Lithium powered saws?

I do lots of hedge trimming in winter and we use battery trimmers. No fumes ( which you get a lot of with a petrol trimmer if you’re hedge cutting all day), way less noise and vibration, and the battery lasts all day. 9/10 would recommend, the battery equipment’s kryptonite is rain, it rains a lot in the UK. -_-
 
I do lots of hedge trimming in winter and we use battery trimmers. No fumes ( which you get a lot of with a petrol trimmer if you’re hedge cutting all day), way less noise and vibration, and the battery lasts all day. 9/10 would recommend, the battery equipment’s kryptonite is rain, it rains a lot in the UK. -_-
Great comment me thinks - in fact our gas top handles are now referred to as "the rain saws". At ~ $1K a pop, I really couldn't find anything definitive on mfgrs' websites about "rain proofness" so we play this on the safe side. And it'd be interesting in hearing if anyone's had experience with other electrics in steady rain - i.e. do they just stop or can they blow up spectacularly? I suppose this'd apply equally to other battery tools - maybe something like framing nailers etc.?
 
(though I have briefly tried the Husky on a soft piece of incense cedar).
I can say I've regularly hacked thru black/ white spruce removals with our Husky electric (even maples too) and now just keep going on trunks up to about 8 to 10"and sometimes bigger if I don't get a gas saw sent up right away (use 14" bars). If the chain is good, the Husky just keeps chewing though it all especially with the 200 or 300 batteries. The Husky is an awesome little electric saw.
 
My impression is that the Husqvarna is a replacement for the top handles we are used to...while the Makita/DeWalt are a step down (probably even from a Stihl 150). Sound right? Not saying that as a bad thing...I bought the Makita expecting it to be used between the Silky handsaw and my Echo 355 top handled saw.
 
Now put a dime tip carving bar on it, it’s so cute!
Yeah...its just money, right?

I probably will get a carving bar at some point. I was going to order an extra chain, but the maybe I'll skip that and just buy 2 when i get the bar. Am i correct in my understanding that kickback potential us much lower with those bars?
 
Pic of Mod Makita - I made mine a little slimmer. I look at this thing more as competition to my silky than a chainsaw. I really like it a lot.
TreeBing, I think we, anyway, could get in hot water if WCB/ OSHA comes a callin' - modification of a safety feature - kickback protection - and did you delete the bar - so only one handed use now (i.e. we can't pretend we don't single hand anymore)? Not pointing fingers but up here WCB dudes get really, really angry (i.e. shut down your job angry) about stuff like this. Just sayin'. Sorry.
This brings me to another point though - for small stuff why do we need cutters goin' round and round? Why not something like an electric carving knife style of appliance, just with aggressive teeth? So there'd be less (no?) kickback. (Me - can I just try this gently, just once. She - if you do I'm off to Williams Sonoma for a new one . . . . no sense of appliance adventure it seems). But recip saws do work dandy for roots . . . . . could a MKII "electric Silky Tree Carving Knife" be coming soon (double blade)? Under the tree for Xmas!
 
That's awesome. All we need now, Jason, is a battery powered chipper and a quiet spot in the woods. Maybe a battery powered track hoe.
Battery powered centrifuges and DNA splicing equipment too. I'll bring some gin and cheese doodle-thingies.
 
Battery powered centrifuges and DNA splicing equipment too. I'll bring some gin and cheese doodle-thingies.
Was thinkin', now that battery pickups are not far off, can a battery F550 with chip box towing an ICEngine chipper with a generator to charge the truck while you're chipping be in the cards? Of course the chipper would also have a flat spot on it to put your saws on and wirelessly charge the saw batteries up. Possibilities are endless. Elon where are you?
 
....
This brings me to another point though - for small stuff why do we need cutters goin' round and round? Why not something like an electric carving knife style of appliance, just with aggressive teeth? So there'd be less (no?) kickback. (Me - can I just try this gently, just once. She - if you do I'm off to Williams Sonoma for a new one . . . . no sense of appliance adventure it seems). But recip saws do work dandy for roots . . . . . could a MKII "electric Silky Tree Carving Knife" be coming soon (double blade)? Under the tree for Xmas!
=

milwaukee-reciprocating-saws-2720-20-64_1000.jpg


+

milwaukee-reciprocating-saw-blades-48-00-1304-64_1000.jpg
 
And it'd be interesting in hearing if anyone's had experience with other electrics in steady rain - i.e. do they just stop or can they blow up spectacularly?

Used them in the rain, not heavy or torrential rain, just a steady drizzle. Works fine but wouldn’t make a habit of it. I’m not familiar with the inner workings of the motors to be able to fix and maintain them if they were used so much they would be water damaged.
 
Blade.webp

I've tried recip saws and in some cutting they can get kinda interesting trying to hold onto the saw as the single blade goes back and forth (esp above your head at the end of the day). That's why I was thinking of a double blade - one goes forward and one cuts on the backward stroke, then the reverse. You wouldn't have to put the saw foot on the material being cut and it might jump around less. When I tried our recip I found it kinda jumpy and got cleaner cuts with usual chainsaw. Don't know what this aggressive a blade would be like. I need my scotch to design this further in my head . . . . .

edit: Oh and we've used a recip for shrubs low down and then the roots. That worked well (loppers for the branches).
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ATH
Used them in the rain, not heavy or torrential rain, just a steady drizzle. Works fine but wouldn’t make a habit of it. I’m not familiar with the inner workings of the motors to be able to fix and maintain them if they were used so much they would be water damaged.
Same here, just drizzle. I'd also worry about the Husky batteries which look "vented". Not waterproof anyway.
 
Still no word on the Sthil 161T? Supposed to be thier up'd battery tophandle.

US available was spring/summer 2019 per '19 catalog Sthil catalog, my dealer hasn't heard a peep. I do see the recall from 2018 on this.
 
Was thinkin', now that battery pickups are not far off, can a battery F550 with chip box towing an ICEngine chipper with a generator to charge the truck while you're chipping be in the cards? Of course the chipper would also have a flat spot on it to put your saws on and wirelessly charge the saw batteries up. Possibilities are endless. Elon where are you?
Yeah but can we cross a mantis with a bull shark that way?
 

New threads New posts

Kask Stihl NORTHEASTERN Arborists Wesspur TreeStuff.com Teufelberger Westminster X-Rigging Teufelberger
Back
Top Bottom