Battery powered chainsaw

[buckeyefarmer]

I just bought the makita battery chainsaw. Only cut some limbs so far, but I like the easy start.

 

[yomax4]

I just retired and no longer will be heating with wood. My only wood cutting will be for sitting around the fire pit. So I sold my 044 and will be selling my MS361 and 036 and buying a Milwaukee electric due to already having batteries. I'll keep my hopped up 026 pro for cutting campfire wood. ( being retired is amazing )

 

[ultrarunner]

I keep hearing that... retiring and the flexibility it can bring..

I too will always have at least one gas saw but the Stihl electric is my go-to for storm clean up and general maintenance...

I mix my 2-stroke in a gallon jug instead of the 5 gallon... don't want it going bad sitting around forever.

All of last year only used the gas saw twice... Oaks that toppled over the winter.

 

[BigGG]

This morning, I did my 5 battery use on my Ryobi 14" saw. Overall, I am satisfied, but, well you knew there would be a but. Twice now I have had the saw quit after cutting for maybe 20 minutes. The display on the battery is indicating "battery overheated". After removing the battery from the saw, the overall temp of the battery pack does not seem that warm, how ever, the bottom of the battery does seem quite warm. This is the area where the control circuit is. Here is a cut from a Youtube video of a 2.5AH 40V battery showing the control board.

View attachment 808476

I have just got a new 40V 4Ah battery for the saw. Now I have two of them. I sent a note to Ryobi asking if the "hot battery" thing is a battery fault. Doesn't seem that the battery should shut down that way.

Richard

You may be pushing it too hard. I have that Ryobi brushless saw and find that, like a gas saw, it cuts best if you don't overload it. Also, keep a sharp chain on it. It seems to overload more when the battery gets below 2 bars.

 

[John_Mc]

I just retired and no longer will be heating with wood. My only wood cutting will be for sitting around the fire pit. So I sold my 044 and will be selling my MS361 and 036 and buying a Milwaukee electric due to already having batteries. I'll keep my hopped up 026 pro for cutting campfire wood. ( being retired is amazing )

Keep in mind that while the Milwaukee chainsaw will run on almost any of their M18 batteries, to get the best power and cutting performance out of the saw, it needs to be running one of their "high output" batteries.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I am looking at the GreenWorks Pro, because I already have a number of their 80v tools. Reviews seem positive

 

[ArlyA]

Tools brought along while blazing a trail yesterday.

 

[Grumpycat]

I have just got a new 40V 4Ah battery for the saw. Now I have two of them. I sent a note to Ryobi asking if the "hot battery" thing is a battery fault. Doesn't seem that the battery should shut down that way.

The thing is LiIon batteries are fairly complex requiring precision control to prevent damage, as witnessed by that complex battery control module.

Perhaps the module knows what it is doing, that one cell is acting up necessitating shutdown to prevent a fire?

Does sound like you are due a replacement under warranty.

 

[John_Mc]

Shutting down for thermal regulation is the battery and tool operating as they are supposed to. The harder you push it, the more heat is generated. How long it takes to reach that point is dependent in part on the design of the tool.

One of the most important things a user can do to help prevent overheating is to keep the chain sharp. A logger and chainsaw safety instructor I know had a favorite saying when trying to convince people to be aware of their chain condition: "You don;t sharpen a chain because it got dull. You sharpen it to keep it from getting dull." His point was that if you are waiting until you have to lean on it to get it to cut, you are waiting too long to sharpen.

 

[ArlyA]

Shutting down for thermal regulation is the battery and tool operating as they are supposed to. The harder you push it, the more heat is generated. How long it takes to reach that point is dependent in part on the design of the tool.

One of the most important things a user can do to help prevent overheating is to keep the chain sharp. A logger and chainsaw safety instructor I know had a favorite saying when trying to convince people to be aware of their chain condition: "You don;t sharpen a chain because it got dull. You sharpen it to keep it from getting dull." His point was that if you are waiting until you have to lean on it to get it to cut, you are waiting too long to sharpen.

All true, but the more fully charged your battery is, the less prone the tool is to overheating. A new battery (charged) is your freind! We take 5 into the field with us.

 

[5030]

My rule of 'thumb' with chain loops is, if you start building pitch at all on the backside (heel) of the tooth, it needs to be sharpened, don't matter if it's an electric saw or gas saw. Remember I sharpen chains and chipper knives for almost every commercial arborist in this area so I see a huge amount of saw chains as well as commercial chipper knives. I tell all my customers to observe what the chain loops are doing as far as building pitch and if they 'rock' a loop, change it out asap.

They like to 'save' up loops and I get them all at once. Just ran 80 loops for one outfit, .404, .325 and some lo pro PICO loops which I really don't like because of how the rakers are designed.

I don't care what the power source is or the chain speed is on any saw, the difference between an efficient cutting chain saw and a poor cutting one lies entirely in the chain loop and how sharp or dull it is.

