How to use a chainsaw Working with chainsaws, part 1

Maintenance before starting
Starting a cold engine
Other starting situations
Starting inspections

Chainsaw Academy

8/14/2018

How to start a chainsaw

Before starting your chainsaw, be sure to read the operator’s manual for your particular saw since controls may vary between different models. Also, make sure you always observe regulations in your area.

The chain brake should be activated when you start the chainsaw. Many chainsaw models can be started in what is known as ‘half-throttle’ position. In this position, the chain can rotate – if the chain brake is not activated. There are two safe positions to start your chainsaw: on the ground, or with the saw between your legs.

Method

The two starting positions

On the ground

2 steps

01.

Stand with your right foot in the rear handle and keep a firm grip on the front handle with your left hand. Keep your left arm straight.

02.

Pull the starter handle with your right hand. Repeat until the engine fires.

How to use a chainsaw Working with chainsaws, part 1

Video

How to start a chainsaw 545 39s 16:9 MASTER

Start the chainsaw between your legs

2 steps

01.

Place the rear handle between your left thigh and behind your right knee.

02.

Hold the front handle firmly with your left hand. Make sure to keep your left arm straight.

Chainsaw Academy - Start the chainsaw between your legs

Method

How to start a cold engine

4 steps

01.

Activate the chain brake.

02.

If the saw is equipped with Air Purge/fuel pump, press the bulb (prime) a few times until the fuel becomes visible and enters the carburettor.

03.

Pull the starter handle until the engine fires. Push the choke (half-throttle) and pull again until the saw starts.

04.

Accelerate (rev) so that the engine idles and then release the chain brake.

Method

Starting a hot engine

The chainsaw starts without the choke when the engine is hot. Follow the instructions above, but omit the points relating to the choke. If the engine is difficult to start, apply half-throttle. You access the half-throttle function by first fully activating the choke. Then move the control back.

Starting inspections

Should your saw not pass any of the following inspections, you shouldn’t under any circumstances use it.

Always inspect these functions every time you start to use the chainsaw:

Method

Inertia function inspection

3 steps

01.

Turn off the saw and hold it with the guide bar over a stump or any other stable object. The distance between the stump and the guide bar is dependent on the chainsaw model and guide bar length.

02.

Release the front handle and allow gravity to bring the chainsaw down, rotating around the rear handle, towards the stump.

03.

When the guide bar hits the stump, the chain brake should be triggered.

How to use a chainsaw Working with chainsaws, part 1

Method

Chain brake inspection

5 steps

01.

Start the saw. Hold the chainsaw firmly by the front and rear handles.

02.

Accelerate and then release the throttle.

03.

Activate the chain brake by turning your left wrist towards the guard. Do not let go of the front handle.

04.

The chain should now stop immediately.

05.

If the saw is fitted with TrioBrake™, repeat but now activate the rear brake guard by moving your right wrist upwards until it reaches and activates the brake. The chain should stop immediately.

Working with chainsaws part 1

Method

Chain lubrication inspection

2 steps

01.

Start the chainsaw. Hold the saw over a stump or a log and rev up the engine.

02.

Chain lubrication is working properly if there is a line of oil left on the stump or log.

Video

How to check that chain lubrication works Chainsaws 27s 16:9 MASTER

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How to choose the right chainsaw

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Personal protective equipment

Last edited: 10/16/2025

Published: 8/14/2018

Part 1Basic tree felling

Working with chainsaws

Chainsaw safety basics

Working with a chainsaw involves many different work situations with both simple and more complicated steps. The chainsaw is a very effective tool, but it can also be dangerous if used improperly. In order to avoid accidents and unnecessary strain, you should use the correct working techniques, the best possible safety equipment and a modern chainsaw with functioning safety features.

Filing the chain

The chainsaw and guide bar should be fixed in a position that ensures stability, and in a way that makes it possible for you to have both hands free for filing. The easiest way is to use a vice on a workbench to secure the guide bar. Make sure the chain is properly tensioned – preferably harder than while cutting – so that it doesn’t move around. For extra stability, you can always activate the chain break.

Planning and felling

How to prepare for felling a tree

It is important that you plan tree felling very carefully. Trees must be felled safely and in the direction that you want them to fall. Well-planned felling also makes it easier to continue with your planned work. The factor that first and foremost affects tree felling is whether there are major obstacles in the area (overhead lines, roads and buildings, etc.). Deploy warning signs if you know that the forestry area is crossed by a road or that a lot of people pass through the area every day.

