electric chainsaw

I think my mom and sister have one ;)

Personally i love the smell of 2 stroke in the morning. All though cedar shouldnt be too tough to cut an electric might get it done but i wouldnt spend a ton of money on it, i just dont see too much use for an electric chainsaw besides some pruning.

-- "there aren’t many hand tools as awe-inspiring as the #8 jointer. I mean, it just reeks of cast iron heft and hubris" - Smitty

Yes I bought a Makita UC4030A a bit expensive at around $200. Frankly my choice was this or a gas powered Stihl. When I talked to the Stilh guy and told him it would get used maybe once a month or less, he guided me away from gas.

So far it has handled stuff around the house rather easily, though I admit it has all been 8” dia or less.

Seems to have all the keep me from doing something stupid features… auto oiler, chain brake, chain tensioner.

So far I am a happy camper …but read other reviews

Regards
Carl

I own a Stihl 290 Farm Boss with 20” bar, bought brand new a few years ago. I don’t use it that much, but to be honest, when I find that odd log in front of someone’s yard, I don’t have to keep on going. I recently cut up some nice dark walnut logs for bowls and planks with this saw and that wood was at the end of a nice lady’s drive. It comes in handy at the oddest times. When a big branch fell off one of our trees, I had it at the end of the drive in short order.
It may be overkill for you, so buy smaller, but get gas. I have used electric chainsaws, and in my humble opinion, they are underpowered, and to be honest, you think an electric cord gets in the way of an electric weedwacker? Try keeping one away from a chainsaw…
I’d look for a good used gas powered chain saw, maybe from a reputable pawn shop.

-- Paul, Tennessee, http://www.tsunamiguitars.com

Other than the cord, the issue with electric chain saws is
quality. There are some decent ones on the market but
the cheaper ones won’t hold up.

An advantage is you can sculpt and cut without inhaling
the fumes.

The cheaper ones are a waste of time and money on this. They are ok for smaller things but even then, they don’t last long. To cut this stump, gas powered is the only way to go. If you don’t plan on using the electric chainsaw for small things, it’s not an option. I’ve owned 3. Two didn’t even last two months each. I had to return both. The third didn’t last a year. Never again for me.

-- There are countless woodworking plans but have you checked out God's plan? Jeremiah 29:11

Some electric chain saws have as much torque as some gas models. The real issue is how you plan to use it.

For occasional use around the house, electrics have the advantage of being quieter and more reliable. It always starts at the pull of a trigger. No gas, no engine parts to gum up, no exhaust. I have an older Craftsman electric my dad handed down to me, and that thing is a workhorse.

On the other hand, a top of the line gas saw will give you more cutting capacity, freedom from dragging a cord around, and the ability to use it anywhere.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

First, you don’t want to get gas or fool with your gas-powered ones but you are willing to roll out an electrical cord AND purchase an electric one? Umm….. what?!

Look on craigslist for a gas one. In your neck of the woods, they probably pop up fairly often. I have a Stihl MS270 and an MS880. They hardly ever give me trouble and pretty much fire up any time I need them (except for when the 880 is being moody <looking>).

A good gas saw is more powerful, faster, easier to use, and safer than a great electric saw IMO.

That being said, Stihl also makes electric chainsaws. You’re just going to need some heavy duty extension cords if you plan on going more than 25’ from a socket.

-- "Well, at least we can still use it as firewood... maybe." - Doss

I have an old Remington 18” bar chain saw that I bought at Walmart probably 11 years ago or so. I have beat the slugged snot out of this thing. It’s not super pretty, but chains are cheap, just keep a sharp chain on it, and plenty of oil for the bar and go to town…

I do things with my electric I wouldn’t even consider doing with a decent gasser… Like cutting very close to / at ground level.

The current Remmingtton 18” Electric goes for about $90.00 at Walmart…

-- Manufacturer of fine quality sawdust since 1984. Comments and advice on my shop welcome. Check it out at http://lumberjocks.com/dbhost/workshop. Gladly accepting shop build donations!

