. Keep in mind that I AM NOT AN EXPERT in chainsaw use or a tree professional, but I was trained by one decades ago.

I'll start with things that I personally do that fall into the "recommended best practice" category that I'm fully aware are routinely not practiced by others.

1) I always start my saws on the ground (I don't climb with a saw) with the chain brake on and my foot in the right handle. It's the safest way.

2) Second, I always limb on the opposite side of the tree that I'm standing. That way the tree is between me and the saw.

3) I cut with the bottom rear of the bar/chain whenever possible, always checking for things that the tip of the saw can contact and cause a kickback. When cutting with the bottom of the saw, if it starts getting pinched it will pull the saw in rather than spit it out at you.

4) I usually engage the chain brake when moving around with the saw and not actually cutting. Engaging the brake is just a matter of bumping it with your wrist by rotating your left hand. Yes, I always feel like an idiot when I try to start cutting with the brake on, lol. If I haven't engaged the brake I hold the saw facing backwards with my left hand on the top handle only. The reason is that if you have your hand on the right hand handle the throttle safety is disengaged and you could accidentally hit the throttle.

5) I lock my left arm at the elbow when cutting. That way if you do get a kickback the saw will rotate up and over your head rather than into your face, assuming you have enough arm strength.

Now for the "things I saw in the video that can be dangerous" category, other than dropping one tree the wrong way and walking under another while it's falling, which I've already mentioned.

1) Working with brush under foot. You want unobstructed footing and clear paths of egress from the area. Balance and stance are very important!

2) Using your feet to stomp on the wood you're cutting with the saw still running, chain brake off and in close proximity to your legs/feet.

3) Working the saw back and forth in a sawing motion like it's a hand saw. WTF is with that?! That's how you sent that wood chip into your face and that's how you could end up creating a kickback situation. Again, cut with the back of the saw, not the tip whenever possible. Yes, you can rock it back and forth, but there's no reason to be pushing/pulling it back and forth.

4) Sweeping the saw into fine brush. That's how you derailed the chain.

5) Not giving your full attention to what you're doing and being distracted by creating a video. No, I'm not kidding.

6) Cutting all the way through wood that's laying flat on the ground. Prop it up, cut part way and then roll it over to cut the rest of the way or use a sawhorse. A sawhorse is easy to make with a couple of 2 X 4s or 2 X 6s and can be constructed so you can fold it up for transport and storage.

7) Working by yourself with nobody to provide or summon immediate help in case of an emergency.

I'm sure I could keep going. Personally I don't think you have any business doing chainsaw work on other people's properties with your current level of experience and "bad habits". I've been using chainsaws for over 20 years, was trained by and worked for an arborist and have a heavily wooded 34 acre property that I have felled/cleared countless trees on and I still will not drop a tree on someone else's property like the one that you walked under. I'm not insured for it and I'm not a tree professional. Small ornamental trees, fruit trees, saplings and trees that are already down with nothing in the vicinity to damage I will do. Speaking of trees and parts of trees that are already down, they have their own dangers. For storm damage cleanup I use my power pole pruner a lot, at least to start with. Limbs that are under tension can be hard to see and read when they're in a tangle of other limbs and can be deadly if they spring and hit you. It's nice to be able to do it with a "chain saw on a stick" from 10 feet away. :smile:

Oh, one more thing. Not all trees are suitable to be felling with the standard hinge method. That includes dead/rotted trees and some softer woods. Trees with heavy leans and/or curved trunks can also be very tricky.

Tree work is a specialty. It's one thing to cut up wood at your wood pile or take down trees on your own property and entirely another to be taking trees down on someone else's property. IMO, that's best left to professionals/experts or at least those who have been trained by one and are properly insured for the work.

kblackmer100 said:

sure i have a lot to learn just like the next guy, I never said I was a pro lol

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So you admit that you have bad habits , do not know what you are doing and have never been formally trained.

SO why the hell did you post the video ?

