Drop start

GASoline71 · April 30, 2009, 03:04:40 AM

My 044...

http://www.youtube.com/v/sy83qYFLwfw

Gary

bandmiller2 · April 30, 2009, 06:43:16 AM

Jeff and the rest of you guys thanks I'll have to try all systems sure one will work best for me.Frank c.

Rocky_J · April 30, 2009, 07:26:49 AM

b-b-b-b-but Gary, you didn't have the chain brake set and you didn't have the rear handle wedged between your knees! Aren't you afraid of the saw flailing wildly about and cutting your leg off? :

But that's the way I've always done it as well. Total control and the chain is spinning in a plane that is NOT in line with my body. I dislike seeing guys start a big saw by holding the rear handle (and trigger) with their right hand and throwing the saw forward as they pull the rope with their left. The tip will end up hitting the ground at some point and they have no control over kickback if it strikes something and flies up and back at them at full throttle.

beenthere · April 30, 2009, 10:52:04 AM

Quote from: Rocky_J on April 30, 2009, 07:26:49 AM
.............. I dislike seeing guys start a big saw by holding the rear handle (and trigger) with their right hand and throwing the saw forward as they pull the rope with their left. The tip will end up hitting the ground at some point and they have no control over kickback if it strikes something and flies up and back at them at full throttle.

Probably helps explain why the "drop start" gets the bad rap. :

Like Rocky says and Gary showed, have not experienced any wild flailing with the drop start where the left hand holds the forward handle and the right hand pulls the start cord.

On another note, I find that there is a certain amount of danger (risk) when taking the brake off while the saw is running. Have to hold the rear handle while letting go of the forward handle and releasing the brake. That moment of time before gripping the forward handle again is when the saw can accidentaly be revved and injury happen because two hands are not in control. It is one reason I rarely flip the brake on after a cut. Occasionally I do, if I am in brush and do not have good footing. I always try to keep the the throttle finger away from the throttle/trigger.

John Mc · April 30, 2009, 11:58:58 AM

Quote from: beenthere on April 30, 2009, 10:52:04 AM
On another note, I find that there is a certain amount of danger (risk) when taking the brake off while the saw is running. Have to hold the rear handle while letting go of the forward handle and releasing the brake. That moment of time before gripping the forward handle again is when the saw can accidentally be revved and injury happen because two hands are not in control. It is one reason I rarely flip the brake on after a cut. Occasionally I do, if I am in brush and do not have good footing. I always try to keep the the throttle finger away from the throttle/trigger.

Good point, an done that is not always touched upon in the safety classes. On one of my saws, I can still at least keep my thumb hooked around the front handle and reach the break with my fingers. On the other, it's too much of a stretch for my thumb to have any kind of grip.

John Mc

RSteiner · April 30, 2009, 12:30:33 PM

Quote from: John Mc on April 29, 2009, 07:42:21 AM
I use the between the knees method Jeff mentioned. Actually, for me the rear handle area gets tucked under the inside/back of my right thigh with my right leg bent a bit at the knee, and held in place with the front of my left thigh. Left hand on the front handle, right hand pulls the starter cord. This makes a bit of "offset"... so if it's stiff or jams, it just pulls up against my right thigh, rather than other, more painful places.

This works for me for all but the most stubborn cases... for those, the saw gets put on the ground.

John Mc

Ditto for me. I find this the best way to start a saw when some is standing near. Drop starting seems to swing the saw around which could catch some one walking by that you don't see.

Randy

GASoline71 · April 30, 2009, 02:14:55 PM

Quote from: beenthere on April 30, 2009, 10:52:04 AM
Like Rocky says and Gary showed, have not experienced any wild flailing with the drop start where the left hand holds the forward handle and the right hand pulls the start cord.

Being 6' 5" helps too...

Gary

beenthere · April 30, 2009, 03:39:09 PM

Quote from: GASoline71 on April 30, 2009, 02:14:55 PM

Being 6' 5" helps too...

