We have had a number of water oak trees die due to borer beetle damage. I usually call a guy I know and he comes and puts the trees on the ground. I then chop them up for firewood. In the past, I've borrowed a chainsaw and also rented a chainsaw. Borrowing doesn't cost anything. I rented the chainsaw for $50 a day. It always seemed to me that either of those options was more cost-effective than purchasing one.
However, I was out of firewood, and we have two trees on the ground that need cutting. I figured it was time to buy a chainsaw. Here's the problem: We use a chainsaw so infrequently that I was concerned that it would be troublesome to keep a gas chainsaw running. The guy that cuts our trees down told me that all that they have been using lately is battery powered chainsaws.
I did some researching and found a good deal on a Greenworks 80 volt 18" bar chainsaw and bought it back in July. I charged up the battery and waited for cooler weather to try it out. The cooler weather got here and I've been putting it through a workout.
I've got to report that I am very pleased with it. It doesn't make near the noise that a gas-powered chainsaw puts out. It obviously doesn't use gasoline or two stroke oil, but does use bar chain oil. I had to work through a few bugs, though. The bugs were with me, not the chainsaw. After about 20 minutes of cutting, it shut down and started beeping. I had no idea what that was about. I read through the owner's manual and couldn't find out what happened. I called the Greenworks help line and spoke to a technician who helped me troubleshoot. I felt like a dingbat when, after 15 minutes of talking, I had to admit to the technician that the battery needed recharging!
I popped the battery out of the saw, walked inside and re-charged it. It took less than an hour of charging before it had a full charge and I was able to resume cutting.
Now, I have to tell you, I'm not cutting up little twigs. This tree is about 30 inches in diameter. When I say that I put the saw through a workout, I'm not kidding! The chainsaw is a workhorse.
Speaking of work, once I have the logs cut, I then use an ax and a sledgehammer and wedge to split up the firewood. It was a nice day and it felt good to get out there and split wood. I had to stop every 20 minutes and recharge the battery, but I needed a break and a glass of water at that time anyway. The smart thing to do, and I think I'll do it, is to buy another 80V battery pack. That way I can charge both and when one runs out of charge, I could use the second one while I put the first one on the charger.
While it charged I split wood with the ax. A lot of the wood had knots, so it was a slow process, but the pile of split firewood began to grow. I often talk about instant gratification - doing something and being able to (almost) immediately see the fruits of your labors. Such is the case here. As the size of the felled log diminished, the pile of split firewood grew.
I filled up the area between two pecan trees that I usually store our firewood with split firewood. It was actually more wood than you see below, as I filled up our firewood stack on the back patio.
I split it up in easy-to-handle sizes and it's all stacked up.
I have a lot more to cut up and split, but this was enough for one day. My shoulders were sore and I was tired. I slept real good that night. I love sitting in front of the fireplace on cold winter evenings. It's nice to have a good inventory of firewood and more coming.
How relaxing! In closing, I am very pleased so far with the Greenworks 80V 18" bar chainsaw. I am glad I bought it. It was well worth the money. After used, I cleaned it all up, refilled the chain oil reservoir and re-charged the battery. I also got out the 5/32 file and sharpened the chain.
I give two thumbs up for this chainsaw. I would buy it again in a skinny minute and recommend it to anyone curious. Five stars and two thumb's up!
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