I bought an electric disc chain sharpener from Lidl about 10 years ago for £19.99. Its absolutely brilliant and is still on the original disc. It just bolts to a bench and you're away. The chain does need removing from the saw but I just keep a couple of spare chains and swap when needed, sharpening blunt chains later.
I've got a similar chainsaw to you, same make, electric, but mine has a built in self sharpening system, hold in a button for 3 seconds and the chain is re sharpened, then every time I need a new chain it comes with a little sharpening stone that you fit in when you replace the chain, so far its been great.
I've also got an oregon self sharpening chainsaw but mine is battery powered, it only lasts about 30 mins of continuous cutting before it needs recharging but that's long enough for me, it's so much nicer without a cable.
@@nickmail7604 oh yes I agree, unlimited power is better but I don't have any electricity in our 2 acre woodland and a petrol chainsaw is too noisy for my liking.
Great video as ever. Dump the low kickback chains these saws often come with, replace with Oregon or similar quality brand. Makita do good corded electric saws.
Best bit here was finding out there is a file that simultaneously files the teeth and rakers as I really struggle to get the balance right and have lost count the number of files I’ve tried and still have a blunt blade.(I’m assuming my rakers are proud)
The chainsaw can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. If you buy a chainsaw, regardless of it's power source, you absolutely need to read and understand how it works and how it's maintained. There are and should be two chain lubricants ports for a chain, and that's the chain oil port, which should freely flow through the chain bar channel and the other one, the most neglected, the chain bar sprocket located at the very tip of the bar. It's the grease port for the chain sprocket. they make a special grease pen that you can pump in a lithium type of grease.
|You can get a really good hyundai 230v chainsaw from Screwfix for about £70. For DIY I would recommend buying one of those rather than a cheap cordless, which will cost more and have a rubbish chain on
Roger, (noting various comments below) the operation and service of any chainsaw maybe beyond the scope of this channel. (Neither might you be truly qualified... chainsaws don't have a blade, they are equipped with a bar and a cutting chain.) There is no quick, cheap way to 'effectively', safely, repeatedly delpoy chain cutting tools. Recall, misconception regarding these devices is universal... but at the least this very short piece hints it is NOT just a pick-up and go tool. Ironically, you can't 'get away' with much... which hints the depth of knowledge fully required... You either wreck a tool (whatever the quality) in one of many ways, turn a quick job into a one with workarounds, or even worse, the job doesn't get completely due to some form of consequential injury. I'll leave it at that. Love the channel.
Graham I thought about this video and anticipated the naysayers. I am happy that I am not encouraging bad practice and might be helping people make a common error. I was taught by experts and the test for the oiler is standard practice. I take you point about the terminology.
@@SkillBuilder I'm not so much a naysayer Roger, more a semi-pro from the business. Perhaps expand on the topic then, not least the frequency on sharpening, that for every hour of use you're looking at a quater hour of checks and maintenance, perhaps the elementary do's and don't. Aside, that... anything new on the historic walkabouts. I enjoyed those.
Hi Roger. You made a video some time back where you interviewed an police bloke about tool theft He specifically went over the value of making up tools so if found they could be returned. What was the video called as I need to pass it on to a mate who has had his tools nicked again. Love the channel, cheers Neil
all you have to do is get hold of some nano paint has your postcode on it. the police use this with ultraviolet scanner it will show up and under a microscope will tell you the address.
So reversing the chain and cutting some wood doesn't un-blunten the blades? I've sent a link to your video to a couple of friends Roger - excellent advice. Thanks. All the best for 2025.
Most important from a safety aspect, the saw must have a proper throw guard and you must use saw protection trousers/chaps. It is not worth saving money on these things.
