Electric chainsaw questions

Jeff Bower

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Location
DSM, IA
I need to find a good electric chainsaw...I do most of my turning and blank prep at night or during my daughters nap on the weekends. Because of this noise is not good. I currently have a Ryobi 10" 18volt chainsaw that does OK on small limbs, but the size is limited and the batteries give out pretty quick as well. Would a cheap $35 1.5HP Remington be any of an upgrade over what I have? The budget as always is thin, but I don't want to by something that I will need to upgrade soon. Would a 3 or 3.5 HP ($59-79) saw really have that much more power? I could sell the Ryobi to supplement the cost of the new electric saw too if anyone is interested. :dunno:
 
Jeff, based on my limited use of electric chainsaws, I'd recommend getting as many HP as your wallet will allow. A sharp chain is also a big help, but like a lot of tools, more horses is good. :)
 
I think the largest I ever cut with my remington was about 6" - 8" and wet wood. Dry wood takes some time to get through with it, just didn't seem to have the weight to keep the chain/blade from bouncing.

Also have to clean it often or oil the chain with an oil can as the oiler clogs up.
 
Would a 3 or 3.5 HP ($59-79) saw really have that much more power? I

Jeff,

If it still plugs in 110 V 15 Amp outlet, those are ShopVac and old compressor horsepower ratings. The problem I have with those cheap chainsaw is the plastic drive sprocket. It doesn't hold up at all. The chain has to be very sharp, and don't have much expectation that it will last. It would work for light duty usage.
A real Stihl and Husky electric chainsaw is so expensive. I have heard good things about them, but never seen one.
 
Jeff,

I recently picked up a Shindaiwa A150. It has a 14" blade and runs at 14A, 1300W. I bought it for similar reasons to your needs - gas powered are too much noise for Sunday afternoon use. I don't know if Shindaiwa is available in your area but they have a full line of electric models.
 
I was a Stihl dealer for many years, and can attest to the fact that there's a galaxy of difference between the cheap, "big box store" electric saws and the more expensive brands. My store did warranty service for the borg stores, and having repaired a great many Remingtons etc, I can say from experience that you get what you pay for.

I'm not up on the the pricing anymore, but it seems that the smallest Stihl would be way more saw than you'd need, and might be in the $250 range??

If you buy a cheap model, keep Gordon's advice in mind ... sharp, sharp, sharp and let it cut rather than pushing it.

I've not seen an electric Shindaiwa, but if they're anything like their gasoline brethren, then they're a pretty darn good unit. Any gasoline Shindaiwa equipment that I serviced appeared to be top quality.

cheers eh?
 
Well, Jeff, these guys are right. You want a real chain saw, you gotta pay some serious green. No point in messing around with them cheap things, no sirree. ;) These guys know what they're talking about, they're pretty smart. And you should listen to them. Don't listen to me, I truly am the dumbest guy in the room. What do I know? ;)

Me, I just got this dumpy little electric model. Paid like 80 bucks for it. I ain't going to be cutting down any redwoods anytime soon with that thing. Makes me ashamed just to use it. Have to close the shop doors whenever I turn it on to slice up a blank. I mean, what would the neighbors say? ;) 18 inch bar. Had it going on two years now. Cut down a 14" walnut with it once. But like I said, I had to wait for a really cloudy day, so no one could see me. If it's sunny, I have to haul out my big ole gas guzzler, and make the proper noises. They expect me to keep up appearances around here! ;)

Like I said, don't listen to me. I really, truly, honestly don't know what I'm doing! ;) Ask Jerry and Cody. They heard the whole story of me cutting down small trees with a sawsall. Anyone who would do something like that... ;)

Thanks,

Bill
 
Jeff I know what you mean about noise but I am telling you if you are going to cut bowl blanks out of logs well lets just say it isn't fun. The only thing I found good about a electric is that you could cut the corners off bowl blanks. You try to cut a 12 to 14 inch bowl blank out of ash, walnut, etc. you are going to be at it for a while. I gave mine to my brother in New Mexico to cut firewood. Just my humble opinion.
 
I've got a makita 16" 15 amp, dont know the model# off the top of my head but they sell them on Amazon. I've seen it several times as low as $200 with free shipping (I got mine this way) It had excellent customer reviews. I've had mine about a year and so far it's tough as nails and cuts faster that you might imagine, they rev much slower than a gas saw but it still gets the job done, And I cut mainly Ironwood and mesquite with it, (mostly seasoned),two of the dirtiest and hardest woods around, I can't say enough good about it, considering my expeirence so far. I often use it even when noise isn't a consideration to save wear and tear on my gas saw. One note; You get the best performance when you use the heaviest, shortest cord you can get away with. I use a 25' 12-3. Barry
 
If you can use the small gas saws, they are great, but the little electrics can do the job, just not as fast..........

little_makita_that_could.jpg

12" bar on this little cheap Makita, cost me around $50, IIRC and while it is not near as fast as a good small electric, it did cut that tree into manageable chunks for slabbing. :D

I'd try to get a good used name brand saw, but, like Bill said, a half decent cheapy is not that bad, the most important thing to remember is to keep that chain sharp.

Cheers!
 
Thanks for all the replys. I think I will look for a higher end used one unless I see a mid range one on sale. Stu shows it can be done with one of those....Or I could just get a couple of gallons of anchorseal and just spend a day cutting blanks up with my mother in laws 14" homelite chainsaw that's currently in my garage. Hard to start, and lots of smoke.:(
 
How about one more opinion?

I have an electric 14" Remington Limb n Trim from way back that I hadn't used in years. However, I burned up my Poulan this winter and had to drag it out and dust it off.

Keeping it sharp and well tensioned and well oiled, it's cut at least a cord of firewood and then went out and sectioned off about 15' of a downed sweetgum for turning. It's handled oak, sweetgum, walnut, hickory, cherry, ash... yeah, it's slower than a gas model and I don't think it's a lot quieter...

If you want quiet (and big Popeye lookin' arms) grab yourself a bow saw :) Seriously! This is what I have for points to far from the house for the extension cord. I sectioned off a sizable Silver Maple the other day. Now, I'll drag the sections back to the house to cut for firewood with the chainsaw. I know it sounds ludicrous, but a bow saw is cheap, easy, quiet and gets the job done when there's no electricity. It's a great tool to have around regardless of the chainsaw you end up with.
 
Shawn, thanks for your experience with an electric saw...I'll let you continue to tell stories about using a bow saw. :D I don't see one in my future.

Also Welcome to the Family. :wave:
 
As someone who loves gas powered chainsaws and has a bunch of higher end Stihls and Huskvarnas, I also wanted something that I could occasionally use indoors. Went and got a Remington "4hp" electric saw on sale at Lowe's and I've been very happy with it. I've cut a 14" diameter maple in half with no trouble. Of course, I did sharpen the chintzy blade that came with it, but if all you will be doing is a very occasional medium sized log, that's probably saw enough. If I'm not mistaken the lower end Stihls and Husky's are made in the US by Ryobi, and IMHO aren't worth anything, so I think that it's either 79-99 for a Remington or you would probably have to go w/about 300 dollars and up for a gas powered one.
Good Luck,
Hilel.
 
Jeff, I forgot to say if your gas powered saw is running too blue and is hard to start it is likely you are running a gas/oil mixture that is too rich.
 
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