INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - Chainsaw

Chainsaw! Why not? Not something you see or use everyday but there are some cool tricks with this one, including text on a path to create the teeth of the chain. Simple, yes and easy to build. 

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Start with a rectangle, filled with a color, no stroke. Use the corner widgets to round the corners slightly. 

Add a rectangle to the right, shorter than the first.

Use the Direct Selection Tool to select the upper right corner of the second shape and move the point down.

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Select the shape with the Selection Tool and choose Object> Path> Offset Path. Set the offset to a negative number to create a smaller shape inside the shape. 

Select both of the main shapes. Select the Shape Builder Tool (SHIFT + M)​, drag the tool across the two selected shapes to merge them together. 
You can also use the Pathfinder Unite mode to get the same results. 

Use the Direct Selection Tool to select the two point at the the far right of the combined shape to highlight the the corner widgets and pull them in to the center to round the corners. 

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Use the Direct Selection Tool to select the two point at the the far right of the offset shape to highlight the the corner widgets and pull them in to the center to round the corners. ​

Draw a rectangle over the offset shape. Select both shapes and choose the Pathfinder Minus Front mode. 

This is the result. of the Minus Front mode. 

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Select both shapes and use the Pathfinder Exclude mode to knock out the shape to create the handle. 

Draw a rectangle for the bar that the chain goes around. 
​Send the bar to the back. Object> Arrange> Send To Back. 

Use the Direct Selection Tool to select the two point at the the far left of the shape to highlight the the corner widgets and pull them in to the center to round the corners fully. 

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Add a circle to the body. Copy the bar, flip it and fill it with a darker color and place it over the bar. 

Select the circle and body. Use the Shape Builder Tool and hold OPTION to turn the tool into minus mode, then click on the lower part of the circle to remove the excess part of the shape. 

Select the circle, use the Object> Path> Offset Path to make a smaller shape inside. Fill it with a darker color. 

Copy and paste the bar. Select the Type on a Path Tool and click on the path of the bar to activate the type on a path. 

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To get the teeth for the saw, I use a font. To explore the optional character fonts have, choose Type> Glyphs. The Glyphs panel allows selection of a font showing all the options. I chose Wingdings 2 that has half circle bumps. 

Double click on the "character" in the Glyphs panel with the type on a path is selected to display the font on the path. Copy and pasted until the line is filled. OPTION + RIGHT ARROW will kern the characters with more spacing. SHIFT + OPTION + DOWN ARROW will baseline shift the characters down to the baseline. 

Move the bar with the type and send it to the back behind the bar.

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Draw a triangle with the Polygon Tool.

Pull the triangle taller. Round the corners with the Corner Widgets. 

Move it behind the handle, rotate it to make it look like a trigger handle. 

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Select both shapes. Select the Shape Builder Tool​, drag the tool across the two selected shapes to merge them together. 
You can also use the Pathfinder Unite mode to get the same results. ​

Using the Direct Selection Tool, select all but the bottom two points and pull the corner widgets in slightly to round the edges. 

Move the handle to the case by the handle. 

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• Add a dark circle at the end of the bar.
• Add two hexagons at the base of the bar where it bolts to the body.
• Add lines on the body for vents, round (hot dog) the ends. 
• Add a darker oval under the handle to anchor it to the case. 

Draw two line, one at an angle coming off the body, the other vertical at the end point of the angle line. This is the safety bar. 

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Repeat the process for the main grab handle, making the lines weights heavier. 

Add heavy, darker outlines to the body shapes, bar, trigger. On the body, bar and internal circles, set the stroke to be in the INISDE of the shape in the Stroke Panel

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To add outlines to the safety bar and handle, select both line and join them using COMMAND + J or Object> Path> Join

Repeat those same steps with the main handle to join them together. 

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Select both shape and convert the strokes to outlines using Object> Path> Outline Stroke. 

Add a darker heavier stroke to the handles and set the stroke to be on the OUTSIDE of the shape )in the Stroke Panel) so the fills don't get choked. You are done! Nice job, you just created a chainsaw icon.