Quick Overview of This Article
It’s a fact that chainsaws fall in the category of most threatening workshop tools. But when in their inactive status, they are gentle! That doesn’t mean strewing them all in your workshop.
If you have a collection of tools that complicates the storage idea. The main challenge will be running out of space.
You may also be in for holidays which will keep your chainsaw inactive for a month or more. Store your chainsaw correctly to prevent stalling when you resume your activities after the break.
We will give you the right ways on the right storage of this crucial tool. Read our straight off guide chainsaw storage tips and ideas with more clues.
Ways To Store A Chainsaw Safely and Properly
Chainsaws are costly and efficient machines that you should consider storing safely. Keep your tool away from moisture, heat, and consider many combined factors.
The guide will further detach some parts from the tool for easy cleaning before storage. If you do not make it to the last word of this guide, you can skim through this short and basic guide to learn a few dos and don’ts of storing a chainsaw.
In a nutshell, here are the Chainsaw’s storage tips and methods;
1. Chainsaws do not love dump surfaces
Whether you plan to keep your machines for hours or months, store them away from wet surfaces to avoid stalling the engine. Some screws and nuts can get rust if exposed to wet surfaces.
2. Drain your machine’s carburettor before storage
This is the first thing to do before keeping your chainsaw in your store. Drain the carburetor to prevent the diaphragms from sticking to each other.
3. Drain the fuel
Your chainsaw’s fuel is ethanol unless indicated otherwise, which, when left for long in the tank, can despoil the fuel system and break the fuel line. Other damages include damaging the primer bulb and also clogging your carburetor. Drain the fuel out of the fuel system with a siphon before hanging up your equipment for the break.
4. Clean the gears, chain and guide bar
Keeping a dirty chainsaw damages its parts. You must remove grime, sawdust, and other dirt before storage.
The first step will be to detach the chain and the guide bar from the machine to pave the way for cleaning. You may also want to clean the drive gears and wipe the body before snapping back the parts.
You can choose to keep the parts detached until the next season.
If you intend to replace any parts, this is the most appropriate time. Spray the parts with oil to keep rusting away.
5. Clean air breather
Next is the air breather after cleaning the drive gears, chain and bar guide. An air compressor will do an excellent job after cleaning with soapy water.
6. Remove the spark plug
You need to get off the spark plug and oil the opening with one teaspoonful of 2-cycle engine oil. Distributing the oil is essential; gently pull the starter rope ten times for the oil to move. Inspect the spark plug for incomplete fuel combustion and spoilt parts. If you need a replacement, follow the recommended type in your user manual.
7. Cleaning air filter
Cleaning this part is a challenge for many chainsaw users, and so the simplest thing to do as a replacement. Whichever you choose, it will give your machine a new lease of life. You will discuss more on, how to clean a chainsaw air filterlater.
8. Check for any loose bolts, screws, and nuts
Before storing your chainsaw, do not overlook the possibility of loose parts. Tighten the bolts, screws, and nuts to avoid losing parts when you are away on your break.
9. Finally, you have to store the chainsaw in a clean storage case. The case protects your machine from dust and moisture. You can hang the case on hooks or keep it on a dry, cool and dust-free shelf that is out of reach of unauthorized persons like children and mentally unstable persons.
10. This is a tip that you should remember from steps one to nine above; always adhere to the manufacturer’s user instructions.
How to store a chainsaw between seasons
The sawing season is over. You and your chainsaw are taking a long break, and you want to store your tool in a way that you will pick from where you left. Of course, without bringing in a technician to start up your guy. If it will take many months to be back in action, how will you go about storing your chainsaw between seasons?
Here are five tricks to Store A Chainsaw Properly in seasons;
1. Treat the fuel tank first before the seasonal storage
If it is a gas chainsaw, you will not leave your fuel tank full. Wait for your chainsaw’s engine to cool down for you to drain the fuel. But it won’t leave your fuel tank untreated either!
Get a little fuel additive and run it through the engine. Run your chainsaw’s engine for a couple of minutes after pouring in the fuel stabilizer to spread throughout the fuel system.
The stabilizer works like magic; it will treat, preserve, and protect the engine from corrosion, oxidation, and obsolescence.
2. Remove and pack the chain and the guide bar
Removing the chain and guide is a top recommendation for long-term storage. Unscrew the chain cover, gently unwound the chain, and remove the bar from the chainsaw. Clean any dirt, brush the covers and use an air compressor to blow off dirt and debris from parts. Remember to Lubricate the bar and the chain before packaging to prevent rusting. Wrap the parts in a light fabric case and store them away from dust, heat, and moisture.
3. Remove chainsaw’s loose parts
Remove the air filter for inspection, replacement or cleaning. Use a mild detergent to clean the filter. You can spray the soap, rinse dry, wrap, and store the part in a moisture-free place. An air compressor does a perfect drying job. Otherwise, air dry patiently until there is no moisture at all.
