Electric chainsaw

[outdoorsman0490]

Looking for input on getting and electric chainsaw.
I have a woodmizer lt15. I have the electric one so I can run and not make noticeable noise to the neighbors.
I was looking into getting an electric chainsaw for cutting up the slab edges for firewood. I do keep one saw stock, a 2260, for bucking up firewood at my house, but I tend to do that on rainy days when no one is outside.
I have one neighbor who is in a wheel chair and likes to sit on his deck for a while on days like today.
I would like to cut up a stack of slabwood right now, but he is out there and I don't want to bother him.

What saw would you recommend for this, just cutting up slab wood. I assume they are all about the same decibel level. I can reach most of my back yard with a 100' cord, so saw doesn't need to be battery.

Thanks

 

[Franny K]

I like my Husqvarna top handle battery saw. The bucking spike needs to be modified so it sticks down below the bottom of the bar though. Kind of hard to make a comment without knowing what sort of material handling, cutting stand or on a pile, stuff like that. Depending on where I am either all the debris slabs and the like is discarded or some is cut for burning, that which is sizeable and that which is nice for kindling. The battery saw is nice for cutting the slab into pieces that can be stacked on a pallet right on the mill. Your profile says you have a tree service operation so are you are just going to chip a lot of it? It would be a lot of work and a lot of mess to turn it all into stacked ready for an inside wood stove. For corded the Makita one looks like it shares the overall layout with their hypoid saw. Top of the line Stihl or Husky most likely would be a safe choice.

 

[Kel71]

I have one of these. It works good.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Homelite-16-in-12-Amp-Electric-Chainsaw-UT43122B/203677567

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Why are you so worried about a neighbor?

I'll run a damn drag car in my yard if I want. The hell with the neighbors. They can deal with it or move!

I had a neighbor once feel he could impose a "no noise" rule on Sunday. He'd go around demanding no one to run lawnmowers. But then his kid could ride his 4 wheeler around the circle.
I told him to eat a ****. I took the muffler off my tractor and made sure to mow on Sundays haha!

 

[outdoorsman0490]

I heat our house with a wood furnace in the basement, so we use 6-8 cords a year of wood. I don't plan on milling too often once I have enough wood to make the post and beam shed I am going to build first.
For customers I am primarily milling good logs from their trees and selling it back to them. I would think maybe 10 logs a month. I plan to cut all the slabs for wood for the house, not chip any of it. Right now I am putting 2 slabs down then putting a grapple load of slabs down on top perpendicular and cutting the stack all at once in like 5 cuts.

It's not so much the noise from the saw, that I am just trying to be nice when I do make noise. I can make noise whenever I want, but I don't want to draw the attention to myself because where we live, you are not supposed to keep anything with a commercial plate at your house...which I do

 

[1Alpha1]

I wouldn't spend a whole lot of money on an electric saw. They can be had for well under $100.00 new.

I have a Remington elec. saw. I bought it at a yard sale some time ago. It was like new in it's box and had all the paperwork. I paid $10.00 for it. I see elec. saws on E-Bay all the time with reasonable prices, some with free shipping!

Try to steer clear of battery powered saws. The batteries for them are crazy expensive.

 

[OldJack]

https://www.worx.com/16-inch-electric-chainsaw-wg303-1.html
This measured 80 db while my Stihl MS170 measured 90 db on the same setup.
http://************************/forums/threads/chain-saw-sound-level-test.19294/

The saw is a bit wide with that outboard toolless chain tensioner, and it's tricky to get it started, but otherwise it does what I bought it for.

 

[7sleeper]

I have three Dolmar 2000W models and am very happy with them. Should be no problem at all to get them running with their soft start and an extension cord. Further there is a reason why Husqvarna has the identical model in Orange under their brandname.

7

 

[MrWhoopee]

Before I bought my first gas saw, I bought a Poulan Pro 400e, 18 in. electric. I did a tremendous amount of work with it, including felling and bucking numerous trees and bucking up a 24 in. oak trunk that the previous owner left. I bought it because of great reviews and sub $100 price. Very powerful, not that quiet. I also have a Homelite 14 in. that I keep next to my electric splitter for obstinate splits. While quieter than a gas saw, electric saws are hardly stealthy.

https://www.amazon.com/Poulan-400E-18-Inch-Electric-Chain/product-reviews/B00080OD9Q

 

[GeorgiaVol]

I have a Poulan model. I have used it for quite a while. I even found it uses small mcculloch mount bars so keeping bars and chains for it is easy.

http://arborist101.com/poulan-pln3516f/

 

[1Alpha1]

Most local CL ads have plenty of them for sale.

 

[outdoorsman0490]

I tried my dads old sears the other day. Was surprised how not quite it is.

 

[Philbert]

Just like gas (2-cycle) chainsaws, there are a range of corded electric chainsaws. And just like gas chainsaws, the ones that sell for $30 are not the top of the line.

I like them. I have at least a dozen of them (!). I live on a city lot and am never more than 100' from an outlet. No gas to buy, mix, dispose of, or ethanol to worry about. No flooding or hard starting. No carbs to adjust, air filters to clean, spark plugs to replace, tune ups, . . . Less noise, less vibration, not 2-cycle smoke smell, etc.

For cutting up slab wood, a 12 amp saw with a sharp chain should do fine. But if you are used to more powerful saws, you might look at the 15 amp models as well. Better quality corded electric saws start around $130 and can go well past $300 (still cheap, compared to their petrol cousins).

I have the Oregon CS400; a couple of Makita UC4000's (retired Home Depot rental saws); a Jonsered 2016EL; and a bunch of Sears/Poulan and Remington models (picked up cheap at garage sales). The STIHL models appear to be heavy duty, but cost a bit more.

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/new-oregon-corded-electric-chainsaw.268379/

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/electric-chainsaws.285663/

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/electric-chainsaws.252573/

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/electric-chain-saws.237462/

Philbert

 

[MrWhoopee]

I like them. I have at least a dozen of them (!). I live on a city lot and am never more than 100' from an outlet. No gas to buy, mix, dispose of, or ethanol to worry about. No flooding or hard starting. No carbs to adjust, air filters to clean, spark plugs to replace, tune ups, . . . Less noise, less vibration, not 2-cycle smoke smell, etc.
Philbert

Absolute heresy! And exactly why I am so enthusiastic about electric equipment. I have gas saws for cutting in the field, but I did take my Poulan Pro out with a generator one time. The cord was the killer.

 

[Philbert]

I did run an electric pole saw off a generator following Hurricane Katrina (only pole saw I could afford), and have used it quite a bit back home since then.

But gas saws are definitely better 'in the field', when far away from an outlet.

Battery saws keep getting better , but don't quite have the power of a good corded saw (yet), and still cost a bit more.

Philbert

 

[user 122190]

They are great for those that carve logs. Lots of torque, use of the tip for fine finish carving can get dangerous.