Fried Chicken
ArboristSite Member
If that was you in video. I dont see a thing wrong with it.
Do what feels right to you.
That wasn't me; I could only dream of owning an ms362
Why shouldn't I "air start" my chainsaw???
- Thread starter Fried Chicken
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That wasn't me; I could only dream of owning an ms362
Cord_Nipper
ArboristSite Member
Well, I guess Daddy was trying to kill me all along.
He had me drop starting an XL-12 with a bow bar at 12.
No chain guards.
No chain brake.
No PPE.
And shockingly no injuries.
I'm all for personal safety.
But some people are so scared of their own shadows they have no place around a saw.
He had me drop starting an XL-12 with a bow bar at 12.
No chain guards.
No chain brake.
No PPE.
And shockingly no injuries.
I'm all for personal safety.
But some people are so scared of their own shadows they have no place around a saw.
This is probably a no-no.
Probably "without them seeing you do it"
Fried Chicken
ArboristSite Member
This is how the bureaucrats imagine their citizenry; a rough reflection of themselves.
I drop started for years. Then it became virtually illegal in the workplace. So i learned to start with the saw between my thighs. Now I feel totally uncomfortable drop starting. It never felt dangerous before. Now it does only because I have become unaccustomed to it.
I start my ms660 clone on the ground. Once it's warm, I can start it any way I want. Cold, for me, it's best on the ground.
I start my ms660 clone on the ground. Once it's warm, I can start it any way I want. Cold, for me, it's best on the ground.
There are people that can dropstaŕt just fine. Then there are people that should not. You see at the shop all the time. When you see one close to cutting a leg, with the chain brake on, you stop showing how to drop start.
We were freehand ripping some bridge beams far back remote area and I was drop starting my Stihl 090AV, as well as my 066`s, the other fellows with me were amazed I started those size saws using the drop start method but not one of them thought it was dangerous. They were all long time chainsaw users,many had worked as woods workers.The biggest saws under mine were in the 65cc size bracket and they all drop start saws.
echomeister
ArboristSite Operative
When we say drop starting where is it that one is holding the saw. I can see if you are gripping the rear part of the handle ( where the trigger is ) using only one hand that could be dangerous. I hold the top of the handle and let the throttle do the fast idle thing. It doesn't seem dangerous to me that way.
My mind is blown. People actually start on the ground? Between their thighs? What am I reading? I hold the saw with my left hand by the top handle with the bar pointed away from my body to the left and I pull with the right hand. I thought the ground start thing was just something they put in the manual for feeble old men who can't support the weight of the saw.
Safety standards that claim you MUST start a saw on the ground are made by committee "experts" that have never actually used a saw in the bush.
Saws with long bars are nose heavy, pick them up and the tip of the bar stays on the ground. With this setup, many guys like to rest the tip on a stump or log and hold the saw with the right hand in the rear handle and pull with the left hand. If your saw doesn't have a chain brake, this allows you to hold the throttle open and release it as soon as the engine starts and before the chain goes crazy. I like this method as it gives you complete control of the throttle but when trying it on a saw with a short bar, I can't find the strength to hold the saw up (bar off the ground) with my right hand in the rear handle. Old and feeble.
Crotch starting seems to work with saws that pull over and start easy but with saws that are hard to pull and like to jerk the handle out of your hand, I need to pull against the inertia of the saw being dropped. Too many thigh bruises and maybe a weak left arm.
Drop starting seems to work for all saws except for a few small ones like the Hommie Super-2 that don't have a method of latching the throttle open for cold starts.
Saws with long bars are nose heavy, pick them up and the tip of the bar stays on the ground. With this setup, many guys like to rest the tip on a stump or log and hold the saw with the right hand in the rear handle and pull with the left hand. If your saw doesn't have a chain brake, this allows you to hold the throttle open and release it as soon as the engine starts and before the chain goes crazy. I like this method as it gives you complete control of the throttle but when trying it on a saw with a short bar, I can't find the strength to hold the saw up (bar off the ground) with my right hand in the rear handle. Old and feeble.
Crotch starting seems to work with saws that pull over and start easy but with saws that are hard to pull and like to jerk the handle out of your hand, I need to pull against the inertia of the saw being dropped. Too many thigh bruises and maybe a weak left arm.
Drop starting seems to work for all saws except for a few small ones like the Hommie Super-2 that don't have a method of latching the throttle open for cold starts.
From buzz sawyer's video at post 24
This is is how people (idiots) get the name Nancy.
You gotta be a big hoss to be able to drop start your 090. I cannot drop start mine with a 47” bar and chain. It’s too heavy. But, it’s my preferred method and the 090’s are the only ones that really give me a problem. I wish those saws had automatic decompression buttons like every other saw in the world almost.
I've never in my life in person at least
Just on tv or the Internet
Have seen anyone start a saw on the ground
I've been around saws and running saws since the 1970s
Try getting a size 13 4e boot into a saw handle.
I fixed a saw whose clutch springs were so worn that it wouldn't idle at half choke. The easiest way to start it was with the chain brake off. Definitely didn't want that thing dangling mid-air when I was testing it.
My wife starts my saws for me lol
But yeah if you don't have at least 4 different ways (drop starting is one of them) of starting a saw down pat you are lacking in valuable skills.
For example the rear handle in crutch is excellent for starting a saw in a tight space where even bending over is not an option.
Broaden ya knowledge and skills peoples and don't be so quick to judge it's not a manly thing it's a use ya brain type thing.
But yeah if you don't have at least 4 different ways (drop starting is one of them) of starting a saw down pat you are lacking in valuable skills.
For example the rear handle in crutch is excellent for starting a saw in a tight space where even bending over is not an option.
Broaden ya knowledge and skills peoples and don't be so quick to judge it's not a manly thing it's a use ya brain type thing.
It’s easier to drop start if you’re left handed. I set the choke on my 288 and 372 hold the top of the handle with bar pointed away from me. Even my large frame Macs are started this way, still do to this day. (I’m 69 with arthritis in my hands). I don’t think this is a good way for a novice to start one.
Every saw I pick up is started drop start style, I wouldn`t know or even try any other method as I would feel unsafe due to its awkwardness, anytime something feels awkward it would more likely lead to me doing damage to myself. A heavy saw helps with the drop start method, my 070 and ContraS all weigh in close to the 090AV,heavy saws compared to most modern saws.
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