The other parts to clean or replace are the spark plugs. But for replacement, you can wait until the season begins but be sure to oil the opening. Also, remove and inspect the spark plug. Dirty and worn out spark plugs are why you see sooty and black electrodes.
4. Storage
You’ve cleaned your chainsaw and detached some parts. It’s the final tip that matters how your chainsaw will look at the beginning of the next season. Your tool’s storage place should meet four criteria;
- Safe place
You don’t resume work and find missing tools. Your storage should be burglar proof to keep off petty thieves. If you have children and other vulnerable persons, you have to safeguard your workshop store to prevent access.
- Dry place
For the period you will be away, there could be a possibility of leakage in your store. Yet dampness damages chainsaws. An elevated storage shelf is a great place to stack your in-between tool seasons. Strong hooks off the ground serve as a great dry place for your chainsaw and loose parts if your store has no built-in shelves.
- Sunlight
Safeguard your chainsaw from sunlight by storing it in a well-enclosed area. If your store has an open side, keep the saw on the shady side away from sunlight.
- Dust-free
Dust clogs the chainsaw’s engine. To solve this problem, wrap your chainsaw with a dust-proof before hooking it or placing it in a cabinet.
Storage solutions for your chainsaw
- wooden cabinet
An ordinary wooden cabinet works great for your chainsaw storage. Make a box that holds up to 15 ″ bars. Check the height for a perfect fit and make a well-fitting door to keep the dust off. Raise the cabinet off the ground by about a foot to keep off dampness from your machine.
- guitar case
You may not have enough space for building a wooden cabinet. A chainsaw bag hooked on a sturdy peg is the ultimate solution for you.
- Plastic Tubs
These are available in a chainsaw store near you. They offer a perfect solution for storage and transport purposes. The Plastic tubs are very affordable, dustproof, waterproof, sturdy, and compact for travels far to the site. Keep your chainsaw in the compact plastic tubs between the seasons and place your chain saw away from moisture and sunlight.
- Garage
If winter is creeping in, and you have not made nice cabinetry for your chainsaws, your shed or car garage is a good place to keep your tools. Just remember to safeguard your tool from dust, sunlight, and moisture by wrapping it with a cloth of its case.
- House
Don’t have a store or garage? You have no choice but to set aside a cabinet in your pantry room to stack your tool. Keep in mind a lock and key for safety purposes.
Is it OK to store a chainsaw vertically?
We agree that chainsaws are bulky and have an irregular shape. Storing your chainsaw vertically seems unacceptable, but if it is the only possible storage option, you can take a few safety precautions and go ahead with the storage.
Firstly, suppose your storehouse only accommodates this kind of storage. In that case, it is not a bother to store your Chainsaw vertical as long as you take the various safety precautions that prevent damaging and hurting people. Plus, if your saw is not leaking, it will be safe to keep your tool vertically. Bear in mind all the cautions listed above, including dust-free and dry places, free from sunlight.
But there are a few concerns you may have regarding this type of storage;
- Fuel tank leakage.
- Oil leakage from the oil receptacle.
- Stressing on the plastic parts of the saw.
- Constant bar and chain weight hanging on the drive rotors and gears.
Should I store my chainsaw with fuel in it or not?
Storing your chainsaw with fuel is as bad as storing it without fuel! Confusing right? But it all depends on the period you will be away. If it is for a week or two, leave the fuel intact.
What if you are done with your saw this season? Be sure to siphon out all the gas and add in the stabiliser. If you leave the gas in, the fuel oxidizes and corrodes the fuel tank. But a stabiliser will treat, preserve, and protect the engine from becoming obsolete.
So, if you are rounding up the season, empty the fuel tank and pour in a quality stabilizer. Run the chainsaw’s engine for a few seconds and keep your tool until next season.
Should You Store Chainsaws on Concrete?
Many people leave their chainsaws on the concrete ground for months. You could leave your tool there and pick it up for work after a year, but your machine’s crankcase gets eaten, or the engine fails to restart.
Concrete may be dry but is susceptible to water leakages and dampness. When you leave your tool on the ground for too long, the concrete ingredients react with your chainsaw’s aluminum alloy, damaging both the concrete and your tool.
You can lay a pallet or cardboard on the floor before placing your chainsaw to prevent damages to your tool and floor.
Thoughts On Storing A Chainsaw
Remembering all these helpful chainsaw storage tips and ideas can be overwhelming for beginners to store the chainsaw securely, but not as hard as it looks. Your chainsaw came at a dear cost. It is a nifty tool that cuts almost every wood, plastic, and other material in your homestead.
Maintaining and storing your tool should not be a difficult task. Once you get accustomed to the maintenance procedures of your tools, it becomes a fulfilling and enjoyable experience.
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