
R U Ready Survival

Chain Saws

Chain saws, (also known as power saws), are available in gas, electric or super quite, battery power. Chain saws come in a variety of sizes from small one handed units used for trimming and light cutting, to larger saws used in the forestry industry for falling very large trees. Chain saws are useful for so many chores, from cutting blow-down trees, cutting fire wood, falling, bucking and construction.
Gas engine chain saws use a gas/oil mixture and use chain oil to keep the chain lubricated on the bar. Bar and chain length depends on the horse power of the chain saw. Bar length start at 10 inches up to an incredible 59 inches made by Stihl. Chains start at 1/4 inch pitch to a .325 inch pitch. The most common pitch is 3/8 inch. The top of the chain is the cutting edge and the raker is the dept gauge for the cutter, the part between the two is called the gullet. Looking at the sawdust that the saw creates will tell you if the raker needs to be filed. A sharp chain should pull into the wood and do all the work producing course sawdust. Round files must match the correct size of the cutters and flat files are used on the rakers of the chain.
Using chain saws can be very useful but can also be a dangerous tool. If they're not operated carefully, you can cut your limbs or have it kickback and do serious damage. Kickback happens when the tip of the blade catches on a hard surface, (usually when your cutting upwards, the chain is running in the forward motion, causing the tip of the bar to kick upward), chain saws normally have chain brakes to prevent this from happening. Everything depends on the height and the angle your holding the saw.
There are dozens of different make and models to choose from and I've personally owned at least six different makes.
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