On 28 Nov 2011 13:19:21 -0500, (David Combs) wrote:

Up here in New York state, that 2-weeks-ago (3?) snow+wind storm
took down lots of trees, and especially lots of largish branches.

I've got one that's 6.5 inches in diameter, 8.5 at a swelling;
no way I'm going to get a regular saw and try to cut that thing.

What with this crazy weather pattern we're getting into, there'll
likely be more of this kind of thing, ie more fallen branches.

None of my neighbors have a chain-saw, so I guess I'll have to
buy my own.

What I hear is that electric is not only less expensive but also
easier to start (obviously) and easier to use.

I've googled amazon for chainsaw, also saw this site:
http://www.chainsawsdirect.com/chain...aw-reviews.htm

but thought I might better come here for your advice.


A chainsaw for me would be used only once or twice a year (I hope!);
nor do I plan to cut down entire trees -- I leave that for the experts.

It's just these thick branches that fall that I need to cut up into
pieces for later disposal.


So, any suggestions?

The cheaper ones from that chainsawdirect place go for as low as
50 or 60 dollars, and up to $250 for the top rated. Something for
$100 up to $150 might be pretty good -- though they probably screw
you on the shipping for another $50 or so...

Anyway, any ideas and advice would be really helpful!

Thanks!

David

I have a McCullough electric chainsaw and it works great.
No need to mix gas and oil, and fight with a stubborn to start gas
saw, which it seems most of the gas ones are unless they are used
daily. I'm a farmer so I use a chainsaw more than most guys, but they
still sit in storage for months at times, and thats when they gum up
in the fuel. You need to use gas stabilizer in all 2cycle small
engines, but all of this takes time and money. My electric one is
always ready to use immediately. Just plug it in and go.....

No, it's not big enough to take down whole trees (large ones), but it
works fine for trimming, cutting up fallen debris after storms, and
even taking off a limb up to about 10" in diameter.

One thing about the electric saws is DO NOT FORCE THEM. I have burned
out the motors on a few older ones, but forcing them. Just let the
blade do it's work, and keep it sharp.

This McCullough is durable, yet lightweight which makes it easy to cut
small branches from a ladder. For what I do, I need BOTH an electric
and a gas saw. But I only use the gas one for big jobs like whole
trees. Most of the time the electric one is fine.

I only have 2 complaints about my McCullough. The chain oiler is just
a gravity feed, and dont oil real well. (it's not clogged). I just
keep a pump oil can handy and shoot oil on the chain regularly. The
other thing is that the chain likes to loosen up easily and if it's
not tightened quickly, it comes off the bar. (This seems to be a
typical problem with all the small chain/bars).