Nexuas

Need to get "cheap chainsaw" (PETROL) as I have to cut up logs for the fire, and the bow saw is proving a little time consuming. I don't want to spend a lot £150 Tops as I will only use it a couple of times a year, but I can chop a lot of stuff up in one go without feeling like my arm is made of jelly.

Was considering a performance power one from B&Q for IIRC £110 anyone used one? any good, or is there a better value for money saw out there?

ProperCharlie

IME McCulloch and Echo are about the best brands of "toy" chainsaw. They're still sh*te, but will probably suffice for your needs. Make sure you learn how to sharpen the chain properly.

If you want proper kit, you need Husqvarna or Stihl.

Brendan Hughes

Why not an electric one, if its only twice a year? Can't you drag the logs to outside the back door and cut them there? Seems a bit silly to get a petrol-engined one and not run it v. often.

'Course, if your logs are half-way down the wood, fairy nuff...

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

52826 Makita Semi-Professional Chainsaw 1
£159.99


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! 77632 PARTNER CSI352 CHAINSAW 1
£139.99



www.screwfix.co.uk

Alcazar

ProperCharlie

I've used one of those Partners as well, come to think of it. It belonged to an infamously tight uncle, who picked it up in a car boot sale. It lasted for years.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

"Partner" was the brand recommended to me in a French chainsaw shop!


We ended up with a Stihl though, as it was the only brand wifey recognised!

Alcazar

Tentenths

If you go the petrol route I'd strongly recommend that you get the proper safety clothing to go with it - at the very least the trousers (mine saved me from what would have been a very serious injury last year).

Oh, and always use a proper saw horse to support the logs.

Nexuas

I get the logs from the wood at work, the grounds/tree guy fells them and cuts into 6 foot lengths or so then I have to chop from there to get them in the car to take home and split. Hence why I need petrol...

POC

Mate, get the tree guy to cut em up for ya and bung him a tenna each time, not worth wasting your money on your own saw as a cheap on wont last at all.

Also I should point out the saftey aspect of what you are considering, chainsaws are not just a power tool, they can be lethal if you dont know what you are doing, even the slightest mistake with one of these things could lead to a loss of limb etc..... I know you are thinking 'I wont be using it much' etc. but it'll only take half a second for you or kill/mame yourself. Something to think about dude.

ajm

http://www.compfused.com/directlink/154/

(yes I know its SIAL but it's relevent )

Belmondo

Cheap saws are indeed ****e. They will be hell to start and very likely to break. I've had a Stilh since '87 it arrived just before the hurricane. Its had a few new chains and a bar but its done a lot of work, all my heating was wood until very recently. Always satrts second pull at worse.
On the other hand had a McCulloch strimmer and the big end broke within the year (very little use).
Get a seconhand quality saw if you can, from a DIYer not a pro.

Here's a new one for £160http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...354006236&rd=1

gsm1

A cheap budget chainsaw may not cope depending on the thickness of the logs. If you're going to get the full safety gear as well then it will cheaper and safer to just get someone to do the job for you.

Brendan Hughes

We've had three Stihls - an 08S, which was a fecking moped engine with a blade, and went faultlessly for 20 years before some pikey nicked it. Then a smaller one which I can't remember, which gave us more problems than we expected, and now a new one which I haven't used much so can't comment.

We also have a Wadkin electric which is hardly used any more but does the job when we bring it out.

I'll agree with POC, and if you can't get the guy to cut them up to 1-ft lengths, get him to cut them to 3ft so you can get them in the car.

Whatever you're buying, one tip - try to get the biggest/most powerful engine with the shortest blade. Many people go for long blades as it looks cool / they think they'll need it, but unless you're cutting 2ft dia trees, it's a waste of power and is counterproductive.

mad_dr

Keep it by your bed and you can use it to cut up burglars!

mj

I used to have a chainsaw for palletts / logs, ok it makes easy work of it but sometimes it was a bugger to start, also had a couple of "moments" with it.

I ended up selling it to a guy on here when I moved house, funny I can't ever remember seeing him post since

how thich are the logs? you can get 300mm blades for recip saws - much safer and starts first time

Nexuas

I am quite aware of the dangers of chain saws, I work with wood as part of my job, and so use power tools on a daily basis. I am also quite up on health and safety, so will not do this without the proper safety gear.