I bought a cheap saw, it could barely cut dry wood right from start, it was easy to file but dulled right away, but by putting my money on a good quality chain instead of buying a better saw, I got a good saw, too short blade though.😅
Oh dear.... So many comments basically saying "Oh, no! A plumber giving chain saw advice! We are doomed to see flying body parts!". Seriously. If anyone has been here long enough, they know Roger is not exactly an ignorant neophyte regarding wood cutting and chain saws. He knows more that most TH-camrs I have seen over the years. And he only gave come basic good advice to sharpen the blade and keep it properly oiled. He was not giving complete "how to use" advice. Meanwhile.... Recently another TH-camr I watched could not start their electric chain saw and said "I guess I should go and read the manual". Seriously... The person had not bothered to read the manual before picking up this tool 😲.... (spoiler, the safety guard was forward, preventing the saw from starting 😕). It went down hill from there -- loose chain flopping about which was clearly dull. Using the tip to cut (danger of kickback). Improperly supported log, which started to roll after the first cut making the TH-camr have to jump out of the way. Etc. And of course all the usual comments from the blind leading the blind: "You are doing great!", or "Wonderful job!", or "You are an inspiration!". It seems only the ones that may actually know what they are doing get the lousy comments on TH-cam. How weird is that? 😕
Get a known brand, so spares can be got when needed. Husqvarna, Stihl, Echo all make good saws. If you’re only going to use it occasionally and on small stuff, you could go electric instead if petrol. Both Husqvarna and Stihl make good battery saws; but there’s also EGO and Milwaukee who make good electric chainsaws. For the occasional user, a corded saw will do but a battery saw won’t have the potential trip hazard of a corded saw. Also, with electric saws, you don’t need to either buy petrol and mix it with 2-stroke oil or be buying a pre-mixed fuel such as Aspen 2. You will however need to buy chainsaw chain oil/bar oil. As to use, you don’t have to get training. But I would strongly advise taking a maintenance & cross cutting course. You don’t have to take the assessment if you don’t want to. These courses can often be had through the supplier of the equipment, (excluding places like B&Q) and will be a 1-day course. The basics on such courses, will be chainsaw safety including appropriate PPE, how to look after your chainsaw for the longevity of your equipment & for your personal safety, safe cross cutting and probably some manual handling of small logs. If you haven’t got a 1st Aid kit, buy one just in case, when you’re buying a chain sharpening kit. Read the equipment’s user manual; only use the saw if there’s a second person nearby, in case of an emergency and or have a mobile phone with you. There’s no real need to be afraid of the chainsaw but do treat it and its use with due caution, as detailed in the manual and or the training.
For a start dont waste money on cheap chinese crap. Its Stihl, Huski, (all though please leave the XPs for those of us that use saws professionally, or Sachs Dolmar. Then get s decent chain, learn how to sharpen manually. Filing with dremels etc affects the steel. Dont be lazy, just take the time to learn how to sharpen. Then just because you have a saw, dont think that you should now go falling trees with it. Forestry work sees between 2 to 3 deaths a week here in the uk on average, and these folks are supposedly trained and skilled. and when cutting untill you have figured out what causes it beware of kick back, so cut close to the saw body. and its not an effing bread knife, the chain moves so the saw doesnt have to.
Stihl and husky these days are made in China, Echo is made in Japan. Just bought an Echo to replace an old stihl that needed a new carb. Cheapest long term option was the Echo and what a delightful saw it is. I did buy a cheap carb (£12 instead of £70-80) and the Stihl is running as a back up.
@@dadcanufixit i run huskis, and have the work for the, I run a 545 xp. 572 xp. and a 395 xp. And when the 395 has done its time, I'll be replacing it with a 592 xp. I guess we are looking for verry different things in our saws
@@rbxrockettrio8650 "I’m not running 5 extension leads that you can trip over or cut" -- When using any power tool, regardless of power source, you need to have situational awareness. Before you turn on the tool, you need to make sure of your surroundings and that all is clear and safe. If you do that basic normal safety check (and you should) you will never cut leads or trip over cables even if there are 100 around you. So your argument on that level is mute. However, if you are out in the woods away from a mains power source, then you need a self contained power source. Be that battery or ICE is a matter of choice and necessity to which each person chose based on the current needs assessment which is a different issue of course.
Please go watch Buckin Billy Ray’s videos on sharpening. File it as much as it needs not a set number. You’re better off using up the teeth than having a bunch of barely used stretched out chains
Im one second into the video and I know the answer. They dont know how to sharpen a chain. They dont understand that factory chains are far from optimized. They dont understand the mechanics of how to properly sharpen the chain. They dont know how to improve the performance of a chain with a few strokes of a file.
It is only ever worn when using the saw, those trousers are padded and much to warm for working in. Maybe they should issue them to pensioners, oh I keep forgetting I am one.
sorry but there are plenty of 'experts' out there and people usually watch several videos. Nothing in my video is doing harm and it might help people to check their oiler is working before the chain flies off.
