Looking for cordless chainsaw advice

[cstevens]

As a preface let me say that, being a city boy, I have no experience with chainsaws at all. But occasionally I run into a job where it would be useful to have one. So far I have always managed to make do with a sawzall in those cases but we recently had a large-ish (40’+) tree taken down in front of our house. They ground the stump but left some sizeable roots that I need to remove. So I’m thinking about chainsaws. Since I don’t need one very often, and then only for light duty, I’m considering a cordless saw. Specifically the DeWalt 60v saw, as all of my other cordless tools are DeWalt.

Any advice from those with more experience here? Will the DeWalt deal with an 8” tree root? Will it be useful for anything else? I’m not likely to be cutting a cord of firewood, trimming a tree or shaping the deadwood on a new schooner build anytime soon so it might just hang on the wall. But perhaps I just don’t know enough about what one can use it for?

[Hugh MacD]

If you're cutting roots, I'd be inclined to just rent one for a weekend...unless you really want one around. My neighbor has a Stihl that works great. He claims the battery lasts as long as he does before they both need a recharge. And in actuality, your Sawzall will probably handle the 8" root if you pick up one of the 14" limbing blades they make for 'em. Just go slow and clear the teeth often.

[cstevens]

Thanks Hugh. Both of those options seem reasonable so perhaps I don’t need this particular tool.

[Garret]

Cutting roots that are still in the ground? The dirt will dull the chain in a minute, destroy it in 5-10. I'm afraid the traditional method is still best - dig it out & use an axe.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you are doing?

[hawkeye54]

Chris, just a few words here, if I may - - You mention tree roots and chainsaw together. Please be aware that dirt and small stones will absolutely chew up a saw chain in nothing flat (My son, in a moment of 'enlightment' decided to use my 14" saw as a trencher to run electric fencing between 2 adjacent pastures - it did the task, but did in the chain) The sawzall, with appropriate blade, is a far better choice in my opinion.



Rick

(Garret typed faster)

[sp_clark]

Better yet just leave those roots to rot out.

[Larks]

Aside from the advice re not using a chainsaw around dirt, don’t just limit yourself to Dewalt because you have other Dewalt tools unless the 60V battery is compatible with them.

If the battery isn’t compatible you may as well look at all options - for a battery chainsaw for small jobs (instead of the petrol ones), my personal choice is Makita

[DGentry]

Amusing real world testing. And, there's a part 2

[David G]

I'm set up with both Milwaukee & Makita battery systems, so would limit myself to considering those two. But some recent research told me those are the two I'd gravitate toward anyway.

[cstevens]

Thanks all. I do think that the sawzall with a timber blade as Hugh suggested is what I’m going to try first at least, but a few comments and answers. First, yes the roots are in the ground but I’ve dug around them so that they can be cut without using the saw to cut dirt and rocks (that was yesterday’s project). As for leaving them to rot, I would love to do that but they are in the way of the patio that we want to build. Of course I could suggest to my wife that we should just go cruising for however many weeks that would take but I doubt I would get anywhere with that tactic. No, they need to come out. So I’ll be buying sawzall blades today. We’ll see how that goes...

[Garret]

I've had surprisingly good luck with standard rough sawzall blades. Very handy for pruning small branches.

If you can wash the dirt off the root, the blade will last a lot longer.

[jpatrick]

I recently purchased a cordless saw by Greenworks. It's got a 14" bar, 40 volts. Just over $200 at Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Greenwor...4d82f80994bf9c

I bought this in anticipation of helping out my BIL & SIL at their cabin in a week or so. But I will have plenty of opportunity to use it here. We've many trees, many big shrubs, many downed branches. My Stihl gas saw does a great job of it all but the convenience of batteries is huge. Most of my chainsawing is of very short duration.

I've only tried this Greenworks jobber out on a test cut or two but it worked very good. Louder than I expected but that's why I have ear muffs. The price is right on the saw and I think it will serve well. But it's not commercial/industrial quality.

Jeff

[Greg Nolan]

A few sawzall blades are a whole lot cheaper than even a cheap chain saw. I’ve removed quite a few roots with a battery-powered DeWalt sawzall — which is smaller and lighter and therefor easier to use for this task than a chain saw.

[sp_clark]

No, they need to come out. So I’ll be buying sawzall blades today. We’ll see how that goes...

Remember roots'll be wet but typically not too hard in that they're fairly porous wood. I often use my Sawzall (DeWalt 18V w/ their 20V adapter & battery) for this kind of thing. Milwaukee's blades are more readily available locally for me than any other brand, works great.

If you bought blades made for pruning, they'll do just fine. That wet wood tends to be sticky, clogs blades with more TPI.

