STOCKING UP YOUR WOODPILE

Autumn is the perfect time to get out your STIHL Chainsaw to start stocking up your woodpile for Winter. It’s best to start cutting in early Autumn while the weather is still a little warm, as the wood needs a good amount of time to properly dry out. Wet wood cut at the last minute doesn’t burn well, and creates a lot of nasty soot and smoke. Identify any dead limbs or branches in your garden and use these where possible. This will reduce the drying time so you can start burning your wood sooner.

For safety and efficiency, make sure the chain on your Chainsaw is sharp by checking the size of the sawdust. If your cuts leave big full chips, your chain is nice and sharp. But if your cuts leave small, sandy or dust-like particles, it means your chain is blunt and you should visit your local STIHL Dealer for maintenance.

When cutting firewood into smaller logs, using a sawhorse saves you bending over and potentially injuring your back. A sawhorse also reduces the risk of the chain running into the ground, which can leave it blunt or damaged. It’s important to never stand directly behind your Chainsaw while cutting in case of kickback, so be sure to keep a solid stance slightly to the side. To ensure safe cutting, always cut at full revs and make contact with the log as close to the powerhead as possible.

It’s a common mistake to cut a pile of firewood, only to realise it’s too long or too wide for your fireplace or fire pit, so remember to measure up before you start cutting. A helpful trick is to cut one log to the correct size and use this as a guide to cut the rest. When you’re finished, stack your firewood off the ground in a covered area and ensure that there is space between the pieces to allow for airflow.

For more advanced woodchopping tips from Brad De Losa, follow these how to steps.

In Short | Top Tips for Stocking Up Your Woodpile

1. Firewood shouldn’t be cut last minute, the wood needs time to dry out. Wet wood doesn’t burn well and causes soot and smoke.
2. Where possible, use dead limbs and branches to reduce dry time.
3. For safety and efficiency, ensure your saw chain is sharp. You can tell if your chain is sharp by the size of the sawdust. Big full chips mean your chain is sharp, small and sand like dust means it is not sharp.
4. Use a sawhorse to cut the firewood into smaller logs, this saves bending down and reduces the risk of the saw chain running into the dirt.
5. Never stand directly behind the chainsaw – keep a solid stance slightly to the side.
6. For safety, always cut at full revs and make contact with the log as close to the powerhead as possible.
7. Stack cut firewood off the ground and ensure there is space between pieces to allow for airflow.
8. For more advanced woodchopping tips from Brad De Losa, visit the How To section.