I bought an electric disc chain sharpener from Lidl about 10 years ago for £19.99. Its absolutely brilliant and is still on the original disc. It just bolts to a bench and you're away. The chain does need removing from the saw but I just keep a couple of spare chains and swap when needed, sharpening blunt chains later.
I have a 50cm dewalt 54v battery one.. it's awesome for diy. Doesnt kick like a petrol one, decent for larger jobs on my land.
All chainsaws, "kick" if used improperly, petrol or battery!
I've got a similar chainsaw to you, same make, electric, but mine has a built in self sharpening system, hold in a button for 3 seconds and the chain is re sharpened, then every time I need a new chain it comes with a little sharpening stone that you fit in when you replace the chain, so far its been great.
I've also got an oregon self sharpening chainsaw but mine is battery powered, it only lasts about 30 mins of continuous cutting before it needs recharging but that's long enough for me, it's so much nicer without a cable.
@roblinc2u Each to their own, I prefer having a cable and unlimited power
@@nickmail7604 oh yes I agree, unlimited power is better but I don't have any electricity in our 2 acre woodland and a petrol chainsaw is too noisy for my liking.
@roblinc2u I got a generator for when I'm a long way from a power socket,
@nickmail7604 one of those silent battery ones?
Great video as ever. Dump the low kickback chains these saws often come with, replace with Oregon or similar quality brand. Makita do good corded electric saws.
Roger your a directors dream. Those 1st opening seconds are reminiscent to a Texas chainsaw massacre, albeit a somewhat British low budget version 😅😅
Best bit here was finding out there is a file that simultaneously files the teeth and rakers as I really struggle to get the balance right and have lost count the number of files I’ve tried and still have a blunt blade.(I’m assuming my rakers are proud)
Stihl Stump Vice as a clamp or other gets a1 balanced sharpened chain, smooth movements best cuts
I have a stump clamp and use it a lot.
The chainsaw can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. If you buy a chainsaw, regardless of it's power source, you absolutely need to read and understand how it works and how it's maintained. There are and should be two chain lubricants ports for a chain, and that's the chain oil port, which should freely flow through the chain bar channel and the other one, the most neglected, the chain bar sprocket located at the very tip of the bar. It's the grease port for the chain sprocket. they make a special grease pen that you can pump in a lithium type of grease.
Chainsaw Rodger sounds like a band I once saw in America.
You mean Roger.
Also when you tighten the chain you should only just about get your screwdriver between the chain and bar.
And regular sharpening and cleaning
|You can get a really good hyundai 230v chainsaw from Screwfix for about £70. For DIY I would recommend buying one of those rather than a cheap cordless, which will cost more and have a rubbish chain on
Roger, (noting various comments below) the operation and service of any chainsaw maybe beyond the scope of this channel. (Neither might you be truly qualified... chainsaws don't have a blade, they are equipped with a bar and a cutting chain.) There is no quick, cheap way to 'effectively', safely, repeatedly delpoy chain cutting tools. Recall, misconception regarding these devices is universal... but at the least this very short piece hints it is NOT just a pick-up and go tool. Ironically, you can't 'get away' with much... which hints the depth of knowledge fully required... You either wreck a tool (whatever the quality) in one of many ways, turn a quick job into a one with workarounds, or even worse, the job doesn't get completely due to some form of consequential injury. I'll leave it at that. Love the channel.
Graham
I thought about this video and anticipated the naysayers. I am happy that I am not encouraging bad practice and might be helping people make a common error. I was taught by experts and the test for the oiler is standard practice.
I take you point about the terminology.
@@SkillBuilder I'm not so much a naysayer Roger, more a semi-pro from the business. Perhaps expand on the topic then, not least the frequency on sharpening, that for every hour of use you're looking at a quater hour of checks and maintenance, perhaps the elementary do's and don't. Aside, that... anything new on the historic walkabouts. I enjoyed those.
