GardenFork – Eclectic DIY

Tag: chain saw video

Is This How To Cut Down A Tree? – GF Video
When you are learning how to cut down a tree, its best to start with trees smaller than this one, but even after doing this for years, I still make mistakes. Thankfully, nothing bad happened this time. Watch the video to see. And then check out the safety gear that is a must have for chainsaw safety.

Here are the basics of how to cut down a tree:
- Use and wear safety gear. (list here)
- Plan the cut, study the tree.
- Plan your escape route.
- Use a sharp chainsaw chain, new is best.
- Wedge your back cut.
- Be very careful.
There are many posts on how to cut down a tree, here I’ll touch on some of the techniques I use.

If you don’t wear safety gear, you need your head examined.

Plan your exit from the tree 45 degrees from the back of the tree. Make sure you have a clear path, with no obstacles to trip on. Turn off your chainsaw after making your cuts and before you start your exit.

I use a 70 degree wedge cut that cuts the front 20% of the tree. The wedge faces the direction you want the tree to fall. Some will cut the bottom of the wedge flat level, I think the longer the tree stays hinged, the more control it has, so I cut the bottom part of the wedge lower.

Not a perfect hinge, but it worked.

The back cut is ideally about an inch above the center of the wedge cut. In this chainsaw video, that didn’t happen. Going forward I am going to chalk or spray paint the cut lines on the tree before I start. When you are actually cutting the tree, it can be hard to make sure the chainsaw stays level.

I use plastic tree felling wedges to keep the tree from pinching the saw or worse, falling back on itself. You can use wedges for several types of tree felling cuts. Be sure to use plastic wedges that are designed to be used with chainsaws, metal wedges will damage the chainsaw if you happen to touch saw to wedge while working the tree.

A sharp chainsaw chain is so important. Dull saws can hurt you and the saw, and hamper your tree felling. I will buy a new chain for a large tree.

Learn about the must-have safety gear when felling trees here

If you have the least bit of hesitation, don’t do this. Hire a professional to cut down the tree. You can then go in and cut it up for firewood.
April 29, 2016
Cutting Firewood With A Chainsaw – GF Video

We dropped a tree that was dead last fall, of course we made a video about that click here, and we needed to cut the tree up into firewood for the wood stove at the camp, so I had my phone camera with me while we worked. So out come the chainsaws, safety gear, and camera. It took a while to cut this hardwood cherry up, dead wood can wear out your chain quick.

In this video we use a peavey to move the tree and the logs. Its a great tool to have, makes it much easier to roll stuff and save your back. We talk some about using the peavey here.

The most important thing when cutting firewood is to keep in mind what it is going to be used for. This is for a woodstove, so we measured the wood stove opening and then marked the tree accordingly to make sure each log was just the right length to fit in the stove. Don’t want to do all that work and then find out the firewood wont fit, not a good thing.

This tree had been dead a year, so it was good to be split and ready to burn. If you are cutting down a fresh tree, let the firewood dry a year, I say. We used a hyrdraulic wood splitter to break up these big logs, there’s a video about that in the links below.

I keep two or three newly sharpened chains with me when cutting down trees or firewood. There’s nothing worse than a dull chain, your saw will overheat, and you wear out your saw and yourself. Chains are cheap, buy a few, and sharpen them regularly.

Always keep safety in mind when using a chainsaw, they are dangerous tools. Note that I am wearing a helmet, ear protection, eye protection, chainsaw chaps, and steel toed shows. Links below to sources for these items. Be smart and be safe.

Click Here To Watch All Our Chainsaw Videos

An all in one helmet is the #1 piece of gear you need:

Click Here to Shop For Chain Saw Gear

March 10, 2014
Cut Down A Tree With A Chain Saw : GF Video

How do you cut down a tree with a chain saw? Watch this GardenFork video. Watch us cut down a tree with a chainsaw safely. Be very careful when using a chainsaw or tree felling, if you don’t know what you are doing, hire a professional.

Tree felling like this is pretty straightforward, there were no houses nearby, and the tree was already leaning the way we wanted it to drop. The wedge cut was fairly shallow, and the back cut was a bit off, it should have been a more straight cut just above the wedge cut.

