Greetings all....Damn, we are having a ladybug invasion today...they are all over the front of the house...anyhoo, I have to start cutting firewood once again, and I am sick of buying gas and oil and pulling that stupid cord to start the saw, then it won't run....Menards has an electric on sale for about 60 bucks, 16 inch....do any of you use an electric ? Would it be a waste of money? I've always had a gas powered one......jb
Never had one. I couldn't find a cord long enough to reach into the woods. Seriously though I have heard others say it is good for small but limited cutting. Sort of like the burb's lumberjack that burns wood in a fireplace once a month or so. I usually burn 3-4 PU trucks a winter. This year I cut enough to last 2-3 years. I have a Husq 22" but some of the trees I have been cutting are 2-3' dia. But like alot of 2 cycles they are a pain to start. Not to mention the chain sharpening. You will still have that with the electric. Newer 2 cycles are a lot easier to start than the newer models. Depending on the amount of wood you plan to cut or work up would probably dictate which to use.
Glenn's got an electric chainsaw I believe. I'm sure he'll have something to say.
Like John, I've never had an electric because the trees I want to cut are too far from the power outlets. ;D
My next door neighbor in town has an electric for cutting up small stuff he scavenges for his occasional wood stove use. From what I see the one he has does not have a lot of grunt when it comes to cutting. Maybe it's just his/his saw. FYI, the electrics I've looked at used a narrower chain than my gas saw... an indication that the electric can't pull the wider chain through the wood?? :-/
As for gas saws and their troubles, one of the big sources of trouble, IMO, is all to do with the gasoline.
1. Gas that's been sitting in a can someplace for a long time isn't as good as fresh gas. Unless you use Sta-Bil.
2. Leaving gas in the saws fuel tank/system for months between uses is an invitation to trouble. That goes for any small engines you may have around; lawn mowers, generators, etc.
With the chainsaw I try to drain the tank and run the engine dry if I think there may be several weeks between uses. With the ATV I turn off the fuel valve and run the engine dry, but usually leave fuel in the tank.
I use some Sta-Bil when there's any doubt about how long the fuel may sit around. I also add a little methyl hydrate (alcohol, gas line antifreeze) once in a while to get rid of any water. Been doing that since I had a gas tank on an old and seldom used motorcycle rust through a great number of years back.
I bought an 8" electric from sears about 30 years ago. It works ok for what I got it for, which was to make a rectangular hole in a railroad tie big enough to slip a 2 x 8 through. It was a little tricky though and scared the p__s out of me a few times, but I got it done. For the life of me, I cannot remember what it was that I was trying to build. I guess I am older than I think.....
Bruce
A $60 one will last about 1 season of not too hard use. Cutting firewood may finish it off sooner. I went through 2 $60 -$80 Remingtons in 2 seasons of misc. cutting on logs for the underground cabin. Plastic gears - not good, Toys. :(
I just bought the Ryobi One+ chainsaw for my 18v kit. The chain speed is pretty slow - maybe it will last a while. I wanted it just for incidental cordless use -- not woodcutting. Trimming trees and brush on the spring trail etc while driving the Bush Hog around. I have 8 batteries I try to keep charged.
I spent around $300 for a Stihl that I am pretty sure will last a while. I think I am on my second chain now with no sign of any problem.
Makita makes one also that may be good, although I have had some trouble with Makita stuff.
Note that McCullough and Homelite used to be good saws but with their economy saws being such crap I'm not buying anything from them anymore. Stihl doesn't seem to compromise itself with such crap and I am happy with my Husquavarna as far as gas engine saws go.
I use a Stihl gas, but have a Remington for light work ... especially useful for some "carpentry" cuts.
I gave my SIL a 110v Ryobi. He seems to get a lot of use out it ... around the house sort of stuff.
I think a 110v Ryobi would last longer than a Remington. Seems they are a pretty good value for the money. Just my opinion from using other Ryobi stuff and the Remington saws. I am not sure. Haven't had the 110v Ryobi chain saw.
QuoteGreetings all....Damn, we are having a ladybug invasion today...they are all over the front of the house..jb
Ladybugs gather together this time of year, but they are commonly imported by pot farmers for pest control also --- maybe there is a farm nearby. :-?
I don't know how you can keep eight batteries charged. I can't even keep 2 from going bad. I wish someone would make a decent cordless drill that the batteries would last as long as the drill itself.
