Battery powered chainsaw vs sawzall

[John K Jordan]

O... It gets expensive to run to the saw shop to have them sharpened,..

And some saw shops are pretty bad. The one near me didn't know about adjusting the depth gauges and when a customer came back with a freshly sharpened saw that wouldn't cut they just sold him a new chain.

Also, they don't have or take time to sharpen to make the chain last. They set their machine to the tooth that needs the most removed and sharpen all at that setting, wasting a lot of perfectly good metal on some teeth. (It's a myth that all teeth need to be the same length - as proof try cutting with a chain with a tooth missing - still works fine. The chain might last a lot longer if you sharpen it yourself.

I used a file for years to sharpen. I finally bought a decent sharpening machine which give me professional results with almost no effort. Although there is a certain zen sanctification from sitting on a lot in the woods sharpening with a file. Some pros recommend it as a way to take a break, good for the mind, body, and safety from a bit of rest.

JKJ

[chuck van dyck]

Borrowed an echo with 16” bar.

Thanks for all the tips.

Will post pics once I do some turning.

[Stan Calow]

For cutting logs into smaller pieces like blanks, which I do in the backyard, I like to use my corded electric 14" Remington. Its the one that came with my limb-trimmer pole, so handy for pruning as well. I have a gas-powered Poulan for bigger things.

[chuck van dyck]

Borrowed an echo with 16” bar.

Thanks for all the tips.

Will post pics once I do some turning.

Well, turns out this saw hasn’t been used in a few years. I got it running somewhat, but seems like the carb is sticky and the throttle slide is stuck cause the chain moves with zero throttle pressure. Also seems like the jet is clogged and filter needs to be cleaned.
Luckily was able to borrow a operational Husq from a shopmate.

Point being, this a really good case for the Makita being an occasional user. Unfortunately don’t have the hour or so it would take to clean the carb on the Echo.

[David Walser]

Chuck -- I've seen some very positive reviews of the Makita. Several years ago, I gave up on having a gas powered saw. Living in a suburb, I just didn't have the chance to use it often enough. Besides, I didn't want to annoy my neighbors with the noise of frequent chainsaw use. So, I went electric. Somehow, I've ended up with three (corded) electric chainsaws. (I'd lend one out, not remember who'd I'd lent it to and buy another...) They all work -- every time I need one -- no matter how long it's been since the last time it was used. Besides, I can now use the saw inside my air conditioned shop. That's a bigger benefit than I thought it would be. All-in-all, for someone who uses a chainsaw infrequently, I strongly encourage consideration of an electric.

The next question is whether the electric saw should be corded or battery powered. There are two reasons to go with batter power -- the ability to use the saw away from an power outlet and the freedom of not having a cord to trip over. I use my electric chainsaw all over my back yard. A 100' extension cord easily reaches everywhere. However, it would be nice to not have to worry about snagging the cord or, worse, cutting it. I can power my chainsaw with a 12v power inverter. Any place my truck can go, so can my chainsaw -- dragging it's 100' cord.

The advantages of a corded saw should not be dismissed lightly. I don't have to worry about running out of juice (provided there's not a power outage). With the current promotion, you get 4 batteries with the Makita. Each set should keep you going 2+ hours. With a rapid charger, you should be able to go all day with 2 sets of batteries. Obviously, this assumes you have someplace to plug in the rapid charger. So, in most situations, this 'advantage' of a corded saw is of no practical benefit. However, there is one advantage of a corded saw that will almost always be of a benefit -- corded saws weigh less. As I get older, weight savings mean a lot more to me than they used to.