Who should buy an electric chainsaw?

I’ve mentioned Electric chainsaws in the past, and you may have picked up the idea that I don’t particularly like them. It is true that I prefer the petrol powered chainsaw, but the electric models to have certain advantages. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again-neither is particularly more or less dangerous on the other, and you need to be as equally careful when using small Electric chainsaws as with bigger and more powerful petrol ones.

A close friend of mine, who has worked his whole life in the bush often used to often used to say that you are better off having a big, heavy chainsaw that actually bigger than you need. He used to say that he’s never seen an accident from someone using a sore that was too big for them, buddies are plenty of accident that in trying to hard work to saws. His theory was that a bigger, heavier chain saw was more likely to simply rip through an obstacle (such as a burl, a branch or knot in the wood), and less likely to get jammed or kickback. I actually agree with them. I found myself that small lightweight saws simply don’t have the same kind of momentum or power, as a result of showing its snake and sometimes bounces off things. Bigger, heavier saws might scare you sometimes with their power, but it’s pretty rare for them to actually get jammed and kickback because of this.

Don’t read this the wrong way – I’m not telling you to go all out and buy a massive chainsaw just to do some work around the house, all I’m saying is that a smaller saw is not necessarily safer. You’ll hear me say this again somewhere else I’m sure, but I just feel very strongly about it. Being lulled into a sense of false confidence is one of the most dangerous things to allow to happen.

Despite what I may have said, there are many good reasons to buy an electric chainsaw to use. Electric saws are relatively inexpensive, and great for indoor use. I’ve known many carpenters and tradesmen who use an electric chainsaw and do a lot of rough cutting  work. An electric chainsaw is much faster than say a circular saw, or reciprocating saw, and although it does leave very rough edges, it can save you a lot of time. Clearly you couldn’t use a petrol driven machine indoors, not only because of the noise but also because of the fumes and emissions.

If you are building it is also rare to have to cut any timber which is larger than 3 or 4 inches across at its thickest point, so it is unlikely an electric chainsaw will ever be out of its depth in terms of power.

If you plan to use an electric chainsaw to cut firewood, I think you need to be very careful. It’s not that Electric chainsaws are inadequate for cutting up firewood, it’s just that many people who plan to use them for this purpose are often not going to observe important safety precautions. If you are going to use an electric saw to cut a five wood, please make sure to secure the wood first, and don’t do anything dangerous like get your husband/wife/child to hold the piece of wood in their hands while you cut it! Does this sound exaggerated? God help me, I’ve seen it done before!!!