Repair Cafe Albury-Wodonga will host free demonstrations on June 2 at 10.30am and 11.30am at the Sustainable Activity Centre. 

Repair Cafe coordinator Lizette Salmon said visitors had often asked for tips to sharpen chainsaws.

“So we’ve decided that with winter and wood fire season upon us people might appreciate some practical sharpening and maintenance tips,” she said.

Wolfgang Huber will host the two, 30-minute demonstrations.

With 20 years’ experience, Mr Huber recommended sharpening and cleaning chainsaws after each use, a task that took about 15 minutes.

“A chainsaw that's been routinely inspected and serviced is much less likely to need major repairs than one that's been neglected or abused,” he said.

“Chainsaws require regular maintenance, not only so they perform at their best but to optimise safety.

“A blunt or poorly-adjusted chainsaw will not cut well, forcing the user to add leverage or force and potentially resulting in a dangerous situation.”

This will be a demonstration only with no servicing of visitors’ chainsaws or hedge trimmers.

Repair Cafe Albury-Wodonga opens the first Saturday of each month from 10am to 1pm to help people fix broken household items including furniture, clothing, books, bikes and battery-operated appliances, with jewellery at times. It is a community-led initiative supported by Halve Waste.