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#1
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chainsaw recommendations
I should like to buy a small chainsaw and should like recommendations
please. Thanks. |
#2
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chainsaw recommendations
sally H wrote:
I should like to buy a small chainsaw and should like recommendations please. Thanks. Recommendation No 1: Don't. Recommendation No 2: Look for an ATB training course. I found it invaluable. Recommendation No 3: Don't. Recommendation No 4: Stihl or Jotul plus _full_ protective gear - no half-measures. Recommendation No 5: Don't. Recommendation No 6: Get a short blade, not a long one. Recommendation No 7: Don't. -- Mike. -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
#3
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chainsaw recommendations
In article , Mike Lyle
wrote: sally H wrote: I should like to buy a small chainsaw and should like recommendations please. Thanks. Recommendation No 1: Don't. Recommendation No 2: Look for an ATB training course. I found it invaluable. Recommendation No 3: Don't. Recommendation No 4: Stihl or Jotul plus _full_ protective gear - no half-measures. Recommendation No 5: Don't. Recommendation No 6: Get a short blade, not a long one. Recommendation No 7: Don't. Agree on all points and the shorter the blade the better/faster it will cut. However, I recently bought a very cheap (under £100) Ryobi 33cc 14in model and it is extremely good value albeit not the same quality as a Stihl. Don't go for an electric chainsaw and by all accounts, avoid McCulloch. |
#4
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chainsaw recommendations
Stan The Man wrote:
In article , Mike Lyle wrote: sally H wrote: I should like to buy a small chainsaw and should like recommendations please. Thanks. Recommendation No 1: Don't. Recommendation No 2: Look for an ATB training course. I found it invaluable. Recommendation No 3: Don't. Recommendation No 4: Stihl or Jotul plus _full_ protective gear - no half-measures. Recommendation No 5: Don't. Recommendation No 6: Get a short blade, not a long one. Recommendation No 7: Don't. Agree on all points and the shorter the blade the better/faster it will cut. However, I recently bought a very cheap (under £100) Ryobi 33cc 14in model and it is extremely good value albeit not the same quality as a Stihl. Don't go for an electric chainsaw and by all accounts, avoid McCulloch. Be wary of Stihl products, they have 2 grades, an inferior and of course cheaper one made in China, sadly it is not obvious as to which is which. I got caught with their cheap strimmer. Incidentally if it is only for light work it is worth considering Tanaka. Their engine is superb starting, by far the easiest I have come across. Then you can buy a strimmer, hedge cutter and chain saw "attachments", this makes it very economical. I particularly like the hedge trimmer as it is a pole type, so I can cut my 6 ft hedges without ladders. |
#5
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chainsaw recommendations
On 24 Mar, 09:06, Malcolm wrote:
In article , Stan The Man writes In article , Mike Lyle wrote: sally H wrote: I should like to buy a small chainsaw and should like recommendations please. Thanks. Recommendation No 1: Don't. Recommendation No 2: Look for an ATB training course. I found it invaluable. Recommendation No 3: Don't. Recommendation No 4: Stihl or Jotul plus _full_ protective gear - no half-measures. Recommendation No 5: Don't. Recommendation No 6: Get a short blade, not a long one. Recommendation No 7: Don't. Agree on all points and the shorter the blade the better/faster it will cut. However, I recently bought a very cheap (under £100) Ryobi 33cc 14in model and it is extremely good value albeit not the same quality as a Stihl. Don't go for an electric chainsaw Why not? and by all accounts, avoid McCulloch. -- Malcolm Nothing wrong with an electric chain saw if you know what you are doing, Alkdiu and Lidl do them at times for around £40.00. My neighbour who only burns wood uses them all the time and cuts many tons of wood before the machine needs to be replaced. He is over 70 and has used chain saws for many years. Just make sure that you keep the tension on the chain and keep it well lubricated, and what ever you do USE IT CAREFULLY. THEY ARE LETHAL IF USED CARELESSLY. David Hill Abacus Nurseries |
#6
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chainsaw recommendations
In article , Malcolm writes: | | Nothing wrong with an electric chain saw if you know what you are | doing, Alkdiu and Lidl do them at times for around £40.00. | My neighbour who only burns wood uses them all the time and cuts many | tons of wood before the machine needs to be replaced. | He is over 70 and has used chain saws for many years. | Just make sure that you keep the tension on the chain and keep it well | lubricated, and what ever you do USE IT CAREFULLY. THEY ARE LETHAL IF | USED CARELESSLY. | | But all of that is true of petrol ones, too. Typically more so, because they are usually more powerful and take longer to stop. Cutting up logs on a sawhorse is one thing; cutting up branches in situ another; cutting down trees a third; and working up a ladder or tree VERY much a fourth. It becomes more dangerous, and you need to be stronger in the hands, wrists and shoulders as