Petrol Chainsaw

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Petrol Chainsaw

Moisture Meter Guide

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The petrol chainsaw is a mechanical hand held saw. It can be powered by either petrol or diesel. There are other versions of the chainsaw that are powered by electricity, compressed air or hydraulic power. The petrol chainsaw is used to fell trees, as well as for pruning and cutting overgrowth. Tree surgeons favour the petrol chainsaw and use it for cutting away branches and foliage. In extreme cases where they have no choice and the tree is in bad condition, they use the chainsaw to fell the tree. Other uses for the petrol chainsaw include cutting firebreaks in the wild lands and also for personal use with the cutting of firewood.

The petrol chainsaw is not the most complex of power tools, but there are a few parts to it and when these all work in conjunction with one another, the result is an extremely useful gardening tool. The heart of the petrol chainsaw is the engine. In most cases the engine will be a small, yet powerful 2 stroke combustion engine that is powered by a petrol and oil mix.

The 2 stroke engine is by far the most successfully used engine in gardening power tools such as the petrol, leaf blower and of course the chainsaw. The reasons for this is that the 2 stroke engine is small and compact which makes it lightweight. This is ideal for gardening machinery as the last thing you want is a tool that you struggle with to just hold. Yet despite the engine being small and light it still kicks like a mule producing a great power to weight ratio.

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There is no clear evidence of exactly when the first chainsaw was invented. But Bernard Heine, who was a German orthopedic surgeon made the first chain saw as a tool in 1830. It was called the Astrodome, which had links in a chain carrying small teeth with edges set at a point. It did not have an engine and to get the chain to move around, the operator had to turn a handle on a chain wheel. The main use at the time of this tool was to cut bone.

Joseph Buford Cox and Andreas Stihl brought forward the development and made the first modern type of chainsaw. They developed and patented a chainsaw in 1926 and later in 1929 they introduced a petrol-driven chainsaw. But it was actually in 1927 that Emil Lerps developed the world's first petrol chainsaw and mass produced them. The thing with these early models was that they were so heavy and it was actually 2 units with long poles. Some of them were so heavy that they actually were on wheels. After WW11 because aluminum and new engine designs these petrol chainsaws became much lighter and were possible to be operated by just one person.

Nowadays, the petrol chainsaw is so user friendly that it has completely replaced the simple man saws in forestry.They come in many sizes, from small garden saws to large lumberjack saws. The options are vast and there is certainly a petrol chainsaw model for every job that man requires. They are an excellent piece of equipment to own and as long as you take good care of the machine it will give you many years of use. Use the petrol chainsaw correctly and safely and using one will be a safe and pleasant experience, giving excellent results on any task you undertake with it.

The drive mechanism on the petrol chainsaw is a combination of a clutch and gears. The sword of the chainsaw is a long bar that has a rounded end and is usually constructed out of a wear resistant alloy steel. This sword supports the chain of the chainsaw and there is a edge slot on it to control the chain.

The chain itself on the petrol chainsaw is constructed in pretty much the same fashion as a bicycle chain with riveted metal sections. On these riveted sections are the sharp blades known as teeth. Petrol chainsaw teeth are folded tab chrome steel plates with a sharp corner and 2 extremely sharp edges that perform the cutting task. These 2 sharp edges are located on the top plate and side plate. Chains on the chainsaw are measured by both pitch and gauge. To measure the pitch one calculates half the length of which is raised by 3 consecutive rivets.

Each individual tooth on the chain of a petrol chainsaw has it’s own built in depth gauge. This depth gauge is all important and the correct measurement is essential for safe use with the chainsaw. If the teeth are set too high then the result will be slow cutting. If on the other hand the depth setting is too low the petrol chainsaw will become unstable and hard to control. This will make the chainsaw become a very dangerous tool in your hands.

On the underside of each link in the petrol chainsaw chain is a small finger called the drive link. It is these drive links which keep the actual chain on the bar. As well as keeping the chain on the bar, these drive links serve a secondary purpose of carrying lubricating oil around the bar whilst it is in motion.

Best Petrol Chainsaw

Determining which petrol chainsaw is the best is a near impossibility in our opinion. There are many factors to take in to consideration such as durability, reliability, efficiency, operating performance, maintenance levels and economy, to just mention a few.

How do you test a petrol chainsaw? Do you draw up charts for all of the above factors and give marks out of 10 for each petrol chainsaw’s performance in each field? And then the chainsaw with the highest marks is labelled the best petrol chainsaw?

The History Of The Chainsaw

To Care Is To Share

Maintaining The Petrol Chainsaw

As with any mechanical tools and machinery the petrol chainsaw must be maintained properly for it to continue to work at it's optimum level. The majority of petrol chainsaws require two sources of lubrication. The first is the engine. Two-stroke engines are lubricated by their own fuel/oil mix, which has about 3% oil dissolved in the fuel.

Petrol Chainsaw Vs Electric Chainsaw

A chainsaw requires power to drive it. There are 2 options available and they are either petrol driven or electric driven. Each particular version has it’s own advantages and disadvantages, so the particular type of chainsaw that you opt for is down to personal preference and the tasks that you require the chainsaw for. So before shopping for a chainsaw do sit down and take a few minutes out for deep consideration.

The petrol chainsaw is the option if you are out and about in the woods, fields and gardens. They do not require mains electric and hence are versatile and can be used literally anywhere. However they continually require fuel and oil and the maintenance levels can be quite high. But for power in a chainsaw there is no other choice.

