I may need to make 20-24 cuts through some ex chicken shed mezzanine joints these are about 3x6" thick with some extra bits either side.
I've been looking at renting a petrol chain saw but the job is likely to happen in 1-2 day bursts over a month at random times. Option one maybe
buy a petrol saw second hand and live with what ever it's faults are or buy a new cheaper electric one which would run straight out of the box.
So any body got an electric chain saw and are they any good compared to a petrol one?
Photo Archive
Building: Sold turboblade, back to tin tops
posted on 1/9/14 at 08:12 PM
I got one of these when they were £40 earlier this year, robust bit of kit and great for cutting steel tube so far more useful in the long term blades
are pricy.
Petrol chain saw are best used on new wood i:e a tree that needs work to it as it has damp in the wood fallen trees or tree removal. For old wood that
has dried out then I use an electric one.
Hope this makes sense.
I have an electric chainsaw and it's awesome. Immensely effective, cheap, and less faff than a petrol one. Only get petrol if you expect lots
of use or to be away from a power source.
I recently bought a Bosch SDS35 electric chainsaw to fell a large (dying) tree in my garden and I am extremely impressed with how powerful it is (1800
Watts = 2.4 bhp, about the same or even a little more than the average 35cc small petrol chainsaw).
It's also a fair bit quieter then a petrol engine, though it's still pretty noisy. One nice safety feature is that there is some kind of
automatic clutch/brake system on the chain so it stops the instant you let go of the trigger. The chain tension adjustment is extremely simple as
well.
The downside is the need for a mains supply of course. I had to run 2x 15m extension cables to reach the tree, though fortunately I already had a
couple of heavy duty 13 amp extensions. Having only used petrol chainsaws before I was a bit dubious, but I'm a convert now. That said I
don't know how good the really cheap ones are. My Bosch was only about £90 in B&Q (surprisingly close to online shop prices) so it seemed
stupid buying an unbranded device that I wouldn't be able to get spares for.
I have an electric one and its worked its arse off the saw is only as good as the sharpeness of the chain I have gone through 3 chains but have felled
and logged around 15 trees. Make sure you use proper chainsaw oil
Life is like a bowl of fruit, funny how all the weird looking ones are left alone
I have a cheaparse aldi reciprocating saw for dealing with most stuff, rips through everything up to about 5x5" with no great difficulty, I use
it for as much as I possibly can, up to small trees, works pretty well on metal too.
And I have a half decent 14" chainsaw that'll do fair size trees.
The way I see it is that a reciprocating saw is a brilliant multi-tasker and doesn't really give a crap if you hit some hard stuff, might not
go through everything, but at less than 50p a blade, it doesn't really matter.
On the other hand, a chainsaw is bloody brilliant for fresh wood, goes through it like butter, but anything else it's an unnecessary danger and
not all that good.
On the flip side I have a Stilh Chainsaw. The smallest one they do. I bought it to cut down a large willow tree and a oak tree in my garden. The
previous owner of the property let them grow far far too big.
I must say the chainsaw is amazing. Slices through everything I have thrown at it. Starts first time. The only issue with it is that it requires new
petrol. You can't use old petrol in it as it refuses to start. I filled a big steel petrol can up for my lawn mower a couple of years ago and
the petrol in it is fine for the Briggs and Stratton mower but the chainsaw doesn't like it.
In fact I am so sold on petrol rather than electric that I have bought one of those petrol hedge clippers from screwfix. Thats awesome as well.
quote:Originally posted by Irony
On the flip side I have a Stilh Chainsaw. The smallest one they do. I bought it to cut down a large willow tree and a oak tree in my garden. The
previous owner of the property let them grow far far too big.
I must say the chainsaw is amazing. Slices through everything I have thrown at it. Starts first time. The only issue with it is that it requires new
petrol. You can't use old petrol in it as it refuses to start. I filled a big steel petrol can up for my lawn mower a couple of years ago and
the petrol in it is fine for the Briggs and Stratton mower but the chainsaw doesn't like it.
In fact I am so sold on petrol rather than electric that I have bought one of those petrol hedge clippers from screwfix. Thats awesome as well.
I have 3 stihl chainsaws. All great if kept in fine fettle but if your not likely to use it much I'd go for a electric one if that's what
you believe you need. We all like boys toys but I'll throw a spanner in the works and say if you're going to do it over a period of time
you could use a bow saw
Be very careful if buying used petrol saw. A worn bar or chain can cause a lot of injuries. Chainsaw trousers, face shield? A reciprocating saw could
be quicker and safer
Chainsaws are great for cutting lots of logs but they're a dangerous piece of kit and the reason why you need to do a (week?) course to use one
professionally
quote:Originally posted by Wheels244
Petrol = engine = sorted
I always felt the same way, it's not really a proper tool unless it's powered by an internal combustion engine. However in terms of ease
of use and practicality electric is hard to beat, providing a supply is available. No petrol to buy, no premixing, none of the inevitable starting
problems, no messy exhaust blowing oil laden gasses everywhere. And after it's been lying in the back of the shed for a year you know you can
just plug it in and it will work, unlike small petrol engines.
couldn't agree more. I empty mine of fuel and then start and run until dry.
only use super unleaded that doesn't contain ethanol [which rules out shell!] and full synthetic 2 stroke oil i use in my bikes
they can still take some starting tho when left in the shed over the winter!
I have a Bosch electric as mentioned above. It is more convenient than petrol if you don't already have other petrol machines and as long as
you don't want to work away from a power source. The power lead is not long, probably to discourage amateurs from working up trees but it is
perfectly adequate - I have felled garden trees and cut up an old shed.
And meant to add, that electric are generally quieter, and possibly less annoying, if you are worried about the neighbours - also the noise stops when
you stop sawing.
Photo Archive
Building: It is an ex-Locost - it has gone to the IOW!
posted on 2/9/14 at 03:53 PM
I have a Bosch reciprocating saw - it suffers all sorts of abuse in the garden, and keeps coming back for more! I've sawn everything up to
about 6" diameter without problems - as long as it has the correct coarse wood cutting blade (the edge is the same as you'd see on a
garden bow saw).
I've also used it to cut sheet metal - but ear defenders and friendly neighbours are compulsory!
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