Super EZ
Step 1 is to get some protective clothing. Chainsaw chaps, a helmet with a face shield and ear protectors, and some sturdy gloves, and safety boots is the minimum (although I got away with much less for many years without major injury). Next sharpening. I would recommend that you learn how to sharpen by hand. A file holder guide that will allow you to get the correct angles by eye is a minimum, but I like the clamp-on filing guide. The instructions that come with the clamp-on guide will get you started in setting the correct angles and depths of filing ( and raker height adjustment), but some of the chainsaw manufacturers' websites also have some good instructions. On oiling, the rule of thumb is to use about one tank of oil per tank of gasoline - usually about one thumb push every five seconds or so I think (if you didn't know, the gasoline has to be mixed with two-cycle oil - 32 to one is probably a good mixture for the older EZ - that's what I use in mine). The chainsaw manufacturers' websites also have good safety precautions - be particularly careful of the events that can cause kickback, e.g., having the tip contact something on the far side of what you're cutting, or having the bar pinched by having the kerf close on you as you're cutting. Don't work alone, particularly if you're felling trees, and watch out for "widow makers" (the dead branches that may drop down right next to the trunk where you're standing as a tree you're felling begins to fall. That's just a short list of things along the path of where you are thinking of going. Read up as best you can and ask more questions on this website as you go along. Start small cutting some small trees, learning how to cut a notch to direct the direction of fall and back cutting, and then bucking it up. Later on, on bigger stuff, you can get into wedges, or using ropes to control direction of fall. Gene Gauss
