My old electric chainsaw has finally given up, beyond repair.
It was very heavy to use so no great loss. Which would be lighter, an electric or petrol replacement ? Just need a smallish one ?14/16 ins will do. Not used a lot but it makes life much easier. UK resident.
Cheers Brian.
Most likely electric but go to Amazon and compare them yourself.
They weigh about the same but with electic you need to consider the electric cord is cumbersome and add the weight of any extention cord and the drag it places when moving about... however it's really a no brainer, petrol is superior in power and portability.
Some electric chainsaws don't require a cord ..
John T.
I recently got a Craftsman 18-inch corded electric for $100. Lighter than either gas powered or rechargeable. I'm not a big fan of rechargeable because they are heavy and less powerful than corded. Gas powered was out because it was overkill for my work. A lot quieter, also. I got some earplugs because of all the "hazard" warnings in the manual, but it turned out to be so quiet I didn't need them.
I stick with electric as much as I can over gas. I grew up using gas powered lawn mowers like most people at that time. Then got an electric mower $25 at a garage sale and lever looked back. That was 25 years ago and only have replaced the batteries twice. This one's rechargeable and I can cut a 1/5 acre lot 3-4 times between charges. No smoke, fumes, etc. And super quiet.
Yes, that's another good thing. Just a safety lever and trigger deadman type switch.
When all I need is to cut wood for under an hour a bow saw is my choice... no limiting wire, no fuel, no oil, no noise... with a bow saw I've taken down 10"-12" wood and cut to manageable lengths in very little time and with minimal effort and practically no expense... I keep a 24" bow saw on my tractor at all times... most times it does't pay to make the trip back for a chain saw
With a total property of 20' x 100' my $50 electric does just fine. But there is the cost of the extension cord. Most people don't buy a thick enough gauge one for the amperage the saw draws.
I've found the best deals on heavy extension cords at Harbor Freight. Especially for one that isn't used often.
Don.
With a property that small a coping saw should be more than adequate. Truthfully though, i can't imagine you really need a chain saw, a bow saw should handly anything you need to do and it's a lot safer, any chainsaw is dangerous... any job I can do with a bow saw that's what I use... I don't care if it takes longer and requires more effort, it's worth not needing a trip to the ER or worse. It bothers me that anyone with the dollars can waqlk into Home Depot and buy a chainsaw, even an eight year old... I think buying and operating a chainsaw should require passing a test for a license, and be minimally 21 years old.
I've no argument with frugalness. I've found Amazon has the best selection of high quality extension cords and the best prices.
You got to be kidding. I didn't write that I only cut wood from trees on my property. The size of the property simply limits the space where I can cut. I have probably sawed up a cord of wood so far. There was the tornado that went right overhead. I cut up most of the Bradford pear street tree that was in front. I collected from the park many, many loads of limbs to cut. Then Superstorm Sandy produced more to cut. Then a few months back they trimmed the trees on the next block and the guys gave me many of the limbs.
I also split wood with an ax. For that I have to find a tree stump from a street tree on the block. The wood from the Bradford pear was split on its own stump. The wood from the pruning of the next block was split on a stump up the block.
Don.
Don Wiss wrote:
A cord of wood takes less space than a VW beetle.
You're who's kidding, you didn't say anything about what you will do with a chainsaw yet you saw fit to mention the size of your property, which is meaningless, could be a 100 acre hay field with not a tree. Why do so many people here ask for advice about which chainsaw to buy yet never mention the most critical information, WHAT they will do with it. And here you manufacture a detailed story about tree limbs, none of which require more than a 24" bow saw. BTW, a Bradford pear is a relatively small tree, of weak wood, composed of a rather short trunk (~6') of perhaps a 10" diam and then many small limbs, can easily be sliced up into manageable parts with a bow saw and limbed with lopers. I wouldn't bother to start up a chainsaw for dispatching a Bradford pear, or limbs from roadway trimming. In fact the road crew came down here last week trimming the limbs over utility lines, they used pole saws and bucket trucks with bow saws, no chain saws. Flowering fruit trees generally don't require a chainsaw, not unless one has a need to play macho man. For what you describe a good bow saw is all you need... read the reviews... most agree with me, takes the place of a chain saw, a lot safer and no polluting smelly/fire hazard gasolene and oil to mess with... operating a chain saw or even a string trimmer for an hour breathing those fumes that exhaust right in your face you may as well be chain smoking three packs a day. I strongly suggest anyone operating a chainsaw, string trimmer, or lawnmower wear a respirator. A good bow saw is all you need:
Heh, your HUD-subsidized apartment isn't much bigger than that either, Shelly.
Brookly, who died and made you the arbiter of what tools someone should and should not use for any given purpose?
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