Electric Chainsaws Are Now Mainstream
I build handcrafted wood homes. The best tool for much of my work is the electric chainsaw. I still use my gas chainsaw for heavy work, but the electric saw is vital for most of the jobs I do. Electric chainsaws are not just for the home owner any more. Many carpenters who would not be caught dead using a chainsaw do not know what they are missing. Most carpenters view a chainsaw as a destructive tool and not one to create with.
Combustion power saws are extremely loud and can damage hearing easily if proper precautions are not taken. Many gas powered saws are rated over 100 decibels. I almost always reach for my electric saw because it is quieter. I still wear hearing protection, but I don't want to damage the hearing of others around me either.
So many jobs are easier and faster with an electric chainsaw. Next time you build a wall with windows or doors, try cutting the sheeting from the inside with a electric chainsaw. It is so much faster than pre-cutting the sheets or buzzing them out with a router. Cutting out the roof vents for shingled roofs is faster and easier with an electric saw as opposed to using a circular saw.
Having a chainsaw that you can use indoors is great. Sometimes you can use an electric chainsaw in place of a reciprocating saw, if there are no nails present. The noise levels are tolerable if others are working in the same area and there is no nasty fumes poisoning the indoor air. Just make sure you treat the electric chainsaw with the same respect for safety as you would for gas powered saws.
Before buying an electric chainsaw you should always research consumer reports and reviews. Compare the saws for power and durability. One thing I have noticed, is some of the cheaper electric chainsaws vibrate badly. The bar on some saws are too light and they shake so bad, that trying follow a straight line is impossible. Vibration in any chainsaw is also bad news for the blood vessels in your fingers. You can get a permanent injury to the small blood vessels known as "vibration white finger" if you use a chainsaw that has too much vibration for extended periods of time.
Electric chainsaws are great for cutting really long compound angles, that you could not achieve using a circular saw when cutting dimension lumber. For instance, cutting the top cuts on an irregular hip or valley rafter is really simple with a chainsaw. Just make sure that the piece you're cutting is safely secured in position.
Electric chainsaws are indispensable for sculptures of wood and ice. They are preferred because of their lightweight and lack of fumes. The sculptors often only resort to gas saws when they need more power or long chains for huge works of art.
With electric chainsaws the major drawbacks are that it should not be used in damp conditions and the saw is tethered to an extension cords. You should never run a saw on more than 100 ' of cord. This will vary on the rated amperage that the extension cord was designed to handle. It should match or be greater an the amps the saw consumes. Always have the saw plugged into a ground fault circuit interrupter.
Shop for Chainsaw products at Amazon.Com below:
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Poulan Pro 400E 18-Inch 4.0 HP Electric Chain Saw List Price: $89.99 Sale Price: $89.99 Used From: $84.99 Average Rating:   |
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Providing cutting-edge features to help you power through jobs both big and small, the Poulan Pro 400E 18-Inch 4.0 HP Electric Chain Saw arrives fully assembled, so it's ready to go right out of the box... |
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Poulan 952051338 18-Inch Chain Saw Chain 3/8 List Price: $28.64 Sale Price: $12.99 Average Rating:  |
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Use this replacement chain on select 18-Inch Poulan chain saws. Features the Color Match system so you're sure to get the right size. 3/8-Inch Pitch .50 Gauge Features the Color Match System Purchase The Yellow Color Match Guide Bar For This Chain Fits Models 2175, 2300, 2375, 2450, 2550 & 2600 |
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Poulan ES350 16-Inch 3.5 HP Electric Chain Saw List Price: $74.99 Sale Price: $74.99 Used From: $67.99 Average Rating: |
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The Poulan 16-inch, 3.5 HP electric chain saw is perfect for light cutting jobs around the yard, with a cutting capacity of 32 inches diameter. It is powerful enough to fell trees but light enough to prune and trim... |
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Oregon S62 18-Inch Semi Chisel Chain Saw Chain Fits Craftsman, Homelite, Poulan List Price: $33.30 Sale Price: $14.40 Average Rating: |
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The Oregon single-pack premium chain is their best hard-chromed cutter chain. The advanced technology used in making this chain ensures tough, sharp cutters with maximum wood bite and easy sharpening. Used as original equipment on most chain saws, Oregon chain is used by more professional loggers than any other chain. |
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Poulan 14-Inch Chain Saw Chain 3/8 #952051209 List Price: $22.04 Sale Price: $12.00 Used From: $9.49 Average Rating:  |
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Use this replacement chain on select 14-Inch Poulan chain saws. Features the Color Match system so you're sure to get the right size. 3/8-Inch Pitch .050 Gauge Features the Color Match System Purchase The Blue Color Match Guide Bar For This Chain Low Kick Back Chain Fits Models 1420, 1425, 1800, 1950, 2000, 2050, 2100, 2300 |
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January 25 2010 08:48 am | Electric Chainsaws
Aaron "wood splitter" Smith on 26 Mar 2009 at 3:23 pm #
Great post Doug! I agree 100% that the electric chain saw are a great tool to have. I use it to cut my trees up and then I split my own wood with a log splitter and i use an electric wood splitter which is so much quieter and easier to maintain than the gas ones.