Chainsaw advice

[TNJ]

I need to take down some diseased trees (around 10 trees) in the garden - nothing bigger than 6-8 inch diameter trunks. I will also want cut the felled trees to season for firewood.

To make this easier I am planning to buy a chainsaw but a petrol one will be overkill.

I did buy a DeWalt battery one but it kept cutting out every 10 seconds so this was returned as clearly faulty.

Can anyone recommend an alternative? I have looked at Makita battery powered ones - but a decent one with batteries looks to be £500-£600. As it will only be used for this one task, it seems a lot of money to then sit in the shed for very occasional use - unless there is a strong market for selling it on. Or is a cheaper option like Ryobi going to be sufficient? After the DeWalt experience I am sceptical about the generic brands

Are corded ones a better option? They are much cheaper as you are not paying for expensive batteries

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Peter911]

I can’t see why a petrol one is overkill. Something like a Titan one from Screwfix would do the job.
And once you’ve got one you will find all sorts of things to use it for.

[Dixy]

You can only do this on the cheap if you think your life is cheap.
Trousers, gloves and helmet are not optional, find thread on here by professional who was badly cut.

[Turtle Shed]

https://www.toolstation.com/hawksmoor-18v-25cm-bru...

I've got one, and it would handle your task without breaking sweat. As ever, safety is #1, but this thing is as cheap as chips.

[Belle427]

I bought the Titan electric one from screwfix and its pretty decent to be fair, as long as you use good chains.
Lots of work petrol is probably better as suggested and no pesky leads to avoid.

[Siko]

Dixy said:

You can only do this on the cheap if you think your life is cheap.
Trousers, gloves and helmet are not optional, find thread on here by professional who was badly cut.

Best bit of advice I’ve read on here^^^^. A guy at work managed to chainsaw his chest (luckily a superficial wound and he made a full recovery). I’ve seen the picture which was sent around work by some idiot manager. It was horrific and whilst I have not always worn full kit, I always wear as a minimum helmet, chainsaw proof gloves, trousers and boots. Lesson over: for a 6-8” tree I think you’d be fine with a cordless chainsaw. I have cut through trees that thickness with the chainsaw attachment on my pole pruner! It took a bit of work but easily done with one battery. I generally use my lovely Stihl petrol saw with a 14” bar for 99% of it though.

[PaulWoof]

The makita battery saws are good. at least the twin 18v ones but they are around £250 excluding batteries. The makita pruning saw duc101/150 are really good for their size and can cut through some substantial things for having 6/8 inch bars.

if its a one off. the petrol titan saws are pretty well known, theres also hyundai petrol saws on amazon for around £70 quid that will easily do the job. just the hassle of getting petrol/2 stroke and mixing etc compared to batteries. One thing i find is the petrol saw's definately make you focus more duo the noise/vibration that your working with something not to mess around with. where as the battery saws barely make a sound and feel almost toy like but can do even more damage than the petrol saws.

[LooneyTunes]

TNJ said:

As it will only be used for this one task, it seems a lot of money to then sit in the shed for very occasional use

If you do go petrol and don't intend to use it regularly, consider using Aspen fuel (or the Stihl/Husqvarna equivalent). Doesn't go off as quickly as regular stuff. They'll sell it at the chainsaw shop. Once you have one you may end up using it more than you think (in which case you'll appreciate the best saw you can justify).

If you've got a few trees to take down, if you have one, I'd be tempted to lean on a saw owning friend in exchange for beers (or some of the wood). Taking the first ones down solo is a bit nerve-wracking... but, like many tool-related jobs, it's easier to get complacent the more you do.

Don't rule out petrol ones thinking they're too expensive. You can get proper brands from specialists for not vast money, eg: https://www.sam-turner.co.uk/products/husqvarna-ch...

[Lefty]

I spent years buying cheap chain saws and a few years ago finally gave in and bought a Husqvarna 450 with an 18 bar. It s an absolute joy to use, responsive, powerful, really well balanced (I know that sounds weird but it is). Wish I d done it years ago. This year I just bought another, a 572 with a 24 bar. It s awesome but sometimes the little 450 is better suited.

I know Stihl guys and Husky guys, I m not really sure the benefits of one over the other, I suspect it just comes down to preference.

