Electric chainsaw

[RangerRick]

I am looking for an electric chainsaw. It will be used around the yard for trimming trees and limbs 12" and under. The Poulan 16" or the Worx 16" seem to be what I am looking for. Any ideas ?

[LCHIEN]

i got one (remington?) that mounts on a pole if you want, to help trim upper tree branches.

[JimD]

I used to have an electric chain saw and it was not useless but I eventually burnt it up on the end of a long extension cord. It did not have automatic oiling of the chain which made it a pain to use. I replaced it with a rebuilt McCullough. The gas powered saw has LOTS more power. The kerf is also wider so it can do some real work. To make an electric functional, it has a narrow chain and I found it often didn't cut a big enough kerf to really work. The tree would close back up around the bar and it would bind. Then it didn't have the power to do anything. A dead tree would work better but a tree with sap in it was sometimes a problem.

Short version is I would skip the electric and get a little gas one. It is convenient for me because my boat also takes gas at about the same gas/oil mixture and I have a weedwhacker and blower that take exactly the same gas. My experience with little 2 cycle motors is good. I find they rarely need attention. Even if you were keeping gas just for this it would just mean getting a little 1 gallon gas can and a small container of oil.

Jim

[cabinetman]

I have an 18" Craftsman electric, and it works like a champ. It's self oiling, and has a tool less chain adjuster. It's perfect for the few times a year I need it. No gas/oil. Chains are easy to sharpen by hand without removing.

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[annunaki]

I have several battery operated-
Ryobi 18 Volt, B&D Alligator, B&D Pole Saw- both 18 Volt, Oregon 40 Volt.

Ryobi has a new 40 Volt line that has a chain saw

[JimD]

I agree with C'man on sharpening. I have spare chains but I can sharpen faster than I can replace. I just use a round file in a little metal guide, I think it was made by Oregon.

With a properly sharpened chain, you should have to lift on the saw to keep it from stalling. It should pull into the wood hard enough to stall the motor. When it throws dust and/or you start wanting to force the saw into the wood, it's time to stop and sharpen or change the chain.

I've cut through trees more than 20 inches in diameter with my little 14 inch McCullough. I have to cut from both sides but that is not terribly hard. I only cut up a tree every year or two but it's nice to have a saw that you know will do it when you need to. A 14 inch is really more of a limbing saw if you cut up trees for a living but it will be the most used saw even for them. I've run a big saw (it was 24 or 30 inch, can't remember) and for cutting up the trunk of a large tree it is far better than what I do. But I can't justify more than my saw for my occasional use. If mine ever stops working I'll probably get a little Stihl.

Jim

[Pappy]

I have 2 electric saws. One is a 14" Remington and the other is a pole saw, also a Remington I think.

On the gas side, I had a Poulon that ran great the first year and iffy the second. I also have an older McCullough that was my step father's. It had sat for several years and I never got it to run. This year I started looking at saws and bought a 16" Sthil that has the capability of taking an 18" arm/chain. Don't regret spending the extra $$$ one bit.

[Skaning]

If you are using it in the typical Suburban Home environment it's probably all you will need 90% of the time. There is always the obvious issues of power availability but I have run mine off of the storm generator. Get a GOOD extension cord.

The biggest advantage is when you are limbing on a ladder. Don't have to deal with a cranky starting issue hanging by your heels up in the air. Maintenance on them really gets down to just cleanup and sharpening.

I've got a McCullough, and a Remington. Both work well. Have had a Sears at one time and it worked well until my son jammed it and just kept trying to run it. Stripped a plastic gear inside. Fixed it and worked fine till it disappeared. I think it may have moved with one of the kids to Houston.

With the low power, keep it well sharpened and you will be happy. That's good advice for any chain saw. Don't care how much power you have, dull chains just don't cut, sharp ones are a pleasure..

Use good techniques to avoid pinching. That's never the fault of the saw, that's operator error every time.

[cabinetman]

With the low power, keep it well sharpened and you will be happy. That's good advice for any chain saw. Don't care how much power you have, dull chains just don't cut, sharp ones are a pleasure..

Use good techniques to avoid pinching. That's never the fault of the saw, that's operator error every time.

I don't think it's a low power issue with electrics. I've had a few, and the chain just doesn't have the speed of a gas model. It does spin slower, but a sharp chain makes the saw efficient. You can tell if the chain is dull or not.

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[RangerRick]

Thanks for the input. I will check them out in person this week. Will add Craftsman to the list, as I can usually get parts easy for any repairs. I have about 8 small trees, up to about 10" dia. to take down. Will wait for late fall after the leaves drop into my neighbors yard.
Good Luck
Rick

[cabinetman]

Will add Craftsman to the list, as I can usually get parts easy for any repairs.
Rick

This is the model I bought.
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-elect...&blockType=G17

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[Skaning]

Never really meant they were underpowered. They are adequate for the job. I guess I was thinking about the number of times I get teased when I use one of the electrics. Usual quote is "You need a real saw" . There are those who think you can substitute horsepower for a dull chain and get performance. Bad tradeoff.