[Ben Fuller]

Got to say I recently added a DeWalt 12" chainsaw to the tool inventory. Went with it as I have other deWalt tools and the battery is the most expensive piece of the kit. Really nice when bucking fire wood; you don't have to listen to the saw running while you shift your wood. I think it will work fine doing some small tree work, 4 inch stuff, as it's quite light, and I'll be cutting low. Chainsawing is becoming a pleasure. All that said, I'd not get a chain anywhere near dirt no matter how little. An axe or sawzall is the way to go.

[sailnstink]

Was looking into getting a corded electric chainsaw recently and was about to pull the trigger on a Makita, seemed the best. But I did the job with a Sawzall. Personally not a battery fan because I don't use my tools enough and charging a battery is more hassle than pulling out a cord, plus batteries will die and make the tool$ obsolete while a decent corded tool will likely outlive me.

[jonboy]

The cheapest cordless chainsaw is about four times the cheapest 220 v mains saw. Unless this project is hundreds of metres feet yards from your grid , why go for a cordless. ? If you are buying the tool for one job and probably never going to use it again, get the cheapest thing going. you can throw it the bin when you are done , and if not it will still be good for all sorts of round the home stuff.

After forty years of cutting, felling, clearing, firewood processing, roof work, etc , and always with good kit. Stihl, Husquevarna, EKo I discovered the mains powered boy. What T F was I doing all those years messing with recalcitrant 2 stokes, mixing gas, carrying gas , spilling gas, cleaning plugs blah blah. the cutting maintenance of the chain and bar is the same. OK of course I'm limited to the range of the extension cable, but if OPs post implies he's close to the house anyway, .....there's no competition. and why bother with a cordless?

[cstevens]

The cheapest cordless chainsaw is about four times the cheapest 220 v mains saw. Unless this project is hundreds of metres feet yards from your grid , why go for a cordless. ? If you are buying the tool for one job and probably never going to use it again, get the cheapest thing going. you can throw it the bin when you are done , and if not it will still be good for all sorts of round the home stuff.

After forty years of cutting, felling, clearing, firewood processing, roof work, etc , and always with good kit. Stihl, Husquevarna, EKo I discovered the mains powered boy. What T F was I doing all those years messing with recalcitrant 2 stokes, mixing gas, carrying gas , spilling gas, cleaning plugs blah blah. the cutting maintenance of the chain and bar is the same. OK of course I'm limited to the range of the extension cable, but if OPs post implies he's close to the house anyway, .....there's no competition. and why bother with a cordless?

All reasonable points but I'd never buy any tool just for one job and given the types of jobs I would be likely to do the cordless saw would definitely be more useful. I'm 100% sold on cordless for just about all hand held power tools. I have a corded circular saw, router, and 1/2" drill (and a corded sawzall but I am looking to replace it with a cordless DeWalt) but otherwise I'm done with power cords. The convenience is more than worth the extra cost and I don't use any of them enough that the battery limitations are an issue. Which definitely puts me in the hobbyist category I know, but there you are. I'm an amateur and will always remain so.

[Garret]

All reasonable points but I'd never buy any tool just for one job and given the types of jobs I would be likely to do the cordless saw would definitely be more useful. I'm 100% sold on cordless for just about all hand held power tools. I have a corded circular saw, router, and 1/2" drill (and a corded sawzall but I am looking to replace it with a cordless DeWalt) but otherwise I'm done with power cords. The convenience is more than worth the extra cost and I don't use any of them enough that the battery limitations are an issue. Which definitely puts me in the hobbyist category I know, but there you are. I'm an amateur and will always remain so.

I can tell you that an 18 volt Dewalt sawzall with a fresh coarse blade will cut over 100 1" saplings on a charge. I have a gas chainsaw too...

[jonboy]

"Since I don’t need one very often, and then only for light duty"
"I’m not likely to be cutting a cord of firewood, trimming a tree or shaping the deadwood on a new schooner build anytime soon so it might just hang on the wall."

"All reasonable points but I'd never buy any tool just for one job and given the types of jobs I would be likely to do the cordless saw would definitely be more useful. I'm 100% sold on cordless for just about all hand held power tools. I have a corded circular saw, router, and 1/2" drill (and a corded sawzall but I am looking to replace it with a cordless DeWalt) but otherwise I'm done with power cords. The convenience is more than worth the extra cost and I don't use any of them enough that the battery limitations are an issue."

I agree but there's a slight contradiction there.......

[cstevens]

"Since I don’t need one very often, and then only for light duty"
"I’m not likely to be cutting a cord of firewood, trimming a tree or shaping the deadwood on a new schooner build anytime soon so it might just hang on the wall."

"All reasonable points but I'd never buy any tool just for one job and given the types of jobs I would be likely to do the cordless saw would definitely be more useful. I'm 100% sold on cordless for just about all hand held power tools. I have a corded circular saw, router, and 1/2" drill (and a corded sawzall but I am looking to replace it with a cordless DeWalt) but otherwise I'm done with power cords. The convenience is more than worth the extra cost and I don't use any of them enough that the battery limitations are an issue."

I agree but there's a slight contradiction there.......

