Saw blade resting on log before starting??

[Investmentdude]

So I watched my buddy rest his running saw, blade at rest, on a log and then give it gas to start. My impression is that this is bad for the blade, that he should have the blade circulating at speed BEFORE making contact with the wood. We got into a back and forth on it. Am I wrong?

 

[ericm979]

It's a chain not a blade.

What you describe is not bad for the chain but it makes the clutch work harder than it needs to. Overheating the clutch can damage the saw.

 

[GrumpyDad]

So I watched my buddy rest his running saw, blade at rest, on a log and then give it gas to start. My impression is that this is bad for the blade, that he should have the blade circulating at speed BEFORE making contact with the wood. We got into a back and forth on it. Am I wrong?

if it is a dime store saw from home depot, sure it may be an issue. Not a real saw as long as he isnt really putting alot of pressure on it. The saw should grab where he put it on the line he wants to cut and effortlessly pull into the saw like hot knife through butter. Your job is to keep material from binding and all you need to do there is do a little back and forth and watch for rocks when you cut through.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

A small saw will have a hard time of it, but a bigger saw will be just fine. It's best to get the chain moving before hitting the wood, but it is not uncommon to start/stop in a cut if felling, or bucking big wood.

 

[Woody Stover]

Always have the chain moving--It could grab, doing it the way he is. Sure, he'll probably get away with it. But if you're using chisel chain and it grabs and throws the nose of the bar into another branch, it could come back at ya..

 

[Investmentdude]

A small saw will have a hard time of it, but a bigger saw will be just fine. It's best to get the chain moving before hitting the wood, but it is not uncommon to start/stop in a cut if felling, or bucking big wood.

Yeah it’s a Stihl farm boss. I always thought you should have the chain moving before hitting the wood.

 

[GrumpyDad]

Always have the chain moving--It could grab, doing it the way he is. Sure, he'll probably get away with it. But if you're using chisel chain and it grabs and throws the nose of the bar into another branch, it could come back at ya..

A weak hand and a chain rested on a log that is then suddenly jerked could be bad. The same applies for a miter saw FYI
Im of the camp that it's best to ease a blade or chain onto the product being worked vs resting it on the product and starting it up. It's not about the equipment it's about safety in my opinion.

 

[Jags]

It wont hurt the chain. As said above, depending on the saw it could put undo stress on the clutch. But I doubt that it will really harm either of them. As a method of operation, it's not my style.

 

[Kwolt]

The owners manual states that the chain brake must be engaged when starting a saw so the saw won’t suffer any undo wear and tear starting it resting on a log. As has been pointed out, from a safety standpoint this is totally unacceptable. Officially the only proper way to start a chainsaw is on the ground with one foot through the rear handle and one hand on the front handle with the chain brake engaged. Having said that, there may be times when you’re waist deep in brush or snow and starting it on the ground is impractical. In this situation you can wedge the rear handle between your knees while holding the front handle with one hand and grabbing the starter cord with the other. Starting a saw just holding the rear handle means that you have no control of the saw especially in the event of kickback.
Now I will admit that I don’t always start a saw on the ground. I’ll start a warm saw holding it between my knees and often without the chain brake engaged. OSHA would have a cow. Big saws always got started on the ground with the chain brake engaged. Drop starting any saw is a thing of the past.

 

[salecker]

Drop starting any saw is a thing of the past.

Ahhh sorry NO
I drop start most of my saws from my little Stihl MS150 to my 088
The only ones i don't drop start are my 2 man saws

 

[Isaac Carlson]

Drop starting any saw is a thing of the past.

Nope. Drop starting is just fine and very safe, as long as the chain brake is on and the operator knows what to expect in regards to starting effort. Hand an inexperienced person a high compression saw and they will have a nice bruise on their leg from the bar.

I either drop start or leg lock all my saws because bending down in an awkward position is not safe (pulled muscles) or fun. I try to work as safely as I can.

 

[ericm979]

I read it that the OP's "starting" was starting a cut, not the saw engine. If the chain brake is locked it does not matter if the chain is touching something when you start the engine but that would be a really bad habit to get into. The first time you forget to lock the brake you would get a surprise.

When starting a cut if the chain's only lightly touching the wood it's not a problem with the clutch. But as others pointed out, the chain at slow speeds tends to grab stuff. The smaller diameter the material the grabbier it is. When it grabs it will pull the saw into the material or the material into the saw. Even though my post above I mentioned the clutch, I think the safety aspect of the chain grabbing is a more important issue. Even if you're ready for it, it's an extra thing to deal with that you don't really need.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

I was just replying to Kwolt. Maybe he misunderstood the op?

 

[Woody Stover]

Ahhh sorry NO
I drop start most of my saws from my little Stihl MS150 to my 088
The only ones i don't drop start are my 2 man saws

Yeah, as long as the plane of the bar doesn't intersect my body, I figure I can get away with it.

 

[Kwolt]

Yeah, I read it as starting a saw, not starting a cut.
And when I said drop starting a saw was a thing of the past I meant for me personally. You’re welcome to do whatever you want.

 

[duramaxman05]

I do it just to seeing the saw has the power and torque to do it. My 395xp with 32" bar will take off with out a problem and that's even with putting a fair amount of pressure on it too