By far the best productivity enhancer for the occasional chainsaw user is to learn to properly sharpen and maintain chains and keep a sharp chain on the saw at all times. Knowing how to spot the signs that your chain is dull and understanding what dulls a chain are great skills to learn.
By far, the quickest way to instantly dull a good sharp blade is to let it touch the dirt beneath a log or branch laying on the ground.
I’ve watched several friends and family members use my smaller stihl. After about an hour of cutting, almost every single one of them complains about a dull chain. When I tell them they were the reason for why the chain is dull, they all deny doing anything wrong. Little do they know that I watched them stick the saw in the dirt. (I always watch closely when newbies first start with a chainsaw)
So I give them some pointers on how to hold a saw properly and what not to do. Like cut all the way thru a branch and touch the dirt. They almost never believe me until about the 3rd time they get a freshly sharpend saw and proceed to dull it within the first 5 mins of cutting. Thats when they finally realize its less work to roll the branch over before cutting all the way thru than it is to run a dull saw for another hour.
Hitting a piece of wire or a nail or anything metal will also dull you saw instantly but that extremely hard to see at times.
I would say that most experienced chainsaw operators know that avoiding dirt and cutting through mud or dirt on a log/branch is the simplest and easiest way to keep your saw sharp for as long as possible.
