On occasion I find something that is a real stand out.
I had to cut some big wood, Karen had this tool already so I tried it out. Son of a gun!
It worked & worked well!!
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| Harbor Freight $40 (on sale) electric chain saw |
This (for what we had to do) was the BEST $40 spent on a tool ever! Just plug it in, make sure the bar has oil & go.
When you're done just put it away... For the very occasional user (us) this is the way to go!
Mind you it is a real chain saw as far as your fingers, toes & legs are concerned... you just don't have to mess with gas & oil.
I once considered buying an electric chain saw but later learned that sooner or later I would have to sharpen the chain, so decided not to purchase one though I really need one.
ReplyDeleteAny chain saw will need the chain sharpened, some places have shops that will do it for you for a couple of bucks... plus it's not really not hard to do.
DeleteThis one was great because it was low cost, will do the small tree work we need done (cut it into smaller pieces), don't have to mess with storing gasoline and it's ready to work.
I've cut small branches with a sawzsall & a big blade, just put a new blade in when it's needed but the chainsaw does a better/faster job.
http://www.harborfreight.com/75-amp-heavy-duty-variable-speed-reciprocating-saw-69067.html
The sawzall is (IMO) less dangerous.
Seems it would be a good camp saw as long as you are close to electricity. Mixing oil, setting the choke and pulling the starter and hoping it will start can be a pain in the ass.
Deletethe Ol'Buzzard
Needing electricity is the weak spot. Sometimes you just need the gas & oil saw... but if you can get away with the electric tool :-)
DeleteThanks for the link to the reciprocating saw. How I wish I had someone who would teach me the ABC's of power tools.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was considering buying the chain saw I watched a video on how it was done and it seemed time consuming and somewhat difficult. It would probably cost me more to have it sharpened than what it cost to purchase one.
When I was a serious "weekend warrior" with the chain saw, I had two extra chains which I would drop off with my sharpener guy and he would soak 'em in solvent (to remove the oil) and do a world class job of sharpening them -- then wrapping them perfectly in newspaper and painter's tape. He always told me to swap out the chain at the first hint of it getting dull -- adamant that it was false economy to push it one second more. As our trust level increased over time, he actually increased the cut angle to make the tooth more pointed and many times less safe. At that point, in green wood, it would leave a pile of ribbons not chips, but it does require an operator not inclined to maneuvers which might cause a kick back. If the chain can turn green wood into ribbons, imagine what it might do to human flesh? All to say, keeping your chain sharp with electric power will make all the difference in the world. :)
ReplyDeleteA chainsaw that's "less safe", pretty funny!
DeleteI wore out three of them in my previous life. They were wonderful and light. I did have a large gas saw for the bigger stuff that had to be cut once in a while but I used the electric on wood up to about 12 inches in diameter. Using the electric saw gave my standby generator a little work out about three times a year.
ReplyDeleteA simple to use tool for those times you need to cut some wood is a fine thing to have on hand.
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