My electric AL-KO chainsaw takes about 5 seconds to stop when I release the trigger. Every electric tool I have bought in the last ten years has a run-down brake which stops it quickly when you release the trigger; circular saw, jig saw, drill, etc. I am amazed that something a potentially dangerous as a chainsaw does not have this feature. I know that Stihl and Bosch usually have a run or coast down brake. What is the experience of others with electric chainsaws?
DAvy
I think it's one of the first things that wears out, always assuming it has a power-down brake that is.
My oldest chainsaw (a B&D) doesn't have a power-down brake I don't think, it does have a kick-back bar which, if operated stops the saw quite quickly.
My next oldest chainsaw, a 17" Bosch (AKE-17 ??), does have a power down brake but it's not 100% effective. Sometimes it stops the chain very quickly with a decidedly painful sort of sound, other times it takes longer to slow down but without the nast noise. It again has an effective kick-back bar.
Since the Bosch died recently (main bearing failure) I have bought a Makita 4030. So far the power-down brake on this seems to be working well, no nasty noise but pretty quick slow down.
I have to say that I'm not conviced that either the power-down brake or the kick-back device makes a *lot* of difference to safety. In my experience it's virtually impossible to provoke kick-back with any of these electric chainsaws, I've never managed it in getting on for 20 years of cutting logs *and* felling trees up to 18" or so diameter. The power-down brake is some use I suppose but, as with all tools, the biggest safety factor is the good sense of the user.
Read the PUWER 98 regs
If your saw _should_ have such a brake, then it's broken or worn and ought to be fixed.
If you think the saw ought to have been designed with one (but wasn't), then that's a separate question.
snipped-for-privacy@isbd.co.uk wrote in news:4a7af04f$0$31040$ snipped-for-privacy@news.gradwell.net:
I'm fascinated by that comment; why would it be virtually impossible to provoke kickback with an electric chainsaw? The main safety advantage of the run-down brake as I see it, but fortunately never experienced it, is if your footing slips and you lose control of the the saw. Don't recommend it but people who use them up a ladder would be in trouble if letting go of the saw, say in an emergency, it took 5 seconds to stop! But as you say good sense is best.
DAvy
I *think* it's simply because there is less rotating mass in an electric chainsaw so eve if the tip of the blade does catch something there isn't a huge amount of energy to throw the saw back at you.
Yes, I guess that is the issue, if you *do* (heaven forbid) drop the saw then the quicker it stops the better. Better not to drop it though!
Using a chainsaw off the ground is definitely a no no unless you have specialist training.
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