FJR
Treehouser
200t I drop start. 361 and 460 I hold the top handle with my right and pull with my left hand. 660 gets started on the ground or on a log. Like Dave, I also hit the throttle to kick off the throttle lock right away.
Starting a saw in a tree
- Thread starter pantheraba
- Start date
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gf beranek
Old Schooler
Nowadays I just put the chain brake on and stroke the bar and chain across the log. It works! And it is safe too.
N
NeTree
Guest
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
I'm not really buying into dropstarting a saw being hard on my body. You're using the weight of the saw to help turn it over instead of just using arm power. For me it's a very smooth pretty much effortless affair. Let me put it this way, 12 years in the bush I've seen drop starting and log starting, never ground or crotch starting. Tomorrow I'll ask my unc who's ran saws for over 40 years what he thinks about this whole ordeal.
I'd like to add this, if starting a saw by any of the means mentioned seems dangerous or scares you, then you're in the wrong line of work. I would say that most days starting the saw is one of the easiest and safest things I do.
I'd like to add this, if starting a saw by any of the means mentioned seems dangerous or scares you, then you're in the wrong line of work. I would say that most days starting the saw is one of the easiest and safest things I do.
SkwerI
Treehouser
Yeah. What Skwishey said. 
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
Darin, I would say that with no chainbrake on a log start is more dangerous as you're only holding the rear handle and if you're feathering the throttle or using the throttle lock and the tip contacts something you could be in for a nasty kickback. If you were dropstarting and the same circumstance occured I think there'd be a much greater chance of the chainbrake becoming engaged from having your hand on the handlebar.
Log starts in the bush often mean your tip may be near another log or piece of brush, not very safe imo. Of course if the chain brake is engaged it's a moot point.
rumination
Migratory Hippie Arbolist
I'm with Squishy and Skwerl. I've never had even a hint of a problem with my starting techniques and don't expect I ever will. Chainbrake is always on of course.
Dave Shepard
Square peg, round world.
The inertia chain brake has got to be about one of the best improvements to the chainsaw.
Old Monkey
Treehouser
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My chain brake is always on for log starts and when I start that way the tip is clear of the ground and other logs. With the bar on the other side of a log, even if the chain brake wasn't engaged and the tip contacted another log, there is no way it could run up at you with you holding the pistol grip.
F
Frans
Guest
Stig said crotch!
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
Well first off if you always use the chainbrake there's no way that drop starting is going to be an issue either. And secondly I'd disagree with you that while one handing a saw by the rear handle that there's no way a kick back could come back at you. If it can kickback while you're holding onto both grips as in normal cutting why wouldn't it be able to come at you while only one handing by the rear handle?
SkwerI
Treehouser
The worst part about starting the saw while holding the rear handle is that your body is in line with the chain rotation. A severe kickback would result in the spinning chain coming straight back at your body. And there wouldn't be a hand on the front handle to engage the chain brake.
Holding the saw by the front handle with your left hand puts the chain rotation at a 90 degree angle to your body. Any potential kickback would spin the saw up harmlessly in front of you (unless you have a Pinocchio nose).
Yes, the chainbrake should be engaged. But in the real world things wear out or break and don't always get fixed instantly. Sometimes saws get used even if the chain brake isn't working perfectly. Just this week my chain brake broke on my 346 and I continued to use it for the rest of the day. IMO working safely means thinking about and anticipating multiple potential accident situations and planning your actions so that you avoid injury or damage even in the event something unexpected happens (such as kickback). One primary example is keeping your body out of the line of chain rotation on your saw in potentially dangerous situations (such as starting).
Holding the saw by the front handle with your left hand puts the chain rotation at a 90 degree angle to your body. Any potential kickback would spin the saw up harmlessly in front of you (unless you have a Pinocchio nose).
Yes, the chainbrake should be engaged. But in the real world things wear out or break and don't always get fixed instantly. Sometimes saws get used even if the chain brake isn't working perfectly. Just this week my chain brake broke on my 346 and I continued to use it for the rest of the day. IMO working safely means thinking about and anticipating multiple potential accident situations and planning your actions so that you avoid injury or damage even in the event something unexpected happens (such as kickback). One primary example is keeping your body out of the line of chain rotation on your saw in potentially dangerous situations (such as starting).
Old Monkey
Treehouser
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- Mar 9, 2005
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When asked what is the safest way, I revert back to what I was taught in the Forest Service. What do I actually do? I'll have to pay attention tomorrow to how I start a saw. Maybe I can get funding to do a study on the starting of chainsaws.
gf beranek
Old Schooler
Good thread, Gary!
Real world safety issues. Only at the Tree House.
Real world safety issues. Only at the Tree House.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
C. Kirk
TreeHouser
What is the point to throttle locks? I can't see any time I would need this. It doesn't lock at full throttle only about 75 -80% of throttle.
gf beranek
Old Schooler
Throttle locks should be totally re-engineered in my opinion. I truly believe the devices has caused more harm than good in the long run.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
I never use them. 
SkwerI
Treehouser
If you use Stihl saws and use the choke, you have no choice.
Old Monkey
Treehouser
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I've never really thought about it much. You guys really don't like it huh? Is it because of the wear it puts on the saw?
Dave Shepard
Square peg, round world.
Why in the world would you want your saw to go to full throttle, at he precise moment you don't have a firm two hand grip on it? Do you start your truck with your foot to the floor? My Husky saws fire up and idle fine without having to have the throttle lock used. My Stihls will probably get the lock disabled, once I look into it.
C. Kirk
TreeHouser
On my echo cs300(top handle) there is a throttle lock for cutting. I still see no need for this.
On my stihl as soon as it starts I've hit the throttle. I do the drop start on all but my old Homelite 360 with 32"bar.
On my stihl as soon as it starts I've hit the throttle. I do the drop start on all but my old Homelite 360 with 32"bar.
S
sytherstrike
Guest
Around here I've heard the husky top handles called spark knockers. It happens when you hold the thing to close to your crotch and try starting it after the plastic cover over the spark plug falls off. I have the starting cord of the 200t I run as short as I can get it to turn the motor over, and drop start it all the time. I do think it would be interesting to have on of those new style starters on a 200t, where you pull the cord out and let it go to start the saw. Those things are so effortless anyone could start one, but than again its something you'd have to get used to and it prolly won't please everyone.
That is why we always switch hands when dropstarting.
Keeps the saw from pivoting into your legs, instead it'll swing in front of them.
The old danish term for starting a saw by holding the rear handle in your right hand , pull cord in your left and throwing the saw away from yourself is: "american start".
Wonder how it got that name
