I need a new saw for cutting my bowl blanks

TB2

New User
Kent
Mike, look at the Milwaukee saw. I run all Milwaukee in our business and have only had a few hiccup. But they resolved them right away. Had a two year old battery go bad. Everyday use also. Sent off they sent me a brand new battery. Can’t beat that. If I remember right that saw will run you 4-500. And that’s with a 12 amp 18 volt battery.
 

HMH

Heath Hendrick
Senior User
Not necessarily claiming it to be the best, but I went w/ the Dewalt, simply because I’m already committed/ invested in their batteries, (have one of their string trimmers as well, which also works surprisingly good for what it is). Knowing the limits of a battery powered chainsaw is a critical first step here of course, (don’t expect it to drop a 20” oak as some of the more comical negative reviews I read griped about), but I’ve been completely satisfied w/ the Dewalt for small/ quick tasks that I didn’t want to go through the hassle of pulling out/ gassing/ piling up, my Stihl for. Good luck!
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Seems most of us are happy with which ever we wound up with, but none of us has gotten together to run them side by side.
Like everyone else, I went with the battery platform. I only have two chargers ( a 40 and an 80) in my garage wall.

In my shop, I am now down to 18V Makita and 12 V Milwaukee. Gone is the PC, Bosch, Skill, generic flashlight.

I will suggest again, as I see a trend in tools, look at the higher voltage tools for heavy duty. Sure E=IR, but that I gets to be pretty high if the E is low. We don't see many 3V tools any more. No 6 V. I suspect at time passes, the 12's well fade away as they can make a higher voltage, lower current stack do the same work easier. Where 18V is common, we are seeing 36 and 40's in hand held's. I suspect we will see more 80V in garden tools.
 

Barry W

Co-Director of Outreach
Barry
Corporate Member
Mike, I have a Stihl battery pole saw and a couple of Stihl chainsaws and can say I've had no problems with any of them. The local loggers I know all have Stihl saws. As you currently own a Stihl saw you know the dealers provide great service. Conclusion: stick with what you are familiar with.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
Mike, I have a Stihl battery pole saw and a couple of Stihl chainsaws and can say I've had no problems with any of them. The local loggers I know all have Stihl saws. As you currently own a Stihl saw you know the dealers provide great service. Conclusion: stick with what you are familiar with.
I had already made that decision, now I'm trying to decide if I want to spend $800 or $400.
 

gritz

New User
Robert
Due to my hand injury I can't crank my Stihl chainsaw.
What is a good or best battery powered chainsaw?
I could get by with 110V on a cord but sometimes I need to clean up windblown limbs in the yard.
Are any of the battery chainsaws good enough to cut 12-16 inch thick wood once in a while?
I'm not cutting big piles of firewood anymore.
I have, and use, both an electric and battery Stihl. I have owned 2 others. Nothing is as good as a Stihl IMHO.
I got them both on Ebay.
 

ashley_phil

Phil Ashley
Corporate Member
imho buy the $ 400 one. if you get in a bind you still got the larger gas one you can use and no doubt many of us would be glad to come help crank it for if needed.
 

McRabbet

Rob
Corporate Member
Mike, here is a link for a new, small electric chainsaw from Makita at a perfect price point to meet your needs. I have several Makita tools that us the 18V battery system and they work very well. Free shipping, too.
Makita 12" Electric Chainsaw
 

mkepke

Mark
Senior User
Mike I have a elec Worx and it works fabulous.....I would buy another one in a heartbeat
Corded Worx here also.

I helped a friend cleanup a big Bradford pear that went over in Fridays storm. Think 20” main trunk.

He had an 18v Kobalt 12” saw. It was fine on small limbs (and he had a pole saw attachment that was super handy) but anything approaching the 12” bar length was beyond it.

My 16” Worx corded was slow going but it trudged through the trunk, by cutting from both sides. I then ripped a round in half and brought it home as two 18” bowl blanks.

FWIW I have been very impressed with Makita corded saws for cutting bowl blanks but those are $250.

