Eletric Saws

[Duane_Moore]

 ??? would like some input on eletric saws. am comverting from Hyd, saws to elec,? good or Bad? the newer man lifts have elec. outletts on them with builtin Gen. no hyd. lines to cage. any input would help. Dun---Duane ???

[oldsaw-addict]

I've never seen or heard of an electric saw built for commercial use, I say stick with hyd power.

[Kevin]

Duane, are you operating a tree service?
I have never used hydraulic or spent much time with the electric so I can't make a comparison.
I keep my man lift coiled in the back of my truck. ;D

[Mark M]

If you don't have an outlet handy you can just plug it into a current bush ;)

[slowzuki]

I heard of a person putting a 4 hp warn winch motor on old hydraulic saw, it cut quite well they said!

We have a little electric saw, the thing is excellent with reach of an outlet! So much torque, leads to poor technique as you can't stall it out!

Ken

[SasquatchMan]

Just make sure you get one with an auto oiler - the smallest (cheapest) still have a manual one, which really sucks.

I find my electric poulan a pain because for some reason, the trigger is variable speed, and it's actually tiring on the hand to pull it all the way for more than a few minutes (in conjunction with aforementioned manual oiler).  But that saw has done lots and lots of horrible jobs and just keeps spinning.

[slowzuki]

 :D :D Made me think, I built the bookcase in my bedroom entirely with the electric chainsaw!  Turned out very nice despite the fun poked by the onlookers!

The little electric saw is the first thing I grab if I have to cut up a pile of boards full of nails etc! The poor chain has been abused, but will keep on cutting or grinding through!  There is only one speed on ours and the safety catch has long worn away so its easier to use!
Ken

[rebocardo]

If you are talking a small electric chain saw, then I agree, get one with an automatic oiler. One thing about these things, they are lousy (maybe even dangerous) to use for felling a tree. The handle position is just all wrong, at least on the Remington, the way the handle is squared off. There is no where to hold the saw on the side while making a notch.

I have taken a few apart, they basically all have the same type of plastic plantary gear system. If you jam/pinch it in a cut, the gears strip out. Maybe this is a safety feature to prevent kickback? I have not done it, just people that use these things "on occasion" and wonder why they stopped working in the middle of cutting a branch.

The oiler system is basically a pump and the hoses are stuck into the tank with a grommet type fitting. So, they can leak pretty easily. I grab mine to use when I do not feel like filling up my gas chainsaw or when cutting smaller diameter stuff, it is much quieter then a gas saw.

[SasquatchMan]

I bought my poo-lan for wrecking decks, and I've done stumps, brush, exterior and interior demo, and probably some other dumb stuff (no bookshelves yet - I'll look into that) -  Like Rebo says - not good for any kind of felling.  It's been remarkably tough for the 70 or so Cdn bucks it cost, but you have to understand the limits of the tool.

[Stan]

I got a Craftsman with a 16" bar, that I often use for bucking firewood. The oiler don't work so I spray the chain with motorcycle chain oil (the sticky kind) every now and then. I won't take any other saw up into a tree, I like the fact that it stops when you let go of the trigger.  8) 8) 8)

[Duane_Moore]

 :DKevin, is that manlift thats coiled up  Gas or Elec.? ;D ;D ;D sorry could not resist that one. ya got me.. No I do not do tree service, we have many trees here, Walnuts, Prunes, Peaches, all kind of nut trees, and we are always trimming them, we use a Man Lift, or cherry picker, Tree Squirle, or what ever, mine is a Starr Manf. 30'  mast that does not extend, so there are Hyd lines that run up the mast, these run Hyd, saws and Hyd, Pruners. they work good , but the New Man lifts are equipted with generators. this way the mast can extend and no hyd lines to mess with only elec. wire. we have a few elec saws now. the remington type, and we like them the saw on a pole works great. was asking if any body makes a good elec. saw. but at $39.00 ea. we could get like a dozen at a time for less then 500.00 wanting to know if anybody had experence with good elec saws? just asking, and yes the Hyd, saws work great, but are pricey, sent info to Fla.D on them once, they use them for underwater also. Thanks a bunch guys,  Duh---Duane

[oldsaw-addict]

If the newer lifts are equipped with generators and electric lines instead of hyd. then I say go with the electric saw. I had a remington with a 14" hardnose bar on it, that little thing never would jam in the cut, just too much torque. the $40 price tag says that they're easy to get, dirt cheap, powerful, the only drawback is that the little remington saws the oiler is a manual only, there is no auto pump on them at all, the larger series saws do have a half wrap handle and an auto oiler I think. its worth the money to have a little electric saw for trimming up in the trees with. the best thing about them is that when you let go of the switch they STOP, a big plus for tree trimming work. I still have the bar from that saw but its on a little Power Mac 310 now.  

[Frickman]

I know of a sawmill a few townships over that uses a Stihl electric saw in the mill. They keep it plugged in on a shelf suspended from the ceiling at a point along the gravity rolls just down the line from the husk. If they need to trim an ugly end off a board before sending it through the edger or down the rolls they can just pull the trigger and cut. No need to have to start a gas saw for three seconds of work, and no need for a regular stationary cut-off saw. They have one of those down the line. They just love the saw and are on their second one.

[Duane_Moore]

 :)thanks for all the replys guys. really do aapreciate it. will try the elec stuff and see how long it lasts. what the heck. 40$ woopie, do.  thanks , will let ya know how we like them in a few months.  Duh---Duane

[iain]

there's a saw mill 18 miles away that has two electric stihls used for trimming and lengthing press the trigger and no fumes in the building and boy can they cut fast i belive one is 3ph but will check next time im up that valley