How to operate your mini chainsaw correctly, safely and efficiently

A chainsaw is an excellent tool to have if you own a yard. There are lots of projects done every day by millions with this small yet powerful tool. A mini chainsaw would make your wood cutting experience a lot easier if you know how and where to use them properly.

1. What is the use of Mini Chainsaw?

  • Did you know, you can cut small trees with a mini chainsaw? A small-sized tree that has a smaller diameter is easier to hold and cut by a lightweight chainsaw. 
  • After felling, Mini Chainsaws are great for pruning limbs of the felled trees. You can also do pruning at a lower height for a standing tree. 
  • Electric trimmers or hedge clippers are good for cleaning small bushes around your house. But when the branches are thicker in diameter, it gets tricky. One small chainsaw can quickly trim large bushes that can save a lot of time. 
  • If you are a garden owner, you might have some logs kept in the yard. Mini Chainsaws are perfect for cutting small-sized logs in your yard. Tree fallen unexpectedly can also be cleaned easily by this saw.
  • From the start of woodworking history until now, the axe has been used by people of almost every era. But using an axe for a long time causes back pain and aches. Mini chainsaw can improve the woodworking experience by a greater margin. For example, splitting firewood is now a lot more comfortable using a small chainsaw than any traditional tool. 

2. Safety Concern and Tips

Chainsaws are a very powerful tool that can outstand anything beneath their blade. That’s why it is a very dangerous tool without any doubt. Domestic users should be careful while using this machine in their homestead. For beginners, a basic easy to use chainsaw is preferable. A small mistake can cause permanent damage to your body or even death. Let’s find out some safety measures while using a chainsaw below:

  • For the novice, never use a chainsaw without any training. Contact your seniors who have experience using one, and your seller can also help you out with a small guide.
  • You should know how to use a chainsaw properly so that you are well known to all parts of the saw you are using.
  • Wear protective equipment like gloves, face-shield, steel toe boots to protect yourself from any kind of injuries.
  • It would be wise to use a chainsaw away from flammable objects to ignite with a little spark.
  • For an electric chainsaw, always keep the cord extension on your back away from the blade.
  • Start your work by cutting a small log to test the chainsaw.
  • Always keep the chainsaw below your chest, as sudden kickbacks cannot be controlled.
  • For felling large trees, everyone should take special caution to avoid any damage. Professional help is needed in this aspect.

3. Maintenance

Whatever chainsaw you buy, if not maintained properly, won’t last long. To keep your tool performing for a long time, you have to take care of few things now and then.

  • After using, clean the chain properly and keep it apart from the bar.
  • After colling down, wipe the body to clean the leftover dust on the engine.
  • Always keep your oil reservoir fill and battery fully charged.
  • Keep the blade covered to avoid any accidental injuries.
  • Please remove the battery pack when not in use and keep it properly.
  • Calibrate the tension of the chain. Calibrating the chain tension on the guide plate will give you the best experience. If the chain is too tight on the guides, friction increases and wears the guides. If the chain is too loose on the guide plate, then sometimes the chain will come off during use

Tips for Using a Cordless Mini Circular Saw

Hychika’s newest cordless mini circular saw is a powerful tool. It is capable of cutting wood, pvc pipe, tile and other materials, without being bound by wires. But before using it, we still need to know some safety knowledge to avoid accidents

Indications:

  1. For optimal result when sawing wood, the cutting depth should be set slightly greater than the thickness of the chosen material.
  2. When cutting plastic, the cutting depth should also be greater than the thickness of the material. If the material begins to melt, then setting a greater depth of cut usually resolves the problem.
  3. When cutting metal, the cutting depth should be at least 1.0 mm larger than the thickness of the material.
  4. When sawing wood or plastic, the depth of cut can also be set exactly on the thickness of the material to prevent that the underlying surface gets damaged. However, this does lead to an impure saw cut at the bottom of the workpiece
Saw disks for different materials

Danger:

  1. Keep hands away from cutting area and the blade. Keep your second hand on auxiliary handle, or motor housing. If both hands are holding the saw, they cannot be cut by the blade.
  2. Do not reach underneath the workpiece. The guard cannot protect you from the blade below the workpiece.
  3. Adjust the cutting depth to the thickness of the workpiece. Less than a full tooth of the blade teeth should be visible below the workpiece.
  4. Never hold piece being cut in your hands or across your leg. Secure the workpiece to a stable platform. It is important to support the work properly to minimize body exposure, blade binding, or loss of control.
  5. When ripping always use a rip fence or straight edge guide. This improves the accuracy of cut and reduces the chance of blade binding.
  6. Always use blades with correct size and shape (diamond versus round) of arbour holes. Blades that do not match the mounting hardware of the saw will run eccentrically, causing loss of control.
  7. Never use damaged or incorrect blade washers or bolt. The blade washers and bolt were specially designed for your saw, for optimum performance and safety of operation.

Causes and operator prevention of kickback:

  • Kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched, bound or misaligned saw blade, causing an uncontrolled saw to lift up and out of the workpiece toward the operator;
  • When the blade is pinched or bound tightly by the kerf closing down, the blade stalls and the motor reaction drives the unit rapidly back toward the operator;
  • If the blade becomes twisted or misaligned in the cut, the teeth at the back edge of the blade can dig into the top surface of the wood causing the blade to climb out of the kerf and jump back toward the operator.
  • Kickback is the result of saw misuse and/or incorrect operating procedures or conditions and can be avoided by taking proper precautions as given below.
  1. Maintain a firm grip with both hands on the saw and position your arms to resist kickback forces. Position your body to either side of the blade, but not in line with the blade. Kickback could cause the saw to jump backwards, but kickback forces can be controlled by the operator, if proper precautions are taken.
  2. When blade is binding, or when interrupting a cut for any reason, release the trigger and hold the saw motionless in the material until the blade comes to a complete stop. Never attempt to remove the saw from the work or pull the saw backward while the blade is in motion or kickback may occur. Investigate and take corrective actions to eliminate the cause of blade binding.
  3. When restarting a saw in the workpiece, centre the saw blade in the kerf and check that saw teeth are not engaged into the material. If saw blade is binding, it may walk up or kickback from the workpiece as the saw is restarted.
  4. Support large panels to minimise the risk of blade pinching and kickback. Large panels tend to sag under their own weight. Supports must be placed under the panel on both sides, near the line of cut and near the edge of the panel.
  5. Do not use dull or damaged blades. Unsharpened or improperly set blades produce narrow kerf causing excessive friction, blade binding and kickback.
  6. Blade depth and bevel adjusting locking levers must be tight and secure before making cut. If blade adjustment shifts while cutting, it may cause binding and kickback.
  7. Use extra caution when making a “plunge cut” into existing walls or other blind areas. The protruding blade may cut objects that can cause kickback.
No matter how you cutting, correct posture is important

Safety instructions guard:

  1. Check guard for proper closing before each use. Do not operate the saw if guard does not move freely and enclose the blade instantly. Never clamp or tie the guard with the blade exposed. If saw is accidentally dropped, guard may be bent. Check to make sure that guard moves freely and does not touch the blade or any other part, in all angles and depths of cut.
  2. Check the operation and condition of the guard return spring. If the guard and the spring are not operating properly, they must be serviced before use. Guard may operate sluggishly due to damaged parts, gummy deposits, or a build-up of debris.
  3. Assure that the guide plate of the saw will not shift while performing the “plunge cut” when the blade bevel setting is not at 90°. Blade shifting sideways will cause binding and likely kick back.
  4. Always observe that the guard is covering the blade before placing saw down on bench or floor. An unprotected, coasting blade will cause the saw to walk backwards, cutting whatever is in its path. Be aware of the time it takes for the blade to stop after switch is released.