I looked at battery saws but they are considerably more expensive like-for like and you really need at least two batteries for any decent amount of work (which are also bloody expensive). They re also weirdly laggy I found.

And, yeah, as above, proper helmet, trousers are the basics. I’m not so worried about gloves and don’t use chainsaw boots but a proper pair of sturdy work boots with toecaps and decent ankle support.

Any decent forestry suppliers will help you out, help you choose what s best for your use and even give you a bit of training.

Edited by Lefty on Thursday 11th September 19:31

[Lefty]

P.s. you’ll get a new Husky 450 for £500 and it’ll last you forever (parts availability is great) - and it will hold its value.

[monthou]

I have a couple of Stihls, my wife has a makita corded chainsaw for using with a sawbuck. It's a brilliant thing. For occasional use (which is all we do now, I should get rid of the Stihls) it's great. Use it, put it away, bring it out 6 months later. No carb to gum up, no batteries to die. Did I mention it was cheap?
[add safety stuff here]

[TNJ]

Thanks for all the replies - and I will not be skimping on safety - have budgeted for chainsaw trousers/gloves and already got face shield/ear defenders. I also picked the brains of our local tree surgeon for safety tips and guidance.

This is all part of the reason why I have been reluctant to go for a petrol one - the battery electric ones seem to have very quick cut outs and are also a bit lower powered.

But I am a complete newbie to chainsaws so happy to be guided by those with more knowledge

[LooneyTunes]

TNJ said:

the battery electric ones seem to have very quick cut outs and are also a bit lower powered.

They are also near silent and not all easy to tell when "live". A noisy saw reminds you (and others around you) that it's a serious bit of kit.

[mattybrown]

This spring I bought a Makita Makita DUC306Z 30cm / 12" Twin 18v LXT Brushless Chainsaw Body to go with my Makita tools and batteries. This was to take down what sounds like similar trees to yours. The saw very easily felled and logged a couple of trees it's now in the garage looking as good as new.

I also purchased the PPE to go with it and at first I was very wary of downing the tree (best guess 10M high), but watched many how to videos and soon found my confidence.

Warning: This saw can be used one handed which is a safety issue for inexperienced users such as myself.

The other thing you need to know is it uses a fair bit of chain oil, which is easy to forget with battery powered tools.

[silentbrown]

Stihl MS162 petrol saw is only £150. Should be fine for that job.

You'll spend a lot more time logging than felling. Boots, helmet, gloves and trousers essential. Worth finding somewhere local that runs a on-day course to get you started safely.

I did one with this guy a couple of years ago. https://www.acertreeservices.com/courses

[trickywoo]

I’d buy a Stihl 028 off market place or wherever and sell it for what I paid when I was done.

If it starts and doesn’t sound knackered it’ll run for years.

[Panamax]

Corded electric. You don't need to pay for an expensive battery and you don't need the grunt of a petrol model. Also, you won't need a can of 2-stroke and it will start every time.

As others have said, you can never have too much chain oil. Soak the chain thoroughly before use and keep it well lubed.

[hidetheelephants]

Panamax said:

Corded electric. You don't need to pay for an expensive battery and you don't need the grunt of a petrol model. Also, you won't need a can of 2-stroke and it will start every time.

As others have said, you can never have too much chain oil. Soak the chain thoroughly before use and keep it well lubed.

That, they're cheap, reliable and much less of a pain in the arse than a Happy Dragon Firecracker & Gardening Equipment Manufactory product with Lidl branding slapped on it. Cheap two stroke devices are the work of the devil.

[danb79]

FWIW I've got the Ryobi chainsaw and it's been a brilliant buy - made light work of the 6 huge sycamore trees I had felled late 2023 and left stacked to season and then cut / split earlier this year






That's just 1/3 of them; the other 2/3 are stacked in a rack I made from pallets next to my office at the back of the house

I have x3 Ryobi 5Ah batteries and the fast charger as I've quite a few of the Ryobi One+ tools etc

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ryobi-RCS1830-150-Cordles...

Would highly recommend

[TNJ]

Wow - that is far more effective than I expected it to be. The DeWalt one I originally bought struggled to cut through a 6” conifer tree!

I think I’ll go and look at a few to see them in the flesh.