How to use tree felling tools

The size of the tree determines which felling tools you need to use. For the smallest trees, you do not normally need the felling tools. Hand force is enough, possibly with a long pole. The felling wedge provides greater felling force than the different types of breaking bar. In extreme cases, you can use a rope and winch, which is the safest and most powerful way to fell a tree.

How to remove a hang-up tree

If you accidentally fell a tree into another – always start by taking a break and thinking through the situation calmly. Removing a trapped tree is always a hazardous undertaking and there is no need to rush. Choose the safest solution to the problem even if it takes longer. There are several options. Do not be afraid to call for help – your safety is more important than anything else.

Limbing and crosscutting

How to crosscut a tree

Cutting up a tree trunk into desired lengths can be complicated. For example, the trunk might be very thick; be on a slope; or is lying directly on the ground. Before you begin, carefully consider the condition of the trunk, the stresses that are affecting it, and how the log end will move when you cut through it. Plan the crosscutting procedure carefully, especially for larger logs. An incorrect work technique can be dangerous and cause the trunk to split or the guide bar to become pinched.

Trunks located on a sharp slope

Trees standing on a slope should preferably be felled up the slope so that work can proceed as safely as possible. When working a trunk that is lying on a sharp slope, always stand at the top side of the trunk. Never stand where there is a risk that logs or the whole trunk roll or slide towards you. To support the trunk, keep the hinge intact if there is one, and keep locking branches in place when working.

Part 2Advanced tree felling

Tools

Felling wedges

In many ways, felling wedges are the humble heroes in advanced felling situations, providing remarkable lifting force for greater control and precision. As you know from your basic training, wedges are inserted before the felling cut is complete, and are knocked in with an axe or an impact breaking bar. They help the tree fall in the direction of the notch cut by lifting the tree in that direction. Wedges also prevent the tree from pinching the saw, or leaning back on the saw, while making a back cut. In addition, wedges can be used to release a pinched saw.

Planning

Work Plan

Safety is built on knowledge. Once you have inspected the worksite and the tree, and assessed the risks, it’s time to develop the work plan. But remember that identifying and mitigating risks is a continuous effort at every stage in your planning. For example, be aware that the work methods you decide on as part of your work plan, also have risks that you need to deal with. The same is true for the tools you need to complete the task. Know the risks!

Communicate and Prepare

Be sure to communicate the worksite risk assessment and the work plan to all members of your team. Everybody should understand the risks and the plan for executing the task. It is also now time to prepare yourself, your team and the worksite – taking preventive actions based on the risk assessment. Put on your PPE, block off the worksite, clear your escape routes, position your vehicle so that it is ready for immediate departure in case of urgency, and get out the first aid kit before you start working. Once all team members have signalled a “thumbs up”, the time has come to execute the task.

Execute and Adjust

Now that you have carefully performed and followed each step in the work plan, you and your team are ready to execute the plan. This is where all the time and effort spent with the worksite inspection, the VTA, the worksite risk assessment and deciding on a proper work method really pays off. Making it more likely that you can complete the task safely. But remember: a good plan is not written in stone. More likely than not, you will have to adjust it as you carry out your work.

Essential knowledge for advanced tree felling

Lifting height & Felling force

The lifting height is the distance that the felling tool must push apart the felling cut before the tree falls on its own accord. The diagram shows the required lifting height for different tree diameters, including the saw cut. The values apply to Nordic tree species and trunk forms and should be considered as a guide, not as exact figures. Using the diagram you can, for example, see if you need several wedges in height to bring down the tree.

Leaning trees

Felling across the lean

A tree that leans across the direction of felling wants to fall to the side of your line of sight. You should compensate for the side lean by aiming by the same distance in the opposite direction as the tree is leaning. For example: if the tree leans 1 m to the right, aim at least 1 m to the left. Insert the felling wedge at an oblique angle from the side of the lean allowing the felling force to shore up the tree.

Special trees

Split and crack prone tree species

Splits in the trunks are primarily caused by the internal natural tension in the wood on hard or very hard wood, such as beech. During felling or cutting much of the tension is released. Wood that splits during felling can be a major safety hazard. Split wood can also result in timber losses and, consequently, financial losses. Here are two methods you can use to avoid splitting.

Processing of storm-felled forest