Don't forget that Roger is an expert on everything, plumbing, building, damp and now chainsaws @@grahamrowe6278
Hi Roger. You made a video some time back where you interviewed an police bloke about tool theft He specifically went over the value of making up tools so if found they could be returned. What was the video called as I need to pass it on to a mate who has had his tools nicked again. Love the channel, cheers Neil
th-cam.com/video/Ak0xdZ1yjQE/w-d-xo.html
all you have to do is get hold of some nano paint has your postcode on it. the police use this with ultraviolet scanner it will show up and under a microscope will tell you the address.
Thank you.
@@colliegardenmaintenance2560 I'm not sure if the police issue it but they tell you where to get it from
I re-watched it.
Very good data.
Even getting a cheap engraving tool and putting your post code on tools is better than nothing.
So reversing the chain and cutting some wood doesn't un-blunten the blades?
I've sent a link to your video to a couple of friends Roger - excellent advice. Thanks. All the best for 2025.
If your thinking of reversing a saw chain to "unblunten" !!! Then you shouldn't even have a chainsaw in your hand
Most important from a safety aspect, the saw must have a proper throw guard and you must use saw protection trousers/chaps. It is not worth saving money on these things.
Buy Cheap,
Buy Twice❗👍
I bought a cheap saw, it could barely cut dry wood right from start, it was easy to file but dulled right away, but by putting my money on a good quality chain instead of buying a better saw, I got a good saw, too short blade though.😅
Buy a new bar, dead easy to fit.
If the saw is under powered a longer bar won't help much
happy New year
Oh dear.... So many comments basically saying "Oh, no! A plumber giving chain saw advice! We are doomed to see flying body parts!". Seriously. If anyone has been here long enough, they know Roger is not exactly an ignorant neophyte regarding wood cutting and chain saws. He knows more that most TH-camrs I have seen over the years. And he only gave come basic good advice to sharpen the blade and keep it properly oiled. He was not giving complete "how to use" advice.
Meanwhile.... Recently another TH-camr I watched could not start their electric chain saw and said "I guess I should go and read the manual". Seriously... The person had not bothered to read the manual before picking up this tool 😲.... (spoiler, the safety guard was forward, preventing the saw from starting 😕). It went down hill from there -- loose chain flopping about which was clearly dull. Using the tip to cut (danger of kickback). Improperly supported log, which started to roll after the first cut making the TH-camr have to jump out of the way. Etc. And of course all the usual comments from the blind leading the blind: "You are doing great!", or "Wonderful job!", or "You are an inspiration!". It seems only the ones that may actually know what they are doing get the lousy comments on TH-cam. How weird is that? 😕
Nails + chainsaws = new chain... all day long!
Never cut wood with screws and nails in. it just ruins chains.
So easy to blunt a chain , even touching soil will do it, (sand &grit in it)
Get a known brand, so spares can be got when needed. Husqvarna, Stihl, Echo all make good saws. If you’re only going to use it occasionally and on small stuff, you could go electric instead if petrol. Both Husqvarna and Stihl make good battery saws; but there’s also EGO and Milwaukee who make good electric chainsaws.
For the occasional user, a corded saw will do but a battery saw won’t have the potential trip hazard of a corded saw. Also, with electric saws, you don’t need to either buy petrol and mix it with 2-stroke oil or be buying a pre-mixed fuel such as Aspen 2. You will however need to buy chainsaw chain oil/bar oil.
As to use, you don’t have to get training. But I would strongly advise taking a maintenance & cross cutting course. You don’t have to take the assessment if you don’t want to. These courses can often be had through the supplier of the equipment, (excluding places like B&Q) and will be a 1-day course. The basics on such courses, will be chainsaw safety including appropriate PPE, how to look after your chainsaw for the longevity of your equipment & for your personal safety, safe cross cutting and probably some manual handling of small logs.
If you haven’t got a 1st Aid kit, buy one just in case, when you’re buying a chain sharpening kit. Read the equipment’s user manual; only use the saw if there’s a second person nearby, in case of an emergency and or have a mobile phone with you. There’s no real need to be afraid of the chainsaw but do treat it and its use with due caution, as detailed in the manual and or the training.
