I wouldn't rent. You can buy a small gas-powered chainsaw at Home
Depot or Lowe's for around $100. A nice, light, 14" Echo costs about
$200. Unless you are cutting up huge trees these small saws will do
the trick, I have gotten through some very thick logs with these,
working both sides if needbe. They are perfect for smaller stuff, 12"
and less, and like I said, larger is doable with care, you can even
buy a larger bar and chain for the Echo if you need more length. I
just wouldn't take the chance with a rental on transmitting oik wilt,
plus having your own will allow you to use it again in the future. I
have worn out my first saw (cheapo brand) and recently replaced with
an Echo. Admittedly I have a lot of trees, and am constantly trying
to get rid of as much cedar as my wife will let me get rid of, so my
saw gets used a lot. $100 just isn't much considering the potential
ramifications. Plus you may spend nearly that in a rental fee anyway,
not to mention worrying about sterilizing, time to pick up and return,
etc.

That said, I have been told the Lysol spray thing is the way to go.

andyd

On 26 Aug 2005 07:32:38 -0700, "Doug Lassiter"
wrote:

Got to trim some oak this fall/winter, and will need to rent a small
saw to do it. Is there a recommended procedure for sterilizing a power
saw? I assume, for lack of any better knowledge, that the particular
saw they give me has been ripping up an oak-wilt infested tree ... For
a hand saw, a soak in a tub of dilute bleach will do the trick, but
that's a little harder on a gas engine! I could run the saw with the
blade immersed in a bucket of the stuff (which might be exciting!), but
it's not clear if that is good for the saw, nor is it clear that it
gets everything sterilized that needs to be sterilized. That is, the
chain gets treated, but that chain is running around and around in a
larger mechanism that isn't.

A neighbor told me "oh, just spray it with bleach", which sounds
insufficient.

What do responsible arborists do?