Posted on by Alec Mutch

Report on our meeting 10-11-2022, managed by Peter Lawrence.

Our meeting on Thursday 10th November 2022 was organised and managed by Peter Lawrence, Peter had arranged for Roddy Ross a local professional chainsaw operator to give us a talk and demonstration on all aspects of chainsaw use, including the use of safety gear.

After Roddy was introduced to the club members, he gave a brief summary of his professional career using chain saws. He then went on to press home the need for everyone who uses a chain saw to get all the necessary protective gear, especially the chain saw trousers, but he also included the hard hat, face screen, ear defenders and the proper chainsaw gloves.

His talk then moved on to cover the maintenance of a chainsaw in great detail, that was followed by him talking about all the different types of chain including the sharpening of a chain, he had some of the sharpening tools with him and demonstrated their use.

His final part of the talk was done outside where he gave us some advice on how to use the chainsaw and the dangers involved if not handled properly.

Here are a few pictures of Roddy at the meeting during his presentation.

Pictures 1, shows Roddy as he started to talk about the chainsaw bar and the maintenance required to keep it in good working condition. Picture 2, here Roddy is explaining the importance of keeping the slot for the chain clean and free running.
Picture 3, more information on the smooth running of the chain on the bar and avoiding over heating. Picture 4, Roddy was asked about what type of chain to be used on any chainsaw if it needed to be replaced, he explained that all the information on size length etc are on the bar. (sorry for the poor picture).
Pictures 5 & 6 are both to do with sharpening and chain maintenance, picture 5, shows a standard limiter he used to check the chain. Picture 6, shows a very good sharpening aid and Roddy explained how it is used.
Picture 7, shows Roddy fitting a sharpening machine to the chain and bar, he explained that this was very effective although a little cumbersome to fit. Picture 8, shows the machine in use.
Pictures 9 &10, this is Errol Levings machine for sharpening., Roddy agreed a useful machine to have.
Picture 11 & 12, this is another device for sharpening although I had not used this preferring to hand sharpen instead, Roddy felt it was a useful tool but had limitations due to the way it actually worked.
Roddy moved on to maintenance of the motor, telling everyone the importance of keeping everything clean. Picture 13, the cover removed to show the air filter, Roddy explained there are various types of filter, he preferred a synthetic filter as opposed to a paper filter. Picture 14, shows the fuel filter, vital to keep the fuel clean.
More about maintenance, Picture 15, Roddy removed another of the saws covers to show more parts that require to be kept as clean as possible. Picture 16, here the starting cord mechanism is being set and checked for working properties.
Picture 17, here Roddy has fitted a chain and is now adjusting the tension. Picture 18, with the tension set he checks how tight the chain is by lifting it up, for most of those watching this appeared to be very tight but Roddy was quite adamant that this was all that’s required.
The next part took place outside, Peter and John Ruickbie had prepared an area for Roddy to use whilst demonstrating his cutting methods, this required some temporary lighting, a ground sheet to catch the sawdust and some personnel barriers. Picture 19, with the saw stationary Roddy explained what to avoid to prevent kick backs, he also explained where on the blade the cut should start, as close to the riving dogs as possible. Picture 20, Roddy cut a piece off an Ash log.

That concluded Roddy’s talk and demonstration, he was thanked for his participation and assured that a lot had been learned by our members, a show of appreciation then followed.

The turn out for this meeting was very good. Our next meeting is on the 24th November and is in tribute to our late treasurer who died recently.