My chain saw experience is almost all with gas saws. But the few
electric saws that I have used have MUCH lower chain speeds than gas
saws do. Getting one horsepower or so down a skinny power cord limits
the total cutting ability, so I suppose they limit chain speed to what
the motor can handle without burning out immediately. Having never seen
a $200-$400 electric chain saw (to compare to a higher-end gas saw)
though, maybe all I know about are the inexpensive ones.

Pete Stanaitis
---------------------------------

TWW wrote:

Last Saturday a local woodlot owners association had a meeting where
an instructor from the Forest Industry Safety and Training Institute
gave an abbreviated (but excellent) class on chain saw use complete
(after lunch) with some pictures of injuries. He said the only time
he had ever been injured was not when he was working in the woods but
rather on a weekend when he was only going to do 'a little work'
before deer hunting when he cut through his hunting boots and got his
toe.

When you drop a tree or cut it up (at least for me) it is the real
thing so I wear the chaps and helmet costume for safety. But it
dawned on me when one is making a bowl blank in the garage you are
just going to be using the saw for a 'little while' so costumes are
a hassle and it is easy to think you won't have an acident. Deciding
how safe you want to be also is more complicated when using an
electric chainsaw inside. They stop pretty quidk when you release the
trigger and the electric saw I have seems to run slower than my gas
one.

Has anyone heard much about electric versus gas chainsaw safety?
Obviously touch a running chain and you get blood but the electric
ones seem tamer ... or are they?