Gary

;D ;D ;D Doesn't help me...they built the sidewalks too close to my rear end, and I only get up to 5'9" :

timber tramp · May 01, 2009, 12:48:16 AM

I'll agree with Gary on his starting method. I run an 044 also, although I'm nowhere near 6'5" (5'8") .

TT

Dan_Shade · May 01, 2009, 07:21:42 AM

i normally do the between the knees thing when it's cold, but will drop start like GASoline71 after it's warmed up, and very easy to start. The saws I use now have compression releases on them, which makes starting much easier.

I always use the chainbrake. I started that practice a few years ago, and think it's a good one.

oldsaw · May 01, 2009, 08:10:17 AM

I'll drop start all of my saws warm, the only exception is when I have the 42" on the 066. Cold, I won't drop the 066 unless it's got the 24" on it, but I don't do it often since it has no compression release. The rest, whatever. Funny how I do it without really thinking about it, but I've got short bars on everything else. Just run a 20" on the 372, and with comp release, that's an easier start than the Super XL, which starts easily when it has been used recently.

Please be aware that Gary is one of those overcompensating West Coast longbar guys. ;D

Tom Sawyer · May 01, 2009, 09:43:02 AM

I have gotten into the habit of setting the brake everytime I set the saw down, and checking it everytime before I start it. So I always drop start. I find that it is easier on my arms to let the weight of the saw help pull the cord.

Tom

Hawkshoe · May 01, 2009, 09:57:51 AM

Ummm...My name is Matt and.....ummm...I'm a drop starter.......
I will start using the brake, though. Oh yeah, If the wife's watchin, I'm a ground starter! ;D

OneWithWood · May 01, 2009, 10:11:29 AM

I always use the brake if the bar is not on the way to or in the cut. On my Stihls it is not a problem to release the brake while controlling the saw. If I have a long bar on the saw that makes it a bit nose heavy I rest the bar on a log and release the brake.

DanG · May 01, 2009, 11:18:06 AM

Quote from: beenthere on April 30, 2009, 10:52:04 AM

On another note, I find that there is a certain amount of danger (risk) when taking the brake off while the saw is running. Have to hold the rear handle while letting go of the forward handle and releasing the brake. That moment of time before gripping the forward handle again is when the saw can accidentaly be revved and injury happen because two hands are not in control. It is one reason I rarely flip the brake on after a cut. Occasionally I do, if I am in brush and do not have good footing. I always try to keep the the throttle finger away from the throttle/trigger.

I find it pretty easy to hold the saw with the left hand on the forward handle and release the brake with my throttle hand. I've been using the brake more of late. Guess I'm getting a little bit wiser in my old age. :

I do think it is safer to walk with the saw running and the brake released than it is to try either operation in thick brush. Both of my saws are tuned well enough that they will idle indefinitely without the chain moving, and I think that is an important safety point. If your saw won't do that, and I've seen many that won't, it needs some work IMHO.

GASoline71 · May 01, 2009, 03:15:21 PM

Quote from: oldsaw on May 01, 2009, 08:10:17 AM
Please be aware that Gary is one of those overcompensating West Coast longbar guys. ;D

Yes sir! Imma proud to be a knuckledragger...

Gary

SawTroll · May 04, 2009, 01:40:49 PM

Quote from: oldsaw on May 01, 2009, 08:10:17 AM
I'll drop start all of my saws warm, the only exception is when I have the 42" on the 066. Cold, I won't drop the 066 unless it's got the 24" on it, but I don't do it often since it has no compression release. The rest, whatever. Funny how I do it without really thinking about it, but I've got short bars on everything else. Just run a 20" on the 372, and with comp release, that's an easier start than the Super XL, which starts easily when it has been used recently.

Please be aware that Gary is one of those overcompensating West Coast longbar guys. ;D

I allways dropstart, with the left hand on the rope - but 372xpg/24" is my latgest saw.

