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cqvillas
13th January 2010, 04:28 PM
Hi All,

Looking to purchase an electric chainsaw for cutting portions off slabs to use as blanks etc for turning instead of cranking up the Husky. I realise there are a few on the market today but I thought I would ask the question here as to which ones/brands to avoid perhaps. I have been looking at the Makita brand of saw mainly due to the reputation of the Makita name but I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

Bloss
13th January 2010, 04:49 PM
Depends how much work you intend throwing at it.

In a hurry to do one of those jobs only a chainsaw would do I bought an electric Ozito 'no namer' from Bunnies three years ago and it has been a very handy power tool. Cheap as chips - $59 I recall had a 2 year warranty, 14" bar, std oregon chain, chain brake, bar protector and oil bottle.

I have had petrol Stihls and an old Husky for >35 years so know saws a bit - the cheapie has been fine. Like all chainsaws likes care and sharpening, chain should always be sharp and adjusted correctly. They are as vicious as any chainsaw so great care in use, but a handy tool and has done way more work than I expected it to and is still in fine condition (but I look after tools even cheap ones!).

So spend as little or as much as the level of work you need to use it for - quality of the cut will be no different - it's a chainsaw after all. :)

rsser
13th January 2010, 05:14 PM
I've used a Makita - was around 1800w from memory - and it worked OK but with one drawback: when ripping the side-cover would fairly quickly clog and would have to be picked clean with a stick. A bit tedious.

BobL
13th January 2010, 05:24 PM
. . . . They are as vicious as any chainsaw so great care in use, . . . .

Electrics are even more dangerous than their petrol powered cousins because they are not stopped by chaps.

Bloss
13th January 2010, 05:41 PM
Electrics are even more dangerous than their petrol powered cousins because they are not stopped by chaps.

Not so - I use chaps (unlike almost every DIYer I know!) and can confirm that they do stop the chain and the suppliers say so too. In any case there is no overrun with the electric saw - when the trigger is released (and can't be hold on) the brake activates. Be hard to contemplate the user holding the trigger during a kickback or other problem. Even cheap saws use an inertia style brake and they are almost instantaneous.

But safety is a real concern - I wear chainsaw gloves, chaps, steel cap boots, hard hat with safety mask and ear muffs and do so every time. The injuries often happen when 'I'll just lop that little limb off that tree' and their limb is what gets lopped. Even watching some uses of all types of chain saws makes me wince - even the primary issue of keeping the body out of the line of the bar is too often ignored. :(

rsser
13th January 2010, 05:41 PM
Why is that Bob? More torque?

BobL
13th January 2010, 06:49 PM
Not so - I use chaps (unlike almost every DIYer I know!) and can confirm that they do stop the chain and the suppliers say so too
Is that the supplier of the saw or chaps?

woodwork wally
13th January 2010, 07:02 PM
Gidday Ern I'm in much the same boat as bloss with 2 petrol and an Ozito which I've had for 3 years and no problems whereas a mates ryobi [6 months younger] has died:(( and part not available:oo: The Ozito has ample power and I have had an extra chain done for ripping [ more of a chisel profile ] Great!!!:D:D So spend what you must but I have no qualms or complaint with mine:2tsup::2tsup: Cheers ww.wally

orraloon
13th January 2010, 08:11 PM
A couple of years back when I started turning I tried a couple of electric chain saws and took them back the same day. Admittedly they were not top of the range but one gave out after 3 slices on a 12'' log. The chain drive pulley was plastic. Bloke tried to say I should not have tried to cut so big a log so I asked why it had a 16'' bar. I still make do with the petrol one. I had a look at the makita later and it would be the only electric chainsaw I would go for. The rest will only trim light shrubs.
Regards
John

TTIT
14th January 2010, 01:50 AM
Hopefully you can't get GMC electric chainsaws anymore :~. To cut a long story short, I went through 3 of the useless piles of junk in less than 1 hours cutting - 2 different models even :C. Took me nearly 12 months to get a refund and still haven't bought another electric job yet - 3 times bitten, extremely bloody shy :o - but I have pondered a Makita - maybe one day :shrug:

mick61
14th January 2010, 07:39 AM
G`day it must be the luck of the draw I have had a GMC for a couple of years and it has done quite a lot of work and has only just started to die recently it`s been good value for the price.Maybe it was a wednesday saw?
Mick:D

texx
14th January 2010, 08:17 AM
back in the early 80s i worked in a saw mill for a couple of years and we had 2 electric makita chain saws that we used for docking logs to size on the log skids before running them through the breaking down bench, these saws were worked every day and we could not kill them except for the odd time the blokes on the log dump cut through the cord or once when the crane parked on top of one , if they still make them as good as they did then i dont think you could kill one with the bit of work you would be giving it .

