Thread: Cheap Chainsaw

I love this s... when it gets personal. Beats the crap out of boring technical threads.

But on a serious note. Some of the uninformed comments here regarding hand tool use show just how dangerous they can be. I spent time as a technical rep for Makita and was responsible for training commercial users in the use of hand tools including chainsaws. (was also a timber cutter for a number of years and involved in chainsaw racing) For the uninformed (gotta keep it personal) a top handle chainsaw of low power has a far greater potential for uncontrolled kickback than a saw with a rear handle. The leverage offered and ability to control kickback (and control the chainsaw) when your hands are close together is significantly less than a rear handled saw. (some authorities require specific additional training for their people to use top handle saws).

Some kickback/chainsaw facts- chainsaws operate at high rpm typically 10000 to 13000rpm. With a 7 tooth drive sprocket (3.5 cutting teeth per 7 drive links) at 10000 rpm that will be approximately 35000 potential kickbacks every minute, 35000 teeth every minute going past your private bits. With 325 pitch chain, engine speed at 10000rpm, 7 tooth drive sprocket, one revolution will equal approx. 100mm of chain. so 100mm x 10000 rpm equals 1 000 000 mm per minute or 60 000 000 mm per hour or 60 kph or 16 mps(I think).

Kickback occurs when the chain stops and a force equal to but opposing is then incurred. So in a kickback situation the end of you chainsaw bar is now coming back at you at 16mps. Human reaction time is approximately .2 of a second so your chainsaw has already cut your head/arm etc and is somewhere behind you before you are able to react.

This forum is way to small to cover something as serious as hand tool use so the main thing to remember with all hand tools is they can and will bite you when you least expect it, and the scariest hand tools to use, circular saw and 9" grinder with a cutting disc by far.

Originally Posted by mcrover

Fair statement, Although it was a sweeping genralisation i stand by my comment. In the end a $1000 chainsaw can produce the same result as a $99.00 when an accident occurs.

Well I gotta pipe up here, cause your sweeping statement is manure

I've got a Stihl 066, that's 96cc of saw(for those who didn;t know) with a 24" bar

A dolmar 6200, 62cc with 21" bar

I DON'T use the correct PPE, ever

I wear gloves, glasses and if sawing for a bit, ear plugs or muffs

EVERYBODY I know, outside of work, where they have to kit up to saw out jam ups, DOESN'T wear all the PPE, 1 Mate has, a husky 96ish cc with 26" bar, a 066, and a 034, DOESN'T wear all the safety apparel, my old man, has a 066, a 66cc husky and used to have all the old chainbrakeless bangers, DOESN'T wear all the PPE...............The list goes on and on and on and on...........

There you have, 3 well to do finiancially people, who afford saws of all caliburs, willy nilly, DON'T wear all the correct PPE

Its a hinderance, a pain and as stated before, like airbags, you don;t need the safety devices unless it turns to shate

[generalization mode]
Guys I don't think it's the price, it's the ease of accessability the low price gives to chainsaws for "Mr no-common-sense" who should not be using one in the first place. Sensible people weigh up the minor details like safety/price/performance/regularity of use. Even if it is cheap, they may we say I would only use it once a year, so for that I'll continue to burn a few extra calories and use a bushman's saw. Thus, 'cheap' isn't the problem per se...
[/generalization mode]

It's true you can't legislate against stupidity, but there is a good reason behind (for example) not letting new drivers behind the wheel of high powered vehicles in Victoria, not allowing us all to drive under the influence etc etc... personally I would say that most should have learned that operating any machinery under the influence is a stupid idea, but plenty of people still do it.

PS - I don't use the full PPE, never have...

At some stage common sense has to prevail, i wouldnt go and try and cut down a 100ft river red gum with a $99 CS and no safety gear and no idea what i was doing , i only use my little saw for firewood if i wanted to cut down a large tree in my backyard i would get a professional to do it. You only have to see a few vids on tv of how not to use a CS. Anything is dangerous to an idiot !

Originally Posted by EchiDna

[generalization mode]
Guys I don't think it's the price, it's the ease of accessability the low price gives to chainsaws for "Mr no-common-sense" who should not be using one in the first place. Sensible people weigh up the minor details like safety/price/performance/regularity of use. Even if it is cheap, they may we say I would only use it once a year, so for that I'll continue to burn a few extra calories and use a bushman's saw. Thus, 'cheap' isn't the problem per se...
[/generalization mode]

It's true you can't legislate against stupidity, but there is a good reason behind (for example) not letting new drivers behind the wheel of high powered vehicles in Victoria, not allowing us all to drive under the influence etc etc... personally I would say that most should have learned that operating any machinery under the influence is a stupid idea, but plenty of people still do it.

PS - I don't use the full PPE, never have...

Seen the injuries caused by a bow saw?