And yes, I agree on Gary! ;D :D :D

RSteiner · May 05, 2009, 05:58:24 AM

The technique I have seen and associated with drop starting is where the left hand grips the starter cord and the right hand throws the saw down and around the front of the body. This causes the saw to swing wildly around in front of the person staring it. There was a logging crew working on land behind mine where I saw this method being used so not knowing any better at the time I copied the "pro's".

Once I was introduced to the between the knees method by Soren Erickson I changed my ways. I will admit that when warm my two Huskys with compression release start so easy with one pull that I am able to hold the saw down with a stiff right arm and pull the starter cord with the left hand with a light short pull and it is running.

Randy

nmurph · May 23, 2009, 02:08:32 PM

not much going on here today, so i will reply. i'm a right hand-on-the-rear-handle drop-starter. i do it on everything from the 394 with a 24" down. i don't use the decomp most of the time, except on the 394. the 125 with a 60" is just a little too big. as to some the previous comments, i am not at tall as Gary, though 6'4" is pretty close, and that height does give you a little more distance to the ground. i do occasionally use the brake when starting. i use the brake more and more while i walking throught the woods. i guess it is more dangerous, but so is everything else in the woods. i think that for me, this is one of the safer things i do with a chainsaw. this is an inherently dangerous activity. you have to always be aware of the worst-case scenario possibilities.

Ironwood · May 23, 2009, 07:03:04 PM

Always drop start. Always use the safety brake immeadiately as my cuts end (just second nature now)

Ironwood

Al_Smith · May 23, 2009, 10:56:28 PM

I started doing this stuff long before chain brakes were ever even thought of .At this point in life I forget they are even there most of the time .

bandmiller2 · May 24, 2009, 07:24:31 AM

I never set the chain brake,to me it dosen't seem right to start a saw on high idle with the brake set and wear the clutch.When I started we were lucky to have the hand guard.Have good footing and think before you do something.Frank C.

Ironwood · May 24, 2009, 07:48:10 AM

I grew up listening to Homelite xL's, heard a nieghbor fire one the other day, knew exactly what kinda saw it was. :D Amazing how far saws have come, quiet, safer, easier on our bods (vibration isolation). Makes you wander what will come next? Suppose that is what folks driving 1940's cars said :D

Ironwood

DanG · May 24, 2009, 10:14:04 AM

Personally, I'm looking forward to electric start! :

:D :D

Like most other oldtimers, I use the brake sparingly. I put the bigger saw on the ground for cold starting, and it does start on high idle. However, I use the brake when doing this to protect the chain from striking the ground. I pick the saw up immediately and release the brake as soon as it clears the ground. Once I clear the high idle, the chain doesn't move at idle, so the brake doesn't seem important anyway. When warm starting that same saw, I use the drop method. It starts on first pull every time with no throttle, so here again the chain isn't moving and the brake isn't needed.

As Frank stated, having a good plan, which includes good footing, frees you up to concentrate on the saw and the cut itself when the saw is in the wood. I would venture to guess that being in a hurry hurts more people than any other factor, including fatigue.

Cut4fun · May 24, 2009, 12:59:25 PM

Quote from: Al_Smith on May 23, 2009, 10:56:28 PM
I started doing this stuff long before chain brakes were ever even thought of .At this point in life I forget they are even there most of the time .

I haven't used saws that long, but the 4 I learned on didn't have chain brakes. Poulan 2000 305 3300 3750. So I never use the brakes either.
But one day while using a Poulan 220 I picked up dirt cheap like new from Texas for $50. I hit a 1" solid metal rod in the center of a hand hewd beam and found out how a chain brake works when that puppy kicked back, shut off with brake engaged. Also cutting through a barn door and hit a metal slide on the opposite side and did the same thing and broke a few cutters off.
So I do see a use for the brakes, but only when they decide to be needed.