Chainsaws

When you need a chainsaw, nothing else will really do. Chainsaws have the power to tackle tough timber cutting jobs such as chopping down trees and sawing logs. GMD stocks a range of chainsaws from BOSCH, ALKO, HUSQVARNA, STIHL and other leading brands.

With such a wide range of choices for chainsaws, trying to find the best chainsaw for you can be a difficult task. It is very important to get the right type of chainsaw for yourself and the type of work you will be undertaking. When buying a chainsaw you are faced with two choices: petrol or electric. Electric chainsaws are lightweight, quieter and are good for beginners but they are not as powerful as petrol powered chainsaws.

A chainsaw consists of a several parts.

Engine: almost always a two-stroke gasoline (petrol) internal combustion engine or electric motor.

Drive mechanism: typically a clutch and sprocket.

Guide bar: an elongated bar with a round end of wear-resistant alloy steel typically 16 to 36 inches in length. An edge slot guides the cutting chain.

Cutting chain: Usually each segment in this chain (which is constructed from riveted metal sections similar to a bicycle chain, but without rollers) features a small sharp blade, called a "tooth." This takes the form of a folded tab of chromium plate steel with a sharp corner and two cutting edges on the top plate and side plate. Left-handed and right-handed teeth are alternated in the chain.

Chains come in varying pitch and gauge; the pitch of a chain is defined as half of the length spanned by any three consecutive rivets (e.g., 0.325 inch), while the gauge is the thickness of drive link where it fits into the guide bar (e.g., 0.05 inch). Conventional "full complement" chain has one tooth per drive link. Built into each tooth is a depth gauge or "raker" which rides ahead of the tooth and limits the depth of cut, typically to around 0.025". Depth gauges are critical to safe chain operation. If left too high they will cause very slow cutting, if filed too low they will make the saw dangerous and hard to control.

Using a chainsaw safely

Always read the manufacturer's instructions before use

Keep all people and animals well away from where you are working

Hold the chainsaw firmly with two hands

Position the saw so your body is clear of the line of cut to avoid injury from kickback

Only accelerate the engine while cutting

Chainsaw History

Two important contributors to the modern chainsaw are Joseph Buford Cox and Andreas Stihl; the latter patented and developed a chainsaw in 1926 and a gasoline-powered chainsaw in 1929, and founded a company to mass-produce them. In 1927, Emil Lerp, the founder of Dolmar, developed the world's first gasoline-powered chainsaw and mass-produced them. McCulloch and Industrial Equipment Corp in North America started to produce chainsaws. The early models were heavy, two-person devices with long bars. Often chainsaws were so heavy that they had wheels like dragsaws. Other outfits used driven lines from a wheeled power unit to drive the cutting bar.

Chainsaw Accessories

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