I'd rather use the $99 one

Originally Posted by rovercare

Well I gotta pipe up here, cause your sweeping statement is manure

I've got a Stihl 066, that's 96cc of saw(for those who didn;t know) with a 24" bar

A dolmar 6200, 62cc with 21" bar

I DON'T use the correct PPE, ever

I wear gloves, glasses and if sawing for a bit, ear plugs or muffs

EVERYBODY I know, outside of work, where they have to kit up to saw out jam ups, DOESN'T wear all the PPE, 1 Mate has, a husky 96ish cc with 26" bar, a 066, and a 034, DOESN'T wear all the safety apparel, my old man, has a 066, a 66cc husky and used to have all the old chainbrakeless bangers, DOESN'T wear all the PPE...............The list goes on and on and on and on...........

There you have, 3 well to do finiancially people, who afford saws of all caliburs, willy nilly, DON'T wear all the correct PPE

Its a hinderance, a pain and as stated before, like airbags, you don;t need the safety devices unless it turns to shate

Pretty much the same - I wear muffs, glasses, gloves, steelcaps, and sock savers - usually jeans as well - not that they will save much.

A couple of my uncles are/were farmers. One has an 088 and an 034, wears pretty much the same and does quote a lot of logging on his 700 acre property, and the nearby SF (logging permit). However he has recently started making "rustic" furtiture as a sideline, so may have started wearing chaps as he uses the saws all day every day now.

I don't know what saws my other uncle had, but I know he didn't wear chaps (or much else). He was unfortunately killed in a logging accident - but nothing to do with the saw - his 6x6 tractor slid down a ravine, collecting an entire tree (1.5m diameter trunk) on the way down.

But what loanrangie says also applies. If I was going to do any serious logging I would get some chaps and a hardhat.

Originally Posted by rovercare

Well I gotta pipe up here, cause your sweeping statement is manure

I've got a Stihl 066, that's 96cc of saw(for those who didn;t know) with a 24" bar

A dolmar 6200, 62cc with 21" bar

I DON'T use the correct PPE, ever

I wear gloves, glasses and if sawing for a bit, ear plugs or muffs

EVERYBODY I know, outside of work, where they have to kit up to saw out jam ups, DOESN'T wear all the PPE, 1 Mate has, a husky 96ish cc with 26" bar, a 066, and a 034, DOESN'T wear all the safety apparel, my old man, has a 066, a 66cc husky and used to have all the old chainbrakeless bangers, DOESN'T wear all the PPE...............The list goes on and on and on and on...........

There you have, 3 well to do finiancially people, who afford saws of all caliburs, willy nilly, DON'T wear all the correct PPE

Its a hinderance, a pain and as stated before, like airbags, you don;t need the safety devices unless it turns to shate

For years I didnt use or own chaps or anything like that and never hurt myself but I did come close a couple of times.

My oldman worked on the CRB for years and was fairly safety concious because of that so ear mufs and goggles were always with the saws and we always wore steel caps anyway and it's too cold in winter to be wearing shorts and T shirts in Merrijig so we were fairly well covers as you should be so I know where your coming from there Matt.

Im not saying that someone experienced will hurt them selves with this saw as I have said before and ecidna has also just said, it opens the door to that bloke in shorts t shirt thongs, beer in hand, no eye, hand or ear protection who is cutting down a 20m high tree in his back yard.......just because now he owns a chainsaw and they can do that you know......

I have seen this and Im sure most of us that hang around people who like to try it them selves would have seen it.....some of our freinds and family shouldnt have access to tools like this and seems $100 isnt much money these days, just about anyone could afford it, thats all nothing more than that.

Im not having a go at anyone, Im not saying he said he said, I call a spade a spade and a ....head a ....head thats all.

I really didnt expect that my small general statment would have stretched out to this but it has, Im beginning to think that it isnt so much that I dissagree with many people just that a few people on here know that I will argue the point if they push the buttons the right way and get entertainment out of it.

Matt, you and your mates are free to do what you want, Im not the chainsaw police but I will say as did Bushrover, you wont out run the chainsaw so just keep that in mind if you find yourself drop starting without chaps on or leaning over looking down the cut or for some reason, trying to cut in the upper quadrant of the bar tip and you should be fine as is your mate and your Dad as you guys obviously already have the common sense to use the things properly anyway.

Dont go cutting an arm off or something, it may slow down the engine transplants and stuff that we all read your posts for...

On that note, get back out to the shed and finish that rangie....

Originally Posted by isuzurover

Pretty much the same - I wear muffs, glasses, gloves, steelcaps, and sock savers - usually jeans as well - not that they will save much.

A couple of my uncles are/were farmers. One has an 088 and an 034, wears pretty much the same and does quote a lot of logging on his 700 acre property, and the nearby SF (logging permit). However he has recently started making "rustic" furtiture as a sideline, so may have started wearing chaps as he uses the saws all day every day now.

I don't know what saws my other uncle had, but I know he didn't wear chaps (or much else). He was unfortunately killed in a logging accident - but nothing to do with the saw - his 6x6 tractor slid down a ravine, collecting an entire tree (1.5m diameter trunk) on the way down.

But what loanrangie says also applies. If I was going to do any serious logging I would get some chaps and a hardhat.

OUCH