What about cordless chainsaws?

The cordless power tool revolution has taken the world by storm. 15 years ago, you might have seen some tradesmen with cordless drills, or cordless screwdrivers. Back then, these tools were not very powerful. Anyone serious still had mains driven appliances.

So here we are, 15 years later. The cordless drill is the weapon of choice for DIYers, tradesmen, builders and pretty much everyone else. Cordless tools have come a very long way. With the advent of powerful new battery packs, and innovations in manufacturing, there is hardly any cordless tool that you can’t get. What about a cordless chainsaw?

It goes without saying that cordless tools are electrically driven. As such , the advantages of a cordless electric chainsaw are potentially many – quiet operation, no gas emissions, and simplicity are all strong positives.

At this stage, you can get cordless chainsaws but they are pretty darn small! Most of the ones available are marketed as gardening and pruning aids, and are really only designed to cut small branches to diameters no larger than 1.5 to 2 inches maximum. Commonly the bar length is no more than 6-10 inches, and you can expect between 50 and 100 actual cuts before the cordless chainsaw battery needs recharging.

At this stage, these saws are not ready for real hard work, such as docking timber or felling trees. However, I’m going to follow the development carefully and I have no doubt that within a few years we will have “green” red-necks out there felling trees with eco-friendly chainsaws!!! Who would have thought it would ever come to this…

Joking aside, cordless chainsaws are great for the gardener who needs to do a lot of pruning and trimming work. If you think a cordless saw sounds good, do yourself a favor and learn how to sharpen a chainsaw chain. You will need a chainsaw sharpener, or at least an appropriate sized chainsaw file.

Although they look deceptively small and safe, cordless chainsaws are not toys. If you are using one yourself, be careful. If you are teaching a kid to use one, give them 100% supervision. You should still wear basic safety gear, at least a pair of light weight chainsaw gloves.