Chainsaw Maintenance and Cross Cutting
Course Objectives
To enable course members to:
- state and identify the necessary personal protective equipment required, report on its condition and locate the various standard marks
- state and identify required health and safety features on a chainsaw
- identify faults and defects on a chainsaw and cutting equipment and decide which the operator can remedy and which require a service engineer’s attention
- select and identify correct tools to enable maintenance to be carried out and report on their serviceability
- carry out correctly all routine maintenance in accordance with the manufacturer’s instruction book and/or the Lantra Awards workbook
- prepare the chainsaw for use with the correct fuel/oil mix and chain lubrication
- start the chainsaw from both cold and hot in a safe manner
- carry out pre-cutting safety tests and state the procedures if the chainsaw fails these tests
- state the possible hazards/risks when carrying out maintenance or operational tasks
- cross-cut timber accurately to required lengths
- assess and explain the terms ‘tension’ and ‘compression’ in timber
- adopt safe procedures to remove a trapped guide bar
- handle and stack timber in a safe manner
- organise site safety and state the precautions required
NB: The correct protective clothing must be worn by those undertaking the last three objectives.
Who is the course for?
These courses are for anyone who is required to maintain and operate chainsaws for cross cutting only.
Duration/Format
- Two days for novice trainees
- 1 day for experienced operators – evidence of experience required
Course Content
- Introduction
- Safety and health features of a chainsaw
- Maintenance
- Personal protective equipment
- Fuelling and starting a chainsaw
- Preparing site and chainsaw checks
- Performing pre-cutting checks
- Cross-cutting timber
- Stack timber
- Adjusting the chainsaw