Using a Stihl 020.

[jhobson]

I lost my small tanaka saw so I just got back from ebay with a stihl 020 av super and put a new 12" bar and chain on it (I like small saws). At the time, I didn't really know what I was buying - so have I done well? Is it a good top handled saw or are the 020T etc a whole lot better?
It certainly runs OK (seems a whole lot more energetic than my tanaka) and oils the chain and cuts things so I guess it works - is there anything else I need to worry about?
Now, part of the reason I got the top handle was because I thought you could use them with one handed up a tree. We did have tree surgeons in once (while I was at work) and my wife claimed they used one hand and even started the saw by holding the cord and dropping the saw. However, I have read one thread which makes me think I'm under the wrong impression here.
Does anyone, ever, use a top handled saw with one hand?
Does anyone ever hold the cord and drop the saw to start it? (tried it with the kill switch 'on kill' and decided it is not for me, ever!).

 

[Job Corps Tree]

using a stihl 020

I know most will have used a top handled saw 1 handed or any climbing saw, but I would not do it to often! I have been cut two times both times using a saw 1 handed. Chain Brake works of that left hand, if that hand is not there the brake can't work. Maybe someone else can tell you the differences between the 020 & 020T. I just picked up a used 020T. Got it fixed and waiting to use it. Stihl do make a good Top Handled saw. I have always been a Husky guy.

 

[serial killer]

The 020 is a nice little saw. If you like it and it runs, you did fine. Lots and lots of people use top-handled saws one-handed, even when there is no reason to. It is a very dangerous habit to get into. I swore once that I would never ever use a saw one-handed, but in reality I do it maybe once every couple weeks. By using a saw with one hand, you lose a great deal of control, and you take your left hand away from the chainbrake. The brake should activate due to inertia in the event of a kickback situation, but I don't want to trust it any more than I have to. Basically, you shouldn't use a saw with one hand unless you are a highly experienced professional user, and even then you probably shouldn't be doing it either. If I'm not mistaken, you need a special permit and training in your country to buy a new top handle saw, simply because of the possibility of using it with one hand and the increased danger.

As for starting a saw by dropping it, it sounds like a good way to tear a string or destroy a recoil. I've never seen anyone do it, but I may try it sometime just for the heck of it. I think you'd find that most experienced chainsaw users use what's known as a drop start, where you hold the handle in your left hand, the pull rope in your right, and simultaneously throw the saw downward (while keeping ahold of it) and pull the cord. This is completely different from the recommended method of stepping on the thing on the ground and pulling the cord, but I don't see anything inherently dangerous about it. Maybe what your wife saw was them drop starting their saws, or even failing at a drop start and losing hold of the saw so it ended up dangling from the starter cord.

 

[ddhlakebound]

I'll agree that one handing can be a very dangerous way to use a saw, but I admit to one handing a bit.

Work positioning is key (to me) to be able to one hand with a comfortable degree of safety. I usually only one hand when using the saw at shoulder level or below, and out away from my body and legs. Having complete control of the follow through is crutial also. The 020t or 200t is also the most powerful top handle saw made, so one handing with it is inherently more dangerous than other less powerful saws.

I also sometimes start the saw one handed by pulling the cord while the saw is clipped onto my saddle with its eight inch leash, so there's no chance of the saw falling, and surprisingly little shock to the starting assembly when done smoothly. Just lift it a couple inches, then drop it while pulling upward on the cord. One handed start.

 

[Pete M]

JHobson, you may find this useful.... "Safe working methods with top-handled chainsaws" http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/crr_pdf/2001/crr01402.pdf

Pete

 

[Pete M]

Serial Killer....there's no requirement for a special permit to buy a top-handled saw. A dealer will want to know that you know what you're doing though. This won't apply to a private seller selling one used. The only time, that I know of, when specific proof of competency is required is when you want to hire a saw from a hire-shop.

 

[tree_beard]

Serial Killer....there's no requirement for a special permit to buy a top-handled saw. A dealer will want to know that you know what you're doing though. This won't apply to a private seller selling one used. The only time, that I know of, when specific proof of competency is required is when you want to hire a saw from a hire-shop.

in order to buy a new top-handled saw from an approved dealer in the uk, you must present your NTPC CS39 (use of a chainsaw from a rope and harness) certificate (or send a scanned copy if youre buying online).

said certificate (and 2 day training course) cost about £300 ($600), and before you can apply for that course you need to have completed your CS30, 31, and 38 courses (crosscutting, felling, and tree climbing) costing about £900 and ten days of training..



to buy a new 200t from your local dealer, you would need to spend...

12 days in training, plus 3 seperate days being assessed
£1200 ($2400) for the training and assessments
another £200 for any assessments that you might fail and have to re-take
travel cost and possibly accomodation while you take your training

and then about £450 for the actual saw itself....



so yeah, the powers that be here in the u.k deem top-handle saws to be pretty dangerous and only for use by professional tree climbers....

crazy but true........ rant over.

 

[Pete M]

so that's the theory....but why, when I made an enquiry about purchasing a 338XPT from a dealer, was I told "no problem"? I wonder if it's because I said I was making the purchase on behalf of the company, and the person who would be using it is certified? I suppose they may have asked for proof of certification when paying.

 

[tree_beard]

obviously it depends on the dealer, they are required to check.. but if you know the dealer they can usually get you an 'ex-demo' model, or they have another customer that lets them use their cert for ordering saws.... stihl dealers are the most strict in enforcing the policy...

 

[Nailsbeats]

It's too bad when the leaders of a country don't even trust their own countrymen. The word "Revolution" comes to mind, guess that's why us Americans kicked the homelands a$$ out so many years ago, power to the forefathers.

Those saw rules sound rediculous, but to a free American, many other countries rules do. Oh yeah, we have guns too.

Anyway, a drop start is standard for most, and onehanding is something pretty much every arborist does once in a while, most don't want to admit it here though.

 

[jhobson]

there's no requirement for a special permit to buy a top-handled saw

I did try to buy new from a shop a few years ago and was refused (even with the promise of spending a whole lot more on other stuff as well). Makes me want one all the more. There are obvious dealers on ebay that would seem to offer new saws without asking for a certificate.
I think top handled saws in UK fetch a premium on ebay for this reason. People even describe saws as top handle when they aren't.

 

[jhobson]

JHobson, you may find this useful.... "Safe working methods with top-handled chainsaws" http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/crr_pdf/2001/crr01402.pdf

Pete

Brilliant link. I spent a long time a couple of years ago looking for something like that! I think I need to get some tree-climbing skills (I used to rock climb, but my rope skills didn't translate well into tree climbing).
I don't suppose there is a similar link just for rope/climbing skills? (sorry if it's here already - I haven't bothered to search).

I like this place.

 

[Ted-RI]

I'm pretty sure the "T" just means top handled. If you have an 020 with a top handle its actually an 020T.

 

[jhobson]

I'm pretty sure the "T" just means top handled. If you have an 020 with a top handle its actually an 020T.

Nope. What I thought, and why I bought it. I was wrong.