Chainsaw maintenance and safety.

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I have done a bit of reading, listening, and watching.  Probably not enough.  I still have all my limbs, no cuts from the saw anyway, and...  And yet, beside the practice of use, I am rereading, listening again, and watching both new and old material.  Why?  First, when you start something like this, it is very easy to read over your head.  Reading is great, as a starter.  Often, however, it simply doesn't make sense.  Then, once in the field, when you get experience, the reading has simply... evaporated... the connection is not, maybe cannot be, made that way.  There is simply too much that could be known that has to be paired with practical experience to get it all to connect in even several, or many, experiences.


I have used the saw several times now.  Each time I become a bit more confident.  I make more connections between safety and maintenance issues, practical physical operation techniques and things like balance, how the saw fits my own hands height and such, and the rest.  I suspect a summer or two, of heavy use, would create a near mastery.  Though true mastery is elusive.  As with anything, even a lifetime will not create perfection.  For me, the best bet, is to take the chores more slowly and cautiously.  Starting a chainsaw up in the tree?  On a solo job, possibly a requirement... or maybe I should have lit it on the ground and roped it up, to be honest.  Still, sometimes, because of this and that, poor judgments are going to be rendered.  Best to learn to deal with those too.

Anyway, while I wake today, I went looking for a video.  And found one.  Not only by the manufacturer of my saw, it also seems (I think) they are using the very model I have... the 361... I think.  Had to check, nope, I have the 362... close enough.  Anyway... this should be exceptionally helpful to me.  Though I think anyone who is running a saw, new or old, but hasn't done so in a while, might get some good info from this, so I'm putting it out.  Plus, I'll be reviewing it, and tinkering, over the next week.  I'll have things to review and check on my machine.  I may light it up, next week, and see about wood chips just to know.  And I will check some things, like how to adjust bar chain oil, look at the filter, and such.  She hasn't had all that much use, sum total.  If she has had two or three tanks of gas I would be surprised... if that is about to change.  Still, good to learn sooner than worry later.  I just wish I could figure out a way to soak the bar chain oil that leaks out... perhaps remove it?  Or, perhaps as my neighbor suggested, starting it and running it monthly, or every other month, might keep the oil in?  Learning started from the start.  But were it goes and how successful... that is really up to the individual... ill or not.

Rain last night.  I'm glad I have done the work I can do for a while.  Working with wet wood is no fun.  It did cool things off though.  Yeah... I may run to town, finish my shopping list, look for curtain rods or such, and that.  Might even have a small meal.  Even if I'm not working, a bite or two would help keep going what I can do.  I'll head in after watching the vid... probably.  Later.