As for Lady bugs(which they really are not the regular lady bugs) or harvest bugs which the good old USA imported from asia to rid us of gypsy moth(which they haven't done) are not too bad this year. I have heard that the reason they come to light more in the fall is that the vegitation which they eat (leaves) go dead in the fall and they move to hybernate.
Talking of goverment imports. Multi-flora roase is another example of the goverments handy work. I hear they now they have introduced a bug in the south that is suppose to supress the roses. Well they haven't made it this far and they can devistate your farmland.
I have a little Remington that has lasted years. I just use it for misc cutoffs though. I have a Husky (my favorite) and a Poulen that I use for abusive work!
QuoteI just bought the Ryobi One+ chainsaw for my 18v kit.
Do you have the complete ensemble of Ryobi cordless tools/toys yet? ;D
Did you get the chainsaw with a One+ Lithium battery? Or do you have any of the Lithium batteries? How do they stack up against the others? IYO
I've got a Craftsman 13" electric from the early 80s still running like a champ. I don't use it out in the woods but I have a long cord that allows me to get to my woodpile and some of the peripheral trees in my yard. If you plan on using it around the yard it can't be beat. One fear though out here in hurricane area is if the power goes out for a long period after a storm, that would probably be when I need it most. I plan on picking up a used gas one someday or rebuilding the couple old ones I got in my basement.
There are a few (insignificant) Ryobi things I don't have yet. ;D
I went in there to look at the new Ryobi Lithium stuff.
It is interchangeable with the One+ stuff. No need to buy new compatible stuff as it will all work, but I looked at it and went ahead and bought more of the cheaper stuff anyway. I figure that even if the Lithium will last twice as long per charge, it is still not long enough and the battery will still be dead, so I bought the new toys I wanted and 2 more batteries. Maybe some day I will buy the new stuff but it didn't overpower me yet. :)
QuoteI've got a Craftsman 13" electric from the early 80s still running like a champ. I don't use it out in the woods but I have a long cord that allows me to get to my woodpile and some of the peripheral trees in my yard. If you plan on using it around the yard it can't be beat. One fear though out here in hurricane area is if the power goes out for a long period after a storm, that would probably be when I need it most. I plan on picking up a used gas one someday or rebuilding the couple old ones I got in my basement.
I got a used Craftsman at a yard sale -- not broke yet either. I bought it after the Stihl I think so haven't even tried it. As I recall it was too good a deal to pass up.
If you take your electric chainsaw into the woods you have to make sure there are lots of currant bushes around. ;) There were some good electric chainsaws made and used mainly at the mills but I don't think what the consumer buys today can compare. Here is my old Mall 11E18 (Mall incidentally was purchased by Remington). It is part of my collection and I don't use it but it's a mean looking motor scooter.
(http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/52/mall11e18electricchainsgo9.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Cool chainsaw, desdawg.
Do Currant bushes put out enough juice for a saw that size? :-? ::)
QuoteCool chainsaw, desdawg.
Do Currant bushes put out enough juice for a saw that size? :-? ::)
Depends on if they are in series or parallel. :D
Do you have to alternate those bushes with something else or just hook 'em up direct?
Well, be sure you don't hook your saw to a GW Bush or it will fail in less than 7 years. ::)
I haven't seen a currant bush inverter so they must be AC. Speaking of the current Bush I believe we have been sold down the river with the oil companies. And I don't see of any way of paddling back up the river. It is just one hit after another after another. Shell has come a long way with oil shale but is still years away so I guess it is either back to the horse or pony up at the pump. Sounds like a bunch of horsesh!t no matter how you slice it. >:(
Thanks all....My gas one will still run, off and on....so for the price might get the electric saw for small stuff now and then, kindling etc for my wood stove...don't use huge logs anyway in the stove and I have electric available near my cabin....p.s.....besides the ladybugs, here's a crapper for ya- We had pelicans out here for two months this fall in the lake off my yard....PELICANS....and I'm in central Illinois...folks asked me what I was smokin' and drinkin, told them that wasn't any of their business, so I took pics..... 8-)
Reminds me of the old rhyme my dad used to say.
A wonderful bird is the Pelican. His beak can hold more than his belly can.
...and the rest of the story.
QuoteWrote Dixon Lanire Merrith in his poem
"The Pelican"(1910): A wonderful bird is the pelican His bill will hold more that his belican. He can take in his beak Food enough for a week, But I'm danmed if i can see how the helican
Source: QBP Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, By Robert Hendrickson,
or
* "A wonderful bird is a Pelican, Whose beak can hold more than his belly can. Be it crabs, clams, or fish, It will hold all you wish. But damned if I see how the hell he can!"
