As well as being a useful and effective tool, a chainsaw is a potentially dangerous piece of equipment. Complacency or incorrect use will greatly increase the probability of anything from a ‘near-miss’, to the worst case scenario of a fatal accident. When you purchase a new chainsaw from us, or any other chainsaw dealer it is absolutely crucial that safety is at the forefront of your mind, before, during and after use.
If you purchase a chainsaw from us at Briants and are local enough to collect from store we will assemble, run and test the saw before handing it over in operational state. In addition a demonstration will be given by an experienced member of our staff on the start procedure of the saw .
If you live in an area of the UK where it’s not practical to get to us to collect in person, then we are able to ship some chainsaw models via a courier. In this instance, the saw will be delivered to you as it is delivered to us by Stihl. That is in a box, requiring the bar and chain to be fitted. The unit will ship dry so fuel and 2-stroke oil mix, plus chain oil (not supplied unless stated) will need to be added to the saw prior to use. The fuel to oil ratio is critical, please follow the guidelines in the owners manual or consult us if you are unsure. Stihl 2-stroke, 2-Mix and 4-Mix engine use a 50:1 ratio i.e. 100ml of Stihl 2-stroke oil per 5 litres of unleaded petrol. Assembly and start up should only be done by a competent person who has previous experience of both using and assembling a chainsaw and is confident with garden machinery. Chainsaw courses are available at all experience levels across the UK, so if you have minimal or no experience it is (in our opinion) essential to seek professional training before attempting to assemble and use your new saw. An internet search should be done to find a suitable training service in your area. For those local to ourselves we highly recommend Vale Training.
Chainsaw Safety Resources from STIHL…
Stihl are one of the worlds leading chainsaw and garden machinery brands, and they provide a good selection of videos and other information regarding the correct assembly and safe use of their saws. We have listed some of them here, but there may be even more available at https://www.stihl.co.uk/ as well as their youtube channel. We must stress though that although these resources are excellent, they are not an adequate substitute for seeking professional training and should not be seen as such. Please read the manual supplied with the machine before assembling or using your chainsaw.
1. Chainsaw safety manual from Stihl stihl_chain_saw_safety_manual.pdf
2. Checking the guide bar and saw chain of a chainsaw (MS 241 used in this example)
3. Mounting the bar and chain, tensioning the saw chain (MS 170 used in this example)
4. Mounting the bar and chain, tensioning the saw chain on a ‘CBE’ saw (MS 180 C-BE used in this example)
5. Starting a chainsaw on the ground. (MS 170 used in this example – starting procedure can vary from model to model. (Please consult your manual.)
Protective Clothing and Equipment
Chainsaw protective clothing and equipment is absolutely essential when using a saw. Using the correct protective equipment can reduce the risk greatly of serious injury. We stock a good range of protective equipment and clothing available to purchase, made by Stihl and some other great brands.