You claim to be Veterans.
I only spent a few months in basic during the conscription years but if you are indicative of how the USA trains their troops no wonder all the current engagements are such a mess
I see nothing in your video to suggest it was made by a man who was ever trained in anything, let alone proper use of a chainsaw.
Admittedly we were a bunch of stupid teenagers but personal safety was drummed into every ones head from the second we stepped out of the bus closely followed by discipline
I don't usually waste my time watching videos here because it is in peak download time but as yours has created so much comment, I watched them at home.
I see nothing in there that indicates the person shown can even spell discipline & safety let alone follow them.
After watching all of them there is not single one that is worth the energy in the electrons playing them

The original post was fine, endorsing a particular saw but the video is nothing short of two drunken idiots fooling around with dangerous equipment.

I like to keep an open mind about people on the forum.
Your avatar suggested you were shop trying to get some cheap & cheesy advertising but you profile says you are an Echo tragic then you post this about Stihl , which suggest otherwise.
The text of your posts still suggest you are just using the forum to inflate your own ego, elevate your U-tube standing and flogg your mowing service.
If the moderators end up feeling this is the case then you and everything you had posted will get removed without a trace.

My business is repairing lawn care equipment, not using them , but I do have all of the local contractors on my books, even if it is just for lower priced parts sales, but to a man , all of them wear appropriate safety cloths.
Now perhaps you are so bullet proof that mower blades & projectiles flying out of long grass will just bounce off your feet and broken bottles hidden in the long grass can not cut them either, but even the most impoverished , foolish & intellectually impaired of my customers know the value of their feet & wear protective footwear .And around 40 of them came out of sheltered workshops.
And again all of the real veterans I have associated with were nothing short of paranoid about foot protection & care yet you seem to treat yours with contempt, it just does not gel to me.

Everyones opinions are valued and of equal value and I am sure you have some knowledge that can & will be of help to others but if you are going to stay here please refrain from posting any more trash videos

It's ok Bert, you can just say how you feel without the need for being so politically correct.:laughing:

The video has been removed by YouTube for violation of their terms of service. Hmmm....

That was probably the only thing it did not violate.
One of the good things about living here is the lack of false niceness.
Very few will look you in the eyes, parrot off "Haave a Nice Daaaye" then give you the bird while your back is turned.
The government is trying to get the paralysing UK political correctness made law but it is meeting strong resistance.
We are by & large plain talking which means I can call a S'head a S'head to their face so they know it & I know they know it.
All of this two faced insult slinging creates more problems as it causes the precious to try and read meanings ( intended or otherwise ) into everything.
Add to this training in engineering where plain talk is manditory you can become very blunt in communications.

The summer bush flies make this worse cause you don't want to have your mouth open for too long either.

I was thinking of dropping this dead black birch tree on my property and thought of this thread. I had mentioned that dropping dead and leaning trees can be tricky.

Case in point - It looks like a simple drop but it's not. It has a lean and a clear drop zone in that direction. The problem is that it is badly rotted so if you try to notch it, it could just snap off and slam you in the face and the wood isn't strong enough to have a hinge control it anyway. If you just try to cut it on a slant it can slide off the stump and travel backwards as it falls. But the biggest hazard in my mind is the rotted top breaking off as it falls and traveling backwards. Most of this isn't obvious to a novice tree cutter. This is the kind of tree that a novice shouldn't attempt to drop.

All in all, I'd prefer to not cut hollow-out dead trees at all. That said, I'd rather cut one that is leaning than one standing straight up.

cpurvis said:

All in all, I'd prefer to not cut hollow-out dead trees at all. That said, I'd rather cut one that is leaning than one standing straight up.

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I'll drop it with my pole pruner from the side 10 feet away when my son is here this weekend so I have someone to help clean it up and to act as a safety spotter. :smile:

Suppose it is different in the USA but we leave trees like that standing.
At best we might cut it about 1/2 height.
So many natives live in rotten trees and finally most of the rednecks down here are realizing they are all greatly beneficial.

bertsmobile1 said:

Suppose it is different in the USA but we leave trees like that standing.
At best we might cut it about 1/2 height.
So many natives live in rotten trees and finally most of the rednecks down here are realizing they are all greatly beneficial.

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I leave as much standing deadwood as I can but there's actually a trail that runs below that berm in the background within reach of the tree and on the foreground side of it is the access to the brush pile my wife uses for the woody wastes from the veggie garden that don't compost well. So it's a hazard. If you look at the base you might be able to make out the stump from the other a larger part of it that already broke off.