Is there? I just meant that I wouldn't use it very often, and then only for light jobs. So convenience counts more for me than the ability for it to run all day. But at the same time I wouldn't buy a cheap(er) tool just for one job if doing so would limit how I might use it otherwise. I'd rather spend a bit more money on a tool that I would be more likely to use. Who knows, maybe we will get a wood stove for the boat and I will want to be able to cut up firewood without plugging into an outlet. Or something like that. Basically in the pro/con chart of gas, corded, cordless I think I'm far more likely to check the boxes under cordless.

[Garret]

I have a Dewalt cordless sawzall. I also have a Milwaukee corded one. While the Dewalt is the goto tool, I have to say that if it's a big/heavy job, I grab the Milwaukee. Lots more power.

[jpatrick]

Boy howdy, this is a tough crowd! I'm sure glad I didn't ask before buying my cordless chainsaw. Whew!

Jeff

[Michael Beckman]

I have a 40v electric Ryobi chainsaw which is pretty great. Very convenient for taking up into the woods. But for roots, I use my sawzall with the biggest pruning blades I could find. It works perfectly for that.

[jonboy]

Fair point.
Money no object, I'd never by a petrol driven tool again, and therefore, going electric, I agree cordless wins hands down, but as you have stated, only when battery capacity isn't an issue
Bit like Teslas etc, I'd love one, but still there is a limited range . period. .

[bob winter]

I did a bit research and I was going to go with a cordless Milwaukee. Since my balance is getting worse lately, I think chainsaws, of any type are not in my future.

[cstevens]

Well I ended up using the sawzall in the end. It got the job done but a chainsaw would have been faster. At some point I will probably have to go in for another round as there are more roots under a pathway that will need to be redone as well. So I might spring for the chainsaw then.

[Pelirrojo]

There's also a lot to be said for a Pulaski for this sorta work. Sometimes it's faster and less frustrating than the power tools.

[john welsford]

I've been using a Stihl cordless chainsaw, very good, I like it a lot.

John Welsford

[Ben Fuller]

Depending on the size of the roots, besides a Pulaski, a brush hook/ brush axe/ bill hook could be useful. If you go chain figure that you will replace it as any dirt will kill it, maybe the bar as well.

[jpatrick]

I have cut many roots using a chain saw. Sure, the chain dulls rapidly but so what? Chains get dull anyway. And they can be sharpened again. Not all soils abrade to the same degree anyway. Sometimes one can do considerable "dirt" work on a single sharpening. Sometimes not.... The last time I used my chainsaw to cut a root was in our yard. We had our landscape guy digging for and installing a drain pipe when they encountered a root that they couldn't duck under. It was cheaper for me to dull a chain than to have them hack away at the root with a sawzall or other means.

Jeff

[cstevens]

Depending on the size of the roots, besides a Pulaski, a brush hook/ brush axe/ bill hook could be useful. If you go chain figure that you will replace it as any dirt will kill it, maybe the bar as well.

More satisfying too I expect! There were a couple of times where I thought a suitable axe would have been useful. Don't have one of those either. My lumbersexual creds are very weak.

I have cut many roots using a chain saw. Sure, the chain dulls rapidly but so what? Chains get dull anyway. And they can be sharpened again. Not all soils abrade to the same degree anyway. Sometimes one can do considerable "dirt" work on a single sharpening. Sometimes not.... The last time I used my chainsaw to cut a root was in our yard. We had our landscape guy digging for and installing a drain pipe when they encountered a root that they couldn't duck under. It was cheaper for me to dull a chain than to have them hack away at the root with a sawzall or other means.

Jeff

Honestly there wasn't much dirt cutting involved. The roots are shallow and I was able to dig entirely around them. In fact the hardest part of the job wasn't cutting the roots but paring down the remains of the stump that were left after girnding. That would have been way faster with a chainsaw. But even so, I would have no problem making a dedicated "dirt cutting chain" for jobs like this. If there was any chance that I would do it more than once that is. Given our postage stamp urban yard it's not likely. I'd love to move somewhere with more space, less people (and hey, maybe a dock or at least a convenient mooring buoy) and accumulate all of the necessary tools and skills but my wife does not share that dream.

[Hugh MacD]

"Dedicated dirt cutting chain" is a good solution. I have an old bar and I keep my mostly-worn chains for grubbing work. We have 5 acres here and I still do some root work, so having a dedicated "dirt" bar and chains has prolonged the life on my limbing saw.

[Fritz Koschmann]

I have a EGO chainsaw and string trimmer that use the same battery. A mower is next on the list. I have been very happy so far.

[Ahena910]

I'm using DEWALT DCCS620P1 20V MAX Li-Ion XR Chainsaw, It's a very good to cut down at 16" in size and battery life also good. It's appropriate to use deep and smooth working. Automated oiling system makes easiest way to less efforts. Also some reliable reviews are available to know more about it to choose right one.