Hints and tips for maintaining healthy trees and hedges.
Whether you are a professional arborist or an amateur who simply needs firewood for the winter, the chainsaw is your trusted companion. As with all powerful machines, however, the dangers are very high if used incorrectly.
At McCulloch, we have been making chainsaws since the late 1940s so we strive to keep our customers informed about the dangers that these machines can pose. To keep you protected, we have put together a handy checklist to allow you to get the job done, safely.
Chainsaw chains are one of the most important parts of the whole chainsaw. Without them you certainly wouldn’t be able to cut through wood. Confusingly they come in almost limitless combinations of type, size and features, all geared to different applications.
You should always refer to your individual manufacturer’s manual as your first port of call, however here is our handy guide that should clear a few things up for you:
When the cold weather sets in, you need to prepare with a healthy supply of firewood. Sawing your own wood is always much more fun than buying it pre-cut. Henry Ford once said “chop your own wood and it will warm you twice”, so it’s time to break out the tools and unleash your inner lumberjack.
While it may look very easy in the movies, there is an art to chopping wood, so make sure you do your research or you could end up with nothing to show for a day’s hard work beyond a sore back. Here are a few practical hints and tips that can help you make light work of splitting logs.
Chainsaw carving is amongst the oldest of DIY crafts in the world. Chainsaws are, without doubt, one of the sharpest tools around, which makes them ideally suited to carving sculptures. It may seem difficult at first, but everyone has to start somewhere and with perseverance you can soon create masterpieces that can decorate both indoors and outdoors.
You don’t need to be Michelangelo to get cracking. Thankfully, there is a lot of information and designs to help you get started. Here are our beginner tips on carving wood with chainsaws.
‘Chainsaw kickback’ is a phrase that is used when discussing operating chainsaws. To ensure absolute safety, it is extremely important to ensure you’re well versed in what it means and how to handle it. It can mean the difference between getting the job done and serious injury.
To fully prepare for chainsaw kickback you first need to understand what it is, how it happens and, more importantly, how to avoid it.
Chainsaws are incredibly powerful machines, which makes them very effective at the job they are designed to do. As the saying goes however, “with great power comes great responsibility” and if your chainsaw isn’t properly maintained it can be very dangerous to the operator.
For bespoke information on your machine and the signs to look out for you should always check your manufacturers manual, as this will provide the appropriate safety advice. Here are our quick tips that you should also be aware of.
When a tree has outgrown its space, it is important to keep it in shape and reduce its size. This can be hard work, but can be essential to keep the look of your garden as smart as possible. If your tree is likely to overhang into your neighbour’s garden, they may want you to keep the branches in order.
The decision on when to trim your tree really depends on your desired objectives. Light pruning and the removal of dead branches can be done at any point during the year, for anything more substantial here are our top trimming tips:
It is important that your chainsaw is in good working condition in order to get the best out of it when you have a job to do. If your machine does stop working you will need to check what repairs you can do without voiding the warranty. If you are unsure you can query it with a registered repair agent. Here at McCulloch we have dedicated service agents across the country that you can find here.
When diagnosing different issues with machines, you will need to understand the different components that go into making a chainsaw work. As an example, the diagram below shows the main components in a McCulloch CS 42S Chainsaw.
With roughly 30 different components to most petrol chainsaws, make sure that you are confident with the repairs that you need to carry out. The manufacturers manual provides additional information as to what is required; however if in doubt consult a specialist so you don't void the warranty.
To make things easier here are the most common issues that you can experience with your chainsaw.
Nothing else can compare when it comes to an open fire – whether it’s a wood-burning fire in your home or a fire pit in the garden to help you extend warmer nights with a beer in hand, a roaring fire is a man’s best friend.
Of course, in order to create a fire worth showing off to neighbours and friends, you need the right components – most important of which is the firewood.
We’ve shared the answers to 6 key questions in relation to firewood to keep you in the know and ensure you’ll always be a man who can make fire.