Chainsaw Guidance

[Rich C]

Interesting stuff. I have a 12" diameter apple tree too bring down, I'm wavering between a reciprocating saw and a chain saw. The former is cheaper (mainly due to being safer) but I'm a bit worried it might not be up to it.

As for wood turners I am one, does this mean I need a chainsaw?

 

[Jameshow]

Interesting stuff. I have a 12" diameter apple tree too bring down, I'm wavering between a reciprocating saw and a chain saw. The former is cheaper (mainly due to being safer) but I'm a bit worried it might not be up to it.

As for wood turners I am one, does this mean I need a chainsaw?

Yeap!!

A chainsaw will easily cut 12" but a recip Wil struggle unless you get a decent 12" blade - £10-15...

 

[Phil Pascoe]

An electric chain saw is great for a turner - they can be used indoors. Put an oversized blank on the lathe and chop bits off til it goes round.

 

[alex robinson]

Interesting stuff. I have a 12" diameter apple tree too bring down, I'm wavering between a reciprocating saw and a chain saw. The former is cheaper (mainly due to being safer) but I'm a bit worried it might not be up to it.

As for wood turners I am one, does this mean I need a chainsaw?

I think chainsaws are great for turning. I have a reasonable sized petrol one for milling, and it is great to be able to make blanks. I would not want to use even an electric one without armoured trousers, helmet etc though. I don't really see the point of reciprocal saws for wood however - they are so slow compared to a big silky.

 

[Sandyn]

I have the Oregon CS1500 with a 18" bar. I have cut felled trees of about 3ft diameter by cutting full depth of the bar all round. The saw is amazingly good, much better than my petrol one. Self sharpening works very well. Only issue is it can cut green wood faster than the outlet can clear, but I have a way of jamming the outlet open to help. After a lot of use, the saw stopped cutting straight, so time for a new chain.

 

[Sandyn]

Interesting stuff. I have a 12" diameter apple tree too bring down

a bushman (bow saw) and a bit of exercise would do that easy.

 

[Rich C]

a bushman (bow saw) and a bit of exercise would do that easy.

Yeah it would but then I still have to cut it up.

On the subject of blanks etc. What's the best way to divide up a felled tree for turning?

 

[Fergie 307]

Not entirely relevant to the original question, but if you are intending to completely remove the stump them I find it helps to leave it about 3 to 4 foot high. Gives you a lot of leverage once you are cutting through the roots to remove the ball at the bottom.

 

[ian33a]

I have the Oregon electric and am very pleased with it. I've cut far larger than the OP mentioned, repeatedly and quickly. I'd never consider using any chainsaw at height and always use the Oregon with proper gloves, a hard hat and a face guard.

We're in the process of moving and the trees at the new place, if the sale goes through, are too far away to make an electric run possible. We will, however, need wood to keep the wood burners running. I'll probably still need to invest in a petrol chain saw as well as a log cutter and splitter but the discovery on here of the Silky range is, on paper, a revelation.

 

[Alasdair]

Most electric ones I have seen have a 91 narrow kerf chain. It cuts thinner so the saw doesn't get bogged down. The 91 chain is also low kickback and as pointed out they stop immediately when no power. If you want the stumps out of smaller trees then leave a decent length of trunk and dig around the tree. Cut any obvious roots with axe then rock tree and you will see where the other roots are. Keep digging and cutting and you will eventually pull it over. Using the car and a rope helps especially if there are tap roots. I have taken out trees around 10" diamater. It takes a while but iss possibel.

 

[pe2dave]

Serious case of (real) H&S?
As above, the roots will be another ballgame. I've removed them with *lots* of patience, using a mix of 16" pickaxe (much handier than a full size job), old saw and hammer and chisel. Expect to dig around 4x the trunk diameter and leave on the trunk for leverage to rock it and find those last couple of tap roots. This sort of thing?

 

[Alasdair]

I use an old axe which I keep for dirty jobs . Its heavy and has a broken short shaft. I also have a small pick like your link. As said takes a while but you get rid of the stump without paying a fortune to get someone to grind it out.

