The Chainsaw Thread

Mr. Leary

Mr. Leary

Adventurist
Founding Member
Thinking in print here, so my apologies for the somewhat random flow here. I find myself in need of a new chainsaw for the house and trail, and have been thinking about buying an electric saw that can also be plugged into an inverter on trips. When I brought my chainsaw along on trips in my old 4runner, I kept it on the roof so as to avoid stinking up the cab, and having to carry a gas can with mixed fuel was always a hassle.

Battery technology doesnt seem far enough along yet to put a battery powered saw in the running, but I'm thinking that plugging it into my inverter with the long extension cord that already lives in my truck (for shore power of I choose) shouldn't be a big deal, but without real experience, I'm not sure.

Thoughts, guys and gals?
 
As a guy who once made my living by the saw, I say gas. Saws are all about POWER and electric is fine for limbs and bushes around the yard, but in a stuck situation or when faced with a tangled mess of blowdown across the only way in or out of where you need to go, only a real chainsaw will get it done.

Stihl or Husqvarna (the real deal made in Germany or Sweden) and an 18-24 inch bar minimum. A gallon of gas and a spare kit with spark plug, file and extra chain.
 
Electric chainsaw???...What are you a girl? :p

Re-read Dave's post, he knows what's what. A small Stihl or Husky makes for a great truck saw and will be way more useful than an electric one. Plus you can actually venture out from the vehicle if you need too without trotting out a couple of 100' extension cords.
 
I carry a DeWalt cordless reciprocating saw (Sawzall) when I'm running heavy. It's obviously not a chainsaw, but will handle limbs up to a couple of inches in diameter with no problem. Not the answer to you specific question, but a possible option.I do have a small electric chainsaw that I use around the house, its a piece of junk.
 
This is why I asked you guys! :)

I currently carry a cordless sawsall hoping that it would be enough, but it has not been adequate for anything bigger than 4" diameter. I also carry a bow saw.

So I need to find a place to put a gas saw, since I sleep in the bed of the pickup. I'm trying to stay away from piling up stuff on the roof because that would just result in more limbs that need to be cut (although I know that makes me not overland fashionable). A swing out bumper would be a good place, but I'm not keen on spending a bunch of money on a swing out that isn't needed for much else in my setup. Maybe on the front? There is a new mad max movie coming out soon, after all.
 
if you carry it up front than it must have an optional PTO and be running anytime you are in motion
 
bob91yj said:
I carry a DeWalt cordless reciprocating saw (Sawzall) when I'm running heavy. It's obviously not a chainsaw, but will handle limbs up to a couple of inches in diameter with no problem. Not the answer to you specific question, but a possible option.I do have a small electric chainsaw that I use around the house, its a piece of junk.
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I agree most electric saws are junk, like the cheap ones sold at local hardwars stores and home improvement stores for cutting limbs up in the yard, but they do make good grade electric saws. They cost as much or more than gas saws. If in an environment where the noise or fumes would be undesirable, they might be worth having, but out in the woods, I think a gas saw would be better overall. I think it may take a generator rather than an inverter to run a good grade electric saw though.

I looked into electric saws to cut up firewood (mill slabs) in my yard after I tore stuff in my shoulder and damaged my back. Running the regular saw was not workable, and starting it, forget it. Look up the Stihl electric saws, they quickly get in the $500-ish range or more.

A good bow saw can cut some decent sized logs, as can a properly sharpened and used axe. Few axes are sharpened properly from what I can tell. They dont usually come from the factory with the right bevel. Watching someone thats good with an axe work on logs is quite a revelation compared to the small chipping activities usually engaged in with axe shaped tools. Calvin Rutstrum wrote about using axes years ago. He said on a log of 10-12", six strikes was about halfway through, and should pop a chip out about the size of the top of a bucket.
 
I HAD the Ryobi 18+ cordless chainsaw. I sold it after a couple uses. It ate batteries and didn't stay sharp.
 
