Electric Chainsaws: Wimpy or Practical?

18 years ago

I had put up a post about affordable gas powered chainsaws and had some fantastic feedback. It looks as though the Stihl 170 would be my best bet...unfortunately it runs around $160-$170 at local stores. Someone mentioned a cheaper alternative would be an electric chainsaw.

I'll be using the chainsaw this winter to clear some heavier brush and some smaller trees (the largest probably having a 7 to 8 inch diameter). It's probably 200 to 250 feet from the closest outlet. After clearing that area off I'll probably only need it once a year...to cut the bottom tip off our family Christmas tree (7' tall frazier fur).

Would going with an electric chainsaw (probably between $60 and $80) be a practical idea or would it just be wimpy?

If it is practical, what should I look for in an electric chainsaw? Horsepower? What amp motor? Length (14"? 16")?

Thanks for the help.

tennisbumbishop

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Comments (10)

canguy
18 years ago
Too much voltage drop with a 250' extension cord. You will fry the motor. Is renting a gas saw feasible?
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maineman
18 years ago
TBB,

"Someone mentioned a cheaper alternative would be an electric chainsaw."

Good electric chainsaws, like the Stihl MSE 140 C-BQ Electric Chain Saw, the Stihl MSE 180 C-BQ Electric Chain Saw, or the Stihl MSE 220 Electric Chain Saw, aren't cheap. And neither is heavy gauge extension cord. You would need at least 10-gauge, and possibly 8-gauge. It would be like garden hose, only heavier. And 250 feet of it would cost more than a Stihl 170.

I don't think you're going to find a cheaper workable solution than the Stihl MS 170. And you probably should invest in chainsaw protective chaps and a good chainsaw helmet. After you buy 2-cycle oil and chain oil you are going to be approaching a total tab of $300.

MM
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computeruser
18 years ago
You sound like the perfect candidate for renting a chainsaw. Having the saw sit idle all year will not do it any favors in terms of longevity or reliability.

If I were you I would (a) rent a good saw for my cleanup chores and then (b) buy a GOOD arborist-grade pull-saw for other pruning, xmas tree cutting, etc. If you haven't used one, you will be amazed at just how efficient they are and how quickly they cut up green wood and smaller dry wood. Even the $20 Corunna Professional 13" curved-blade saw from HomeDepot would be good choice, and it is about a third of the cost of the Silky saws and the like.

It's all about having the right tool for the job and I think my plan would do so in the most cost-effective fashion possible.
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tennisbumbishop
Original Author
18 years ago
Do the saws that are of this grade say it on the saw itself? I was looking at some handsaws in Lowes Hardware the other day and were amazed that some of them cost up to $30.

But after trying to saw the tree this year with my handsaw ($10 at Wal-Mart I think) it will be worth the extra cost.

Thanks for the advice.

TBB
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harold14370
18 years ago
By hand saw do you mean like a carpenter's saw? I can see where that wouldn't work very well. Get a pruning saw or bow saw and you should have no trouble. I have a chain saw but would never go to the trouble to break it out just to trim the trunk on the Xmas tree.
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tennisbumbishop
Original Author
18 years ago
I was referring to something like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&CNTKEY=misc%2fsearchResults.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@1919897075.1164979428@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccedaddjhmjjdglcgelceffdfgidgml.0&MID=9876

TBB
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maineman
18 years ago
TBB,

That link doesn't seem to be working for me. I see it has a SessionID, which probably means that your Home Depot online "Session" has expired. Could you tell us the name of the product enough so that we could search Home Depot for it? Are you talking about a cordless reciprocating saw like this?
{{gwi:320950}}

MM
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harold14370
18 years ago
A reciprocating saw is a very handy tool, but I doubt it's the right tool for cutting a Christmas tree trunk. The tree would tend to wobble back and forth with the reciprocating action, unless you clamped it somehow. I use a saw like the one at the website linked below for my Christmas trees.

Here is a link that might be useful: bow saw
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lbpod
18 years ago
Instead of such an expensive extension cord,
how about wheeling your emergency generator
250 feet and giving that a little exercise too?
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castoff
18 years ago
Based on your post, I suggest that you rent a really good chainsaw to do the one really large project.

If all you foresee down the road is the occasional pruning jobs here and there on your property, then you could easily get by with an electric chainsaw. The big secret to any chainsaw is a sharp chain. That is what makes the difference. An electric chainsaw will whiz right through branches and small tree trunks as long as the chain is sharp, sharp, sharp.

I also second the suggestion of a recip saw. I own a Milwaukee corded and cordless recip saw and I recently acquired a Ryobi cordless recip saw as part of a Ryobi package deal. With the right blade in these saws, I regularly trim branches off spruce, pine and decidious trees with no problems.

If the base shoe is held tightly against the trunk, there is no problem to cut right through a Christmas tree. The key is the blade. It must be sharp, it must be very course and it must have good tooth offset so that it cuts a wide kerf to prevent binding.

Gas powered chainsaws are great tools but you need to use them regularly to avoid problems from stale gas that leads to varnish in the fuel system. Only you can decide ultimately which type of saw will best suit your needs. I too hate tossing money in the direction of rental yards but sometimes it is the wiser choice IF... you are not going to use the tool often enough to justify the total cost of ownership.
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Electric Chainsaws: Wimpy or Practical?

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Electric Chainsaws: Wimpy or Practical?

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