Saw for cutting up scavenged firewood?

[Mark A]

My reciprocating saw gave up the ghost just as I was about to cut up this week's supply of firewood, which is mainly old construction timber, plus anything else I can scavenge like pallets. I'm thinking about replacing it with one of those Evolution circular saws (or a regular circular saw with a "pallet-busting" blade) as they can deal with the occasional nail and will be faster than my ex- sabre saw, but is there anything else I should look at for around the same money?

I would also consider second hand if anyone has something suitable :wink:

Cheers,
Mark

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Cheapo sliding mitre is good for this but its not suitable for pallets unless you smash them up first.

 

[Mark A]

Cheapo sliding mitre is good for this but its not suitable for pallets unless you smash them up first.

I thought about getting a cheap mitre saw to use exclusively for cutting firewood, but I'm struggling to find space for the one I already have.
I'm swaying towards getting a circular saw. Any suggestions? My budget is about £80.

Mark

 

[undergroundhunter]

i picked up my Evolution saw at b&q for £55 about 6 months ago not sure what they are charging now. Its not a bad saw for stuff like that.

Matt

 

[eribaMotters]

Some years ago I bought the cheapest hand held circular saw I could find. It was a Bosch with a 40mm cut, and the blade has only 4 teeth I think. All it gets used for is chopping up pallets, a job it performs several times a year.
Keep it simple, buy cheap and don't worry about the blade.

Colin

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

As said, cheap as chips model. The Evolutions are good for this though.

 

[Mark A]

I would prefer not to go for the cheapest saw I can find, as I once bought one from Homebase which self-destructed in a shower of sparks before I had even cut half way across a 6" deck board.

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

http://www.screwfix.com/p/evolution-rag ... 230v/84664 the cut is 60 which means it would leave 3-4mm which you can just snap with hands. Its in budget too.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-psc15 ... 230v/86391 cut is 62 so even less effort required to snap.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb287c ... 230v/80063 not a great brand but not sparks on startup type of brand either. In budget and cuts 85mm which is over 3".

http://www.itslondon.co.uk/pd_SKI110KIT ... awPack.htm Set with resip and c/s. The c/s cuts 66mm which is more then 2-1/2in. It is over you budget but a great price for two saws. Skil is a good brand and im sure have something to do with Bosch

 

[Mark A]

Thanks for the links, Alan

£80 is the absolute ceiling of what I can spend on a saw, but I was hoping that over the next couple of days I would find one second hand. I've found a few on ebay but they're all collect from buyer so I'll see if an extra fiver would convince them to post instead.

Some of the timber is a hardwood which I don't recognise; it's quite tough and doesn't want to snap (light but strong, and the end grain is almost white?) Burns well though!

Cheers,
Mark

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Last time I posted a C/S it cost around £8. Maybe offer them £10

Any wood thats only 3-4mm thick after being cut will snap unless is green as it will just bend!

 

[Mark A]

Any wood thats only 3-4mm thick after being cut will snap!

A lot of saws on ebay are £15 postage! I'll offer 10 and see how it goes.

Mark

 

[Mark A]

I've just bought a circular saw from Wickes: the grey Professional one, reduced from £125 to £50. It's made by Kress, so if it's anything like my SDS drill then it should be excellent, though on closer inspection the base is a bit flimsy and the date of manufacture is 2004! Why has it been sat in the warehouse gathering dust for the past 8 years? It's a bit rough-sounding and damn noisy - could this be due to the amount of time it's been in storage?

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Is it nosier then other budget c/s?

They are normally quite noisy as there direct drive. I unless you can see rust I wouldn't be to worried about time its been stored. There probably on offer as they have just been found in the warehouse and want the space.

 

[Digit]

My wife is an enthusiatic cutter of firewood and logs, having tried various options, I bought her a Bosch electric chain saw last week. Light, handy and with a brake that stops it dead.
Logs, offcuts, pallets, you name it she will cut it!
B and Q are selling them at £80 at the moment.

Roy.

 

[Mark A]

Is it nosier then other budget c/s?

I haven't used a normal circular saw for quite a while now so I can't really compare. I spent about an hour trying to shim and bend the riving knife into its correct position but gave up and just took it off as I'm only cross cutting.

Roy - I ruled out an electric chainsaw as I assumed it was slightly overkill for what I am doing. Perhaps not? What do you reckon as I could return the saw (e.g. claim it's unsafe due to faulty riving knife) and put more towards a chainsaw. However, I don't have any of the safety equipment, though is the PPE more mandatory for the petrol saws or carrying more heavy duty work than cutting 2x timbers for example?

Mark

 

[Digit]

If the saw doesn't do as it is supposed then yes, send it back. Riving knives can be a damn nuisance to get aligned in all planes. DAMHIK!
For firewood etc the chainsaw seems ideal, my wife suffers from R. Arthritis so needed something light and that didn't 'run on' when turned off for safety reasons.
Can't get into my workshop right now for cut logs! :lol:

Roy.

 

[doorframe]

Roy, I have utmost respect for your wife :shock: .

The thought of Mrs Doorframe being on the end of a chainsaw is enough to give me nightmares for a year!!

Roy

 

[Mark A]

Excuse my ignorance, but full-blown chainsaw PPE isn't required? Are chain brakes alone sufficient to stop me removing limbs (not that I would do that I hope :shock: ) because from what I've read, you should go on courses and buy the full safety gear before anything else?


Mark

 

[Digit]

It's a 35 cm bar Mark, we have a proper 'horse' for holding logs etc. I fail to see why a woman who can handle it should be seen as less competant than a man frankly. Doubtless there is a government/HSE course for safe handling etc, there's probably one for TSs and bandsaws as well.

Roy.

 

[ade1]

for home use theres no legal requirement for ppe & to be honest for an electric chainsaw a pair of ear defenders, safety glasses & bit of common sense, reading the user manual & practice will get you by just fine. a chain brake is mostly for in the event of kickback (or whenever idling) so if the body flings back up at you it'l be activated by the hand/wrist, not much use for below waist though, thats where ppe comes in very handy!, but you'll be paying far more than the original £80 for a decent pair of trousers alone, which work when the chain cuts through the outer layer, chew up the fibres inside and clog up the sprocket till it jams up. can all sound a bit bad, but its just a case of getting used to it, personally i use a honking great stihl, absolutely fine with it but as soon as i switch a table saw on thats when i get a bit of a nervous sweat!