Specific safety instructions:

  • Do not use misshaped or cracked blades.
  • Regularly check the blades for damage. If necessary, replace them.
  • Never use a saw that has components missing or a saw that is fitted with accessories which were not supplied with the saw or which are not recommended for use with the saw.
  • Never exert sideways pressure on the blade to bring it to a stop.
  • Do not lock or clamp the protective cover.
  • Do not use the saw without the protective cover.
  • Before using the saw, check whether the protective cover has been fitted.
  • After use, the saw must be stored in such a way that the blade cannot become damaged.
  • Do not use abbrasive discs.
  • Always wear a dust mask.
  • Only use saw blades recommended (e.g saw blades intended for wood shall have EN 847-1 approval).
  • Always wear hearing protection.
  • Only use blade diameter in accordance with the marking label.
  • Have a suitable, tested vacuum removal device attached to the saw when working with woods or materials that create dusts that may be hazardous to health.
  • When cutting plastics, avoid to overheat the blade, avoid to melt the plastic!
  • Be careful when handling the saw blades as they are sharp and can cause injury. It is recommended to wear protective gloves when handling the saw blades.
  • Beware when changing blades as they can become hot during use. Allow the blade time to cool before replacing.
  • Always store the saw blades in a safe place.
How to Replace a Saw Blade

Precautions for the Use of Electric Circular Saws

The electric circular saw is an electric tool that realizes sawing with the high-speed rotation of the circular saw blade. The following matters should be paid attention to when using an electric circular saw.

What you need to pay attention to before starting your electric circular saw

1. Cracked or deformed circular saw blades are not allowed.

2. The moving cover is used to protect the circular saw blade and also to prevent personal accidents. For the electric circular saw, it is strictly forbidden to remove the moving cover.

3. All mechanical and electrical connections should be firm and reliable without loosening. When the circular saw is running, there is no abnormal noise.

4. Before inserting the power plug of the circular saw into the socket, check whether the power switch is in the off position.

5. Do not wear loose clothing during operation, so as not to be caught in the circular saw blade and cause an accident. Make sure you are wearing protective equipment such as dust covers, goggles, and gloves.

6. When operating a circular saw, Anti-recoil measures and protective devices should be provided to prevent the objects being cut from rolling to both sides of the circular saw blade when sawing log materials.

Get the right blade for your electric circular saw

The circular saw blade is the working tool of the electric circular saw. Before use, the sawing path should be corrected, the sawtooth should be ground, and the sawtooth should be shifted to the left and right in turn. This will adjust the angle appropriately. After the circular saw blade is installed, check whether its rotation direction is consistent with the direction of the arrow marked on the moving cover. You cannot install a circular saw blade in reverse. The oblique tooth circular saw blade (longitudinal cutting type) is used for sawing longitudinal fiber wood, and the straight tooth circular saw blade (transverse type) is used for sawing wood that is orthogonal to the fiber direction. The teeth of the circular saw blade should be kept sharp.

Electric circular saws should pay attention when sawing

1. Before sawing the material, check whether the movable cover is flexible, whether the size of the saw blade guide is suitable for the circular saw blade used, and make the following adjustments. The distance between the saw blade guide and the circular saw blade ring gear within the cutting depth range should not exceed 5mm, and the distance between the saw blade guide and the highest point of the lower circular saw blade should not exceed 3mm.

2. After the electric circular saw is started, the sawing can only be started after the speed is stable. The advancing speed of the electric circular saw is determined by the technical performance parameters of the electric circular saw and the hardness of the wood. Generally, the propelling speed of medium hardwood (white pine) is 1m/min. In addition, pay attention to the direction of wood fibers when sawing, adjust the propulsion speed, and the thrust should not be too strong. After the electric circular saw is processed, the method of pressing the side plane of the circular saw blade shall not be used for braking.

3. When using an electric circular saw to longitudinally cut materials with a width of less than 80mm, a sliding bar or similar device should be installed beside the longitudinal baffle, so that the sawed workpiece can be thrown away in time.

4. In order to ensure that the saw seam of the electric circular saw is parallel to the edge of the wood, the longitudinal baffle installed on the bottom plate can be adjusted, and the edge of the translated wood is close to the baffle to guide the sawing. The width of the wood to be cut is read from the slide rule attached to the baffle.