EasyStart Systems...

Most of the major chainsaw manufacturers now offer an EasyStart system, designed to make using the recoil starter much easier to use when starting the saw. Stihl have their ErgoStart™ system and Makita have their Featherlight-Start™ system. These are often found on saws dedicated for home-users and 'light-use' saws, with the professional models making do with decompression switches instead. Find out more about these systems after the jump...

When teaching chainsaw maintenance and crosscutting I've found that many women have difficulty in starting chainsaws; for that reason we purchased a Stihl MS250C which is fitted with an ErgoStart recoil starter.

This uses a some trickery with smoke and mirrors springs to assist the user when starting the saw; and I have to say that it really works. The saw is so simple to start that a child could start it - although I'm not too sure why you'd want a kid to start a chainsaw, but you get the point. In fact, before we broke it when out on a felling course, this was a firm favourite amongst all the students (and I often used it for demonstrations).

As well as Stihl, Makita also offer their Feather-Light Start system that is very similar to Stihl's ErgoStart and is equally effective in making the chainsaw that much easier to get going.

So, are there any disadvantages? With the Stihl saws, there is a noticeable increase in the size of the recoil starter housing, which is just not apparent on the Makita system. The maintenance of the recoil starter is a little bit more awkward with these easy-start systems, but it's not too taxing.

The only real issue is that these systems do not seem to have found their way on to the professional saws - these tend to utilise decompression valves instead. However, for non-professional users or those using a saw only intermittently, choosing a saw with an easy start does improve the ease of ownership and they're well worth checking out.

Recoil Starters...

The recoil starter is something that requires little in the way of maintenance; but it's worth taking care of it, if it's not to fail just when you need it, i.e. when you start the saw. Let's take a look at it after the jump...

There are a couple of different types of recoil starter on the market, from the most basic setup through to slightly more complicated systems such as the Stihl ErgoStart™ - which really does make starting a chainsaw very easy.

The basic principle is that as you pull on the cord, a pulley turns which will cause a flywheel to turn. This is the really nifty bit - as the flywheel turns the engine will also go round, but it also generates a little bit of electricity to send to the spark plug. With the engine turning and drawing in fuel, and the spark plug generating a spark, everything is set to run.

But how does it engage the flywheel when you pull and then automatically disengage when the engine runs? The recoil starter uses a small pawl which is thrown out when you pull on the cord, but is pushed back by the flywheel when the engine turns. It's really very simple, and there's not a lot to go wrong.

The main thing is that eventually the starter cord will break as it wears through use - normally this is at one end (near the handle, or near the pulley) and you can often see the cord fraying at these points. It's a good idea to carry around a spare starter cord when you're out using the chainsaw.

Replacing the starter cord is not too difficult (if you've got the basic system) and the following video shows you how to replace the starter cord on a Stihl chainsaw.

Setting the tension is important - too much tension and you risk damaging the spring or other components, and you won't be able to achieve the full 'pull-length' as the cord will bind before it reaches it's maximum length; on the other hand, have the tension too loose and the handle will not retract properly.

Fortunately it's quite easy to check for the correct tension; after retensioning, hold the handle down against the starter housing - it should return to the upright position and stay there. If it doesn't fully return to the starting position then there's not enough tension in the spring. To check that it's not too tight, pull the handle out as far as you can, then (and this is where you need three hands), keep it at full stretch and try to turn the pulley - it should be possible to tighten it about a ¼ of a turn.

That's about it really. Just keep an eye on the cord wear, and carry and spare around if you're out doing tree work.