Good Chainsaw For Turning Wood Prep Work?

[Mike Turner]

Is anyone familiar with this chainsaw? I would use it for prep work for turning bowls etc from cut branches , limbs etc. thanks

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2080192/28384/Makita-14-Electric-Chain-Saw.aspx... (http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2080192/28384/Makita-14-Electric-Chain-Saw.aspx?ss=f4c1fdbf-5760-49fc-9afa-fb7e569f7e37%C2%A0)


Or does anyone have a better suggestion...maybe even cheaper??

[Gary Max]

That's one heck of a saw. What I don't like about them---they are to light for the amount of power they put out. You can pick up a gas saw for $99.00 bucks at one of the Borgs.

[Gary Conklin]

I just used a fellow WW's Makita a few months back, worked great! A sharp blade and it cuts like butter, best can use it IN the shop!

[Robert Culver]

stihl ms 170 with a 12 in bar is my go to saw for limbing and small work I imagine it would be just fine for what your talking about Its a gas saw. My work horse is a 025 with a 18 in. bar 10 years now and stihl cuttin.:)The ms 170 is a light wieght saw and goes for about 180.00 if I remeber right.

[Bill Bukovec]

Amazon has a Poulan for $90.00. I'm guessing the Makita is a beter saw.

Is this saw somthing you are going to use once in a great while? If so, a cheaper one might be a good option.

I started out with a cheap saw from Kmart. It's OK for small stuff and working inside the shop.

I have a gas Stihl for everything else.

Bill

[Ryan Baker]

Those Makita electrics are good saws. (Makita gas saws are good too.)

Do not buy any of the cheap saws you can find in the big box stores. They are all junk (except for some of the Echo and Husqvarna stuff). Stihl, Husqvarna, Echo, or Dolmar/Makita are what you should look at. All of them have affordable options in either gas or electric. Find a servicing dealer near you and go take a look.

Based on your description, you should be looking for something in the 35-50cc range with a 14-16" bar.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I used my neighbors Makita electric and it is sweet. I am thinking of getting one for light use in trimming and the fact it can be used inside the shop when cold.

[Bill Buchanan IN]

IMHO: A short bar electric does come in handy, but only supplemental for small pieces or at midnight when anyone with smarts is in bed. Consider the size of logs you'll be cutting, in which a Stihl w/ 18" bar works great for me. Another factor: at the price of that makita, one might better of with a gas unit with longer bar . . more capacity and no cords to cut in two. I for one, broke down and spent the money on a good gas saw with no regrets.

[Reed Gray]

One thing to remember with the electric saws, don't push them, let them cut at their own rate. If you push it, you can burn up the motor. Gas saws, if you push them, will just bog down, and you know to back off, but you won't usually burn them up.

robo hippy

[Ryan Baker]

Another thing to remember about electric chainsaws is that chaps will not stop them like they will for a gas saw. Be careful.

[Hilel Salomon]

Hi,

Makita saws are made by Domar which has an excellent reputation. I have a makita gas saw which is quite good. I would not recommend poulan for anything... the standard joke among those who use chainsaws frequently is that Poulan should be called pull-on, because it is so hard to start and keep running. By the same token, I would avoid Homelite, sears and the lowe's husqvarnas. Today, most of the lower end Husky's and even the Stihls are made in the US and are not up to the Swedish and German standards of production.
There are times when an electric chainsaw is handy, but I think that it is always a good idea to have a gas/oil one as well, in the event that you need to do your cutting away from a power source. I rarely use the electric ones I have, but I do use them. For cutting blanks into more or less round, I use the following depending on the size of the wood and it's hardness:
Solo (great saw now carried by Ace hardware store and made in Germany;
Makita;
Husqvarna 372;
Stihl 026 or higher; The very large ones (I have a 660) are too heavy and unwieldy for anything but major tree cutting;
Middle range Echo's (surprisingly good saws and fairly reasonable) I don't mean the ones carried by HD;
Stihl 190 or 200 (latter is great but incredibly overpriced).

I don't have one, but Bernie has a Stihl 310 and likes it.

One very important advice which will make me sound officious and pedantic, but it is really important: chainsaws are incredibly dangerous, even the electric ones. You really need to wear eye, head and even leg protection. The sawdust can get into your eye and cause real damage, the saw can kick back up and get you in the face or head, and you can slip and do major damage to your legs. Unless it's really very light work and I'm using a top handled echo or stihl limb saw, I wear a helmet and safety glasses all the time, and often wear chaps as well.

Good luck,

Hilel.

[Hilel Salomon]

Sorry, I wasn't thinking. Ryan is absolutely right about the chaps and electric saws. Something else that I forgot to add is that you might think of building a holding jig for the wood. I made V cuts into pieces of plywood and hold them together with long bolts and nuts at fixed distances, and that provides some safety as well. You really don't want a log rolling around.

Hilel.

[Jeff Fagen]

I have Mikita tools I like fine but I bought a PoulanPro electric saw for $90 from the local farm store and have been well pleased with it's performance.

[Mike Wagner]

I bought a remington 14 inch electric for $49 and began sawing an 8 inch spuce limb, and it burned out before it was even half way through. I would have returned it but I had bought it several months earlier and no longer had the receipt.

[Harry Robinette]

I own a 8year old Poulon 16 in.gas saw that still starts on 3 pulls. Went to get a electric and found that Crapsman is made by Poulon and they were on sale 18 in.for $69.00 I've been using it for 2 1/2 years and its great :) for cutting blanks for the Vega 2400 in the shop.
Hope this might help.