--Arbogast of Diedenhofen, or
* A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His mouth can hold more than his belly can,
He can hold in his beak,
Enough food for a week!
I'm damned if I know how the hell he can!
Dixon Lanier Merritt, a Southern newspaper editor and President of the American Press Humorists Association, penned this famous limerick in 1910.
Plagiarism or don't know who was first?
For the lithium one + review: I am going to have to rate it as a good purchase. I bought one battery (and charger) to use with my current collection. IMHO it lasts at least twice as long and maybe more. The other thing I like is the battery "holds a charge" longer- meaning I can charge it, let it sit for a week and it is still fully charged. My other batterys seem to loose the charge easier. If I could only figure out how to run my car on the one + system... ::) I could save some serious cash ;D
Dan
Thanks for the rating, Dan. Have you tried the Lithium with the old tools -- I understand they will work interchangeably-- another great feature...
Wait a minute here... re-reading your post it looks like you only use it with your old tools - is that right?
My husband bought one of the 18" electric chainsaws from Menard's last year. We tried using it once and ended up taking it back. We had these big overgrown shrubs up around the house that needed to be taken out, and it didn't last through cutting them back before we were having problems with it. We went back and got a gas one, and haven't had any problem with it other than the normal stuff (dulling the chain, etc.) and we've actually cut several dead/dying trees on our property with it without any problem. Same thing with electric weedwhackers... I've burned out two of them with very little use... maybe our yard is too big? Anyway, even though I didn't want to have to lug around a big gas-powered one, I ended up buying one on clearance at the end of summer a few years ago and haven't regretted it.
Hard to beat a good gas one.
Machine -- I'm talking about machines here... weedwhackers - saws etc.
A good tough electric one has to cost a bit more as they have to use better components - bearings, gears etc. Most of the problems I have had with the cheap electrics involved cheap plastic gears - parts etc.
I bumped into this today:
http://www.choppingchainsaws.com/schedulredmaintenance.htm
Good stuff, Daddymem.
Let me add to it.
Keep the chain sharp. One touch to the ground can dull a chain. There are electric sharpeners with angle guides available. Any pulling to one side means the teeth on one side have hit something. Bark often has rocks lodged in it. If in doubt, remove the bark in the cut area with an ax.
In general a chain will need to be sharpened between every one or two tanks of gas use unless you hit something sooner. Any resistance to free cutting usually indicates a dull chain.
Keep the oil reservoir full -usually at each gas fill up.
After lots of use even with a sharp chain, a saw can run sideways binding in the cut. If this happens to you, then the groove in the bar probably needs to be trued up. A good saw shop has a grinder to do this. You will not necessarily need a new bar. Once your chain is worn out they can also make you a new one and they have optional chains without the anti-kickback features made for homeowner saws. These will cut way faster, but may kick back if you are not careful possibly giving you a nasty limb removal or gash in your forehead. I always use the unsafe chains the pros use. :)
Glen-
Yes I have only used it with my old tools. In fact I did not buy and of the new green tools. My expierence is with the orignal blue one + tools.
Dan
Thanks, Dan. I looked at the new ones because I got a 50% off one tool coupon with the purchase of a kit, but went for more of the cheaper stuff instead.
QuoteI bumped into this today:
http://www.choppingchainsaws.com/schedulredmaintenance.htm
Hope it wasn't running. ;)
They missed the air filter servicing.
Glenn if I may. You might want to occassionally turn the bar over so that the wear is uniform on both sides it will prolong the life of your bar.
The electric files are good in fact too good. They are good to get back to the right angle every once in a while but if used that frequent you will be out of chain before too long.
My biggest problem is getting both side the same when hand filing so that it will cut true dead center and not wonder off. Not too noticable in small stuff but when cutting things 18-24" it sometime can wonder 2" or more on the bottom.
If that happens in the future I will ship the ends to don and he can put them on his wall. The water would run right off.
Shiplap rounds... Hmmm. :-/
That's true. A trick at Mike's saw shop per Al is to put the blade on with the writing upside down. The owner will usually put it back on right side up thereby rotating it at least once.
The taking off to the side can be either the bar worn on one side or the chain dull on one side.
I view chains as use items and if not sharpened well enough then they are of little use -- only frustration anyway, so I would rather get them sharpened right the first time. Dremel makes an attachment with the proper angle lines to follow as do the electric saw sharpeners. I went to diamond files on the Dremel so they cut slower than the stones but still give a good sharp.