 

[conrad]

Hi Adrian
If you have a bow saw you have all you need to deal with the two small trunks you describe. Maybe just invest in a fresh blade.
I do my felling with a bow saw for safety reasons and this lot was taken down easily in just a few hours.
Anything over 14" diameter I get a professional to take down and I then process it.
I own a Silky which is great for limbing, but not as good as the bow saw for felling.
I also own a Stihl professional chainsaw which is great for bucking, milling and cutting bowl blanks, but I'm not ecperienced enough to use it for felling particularly in awkward spots like hedgerows.
Go for it you'll have it done in no time.

 

[bryan267]

I have the Oregon CS1500 with a 18" bar. I have cut felled trees of about 3ft diameter by cutting full depth of the bar all round. The saw is amazingly good, much better than my petrol one. Self sharpening works very well. Only issue is it can cut green wood faster than the outlet can clear, but I have a way of jamming the outlet open to help. After a lot of use, the saw stopped cutting straight, so time for a new chain.

I bought an oregon chain saw, £90 from screwfix, electric and self sharpening, was great the first few jobs and would do the work required here. However the self sharpening system favoured one side of the chain so any wood thicker than 4” couldnt be cut as it wanted to cut round corners. The oil system never worked properly and by the time i needed a new chain, maybe 30 minutes of cutting but not more, I decided that actually I would be better with a new chainsaw and bought a stihl which I love. When it worked the oregon was ok, but when i tried to fell a small oak it just didnt have the power.

 

[hairy]

One review of a cordless professional level electric chainsaw he was kind of happy, even with the massive battery it had it didn't last, but although it stopped as soon as you let go of the handle, he also managed to get the thing to start while just picking it up to move it. He was an experienced tree surgeon.

I have a Silky polesaw which was not cheap but is fab and means I don't leave the ground, probably the biggest hazard in reality?

 

[Fordgate1]

I spent a night in hospital and 3o stitches many years. after a chain saw accident. These seem to be small trees, do it by hand with a bow saw, safer, and cheaper and good exercise.

 

[AdrianUK]

Not entirely relevant to the original question, but if you are intending to completely remove the stump them I find it helps to leave it about 3 to 4 foot high. Gives you a lot of leverage once you are cutting through the roots to remove the ball at the bottom.

Thanks Fergie, wasn’t sure what I’d do with them, their both in small planting area, so if they are cut low to the ground, they be easy to cover with shrub planting and can slowly rot. When I mentioned the stump removal, view has been it could be painful backbreaking work. Heard about boring holes straight down into them which speeds up the decay process, also has been suggested there’s a chemical treatment that can be poured into the holes, but I’m not keen on chemical options.

 

[AdrianUK]

One review of a cordless professional level electric chainsaw he was kind of happy, even with the massive battery it had it didn't last, but although it stopped as soon as you let go of the handle, he also managed to get the thing to start while just picking it up to move it. He was an experienced tree surgeon.

I have a Silky polesaw which was not cheap but is fab and means I don't leave the ground, probably the biggest hazard in reality?

Thanks Hairy, I’ve been looking at the Silky saws online. Are the really capably of cutting through such large timbers?

 

[AdrianUK]

Hi Adrian
If you have a bow saw you have all you need to deal with the two small trunks you describe. Maybe just invest in a fresh blade.
I do my felling with a bow saw for safety reasons and this lot was taken down easily in just a few hours.
Anything over 14" diameter I get a professional to take down and I then process it.
I own a Silky which is great for limbing, but not as good as the bow saw for felling.
I also own a Stihl professional chainsaw which is great for bucking, milling and cutting bowl blanks, but I'm not ecperienced enough to use it for felling particularly in awkward spots like hedgerows.
Go for it you'll have it done in no time.

Thanks Conrad, what bow saw are you using out of interest, looks like it’s made short work of those trees.

 

[AdrianUK]

Tha

Most electric ones I have seen have a 91 narrow kerf chain. It cuts thinner so the saw doesn't get bogged down. The 91 chain is also low kickback and as pointed out they stop immediately when no power. If you want the stumps out of smaller trees then leave a decent length of trunk and dig around the tree. Cut any obvious roots with axe then rock tree and you will see where the other roots are. Keep digging and cutting and you will eventually pull it over. Using the car and a rope helps especially if there are tap roots. I have taken out trees around 10" diamater. It takes a while but iss possibel.

Thanks Alasdair, contemplating what to do with the stumps at present. However, I’d need to do a lot more groundworks to get the car close enough to help, which would require a few more tools that just a chainsaw !