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  1. #1
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    Feb 2015
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    Default Electric Chainsaw - Corded or Battery

    I am in need of a small chainsaw to cut over-long fire wood and other bits & pieces in our garden.
    I do not anticipate cutting anything bigger than 200mm diameter, absolute max and thought that an electric saw would be suitable for the purpose?

    If so, should I consider a battery powered or corded saw? I do not anticipate to use it for long periods of time and was thinking that battery operated would be practical.

    The other question is: what size?

    All suggestions will be gratefully received!

    Cheers,
    Yvan

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  3. #2
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    Feb 2006
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    Perth
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    It sounds like a budget end battery saw will be OK for that you want.

    At the low budget end of the scale, both battery and corded will last about the same time. If the motors don't die from being flogged when they're blunt what will happened is all the small plastic bibs and bobs on then will start to break or fall off just after the warranty runs out. My neighbour recently handed me his 3.5 year old Ozito because the oil pump was not working - turns out the plastic pump was shredded. Not worth repairing

    Something like a Dewalt or Ryobi would hopefully last a bit longer - if you already have a set of power tool batteries and a charger then it would make sense to get something that matches these.

    If you are prepared to spend more something like a Makita or Stihl will have much better battery life and last even longer.

    Something that most people don't realize is it is possible to mill small logs with a corded electric saw.

    Whether it's corded or cordless the trick to keeping the load on the motor to a minimum is to touch up little and often. With a petrol saw I touch up the cutters after a maximum of every tank of fuel and the rakers after every 3-4 tanks of fuel. Sometimes in dirty wood I will do it more often. With a battery saw I would touch cutters at least between every battery swap and rakers every 3-4 battery swaps. With a corded saw you should keep a close eye on the cutters and sharpen once the majority of cutters have developed an edge glint. Sharpen to remove any glint on the cutting edge.

    No glint cutter
    RipOK.jpg

    Cutter with serious glint.
    Sqgd.jpg

    Even new chain sometimes comes with some glint
    New.jpg

  4. #3
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    Aug 2006
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    Canberra - West Belco
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    Default

    Hi Yvan,

    This is the one i have
    82V Lithium-Ion 18 Inch Quiet Cut Chainsaw

    standard 18" oregon blade
    5yr warranty

    and sadly it seems Bunnings is no longer stocking them......

    If your not going to use it for long periods and will always be in extension cord range then a 240v powered one may be better than battery.

    Cheers
    Phil

  5. #4
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    Apr 2018
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    Default

    Battery saws these days are fantastic and I think are a much safer and convenient option to a corded version
    If you already have a battery platform you might be able to get a matching skin. I have The Makita 2x18v unit and it is a fantastic saw but there are a number of other brands that you would be happy with also

  6. #5
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    Apr 2013
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    Macksville
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    Default

    I was in the same boat a while ago & ended up with this Husqvarna 120i Battery Chainsaw Kit - Chainsaw Specials - Chainsaws - melbournemowercentre.com.au I'll also use mine when four wheel driving to clear fallen trees & wanted a 14" bar, which my local dealer fitted for less than $20. In the USA it comes with the 14" standard. The battery is 36V, 4Ah & I go flat before it does. Husqvarna often have special offers on, when I got mine they were offering a second skin at half price when you bought a full kit, so I got a whipper snipper for around $100.
    Of course, if you've already got other batteries it would be worth looking at their saw, if they make one. I've got Milwaukee tools, but it was cheaper to by the Husky kit than just the Milwaukee chainsaw.

  7. #6
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    Feb 2015
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    Default

    Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. Much appreciated and most useful.

    BobL's advice to keep the chain sharp to make it easier on the actual saw make a lot of sense.
    As I have no battery platform I am less restricted in my choice. I will look at the main brands, paying particular attention to weight.
    As I grow younger I have noticed that I find it more difficult to lift things and, more importantly, keep them aloft!

    Thanks once again & cheers,

    Yvan

  8. #7
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    May 2007
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    Gold Coast
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    Default

    Depending on the source of your firewood have you considered whether a reciprocating saw might do the job? Being able to change out a blade when blunt and or changing the type of blade to match what's being cut could be an advantage. I had an Ozito corded pole pruning chainsaw and the mess with the chain oil was substantial, more so during storage as it leaked in addition to keeping the oil up and the chain taught when doing a lot of cuts.