The electric chainsaw on the other hand is ideal for small projects and for people who do not have much experience in working with a chainsaw. They are quieter than a petrol version, more lightweight, extremely easy to start and require the minimum of maintenance. On the downside though they have a significantly less power output than the petrol chainsaw and there is always the issue of having to be near an electrical output. Having a trailing power cord too can prove to be an awkward inconvenience.

Husqvarna

Husqvarna 236 chainsaw

Husqvarna 240 chainsaw

Husqvarna 240e chainsaw

Husqvarna 353 chainsaw

Husqvarna 359 chainsaw

Husqvarna 365 chainsaw

Husqvarna 435 chainsaw

Husqvarna 440e chainsaw

Husqvarna 450e chainsaw

Husqvarna 455 Rancher

Husqvarne 460 rancher

Husqvarna 570 chainsaw

Husqvarna XP Range

Husqvarna 339 XP chainsaw

Husqvarna 346 XP chainsaw

Husqvarna 357 XP chainsaw

Husqvarna 372 XP chainsaw

Husqvarna 390 XP chainsaw

Husqvarna 395 XP chainsaw

Husqvarna Top Handle

Husqvarna T425 chainsaw

Husqvarna T435 chainsaw

Stihl

Stihl MS 170 chainsaw

Stihl MS 171 chainsaw

Stihl MS 181 chainsaw

Stihl MS 211 chainsaw

Stihl MS 230 chainsaw

Stihl MS 250 chainsaw

Stihl Landscaping

Stihl MS 271 chainsaw

Stihl MS 291 chainsaw

Stihl MS 391 chainsaw

Stihl Forestry

Stihl MS 201 chainsaw

Stihl MS 261 chainsaw

Stihl MS 362 chainsaw

Stihl MS 441 chainsaw

Stihl MS 460 chainsaw

Stihl MS 650 chainsaw

Stihl MS 880 chainsaw

Stihl Top Handle

Stihl MS 200 T chainsaw

On This Site

It doesn't matter the type of chainsaw you use or for how you use it. You need the correct safety gear. Chainsaw safety

Chainsaw Safety

A chainsaw is an expensive gardening tool. Ensure a long working life from it by applying the correct maintenance. More >

Chainsaw Maintenance

Husqvarna Chainsaw

Are Husqvarna the best chainsaws or a close second to Stihl. You decide Husqvarna

Stihl Chainsaw

Stihl

Einhell Chainsaw

Einhell

The chain is operated when the drive links engage with the drive wheel which is located inside the body of the petrol chainsaw. All is controlled with a centrifugal clutch. The clutch will engage the chain but when the chainsaw is turned off or running idle, the chain will not move.

Since the first petrol chainsaw was introduced to the world there have been dramatic improvements in design and safety measures. Some improvements include improved chains that will not break, better handling design and anti vibration systems. All the major improvements have without a doubt made the petrol chainsaw a lot safer to use and possibly saved lives and reduced serious injuries.

The second source of lubrication is that of the bar and chain. During operation of the chain oil will dry up very quickly as it is thrown off by the chain and soaked up by sawdust. So to keep the oil continually supplied to the chain, it is always important to fill the reservoir tank each time you fill the chainsaw with fuel. The benefit of doing this is that you will never run out of oil. This is because the oil tank is large enough and will not deplete before the fuel tank. So the engine will always run out of fuel before the chainsaw runs out of oil. Without proper lubrication, the chain saw will be damaged and at the very least you will have excess wear.

For the chain to work to the best of it's ability, it must always be sharp. The petrol chainsaw blade blunts very quickly when it comes into contact with soil, metal or stone. The thing is with a blunt chain, the chainsaw will produce a grainy sawdust as opposed to the longer clean shavings given off with a crisp cut. The other thing about keeping the blade sharp is that the chainsaw will not need much effort from the operator to cut in to a tree. There are special chains that can be used on a chain saw to cut roots and stuff. They will come in contact with soil, but will not blunt as they are made of tungsten carbide. These are specially hardened chains.

And finally, to completely maintain your petrol chainsaw remember to clean out the air intake filter from time to time. This air filter intake has a habit of getting clogged with sawdust.

This does not work with us as each petrol chainsaw will operate differently. No petrol chainsaw is identical with identical performance levels. And perhaps the most important consideration has been omitted. Personal preference. We are all different have different requirements when it comes to gardening tools and machinery. So we will not even begin to try and ascertain which is the best petrol chainsaw.

However what we will say is that when it comes to buying a petrol chainsaw you really should be sticking with well known brands such as Stihl, Husqvarna and McCulloch. The reason for this is that these brand names have a reputation which has been earned over many years. A company will not have a good reputation if it produces poor quality goods. It takes years to earn a good reputation and only a click of the fingers to loose it.

Good quality Brand names have a reputation to uphold which in itself guarantees you receiving an excellent product. As well as this, these companies have vast knowledge acquired over the years from research and development. All of this knowledge is applied to the manufacture of their products in an attempt to be the market leader.

With a brand name as well you will receive after sales guarantees such as warranties which are a must with power tools. They are not cheap to buy and depending on the faults they may develop, this too could hit your wallet hard if you are not covered.

We apologize if you have come to this section hoping for a quick analysis and a pointer to the best petrol chainsaw to buy, but we are sure that you understand our reasoning. If you have other gardening tools which have served you well in the past and you are happy with them, then stick to that particular brand. Trust is the biggest factor when parting with your money, so we say stick with what you know and think is the best.