One thing to keep in mind however is that battery saws for the most part rotate the chain loop slower than a gas saw, the slower the loop speed, the slower the cut speed is no matter if the loop is surgically sharp or not. That is the main reason why I don't own one. I do own rpm saws however.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

the difference between an efficient cutting chain saw and a poor cutting one lies entirely in the chain loop and how sharp or dull it is.

That just isn't true...

SR

 

[5030]

That just isn't true...

SR

If I stated the sky was blue, you'd disagree. Far as I'm concerned, you are basically FOS.

 

[Richard001]

The thing is LiIon batteries are fairly complex requiring precision control to prevent damage, as witnessed by that complex battery control module.

Perhaps the module knows what it is doing, that one cell is acting up necessitating shutdown to prevent a fire?

Does sound like you are due a replacement under warranty.

A few days ago, I got to try out the two battery use on my Ryobi saw. Both batteries are the 40V 4ah ones. i decided that in order to avoid the "over heated" battery, I packed some ice in a cooler and took it with me to my tree trunk cutting. I paced my cutting with the first batter, checking every now and then to see if it was getting warm. When it felt warm, I put it in the cooler with the ice and then put the second battery in the saw. But doing this, I did not get the overheated battery condition and was able to use the full charge of each battery.

There was a few times the saw just stopped, but not for the battery condition. I suspect that the motor got hot. I would just run the saw without load for a few moments, then back to cutting. That worked and I got a lot of cutting done.

 

[5030]

Any cordless too that uses Li-Ion batteries does the same deal, no matter what brand they are. Self preservation I guess. Always stopping on the Torque Test Channel.

 

[ultrarunner]

My rule of 'thumb' with chain loops is, if you start building pitch at all on the backside (heel) of the tooth, it needs to be sharpened, don't matter if it's an electric saw or gas saw. Remember I sharpen chains and chipper knives for almost every commercial arborist in this area so I see a huge amount of saw chains as well as commercial chipper knives. I tell all my customers to observe what the chain loops are doing as far as building pitch and if they 'rock' a loop, change it out asap.

They like to 'save' up loops and I get them all at once. Just ran 80 loops for one outfit, .404, .325 and some lo pro PICO loops which I really don't like because of how the rakers are designed.

I don't care what the power source is or the chain speed is on any saw, the difference between an efficient cutting chain saw and a poor cutting one lies entirely in the chain loop and how sharp or dull it is.

One thing to keep in mind however is that battery saws for the most part rotate the chain loop slower than a gas saw, the slower the loop speed, the slower the cut speed is no matter if the loop is surgically sharp or not. That is the main reason why I don't own one. I do own rpm saws however.

Does rock the loop mean covered in pitch/fibers where it gets stiff?

I cut mostly live coastal oak storm fall sand have wondered why sometimes the chain links become very stiff... always plenty of bar oil and sometime a little WD-40 on chain helps loosen.

 

[ArlyA]

A few days ago, I got to try out the two battery use on my Ryobi saw. Both batteries are the 40V 4ah ones. i decided that in order to avoid the "over heated" battery, I packed some ice in a cooler and took it with me to my tree trunk cutting. I paced my cutting with the first batter, checking every now and then to see if it was getting warm. When it felt warm, I put it in the cooler with the ice and then put the second battery in the saw. But doing this, I did not get the overheated battery condition and was able to use the full charge of each battery.

There was a few times the saw just stopped, but not for the battery condition. I suspect that the motor got hot. I would just run the saw without load for a few moments, then back to cutting. That worked and I got a lot of cutting done.

Is keeping those batteries refrigerated going to be the norm for you??

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I don't care what the power source is or the chain speed is on any saw, the difference between an efficient cutting chain saw and a poor cutting one lies entirely in the chain loop and how sharp or dull it is.

If I stated the sky was blue, you'd disagree. Far as I'm concerned, you are basically FOS.

Anyone who thinks that chain speed and a few other things doesn't have a lot to do with how fast/efficient a chain cuts, just plain doesn't know much about chainsaws!

That's the bottom line.

SR

 

[5030]

Does rock the loop mean covered in pitch/fibers where it gets stiff?

I cut mostly live coastal oak storm fall sand have wondered why sometimes the chain links become very stiff... always plenty of bar oil and sometime a little WD-40 on chain helps loosen.

'Rocking' a chain means either hitting metal in a cut or sticking the bar in the dirt. Sounds to me like you are experiencing a pitch issue which will cause the chain links to become stiff. Can you increase the oiling rate on your saw? Mine all have adjustable rate oilers, usually a screw on the bottom of the saw and you might want to add a bit of kerosene to the bar oil to help flush the pitch away.

Not an issue here.

Nothing better than hitting metal in any cut to make for a bad day. My buddy runs carbide tooth chains because he cuts wood everywhere. Problem is, you have to have a diamond wheel (expensive) to sharpen them and they are very expensive. Solid carbide tooth chains are what first responders use, but they buy them on your dime.

 

[5030]

Anyone who thinks that chain speed and a few other things doesn't have a lot to do with how fast/efficient a chain cuts, just plain doesn't know much about chainsaws!

That's the bottom line.

SR

You just cannot leave well enough alone can you? You need to go play in traffic.