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If you’re new to using a hand-held chainsaw, I’d like to show you how to make the most out of it, otherwise you could burn it out in a matter of hours.

The sale of hand-held chainsaws has gone through the roof due to huge demand in their benefits. These little amazing cutting devices do just as good a job as the big traditional two hand-held chainsaws often considered too powerful and lethal.

You can buy a small hand-held chainsaw in the UK for anywhere from £40.00 to £60.00

In this article I’m going to show you how to make a single hand-held chainsaw work to the maximum and last as long as possible because inappropriate or incorrect usage can cause them to fail or burnout in a very short period of time.

If you don’t know what you’re doing with them you could break it or cause it to last only two or three hours of work when you should at least get some good use out of it for several months at least.

Firstly, when unpacking your chainsaw ensure that the chain that will be already fitted to it is set to the right tension. It should be quite tight with just a little bit of flexibility.

I advise you buy some chainsaw oil although you can use engine oil but the difference between engine oil and chainsaw oil is sticky and when you put a drop between your finger and thumb, you’ll see long sticky strands coming off and this stickiness helps the oil to stay on your chain longer. Buying the correct chain oil is essential and it is very cheap.

You can buy a one litre bottle of chain oil off Amazon for around £5.00 or £6.00 pounds.

You can either pour it into an old washing up liquid bottle or ideally put it into a tub of some kind with a small paintbrush and take it with you when you are cutting branches and every so often brush oil all over the chain and along the slider and this will ensure the maximum use for your chain and its life.

When cutting branches don’t put any force or pressure on the saw instead just firmly hold it with gentle pressure and let the chain do the cutting and again ensure you lubricate it by brushing on the oil as you go.

When placing the chain onto the branch and pulling the trigger, let the saw pull you forward till it reaches its stopping point, and that stopping point will be held against that branch being cut and then gently let it cut through. If you hold the saw where the chain is making contact with the branch halfway down the chain this will pull you forward and you’ll tend to want to pull back.

This is something you should avoid. Place the chain position on the branch nearer the handle so it then pulls you forward to the stop point that’s where you then cut from, so as you press down you won’t be pulled forward whilst you’re cutting the branch.

Pay particular attention to the position you place the chain on the branch and make sure it’s at 90 degrees and not at a discombobulated angle and take care you with each cut. Proceed with each cut in good style, efficiently with mindfulness and paying attention to what you’re doing.

Although an average 6-inch chainsaw could cut through a 6-inch log or even an 8-inch log or branch, you shouldn’t really use these small chainsaws anything over 3 or 4 inches and I would say 4 inches maximum because all you’ll do is put pressure on the motor and anything that puts pressure on the motor must be avoided.

You will also ware down the chain really quickly or in other words you’ll blunt it out.

The size of branches that are ideal to cut are two, three and 4 inches possibly starting with one and a half inches. Anything which is under an inch should be avoided.

Branches that are as thick as your finger or thumb that are flexible and loose will cause the chain to bounce up and down or cause the whole unit to bounce up and down in your hand and it will judder and kick back and all it will do is put repetitive juddering pressure on the motor and contribute to a shorter life and subsequently burn it out.

If you continue to cut very thin branches it will just bounce and hop around and scream back at you with noise not cuts.

Stay away from the very thin wispy branches. Stay away from the thick branches, going over 4 or 5 inches should be avoided.

It’s best to have an accompanying hand-held bandsaw for the big branches and again you can buy 3-foot-long bandsaw for about £15.00 to £20.00 pounds off Amazon and a blade will cost you around £3.00 to £5,00 pounds which can last you for months.

Failure to do this will result in the chainsaw burning out along with continued nonstop usage will also cause it to overheat.

Although most have overheating cut off points when it reaches a certain temperature. If you go at it like a bull in a China shop after about 30 minutes you can burn the motor out.

I would say continuous cutting of logs and branches should not be carried out any more than 25 minutes or you will learn out the hard way.

To recap

The worst thing you can do is put heavy pressure on the branch because you’re impatient and rushing and that will contribute to fast motor burnout.

Cutting oversized logs and putting pressure on the saw will also result in an early life of the saw and a blunting out of the chain.

If you follow these guidelines, you should have a saw that will last you a few months although I’ll be surprised if they last any more than a year for continued use.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve got through several of these saws which I now call them throw way saws.

I learned not to do the above advise by actually doing it. I was getting maybe 5 hours life out of one and then I was having to throw it in the bin and buy another one but each time each unit would pay for itself so they’re very cost effective even if you over use or stress them out.

Essential safety – Warnings!

Two things which are paramount and failure acquire these items is beyond foolish.

Firstly, ensure you buy a pair of good quality goggles which can also be purchased off Amazon for £10.00 or £15.00 and ensure these goggles are completely sealed and not just flimsy cheap glasses that are often supplied with the chainsaw as these will let in bits of chippings underneath or around the glass and are not 100% safe.

Ensure you also buy a pair of chainsaw gloves. They come in right- or left-handed sizes, meaning for a right-handed person where you hold the saw with the right hand then it’s the left glove that is reinforced.

And vice versa for left-handed people and these are around £15.00 again off Amazon and will protect your limbs and fingers.

Complacency

Warning – after long periods of time using a chainsaw you become conditioned and complacent or in other words less sensitive or vigilant to the risk and this is when problems can happen and you can cause some lethal damage.

Reminder cheap gloves or flimsy eye protection are never going to be bargains. These are dangerous liabilities.

Obviously, the saw is very powerful and dangerous but that’s not the real danger, the real danger is your own thinking or lack of it. Every new user always starts off carefully and cautiously.

At the beginning you grip the saw like it’s radioactive and you check everything several times over. You stay on the healthy side of caution but then 15 minutes in your brain starts to relax and your vigilance disappears, the noise becomes familiar and you don’t feel that danger or threat feeling anymore and the motions become just routine. And that’s when the danger starts it’s the silent threat and complacency that will get you!

The more confident you become, the more you risk hospitalised open wound in your flesh. Beware – Be Aware!

The more confident you become the more you become desensitised and your brain stops flagging danger and gives you the sense that you’ve figured it out and that’s when stupid mistakes happen.

If you choose to ignore this warning then make sure at least you’ve got a bag of frozen peas in the freezer so when your family member picks up your fingers, they can at least freeze them so the hospital can sew them back on – sorry but that was my sense of humour – I don’t want you to be hurt.

My advice to you is stay grounded and remind yourself deliberately, on purpose that this tool can remove a finger or tear muscles or shred through bone faster than your mind can stop it and it’s a reality.

Professional tree surgeons have to comply with strict dangerous warnings in their training and everything has to be abided by before beginners can be allowed up trees.

Author’s Note:

Respect this cheap tool with your life.

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