Electric chainsaw

[yorkshireman]

My friendly tree feller dropped off some yew for me thursday. Five pieces average 6 - 8 inch across and about 4 foot long. He'd trimmed the branches from an ancient yew and they've been lying outside for 18 months when he remembered them and picked them up. I've thrown them in the shed for the time being and will deal with them sometime in the future. However I'm going to need a chainsaw to help processing them. I've seen a Makita one on Axminster for less than £100. Anybody used one?

keith

 

[Jim]

I had an electric one Keith, but got shut of it when i towed to cut up see logs so i now use a friend who used to go out tree felling a few years ago .. But i would reckon you would be fine on those sizes you mention ...

 

[Grump]

I have one which is fine for around house stuff,
Just remember it does need to be plugged in and don't be over ambitious with it.
Cutting a logs in the shed fine but don't go to the forest and expect to chop a tree down with it.

 

[stevenw1963]

I have one which is fine for around house stuff,
Just remember it does need to be plugged in and don't be over ambitious with it.
Cutting a logs in the shed fine but don't go to the forest and expect to chop a tree down with it.

Don't think the electric lead will reach that far Brian

 

[nimrod]

I've got an electric and petrol tend to use the electric at home its a lot quieter and it cuts pieces 6-8 inches fairly easily. The only thing I would suggest is that securely held I use a saw horse and ratchet straps, saves turning one of the logs into a wooden leg Robin

 

[Penpal]

I use three of them in preference to my two petrol ones chains are cheap as quiet in my shed use if necessary and I have cut huge branches off my trees around the house, given the choice Electric home petrol out of town. I also have one from Aldi a stick adjustable with a drill motor reaches a long way safely.

Kind regards Peter.

 

[silver]

I used to have an electric one, but it gave up and I replaced it with a petrol one, but I wish I had an eletirc one again.

The neighbours pull some funny faces when it gets kicked up on a Sunday morning..

Now, where is my chainsaw..? :wink:

 

[Woody]

I had a cheep electric one from Argos for some time and it packed up and I also had a large industrial bandsaw that cut most things I wanted so I never replaced it but I think I will have to now electric again cant be doing with all that tugging on the starter string looks to bloody painful LOL

 

[Doug]

I use an axe these days since giving my chainsaw away after a freak accident which saw the branch I was cutting catch the blade of the chainsaw just as I finished the cut, the weight & swing of the branch forced the chainsaw up into my stomach along with the end of the branch.
The force of the impact lifted me off my feet & I was left pinned against the main trunk of the tree by the branch I`d cut.

Very fortunately my jacket had snarled in the chain & the saw had stopped, but I was unable to move due to the weight of the branch pushing on the saw which in turn was pushing on me.
Luckily I was not working alone that day & the chap who was with me cut me free.
My reason for posting this is just to say all this took place in a split second, we all think we are in control, I know I did but now know differently, even with the best protection & planning accidents can & do happen I know I`m very lucky to still be alive.

Take care out there.

 

[paulm]

Not wanting to teach you to suck eggs but remember that the safety aspect of a chainsaw is paramount. As Doug has shown, it is important to wear the correct clothes and keep the chain sharp.

 

[Grump]

Don't think the electric lead will reach that far Brian

Exactly the point young Steven I am sure that really needed pointing out??

 

[Walter]

Paul and Doug got in before me on the safety aspect. Before you spend £100 on an electric chainsaw spend at least twice that on the appropriate safety gear otherwise stay away from chainsaws. A cheap electric one will remove your leg or embed itself in your shoulder when it kicks back just as effectively as a £1000 professional machine.

Better still do a chainsaw course, these things are lethal in untrained hands. Scares me when I see some of the videos on YouTube of Yanks in shorts waving them about.

Working with chainsaws

Sorry if that makes me sound like a party pooper but you won't be thinking that as you lie there bleeding out before the ambulance has time to get to you.

 

[Grump]

Yep I saw it only a few weeks ago from the roadside.
A chap sitting on a pallet with the forklift holding him up to cut the leylandia away from the telephone cable.
One second he had chainsaw in one hand and branch in the other, next second he had chainsaw in leg and both hands hanging on pallet while forklift driver answered his phone.

 

[Walter]

Most of the case studies in the HSE link I gave involve neck injuries from kickback which is why knowing how to use the things properly is so important.

 

[paulm]

One more thing with electric chainsaws is that they don't have the same power as petrol ones so where a petrol one might cut through a nail and ruin the chain, an electric one will kick back and ruin your face as it did to my cousin who was cutting logs on a beer barrel. When he hit the barrel it bounced up into his face. It does make him look hard right enough but it could have been so much worse.

 

[yorkshireman]

Thanks for the usual help gents

keith

 

[Jim]

The friend who does my cutting has a scar from the side of his forehead down to the side of his mouth, need i say more ... Oh and btw he has been doing tree felling for years .. So it doesn't just happen to novices ...

 

[Pete B]

Hi,

i've got two Makita's from Axminster. The first had a blockage in an oil tube (for the bar oil) i still haven't fixed it, as it took a few weeks to get a new one, free from Axminster even though out of warranty. So in the mean time i needed one the next day so i bought the slightly more powerful one from Axminster. That was two years ago i think and its still perfect. The chain is narrower than my Huskavarna (which i can't use at home as i live in a terraced house). The power is supposed to be the same as a 2.4 hp petrol i think. But its not quite.
But i've cut big sections in my garage, much bigger than the bar length, and yes a bit slower, but it gets there. Once i learnt how to sharpen it correctly it stopped wandering from right to left.
I use it very regularly.
You have had some very good advice re safety and i would like to add one more thought.
When i bought the first one i had just started turning and the guy from Axminster, knew i was new at chainsaws and he said the chainsaw was the most dangerous piece of kit they sell, and they sell some very large machines.
I should have took a course but i did have an hour with a tree surgeon friend. I always wear gloves even for a quick job and a hat with visor, defenders etc.
Wish i had done a course though and still should.

I would buy another Makita though, and wouldn't be without it.

Hope this helps.

Pete

 

[Walter]

Oops another accidental duplicate. Plonker alert!!

 

[Walter]

The friend who does my cutting has a scar from the side of his forehead down to the side of his mouth, need i say more ... Oh and btw he has been doing tree felling for years .. So it doesn't just happen to novices ...

That's why even the professionals should wear one of these:

STANDARD helmet set -