that series proceeds. I gave up even an electric hedge trimmer because I was not strong enough to hold it safely. | I have an electric one (16", with which I've felled several redundant | trees in the garden and turned them into firewood - while wearing the | proper helmet and gloves, of course) and wondered whether the poster had | some particular reason for saying don't go for one. A circuit breaker | takes care of any risk from cutting the cable - which so far I've | managed to avoid doing! What on earth do you need a helmet for, in any case where you don't need the kevlar clothing? Also, circuit breakers DON'T eliminate all risk from cutting the cable; they merely reduce it. Anyway, except in wet weather, the risk to the person is low - rubber boots are good insulators, and there is little danger unless the current goes across your head or torso. The main danger is the saw jumping out of your hands, possibly because there is an old nail in the tree or you catch it on a springy branch. If it hits you while still moving, it will at best make a mess and quite likely cut a major blood vessel or do other permanent damage. I have felled, cut up and dug up several modest trees of 9" diameter (e.g. 20' apples) in less than a day, using nothing more than a decent bowsaw and other manual tools. Trees of much above that should be left to professionals. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#7
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chainsaw recommendations
In article , Malcolm writes: | | What on earth do you need a helmet for, in any case where you don't | need the kevlar clothing? | | To provide eye and ear protection, as well as protection from objects | falling on one's head. Perhaps you don't think these are important when | using a chainsaw, but I do, as does every trainer and every training | manual. That is a wonderful picture! Protective helmets, per se, do not cover either people's ears or their eyes - at least for people with them in normal locations :-) You should NEVER cut anything heavy above your head, chainsaw, bowsaw or light saber. A helmet will not protect you from a broken neck, and a light branch will not crack a skull when falling from a mere 1' above your head. | Also, circuit breakers DON'T eliminate all risk from cutting the cable; | they merely reduce it. | | Yes, Nick, they reduce it to non-lethal levels and so eliminate any risk | of death. I suggest that you investigate further. Even the best breakers take milliseconds to cut the current, and a bad (i.e. well-connected) shock across the chest can kill in less time than that. | I have felled, cut up and dug up several modest trees of 9" diameter | (e.g. 20' apples) in less than a day, using nothing more than a decent | bowsaw and other manual tools. Trees of much above that should be left | to professionals. | | Or to people with chainsaws who know what they are doing, as I do. Your opinion of your own competence is noted. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#8
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chainsaw recommendations
In article , Malcolm
wrote: In article , Stan The Man writes Don't go for an electric chainsaw Why not? Only because the cable is an additional hazard when there are already plenty enough potential hazards to contend with. The risk of electrocution is the least of it imho. A far greater risk is that the cable could catch somewhere and drag the chainsaw out of alignment, or that it could be tripped over while using the saw - even when following cable management guidelines. It is also an irritant (as is a Hoover cable) and any stress that can be avoided when sawing is A Good Thing. |
#9
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chainsaw recommendations
sally H wrote:
I should like to buy a small chainsaw and should like recommendations please. Thanks. I've read all the advice below........now I'll ask........'why' do you want a chainsaw, ie, specific perpose?? -- ßôyþëtë London, UK |
#10
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chainsaw recommendations
On 23 Mar, 23:46, "sally H" wrote:
I should like to buy a small chainsaw and should like recommendations please. Thanks. You seem to have opened a can of worms here Sally ;~} You've decided you have the wood and trees that justify the expense of the saw, safety kit and training and the significant effort involved in the training, all you are asking is for saw recommendations. I can't offer anything on the low end 'occasional user' saws because I have no experience of them. Most chainsaw work even in large gardens such as those I worked in can be tackled safely and comfortably with saws such as those offered by Stihl as 'mid range professional saws' At the smaller end of that range is their MS260 - the successor to the 026 which has been a favourite of gardeners and tree workers for many years. It is a 50cc machine with a choice of guide bars from 13" to 18", easy to start, not too heavy, very little vibration, nice clean burning engine, fast smooth cutting, reliable and backed by good servicing dealers. We had 2 of the 026s at work where they really did work and I now own an M260. At work faced with several machines to choose from I picked up the 026 perhaps 99 times in every 100. Don't be put off by the catalogue price, you should be able to buy one at a discount of around 20%, ie. around £400 and you'll never need to buy another one. With a 15" guide bar and the training provided by the 5 day basic course you'll be able to safely fell trees up to 15" dia. You could go up to 30" dia with further training though most folks would prefer to use a bigger saw for those. The saw is small enough and light enough for general cutting up of fallen trees and for low level pruning - not above chest height and absolutely not from a ladder. |
