Which chain saw

[hunggaur]

Hi looking to buy a petrol chainsaw as we have a log burner and need to process the logs.

Having done lots of looking around I am still one the wiser on what is best other than a stihl which I think is out of my limited budget of about £150.00

Any advice please

Cheers

Jon

 

[Burnerman]

If you intend to be logging for long term, then bite the bullet and go for Stihl or Husqvarna.
If you can't spend more than you say, go for a Makita, Ryobi or Hitachi.
John

 

[Porque223]

Electric saw can't supply enough power? They're way more convenient.

 

[Burnerman]

No comparison.
John

 

[Porque223]

No comparison.
John

I don't mind them for work in trees; it's light enough that I can work it with one hand and I already have a 100' cord for other reasons.

 

[Burnerman]

Fair comment, they do have their uses strictly for DIY projects....personally I don't go for electrical gear as I'm in to the repair and hire game in a small way - professional users only where chainsaws are involved though! No way do those get loaned out.
John

 

[Mursal]

A little baby Jonsered will do the job, something like a 2234 or similar.
They are about £170 to £220. Jonsered make a very powerful little saw, especially coupled to the lighter chain/cutting bar, not the standard 3/8 chain/bar. With the lighter chain/bar you cut less timber out of the slot, so the saw is a lot faster to cut and gives the feel of a powerful package. Even though its only a small 34cc engine.

http://www.jonsered.com/ie/chainsaws/cs-2234

Don't go using a chainsaw with one hand, even if you can.
Bad line of thought for Health and Safety.

 

[kingandy2nd]

http://www.robertdyas.co.uk/P~156200~Black-and-Decker-Scorpion-Electric-Saw

Not as manly as a chain saw, but you will keep your limbs in tact an awful lot longer than with a chain saw.

 

[ladylola]

Don't go using a chainsaw with one hand, even if you can.
Bad line of thought for Health and Safety.

Yes good advice.
However, having said that I can remember back in the 80's my father had a one handed chain saw. It was very small with a bar length of no more than 8" and looked like a simple red box with a handle on top. Pretty sure it was petrol although I may be getting confused with all the other saws he had. A quick look on tinternet seems to say they are "pruning chainsaws" rather than for logging.

 

[Porque223]

http://www.robertdyas.co.uk/P~156200~Black-and-Decker-Scorpion-Electric-Saw

Not as manly as a chain saw, but you will keep your limbs in tact an awful lot longer than with a chain saw.

I thought the sap from live wood will jam the blade on these things.

 

[r896neo]

Top handled chainsaws should only be used by properly trained operators.

Calling them single handed chainsaws is misleading and potentially dangerous to novice users.

I don't mean to be a HSE dork but on a forum like this i though it worth saying.

 

[Porque223]

Top handled chainsaws should only be used by properly trained operators.

Calling them single handed chainsaws is misleading and potentially dangerous to novice users.

I don't mean to be a HSE dork but on a forum like this i though it worth saying.

Dangerous to anyone. Every tree book I read began with "In memory of. . ."

 

[scbk]

Bare in mind you will need some safey gear for the saw too, unless you're going to lock it in a saw horse. A set of trousers, boots, and helmet won't give you much change from your £150

 

[Porque223]

Bare in mind you will need some safey gear for the saw too, unless you're going to lock it in a saw horse. A set of trousers, boots, and helmet won't give you much change from your £150

My chainsaw-blade-resistant trousers cost I forget how much, my body harness $50 (33 pounds sterling), my lanyard $50.

I need to make a gadget that places the lanyard around a tree trunk without having the heavy hook at the end come flying at me. I'm thinking some kind of hook made of copper tubing with 45 angles soldered in.

 

[geraldthehamster]

http://www.robertdyas.co.uk/P~156200~Black-and-Decker-Scorpion-Electric-Saw

Not as manly as a chain saw, but you will keep your limbs in tact an awful lot longer than with a chain saw.

To cut my logs to length I use a Makita electric chainsaw with one of these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8FACk4szH4

Plenty enough power to surround me with vast piles of logs in no time. It also has the advantage of being much quieter than an electic chainsaw, when I'm cutting logs with the neighbours' back door about 15 feet the other side of the fence. I wouldn't try to use it for cutting down trees though; there's no weight behind it (and it needs electricity)

I did briefly try the electric reciprocating saw that I use to cut up pallets, but you'd need several lifetimes to produce any logs with it.

Cheers
Richard