Parting thought: there’s a reason saw manuf put 12” bars on some cordless saws…

-Mark
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
i bought an older version of this greenworks saw in 2018 and it has served me well. given the infrequency i use it i couldn't justify the extra cost to go battery.

Greenworks 10.5 Amp 14-Inch Corded Chainsaw 20222​

71awL2bEhKL._AC_SX679_.jpg


I had issues with my Greenworks corded. It burned up after 10 minutes of use. When I contacted the manufacturer they asked what kind of cord I was using. It was a 14 gauge 100' cord. They said they would send me a new one but that the instructions required a 12 gauge cord no longer than 50 feet making the saw useless around the house if you have an large yard. Got it a few weeks later and it's still in the box. Bought a refurbished Makita from Ebay as that is the Brand that HD has in their fleet. It's a worm drive saw and almost as heavy as a gas saw but it will cut.
 

ashley_phil

Phil Ashley
Corporate Member
I had issues with my Greenworks corded. It burned up after 10 minutes of use. When I contacted the manufacturer they asked what kind of cord I was using. It was a 14 gauge 100' cord. They said they would send me a new one but that the instructions required a 12 gauge cord no longer than 50 feet making the saw useless around the house if you have an large yard. Got it a few weeks later and it's still in the box. Bought a refurbished Makita from Ebay as that is the Brand that HD has in their fleet. It's a worm drive saw and almost as heavy as a gas saw but it will cut.
that's odd i must have got the best one they ever made and you the worst. i strung 250-300 feet of cord together and ran mine for 2 hours a couple years ago clearing out some scrub pine trees.
 

golfdad

Co-director of Outreach
Dirk
Corporate Member
Mike I have same corded Worx saw that Mark has. Has worked great for me
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
that's odd i must have got the best one they ever made and you the worst. i strung 250-300 feet of cord together and ran mine for 2 hours a couple years ago clearing out some scrub pine trees.
I think they just wanted to hassle me about it. It was a brand new right out of the box saw when it happened. I think that's a pretty sorry way to bail on a product to say you can only use a 50' 12 gauge cord. How do they know your receptacle isn't 300 feet from the transformer or panel?
 

mkepke

Mark
Senior User
I think they just wanted to hassle me about it. It was a brand new right out of the box saw when it happened. I think that's a pretty sorry way to bail on a product to say you can only use a 50' 12 gauge cord. How do they know your receptacle isn't 300 feet from the transformer or panel?
Dennis - out of curiosity, I looked at an online manual for a 14.5A Makita and it says a similar thing: for the 120V version, cord lengths >50' are not advised.

I was running my Worx on a 100' of 12 ga.

-Mark
 

mgreene93

Mark
Corporate Member
I know it’s too small for your application, but I have the Stihl 4” battery saw, and I love it! I use it around the farm all the time. I’ve been thinking about bigger one.
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
Dennis - out of curiosity, I looked at an online manual for a 14.5A Makita and it says a similar thing: for the 120V version, cord lengths >50' are not advised.

I was running my Worx on a 100' of 12 ga.

-Mark
I know, but I feel I got a more reliable saw in the Makita since it's what HD uses in their rental fleet. Even though they're throwaways at the end of their rental life, I just like that it's a heavier made saw - and I do limit my cordage to >50' since I'm just cutting up logs for firewood right next to my shop.
 

Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
The restrictions on cordage is pretty much standard boiler plate in most of the User Manuals I have seen, including in generator manuals. I think it is because of the voltage drop, which could result in damage to the equipment plugged in (as well as the cord itself getting quite hot from the resistance). Low voltage on an electric motor can result in excessive heat build-up and the damage that causes. I personally have seen it in my past with a couple corded weed wackers. Both died prematurely due to the motor getting so hot it melted the plastic in which the motor was mounted (I was using a 100' 16 gauge cord). Since then, I only buy 12 gauge extension cords.
 

Premier Sponsor

Our Sponsors

LATEST FOR SALE LISTINGS

Top