#11
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chainsaw recommendations
Rod wrote:
On 23 Mar, 23:46, "sally H" wrote: I should like to buy a small chainsaw and should like recommendations please. Thanks. You seem to have opened a can of worms here Sally ;~} You've decided you have the wood and trees that justify the expense of the saw, safety kit and training and the significant effort involved in the training, all you are asking is for saw recommendations. Lidl had a small electric chain saw in the special offers about a week ago, and there was one left in my local Lidl yesterday. I think they were £40. I have a small electric Black and Decker which has proved very reliable and is quiet, unlike the two stroke I had before which was VERY noisy. All the best, Chris Potts |
#12
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chainsaw recommendations
In article , Chris Potts writes: | | Lidl had a small electric chain saw in the special offers about a week | ago, and there was one left in my local Lidl yesterday. I think they | were £40. I have a small electric Black and Decker which has proved | very reliable and is quiet, unlike the two stroke I had before which was | VERY noisy. The money for the chainsaw isn't the issue. While even the best bowsaw is cheaper, the difference between 20 and 40 quid is neither here nor there. The 5 day course and full protective kit costs FAR more than that! Whenever this has come up before, all of the professionals have confirmed the bowsawyers' claims that using a bowsaw is much safer and no more effort and time for small amounts of cutting down and up. While there ARE circumstances when using a chainsaw is safe without either the full kit (including a kevlar 'overall') or proper training, damn few people will know when that is so without training. And a 5 day course isn't justified unless you do a LOT of such work or are particularly interested. In this context, it would be useful to know how much such work the OP is planning to do, in terms of number and size of trees removed, tons of wood or whatever, per annum. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#13
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chainsaw recommendations
Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article , Chris Potts writes: | | Lidl had a small electric chain saw in the special offers about a week | ago, and there was one left in my local Lidl yesterday. I think they | were £40. I have a small electric Black and Decker which has proved | very reliable and is quiet, unlike the two stroke I had before which was | VERY noisy. The money for the chainsaw isn't the issue. While even the best bowsaw is cheaper, the difference between 20 and 40 quid is neither here nor there. The 5 day course and full protective kit costs FAR more than that! Whenever this has come up before, all of the professionals have confirmed the bowsawyers' claims that using a bowsaw is much safer and no more effort and time for small amounts of cutting down and up. While there ARE circumstances when using a chainsaw is safe without either the full kit (including a kevlar 'overall') or proper training, damn few people will know when that is so without training. And a 5 day course isn't justified unless you do a LOT of such work or are particularly interested. In this context, it would be useful to know how much such work the OP is planning to do, in terms of number and size of trees removed, tons of wood or whatever, per annum. Regards, Nick Maclaren. Gosh sorry! I did not realise that he was wanting to chain saw on a commercial scale. I thought he might, like me, just need a chain saw to prune the occasional branch and then to log those branches for his wood burning stove, and if that was the case then the one from Lidl might have been perfect. It certainly was not my intention to add other than sweetness and light to the discussion. I will shut up. All the best, Chris Potts |
#14
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chainsaw recommendations
In article , Chris Potts writes: | | Gosh sorry! I did not realise that he was wanting to chain saw on a | commercial scale. I thought he might, like me, just need a chain saw to | prune the occasional branch and then to log those branches for his wood | burning stove, and if that was the case then the one from Lidl might | have been perfect. It certainly was not my intention to add other than | sweetness and light to the discussion. According to what I have heard, it is precisely the people who do what you do that have the highest risk of killing themselves using chainsaws. The problem is, as I said, that VERY few people can judge when they can using a chainsaw without the protective kit safely without training. What do you have against a bowsaw? Seriously. What you describe is precisely when a bowsaw is most suitable. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
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