I have asked the guy to chop up to small sections, but he is not willing to do this in company time, as they would normally burn the logs without chopping, and he will not do it in his own time as he is not covered by insurance as he would be using the works chainsaw. I am not allowed to borrow the chainsaw as I have not had the "Correct" training. So uhnless I purcahse or borrow a chainsaw, I have no wood to burn, and we do get through a fair amount as we have two open fires at home. The cost of buying logs would be more than a chainsaw and saftey gear within a couple of years.

I must admit with most tools I buy a cheap(ish) model to start with and if this breaks then I will spend more, if not I have a good tool for less money. I use a B&Q chopsaw and table saw on a daily basis, and these in total set me back less than £100, but everyone told me I would have to buy dewalt at £350 each to be able to use them as much as I do.

Taking the above advice to buy higher power shorter blade, was good to find out.

Have always thought if I was to have a career change, a tree surgeon was a place I would look...

Brendan Hughes

Nex, I hope I'm right, I don't understand the physics but it's what Dad used to choose his, and he tends to do research to PhD level before buying anything

Nexuas

As soon as I read it I understood the logic of it.... Probably would not have thought of it on my own...

Nexuas

I now have a chainsaw, all my fingers/arms/legs and two tons of Fire wood piled up in the garden. and about two more car fulls to bring home. How to lower your impreza wagon without the need to buy expensive springs??? Fill it up with wood!!!

Now need to get the axe out and split it all up. Which will take about a week!!!!

Ended up with a Ryobi 40cc/16" chainsaw, which was only just long enough to cut the trunks of the trees that had been felled.

Managed to borrow the chainsaw trousers for the day saving me £60, but think I will by some in the long term, but did get own helmet/Gloves etc...

It was rather hard work even with the chain saw, but a job well done, and will save money in the long run.

The Zohan

Second that, it is too easy to have an accident with these and the re
sult can be very nasty.

mynickers

I hope this isn't for self protection for your home now the law's changed!?

Nexuas

It is a bit of a buger to start the first time, takes 10-12 pulls with choke in??? Will not start with the choke out?

Once it is warm it is fine and normally takes half a pull to restart after each log.

So not too good for home protection, although it would make a nasty mess of whoever had broken in!!!!


Yes Saw horse will be the next purchase (Along with my own set of chainsaw trousers), most of what I cut on Sunday was 10" -14" in diameter and about 6 - 8 foot long, so could be done on the floor, most of the way through then rotated to go through last bit. Would not have been able to lift any of these onto a saw horse without getting a hernia for my trouble, I have left the smaller peices till I can get the horse and then will do these at home!!!

Brendan Hughes

Dumb question - does it say anything in the manual?

Stihl procedure from cold IIRC is

Choke full on, trigger locked on, pull 2-4 times until it coughs and dies. Then switch choke off (leave trigger locked on) and pull - should fire and rev fully. Squeeze trigger a couple of times to clear its throat then release trigger lock.

On the newer one, after it coughed I usually had to switch the choke back to half rather than off completely - then when it revved I'd slide the choke slowly off.

The fun comes when it's been off for about 5 mins - is it warm, or cold, or something in between?? That's the bit when your elbow dislocates and you start swearing...

ajm

Small two strokes like that all have their own "characters". You'll learn in time what works best! It's the same with small outboard engines too, except the incentive to get them started is often greater as you are being swept out to sea on an ebbing spring tide!

Nexuas

That reminds me of a time I went sailing with my primary school...

In the last year of the school we had the chance to go sailing on a local lake. The teacher was a keen sailer and he gave us a chance to experiance this, only in small boats, think it was a torch or a laser or something like that...

anyway we also go to have a go in a small motorboat with outboard engine, which we really enjoyed bombing round in. Once we were out in the motor boat with the teacher driving and he thinks he will play a trick on us, so he turns the motor off when we reach the middle of the lake, and pretends the engine has broken down and that we are now stranded...

He leaves it a minute then says he is only joking, and tries to restart the engine, so he pulls and pulls, then he pulls some more, by which point you can notice a small amount of panic in his voice, by this time the two girls in the boat are almost hysterical, I calmly sitting there glances over at the engine to point out it is turned off, and he will need to switch it back to run to make it start.

I must have been soo hated by teachers at school as I was a bit of a smart ****...