If you really want an excuse to buy a new electric chain saw, have a look at this puppy. Cordless with a built-in chain sharpener.

IDK how well it works, but it sounds cool.

-- Greg D. -- the price of freedom is tolerance

I line in Denmark so we have a different vlue on our money do to taxes mostly
and my knowledge about this is everything under 2000 kr. roughly 450$
electric or gaspowered isn´t worth dealing with since you have to repair them
all the time beside they usely is underpowered
on the other hand their isn´t any reason for you to get a topmodel if you
say its only one time a month you use it
the mittle class as we call farmers modell is what you need and they are gaspowered
go for a brand the forest workers use
even in the farmerclass there is several modells you can use depending of how much
and how often you plan on using it
if you want to have as little as possiple to do with problems then
remember to sharpen and oil often during a session
after the session a good cleaning will help alot to avoid problems

when it comes to the gas itself
it act like a sponge draging moistier out of the air so you can´t have a rest of gas
in the tank more than a few month
so if its only twice a year you cuts wood then remember to empty the tank and
fill with fresh gas at the next session

Dennis

If you really want an excuse to buy a new electric chain saw, have a look at this puppy. Cordless with a built-in chain sharpener. – Greg

No way on earth I’d buy that thing. It’s $500 and the battery is $200! I’d think a minimum for occasional use would be 2 batteries. Then again, it would be a reason to buy more toys… “Honey, you know how you say the chainsaws I have are too loud?...”

My vote is still with a good saw by Husq or Stihl. I’ve abused one of my smaller saws hacking out roots from a tree (read saw in dirt and rocks) and it had more than enough power to get through it. I’d hate to get a new electric saw and find out that it doesn’t quite cut it (ha!).

-- "Well, at least we can still use it as firewood... maybe." - Doss

Thanks for all the input and advice. Either I wrote my post wrong or some of you misunderstood what I was trying to say. I have three gas powered chain saw so that isn’t an issue. What i was trying to say once I have a log or piece of wood at my shop that needs trimming up so I can put it on my lathe would a electric chain saw be worth buying.
After I wrote the post this afternoon I got out one of my gas powered chain saw and have messed with that thing for at least a couple of hours. Decided it needed cleaning up, did that, checked the spark plug and that was okay. Had gas, oil so ready to go. Nope!!! I got it started and it wouldn’t stay running. For what reason I don’t know. Did all I knew to do and finally said I will try again tomorrow.
Its hot here in South Carolina and sweat was running out of my body like water over a dam so just gave up.
I will think this over a little more before making a decision.
Have a great day.

-- Tom Godfrey Landrum South Carolina (tom@thcww.com) 864-384-4938

I think you may have derailed some of us with the cedar stump statement. I thought you still had one in the ground that you wanted cut out. Sounds like you have it in your shop already.

So, if that’s the case, get a 14” bandsaw that can cut 12”. That’s my suggestion.

If that doesn’t fit in the budget, I’d get an old manual saw and do it that way. Chainsaws waste too much wood for me to think they are viable alternatives on something like a burl or any other small pieces of wood. You’d also have to clamp down the wood somehow and keep the chainsaw from hitting other things. In my opinion, it’d be like putting up crown molding with a sledge.

-- "Well, at least we can still use it as firewood... maybe." - Doss

Going to put this on the back burner until I can figure out some way to trim down pieces of stumps and etc. If I think long enough and hard enough an idea will come to me. May be in the middle of the night but it will come.
Thanks for all the advice. Based on what I have read I want be buying an electric chain saw.

-- Tom Godfrey Landrum South Carolina (tom@thcww.com) 864-384-4938

I have a 16” Makita electric chainsaw. It’s not a tool that gets used every day but it can be handy for crosscutting a big beam or something too awkward for putting on a bandsaw table and too big in cross-section to chop with a radial type saw. And it can be used in a shop without getting gassed out. Otherwise I’d use a bandsaw to shape blocks for a lathe.

-- Dwight - "Free legal advice available - contact Dewey, Cheetam & Howe""