electric chainsaws

Electric chainsaws

YUP,just make sure you keep oil in em an the chain sharp,OH YES and your wood is secured.I use one quite a bit when I'm down in Tampa.
 
I've got a 16" Poulan that a friend gave me because it wasn't cutting well at all. I sharpened the chain, and it still didn't cut worth a darn. Then I turned the chain around and pointed the teeth in the right direction, and it works pretty good. :D I wouldn't want to use it to cut a 16" blank (and no way would I bury the nose trying to cut anything bigger -- not only is it unsafe, it's real hard on the saw), but it's been handy for trimming corners and high spots off of blanks that are too big to wrestle on the bandsaw. For cutting blanks from logs, I still prefer my cordless Stihl MS390.

From what I've read, it appears Stihl makes a very good electric, as does Makita and several other brands. For my infrequent use, a Borg-level saw like the Poulan or Homelite will probably be all I need.
 
I've got a little Makita and a large Shindaiwa, they both really do cut wood, if the chain is sharp, and while they are NOT cordless, they don't stink the Dungeon up either (Yes, I've run my big Husky down there......... ONCE..... :rolleyes: )

One small point, the chain oil used in the electric chainsaws is different than the two-smoke saws, it is thinner, no motor heat to warm it up.

Cheers!
 
Carol,

Just a note on safety if you don't mind. Just because it's electric doesn't mean it's any less dangerous than a gas model. Electrics are geared, direct drive, unlike their gas counterparts which are centrifugally clutched, and because they tend to work at much slower rpm's they make up for the speed with power from that gearing. If I remember correctly, safety clothing (pants etc.) which are rated for gas chainsaws don't make the grade for electric, simply due to the slowness of the chain and constant power produced the direct drive.

Work safely eh?

cheers

PS : as a Stihl dealer I sold a few of their electric models - they were excellent quality saws and performed very well, but were very expensive.

Yep, what John says it true, I still wear my chaps and mitts etc, as I think they are better protection than just jeans :D
 
I have a McCullough 14" electric and a stihl 16" gas powered (both from garage sales for $25 and.....I use the electric all the time and have not used the stihl in over a year. Reason is that around the house to cut corners off blanks or anything like that the electric is easier in my opinion and works well enough for me. I am tempted to sell the sthil but i havent because my luck would be after I sold it I would need it....LOL
A few points on the saws - just my opinion
You have to keep oil in it for the blade,keep the chain tightened up, keep the chain sharpened, and I keep it blown clean with my compressed air, - let my son use it one day and he let it run dry and burned the blade and made it dull. I have resharpened the blade 3 times at $6 each time over the year. I use cheap motor oil and dont bother with the specialty stuff.....It works.

I say easier because I just plug it in and use it.... The Stihl is pre-mix and has adjustments on it - stinks up my garage etc -and I accomplish the same thing with my electric.... but the Stihl is the one I want if im doing some serious cutting like larger logs, or away from electric source and cutting logs etc...very nice saw with lots of power.......

I never use the nose to cut into anything - just my preference -

I believe that electric's have more low end power and the gas ones are more top end power <---I may be wrong but this is what i was told.

Both equally as dangerous - always use gloves and face shield
 
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I don't have an electric now, but I think it would be more practical than my gas powered... I've owned and burned up two of them this past year... one I think I just over powered it with the wood I was trying to cut....a very large oak tree.
The other I was cutting blanks at my wood pile and again, I was cutting some pretty large logs...
I was working day before yesterday and wishing I had another electric to trim the blanks I was working on...
 
I have a small Poulan that I use to trim blanks at the workbench. A scrap piece of plywood protects the bench. A holdfast keeps the blank secure so both hands can be on the saw.
Mike
Chainsaw 002.jpg
 
For good chain oil, it has to have a tackifier which allows the oil to stick to the chain at high speed, especially when the chain turns direction around the tip of the bar and the sprocket. I have ruined a few chains by buying cheap oil. If I added STP or something like it to the cheap oil, it would probably be fine for the chain.

I find the electric saws don't have a long enough cord.:huh: Just kidding, it depends on your use for the saw.

Anyway, I worked in the woods for my dad when I was a teenager. He has a logging business cutting mostly pulpwood and is 74 and still goes to work every week day. He has a John Deere 490 with a Rollie II processing head - nice saw.

The only safety gear we had was a chain brake and hardhat. Now, I wear chaps, hardhat with face screen and ear muffs, and steel toe shoes. I wont even start the saw without chaps. The chain brake on the new Huskvarnas are great - they are a bit touch, but work well.

I know a guy that got cut with a saw that had the brake - he disabled the brake.

Sorry, I got off the subject.
 
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