Woodturnerjosh
14th January 2010, 08:24 AM
I've heard good things about the biggest of the Stihl electric ones. I heard this from a sculptor that was sponsored by Dolmar (makita) but liked the extra grunt of the stihl (2200W if I remember correctly)

GoGuppy
14th January 2010, 09:23 AM
I've heard good things about the biggest of the Stihl electric ones. I heard this from a sculptor that was sponsored by Dolmar (makita) but liked the extra grunt of the stihl (2200W if I remember correctly)
I was looking for an electric CS about 4 months ago and was interested in a Stihl of Husqvana, but could not source one, as they were out of stock at the time. :C
I stumbled accross the Makita (400mm bar 1650W) and got that in stead and have been very happy with it. It's quite (keeps the neighbours happy :2tsup:) and does all the work I need for preparing turning blanks from pre-cut felled tree trunks received from professional tree loppers working in the area, or just found in the street on fortnightly green waste collection nights. Mind you, most timber I cut is usually less than 300mm, but I have cut up to about 500mm on a few occasions.
Cheers

oldiephred
14th January 2010, 09:43 AM
Ever consider a Sawzall type saw? They have many uses that chain saws don't have and IMHO are safer.

efgee88
14th January 2010, 10:39 AM
I bought a Husqvarna not so long ago and am very happy with it. Plenty of grunt for me and has all the safety features required. A bit fiddly to clean as you need to remove the cover (which also loosens the chain) to get in between the chain and body, but I don't do this every time I use it.

GoGuppy, bear in mind that the only hire electric chainsaws I've ever seen are Husqvarna and Stihl, the latter having the best reputation, but also the most expensive.

Cheers,

FrankG

NeilS
14th January 2010, 09:31 PM
Ever consider a Sawzall type saw? They have many uses that chain saws don't have and IMHO are safer.

Yes, Oldiephred, I have several reciprocating saws. Good for cutting up to the depth of their stroke, usually just a few inches, but out of their depth on a twelve inch log....:U

I've been intending to replace my el cheapo Talon electric CS for some time. It's been limping along for a long time now, but just won't die completely....:( In anticipation that this would happen sooner than later, some time back I did some research (e.g. on arborist sites and the like) on the best electrics and concluded from what I read that the best were in order:

Stihl
Husky
Makita
The prices for 1 & 2 are about three to four times that of 3 from Bunnings, but I'm not sure if they are three to four times better.

Guess that is partly why I'm limping along with the old Talon, which has become very good value for the money after all the work it has now done....:doh:

.....

joe greiner
14th January 2010, 09:50 PM
Ever consider a Sawzall type saw? They have many uses that chain saws don't have and IMHO are safer.

Yes, but not for cutting all the way through large logs in one pass. The stroke is too short to clear the gullets, similar to deficiencies of scroll saws vs band saws. To use the Sawzall on large logs, I dock the log in a DIY sawbuck ( http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/chainsaw-use-revisited-47976/ ), and rotate it frequently so that it takes only a small bite at a time.

My Sawzall (Black & Decker) has variable speed, so it's a little safer. It also cuts a narrower kerf than a chain saw FWIW.

Back on topic, I've destroyed a few electric chain saws, mostly by forcing them beyond their capacities. Most of them were garage-sale orphans, so there wasn't much financial heartache. I recently acquired some new HomeLite electrics - more than one, to allow marathon sharpening; they offered a veteran's discount. I can't find the manual at the moment, so I don't know if there's an Australian version. But it's my favorite so far. It uses a lot of oil, which helps it to cut. And it has a better bar tension system than all the others.

Cheers,
Joe