I use one of these. I carry it in my truck and it makes short work of most any trees, except Locust. It'll take down a six inch tree in just a few minutes. Damn thing is sharp!
http://www.amazon.com/Corona-RS-7265-Folding-Pruning/dp/B001RD7LRO

Or I use one of these...http://www.amazon.com/Sven-Saw-Original-21-Folding/dp/B00BI66XPQ
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Dave said:
As a guy who once made my living by the saw, I say gas. Saws are all about POWER and electric is fine for limbs and bushes around the yard, but in a stuck situation or when faced with a tangled mess of blowdown across the only way in or out of where you need to go, only a real chainsaw will get it done.

Stihl or Husqvarna (the real deal made in Germany or Sweden) and an 18-24 inch bar minimum. A gallon of gas and a spare kit with spark plug, file and extra chain.
Click to expand...
I have four husky's and one Stihl.
 
Come to think of it, I have used my Dewalt cordless sawzall to help break a log jam at a creek crossing that was in danger of overflowing and washing out the crossing. We cut a number of thick braches that we couldnt get loose any other way. If one has the tool, several batteries, and a cigarette lighter charger, they would be worth having along. I have some nice 12" or longer blades. They cut OK if you havent been cutting nails with them.

If using the car charger, dont try to charge more than one battery without the vehicle running. I've killed mine a couple times by charging tool batteries with the car charger.

Pro tip: Its best to keep power tools out of the water when using them. My sawzall hasnt been quite the same since. The reciprocating head was underwater some. It gets really noisy once in a while, I drench it in oil and it goes along quietly again.
 
Let me tell you a quick story of how awesome Stihls are. So back in the 80's my Dad and I ran a small rafting company. We had a nasty tree that fell and became a strainer. We rafted out to it, cut it and the tree pinched down and took the saw with underwater. For two months! (Probably not the safest thing in the world but hey, it was the 80s! ) We had to wait until the water level lowered to retrieve it. (This was an 011 if my memory serves me right. That saw still works to this day. Ok... cheers! [emoji482]


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For the big stuff the Stihl is my go to. 6" or less, I just grab the Silky Saw Katana boy. It's &@$?ing amazing! The Sven saw is good, but after a couple if uses, getting the blade unsheathed from the bar to assemble it is a pain.
 
I want to amend my former disdain for electric saws. I cant start my real saw from a back and shoulder injury, and couldn't hold it to run it. A neighbor loaned me a cheapo electric saw to try for cutting up mill slabs in my yard. Another neighbor came over and used it for a couple hours to help me get firewood cut up. In two hours we had enough slabs cut for about 4 or 5 weeks for me (he cut, I grabbed the pieces and stacked them as they were cut on the sawbuck). The saw did much better than I ever thought it would, and its not been run in years. The chain needed adjusting several times at first, but as it started getting oil it stopped needing adjusted. For a trail saw in a vehicle if you have power, or cutting up slabs in the yard and such, I have a new appreciation for them.

Elsewhere, the subject of saws came up, somebody mentioned a friend had a battery saw he used for topping or limbing in high trees and liked it a lot.

Quote from the comment in question

The only thing I can say on them is that a close friend of mine who's in the business has bought a battery-powered Husky climbing saw, I've test run it, and it's got plenty of guts. He says he can prune with it all day up in the tree on one battery charge. It's really pretty amazing. Big advantage is no more yanking pull cords / fooling with chokes / screaming saws. It weighs as much and costs as much as a gas-powered pro saw. He said he'll probably replace all his gas-powered climbing saws with these if this one continues to impress.
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After coming across these on the UTBDR, a chainsaw is best. Out of ten vehicles, no one had a chainsaw. All axes, hatchets and hand saws. Before I head out west again, I'm buying an arborist' chainsaw!
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I just bought a chainsaw for home use (Poulan with a 16" bar and an 18" bar). I've never needed one on the trail, but I'm sure it will be added to my adventure travel gear.
 
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