Going forward, we will be using more plastic wedges, which are driven into the back cut as the cut goes deeper into the tree. The wedges keep the tree from binding the saw, and help to push it in the direction you want it to drop. Do not use metal wedges. The metal wedges can damage the chain of your chain saw if they come into contact with each other.

And again, safety is paramount here, watch all our how to chainsaw safely videos here. Chain saw chaps are a must, I recently saved my leg from a nasty cut from the chainsaw because I had chainsaw chaps on. The chaps have a material in them that will bind the saw if the saw tears open the chaps, which are protecting your legs.

I use an all in one helmet that has a face shield and ear protection, plus i wear steel toed boots, long sleeves, and gloves. Be Careful OK?

Click here to watch all our chainsaw vids and related posts here

Let me know any questions or comments below:

July 19, 2013
Chainsaw Wont Start – Chain Saw Repair : GF Video

Chainsaw wont start? Wondering how to fix a chainsaw and the chainsaw to start? Watch our how to fix a chainsaw video and you will be on your way. Chainsaw repair is not hard, and if you’re ready to go out in the yard and cut down some trees, your chainsaw has probably been sitting in the shop all winter. Follow these simple chainsaw tune up steps, and you will have your chainsaw running in a few minutes.

We have to talk about chainsaw safety here as well. Chainsaws are the most dangerous tool a homeowner can own without a license. I have a few friends with scars from using chainsaws improperly. Chainsaw chaps, a helmet, face shield, eye protection, steel toed boots are all mush-haves for safety.

Sharp chainsaw chains is key in cutting up trees and cutting firewood, you can sharpen your own chainsaw chains, but I suggest you have them done at your local small engine repair shop, they have the right equipment to set the correct cutting angle, a hand file can’t do that.

There’s more tree felling in my future, we have a few white pines on our property that need to come down, lest they come down on our house or garage, one of them is already splitting down the trunk, so we need to deal with that one soon.

Watch all our how to cut down a tree chainsaw videos here

June 12, 2012
How to Chainsaw Tree Logs

Here Eric shows you how to use a chainsaw to cut up tree logs into firewood. Keep in mind Eric is not a professional lumberjack, just your average DIY guy who likes to use his chainsaw to cut down trees, and cut the logs to fireplace length. Use this information at your own risk. Always follow all the safety instructions that came with your chainsaw.

Proper placement of the chainsaw relative to your body, especially your legs and feet is real important here. Think about how the chainsaw may slip down, or up and what part of your body it may hit, which would be a bad thing. What may seem like a comfortable position to hold the saw, especially while you are kneeling to cut up trees, may not be the best way to do something. Steel toed boots are a must have when cutting firewood.

A sharp chainsaw chain is mandatory, if your chainsaw is spitting out fine sawdust while cutting, its time to switch out the chain with a sharp one. A sharp chain makes large wood shavings when its cutting, not fine wood dust.

You can watch all our how to cut down a tree chainsaw videos here
Do you have some chainsaw adventures to share? or some more safety tips on the proper use of a chainsaw? please let us know below

June 23, 2011
How ( or how not to ) cut down a tree with a chainsaw

Safety First when using a chainsaw, it is the most dangerous tool one can own without having to be licensed or have a permit to carry.

A few quick tips: wear ear and eye protection, steel toed boots, work gloves, and if possible, a hard hat. Read the instructions that came with your saw, the booklet that came with my Stihl is quite good.

Full disclosure: I am not a professional lumberjack, just a DIY guy who wants to get people to pay attention to the proper way to use a chainsaw. One thing that is not in the video, but you should wear a helmet with a face shield and ear protection built in. I bought one for about $45, so go do it, one piece of equipment takes care of your head, eyes, and ears.

There are more than a few opinions on how to cut down a tree, I’ve changed the method seen in this video, in this how to cut down a tree video, i use a slant cut on the back side of the tree, and i now use a straight cut just above the front wedge cut. Slant cuts can cause the tree to twist when it falls, which is a very bad thing.

We have more tree felling, cutting down a tree, chainsaw use videos here on the site, watch them all.

February 1, 2007