Using a chainsaw safely

Though it's efficient and powerful, exercise caution with this tool

Despite it being a dangerous, heavy and noisy tool, a chainsaw can make quick work of felling or pruning a tree when used with caution and common sense.

Most chainsaws are heavy, oily and noisy—aside from scaring the heck out of people in movies. The power and that lethal-looking chain make some buyers wonder if the tool is inherently too dangerous to use around the house. But a chainsaw is just another power tool — and the best way to fell trees, prune limbs and cut firewood.

Chainsaws are potent tools. But modern versions incorporate many safety features not found on early models.

The most important is a chain brake, a large paddle positioned just in front of the top handle. If the saw kicks back, or you stumble, it's instinctive to put up your hand in defense. On an old saw without a chain brake, your hand hits the spinning chain. On a modern saw, your hand hits the paddle, trips the brake, and the chain instantly stops turning.

Consumers don't have more accidents with chainsaws than they do with drills and other power tools. But when accidents occur (often due to fatigue) they can be severe.

Manufacturers take this issue very seriously — and sometimes to excess in their owner's manuals. Some run 40 full-size pages with endless examples of how a complete idiot might misuse a chainsaw. Case in point: an illustration labeled "don't do," showing a guy perched precariously high in a tree — that's bad enough, but reaching back toward the trunk to cut off the branch that's supporting him. Anyone who needs that advice shouldn't be near a chainsaw — or maybe even a hammer.

True, felling trees can push the DIY envelope. But for the residential-level logging most people do (basically pruning and making firewood) there are only a few cardinal rules. If you observe them and use the tool with alertness and common sense, even a novice can handle a chainsaw safely.

•Always check chain tension before cutting, and again after the chain heats up during prolonged work. Keeping the chain well lubricated and properly tensioned on the guide bar is crucial.

•Always work in an unencumbered, sure-footed position, whenever possible standing just to the side of the saw. Should all else fail, the cutting bar should swing down and past your leg.

•Always cut wood that is stable and positioned so the cut end falls away, opening the saw kerf. Chainsaw cuts that close the kerf or bury the tip of the bar are dangerous.