Alway turn the chain around if it isnt cutting. Put my chain on backwards once or twice
For a start dont waste money on cheap chinese crap. Its Stihl, Huski, (all though please leave the XPs for those of us that use saws professionally, or Sachs Dolmar. Then get s decent chain, learn how to sharpen manually. Filing with dremels etc affects the steel. Dont be lazy, just take the time to learn how to sharpen. Then just because you have a saw, dont think that you should now go falling trees with it. Forestry work sees between 2 to 3 deaths a week here in the uk on average, and these folks are supposedly trained and skilled. and when cutting untill you have figured out what causes it beware of kick back, so cut close to the saw body. and its not an effing bread knife, the chain moves so the saw doesnt have to.
Not sure where you get up to 150 deaths a year in the forestry industry.
Most deaths/injuries are from contacts from animals too.
Ha they’re alright my mate got a stihl copy and it would run on any shit
Stihl and husky these days are made in China, Echo is made in Japan. Just bought an Echo to replace an old stihl that needed a new carb. Cheapest long term option was the Echo and what a delightful saw it is. I did buy a cheap carb (£12 instead of £70-80) and the Stihl is running as a back up.
@@dadcanufixit the XP range of Huskis are all made in Sweeden
@@dadcanufixit i run huskis, and have the work for the, I run a 545 xp. 572 xp. and a 395 xp. And when the 395 has done its time, I'll be replacing it with a 592 xp. I guess we are looking for verry different things in our saws
Keep the oil at max flow Roger
That's it oil is so cheap vs all other consumables.
Also helps the wood burn. :)
i like the electric ones, because they are so silent. wish more people would switch over.
Not powerful enough and unless you have a lot of batteries it’s no good for cutting a fallen tree up
@@rbxrockettrio8650 The one in the video is mains operated. No worry about batteries as long as you're not miles from a power source.
@ I am and I’m not running 5 extension leads that you can trip over or cut
@@rbxrockettrio8650 in the woods, a gaspowered one maybe the way to go, but for cutting firewood in the backyard electric is nicer for the neighbours.
@@rbxrockettrio8650 "I’m not running 5 extension leads that you can trip over or cut" -- When using any power tool, regardless of power source, you need to have situational awareness. Before you turn on the tool, you need to make sure of your surroundings and that all is clear and safe. If you do that basic normal safety check (and you should) you will never cut leads or trip over cables even if there are 100 around you. So your argument on that level is mute.
However, if you are out in the woods away from a mains power source, then you need a self contained power source. Be that battery or ICE is a matter of choice and necessity to which each person chose based on the current needs assessment which is a different issue of course.
Please go watch Buckin Billy Ray’s videos on sharpening. File it as much as it needs not a set number. You’re better off using up the teeth than having a bunch of barely used stretched out chains
That is all very well but giving it a light couple of strokes is usally enough. If it turns out it needs more then give it more.
I'm poor......don't make much money! Understand. So thank you China for putting tools out there that I can afford.
Cause people can't sharpen it
I was expecting him to say what's the right amount of oil projections but alas...
There is no right amount, you just need to see some splatter and wind it back. If it is dripping out the bottom you hve too much.
@@SkillBuilder thanks for answering my question. cheers.
Im one second into the video and I know the answer. They dont know how to sharpen a chain. They dont understand that factory chains are far from optimized. They dont understand the mechanics of how to properly sharpen the chain. They dont know how to improve the performance of a chain with a few strokes of a file.
Nice new workwear Roger - not seen much use? Good to see that plumbers are well versed in chain saw maintenance as well!
It is only ever worn when using the saw, those trousers are padded and much to warm for working in.
Maybe they should issue them to pensioners, oh I keep forgetting I am one.
Get some proper chainsaw gloves!
I have some but they are too small. I will look for some bigger ones
Sorry, but to be honest Roger, a video on chainsaws should only be made by a well qualified expert.
sorry but there are plenty of 'experts' out there and people usually watch several videos. Nothing in my video is doing harm and it might help people to check their oiler is working before the chain flies off.
I don't like the recommendation of just 'does the job'! It won't do a good job and last a fraction of what a decent on will do.
It depends what you want a saw for.
@@SkillBuilder I have seen too many Chinese knock off tools being dangerous. And getting injured at work can hurt the whole family.
@@Tenoct91China makes them all.
The trick is knowing which ones are half decent.
🧱👍🏽
Be careful giving joe public ideas with chainsaws !!! If you dont know about kickback tree felling or just logging. theres gonna be tears 😢
There will always be tears with chainsaws. Anyone can buy one. It is better to have knowledge than not