    MAKITA 1200W 30mm Variable Speed Recipro Saw JR3051TK | Total Tools
    Franklin

  9. #8
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    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by yvan View Post
    As I have no battery platform I am less restricted in my choice. I will look at the main brands, paying particular attention to weight.
    OK - you are now potentially opening up a can of worms

    Once you get a set of batteries the relatively low cost of cordless skins can become instantly attractive. In that case I would go for a better battery platform so they will last because replacing them becomes expensive.

    One of the easiest way to save weight on a cordless is to reduce the weight of the batteries. At the mens shed I did a half days work using 5 and 6Ah batteries and found them hard on my wrists so when I upgraded my battery platform I settled on 3 and 4A batteries.

    To counteract the reduced capacity of smaller batteries you could consider
    a saw with a brushless motor. Besides better electrical efficiency they run cooler, deliver more power and have greater longevity.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Sydney
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    Don’t know how much you want to spend, I am your vintage and recently bought an Aldi corded chainsaw.
    It cost under $100 and seems quite well made, cuts ok and is quite manageable.
    I bought it to replace a 30 year old garage sale corded Makita saw that the pump had died on. I’ve kept this for any close to the ground/ gritty cutting.
    Im in Sydney suburbia and use it for tree trimming and roughing out bowl blanks in soft stuff like Jacaranda.
    ALDI quality can vary but this looks to be a good one so far.
    H.
    Jimcracks for the rich and/or wealthy. (aka GKB '88)

  11. #10
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    Feb 2006
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    Perth
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Fuzzie View Post
    Depending on the source of your firewood have you considered whether a reciprocating saw might do the job? Being able to change out a blade when blunt and or changing the type of blade to match what's being cut could be an advantage. I had an Ozito corded pole pruning chainsaw and the mess with the chain oil was substantial, more so during storage as it leaked in addition to keeping the oil up and the chain taught when doing a lot of cuts.

    MAKITA 1200W 30mm Variable Speed Recipro Saw JR3051TK | Total Tools

    I have the cordless version of that saw and it is indeed a mighty little cutter. With a tungsten tipped Diablo demolition blade it does short work of softish metals and wood. At the mens shed I used it to cut a 300 mm hole thru the shed wall for the dust extractor ducting. This required simultaneous cutting of two sheets of Colorbond, and 2 sheets of 18 mm ply.

    However, even with a low TPI blade it does not like to cut through thicker pieces of material. I reckon it's the limited swarf/sawdust clearing capability resulting from the relatively short stroke. Same reason why jigsaws struggle in thicker material.

    It's really good for pruning garden stuff up to about 50mm and although I do use it for stuff up to about 100 mm I notice it started to struggle and sometimes will bind in the cut. Interesting squirting a bit of chainsaw bar oil on the cut hell. Usually for this sort of stuff I get one one of my small chainsaws which rips through this sort of stuff like a knife thru hot butter.

    I agree about the lube oil being a constant PITA. I had a 5L container of oil in the back of my van that tipped over and the lid was not tight so it leaked about 2 litres of oil. The oil sloshed back and forth underneath all the gear in the back of my van liberally coating everything Including 2 sets of chaps, a nylon bag containing a small car compressor, toolboxes, and my work backpack. I pulled everything out and threw a bucket of sawdust in the back of the van and let the sawdust soak up teh il. Then I parked the van facing uphill and hosed out the sawdust.

    The oil mess happens (eventually) on any chainsaw but the better types will do a better job of retaining the oil. I store my saws on shelves with sheet metal trays underneath the shelves to catch the drips.
    To store one or two saws a sheet metal tool box is and alternative

  12. #11
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    Apr 2018
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    Default

    I have a recipro saw and wouldn’t bother using it on firewood as is too slow. I would rather use my power saw if I had too

    If you don’t already have a battery platform my advice would be to choose one that has other skins you may want in the future
    Apart from wood working tools you might like the battery blower, line trimmer or mower
    They are all excellent to use and light. I got rid of my two stroke gear as it is redundant

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