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The only time I’ve used my saw is on flat dry wood secured on a work bench.
Is it going to be ok on a fallen tree ? I know that my hand saw jams up when doing it manually. Will the power saw?
I’ve cut sleepers with it .
I also have a battery jigsaw ,would that be safer?
I wouldn't, circular saws are vicious when they bite and kick back!
Bow saw for green wood is best hand tool for the job. Best power tool for the job is probably a chainsaw (just as vicious at times).
What size tree?
If you're taking the smaller branches off a fallen tree, take care that it doesn't stand up again as you take the weight off the top.
I would buy a bow saw. Or a folding saw designed to cut wet wood.
I wouldn't use my cordless circular saw. If I trashed the motor on it cutting a tree which trapped the blade due to compression I'd be annoyed.
If I had no other option I'd only do shallow 1cm cuts to see how things progress.
I am not a tree surgeon.
I bought a Makita battery chainsaw for the new year to continue my ongoing war with the local stickman*. I WILL DEFEAT YOU! I'd not use a circular saw under any circumstances way more dangerous than a chainsaw in the woods.
It feels a lot safer than the 2-stroke Stihl I have as the chain speed is slower and the cut off is instant. It's also very stealthy.
I wouldn’t want to use a circular saw for such a job. When I had to cut down a tree recently I invested in a reciprocating saw. Very easy to use and claims to do up to 30 cm diameter which was about perfect.
Definitely not a circular saw.
Hell no!
If it's small enough to consider using a circular saw, then use a bow saw.
Battery chainsaw ftw.
I've got a small single battery Makita that is brilliant for the odd fallen branch and small tree.
Don't be a guy I did some work for who attached a circular saw blade to a 9" angle grinder to cut some roots and very nearly cut his femoral artery.
circular saw is completely the wrong saw for the job - given a battery saw will only have a depth of cut of about 2 inches it would be trivial to cut anything you were planning to use the battery saw with a hand saw.
Bow saw after work in the dark it is.
Would have been a 5 minute job on the way in with power.
Would have been a 5 minute job on the way in with power.
If it was in the scope of a circular saw then it would be a 5 minute job with a hand saw.
My lodger had one of those Makita battery chainsaws mentioned above, it was surprisingly good, and felt a lot safer than a 'proper' one.
I've got a battery reciprocating saw for my firewood and that's also good on smallish fallen trees, 12" blade but it does get through batteries at an alarming rate
@Marko Ah i been looking at these also. What sort of diameter logs are you able to cut? Which model did you go for?
I have a longer bar Einhell chainsaw, but on seeing one in Lidl, i have a short bar one of there's that i can keep in car for pinching odd bit of wood as it is cheap and cheerful, and it has been really good, managed to clear a few fallen smaller trees blocking roads after Tuesdays storm with it.
If it isn't going to leave your property, then just get a corded electrical one, powerful and don't have to worry about battery dying.
For once a good consensus on here - please don't try to use a circular saw for this!
A simple bow saw from screwfix/tool station will be less than £10 and designed for the job.
After all that someone has beaten me to it.
I’ve got a battery reciprocating saw for my firewood and that’s also good on smallish fallen trees
They can be but reciprocating saws can be a little difficult on cuts where the timber is not restrained. Instead of cutting, the blade can grab the wood and just basically ping it back and forth with the blade, doing nothing except shaking your fillings out 😂
You have to be sure to keep the foot of the saw firmly against the branch and keep it still.
A chainsaw on the other hand will naturally pull a log onto it's spikes and the chain direction being in only one direction (if cutting on the bottom of the bar) will keep it there.
I've got this saw, a DUC254. Really nice and small but cuts well and kind of fits in a backpack.
Bow saws are bobbins. mins is, anyway. Silky Sugoi impresses me every time. Bit pricier now than when I bought mine, but the best for 2 or 3 cuts up to 6-8 inches in sensitive locations. Easier to carry than a bowsaw as well. If you're doing lots, and/or any processing, obvs you want a chainsaw.
And as above, be careful with fallen trees. Weight, load, pressure, strain can be hard to assess and you can get hurt if you get it wrong.
I've been pondering something like this from Amazon - not as good as that Makita but could be a solution for clearing fallen branches https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BCP7LWHF?ref_=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_8TAH4BMQA55BFHV0ZZT9&language=en-GB
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BCP7LWHF?ref_=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_8TAH4BMQA55BFHV0ZZT9&language=en-GB
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I've got the two battery version of that Makita that I borrow from a friend and it's incredibly efficient. However it's also incredibly expensive and if there isn't a lot of stuff then I would have a Silky handsaw or a bowsaw. Not as fast but not nearly as difficult as you imagine (if sharp) and a million times safer than the circular saw. Most of this was with the Silky and it didn't take so long
I’ve been pondering something like this from Amazon
I've got something similar. Mine runs on Makita lxt batteries which I already have. It's a great bit of kit. Not as nice as my Stihl but cuts well and can't complain for what it cost. Great for small branches, easy to use one handed, which is handy when up a tree. Way faster than a folding saw, especially when you have to make several cuts.
I agree with bow saws stick. Though I haven't tried a greenwood blade. A £6 handsaw works better because, unlike a bow saw the teeth are splayed making the cut wider than the blade and preventing sticking.
For example. From Amazon
Bahco-NP-22-U7-8-HP-22-inch-Hardpoint
agree with bow saws stick
Generally only because they are being used in a spot that is subject to binding as the branch moves as its cut and closes the kerf.
You have to understand what the tree is going to do when cut and this isn't always that obvious, especially with bigger branches hung up on others.
Yeah but it’s still a chainsaw!
yep and generally people don't have mild accidents with chainsaws, when it goes wrong eg the branch suddenly moves and the chainsaw is flipped up or down towards you.....
£200 for the DUC254 bare unit, for something you'll use occasionally and probably on your own (look at the post above)... buy a silky saw.
You can buy a stupidly expensive one of these if need be and look like some osrt of sword wielding hero (or eejit)
Bowsaw or Silky saw here. The bowsaw is most efficient at cutting, but not very on-bike portable. The folding Silky I've got is great on green wood, but noticeably slower on dead timber. I cleared maybe 10 trees off a trail yesterday, up to 8" diameter with the Silky. Wasn't overly challenging.
As others have said - if the blade is getting pinched, doesn't matter what saw you're using, you've not thought about where and how to cut enough. Some bits are under tension; others under compression. Figure out whats going to happen before starting work! (the pokier the tool you're using, the bigger the consequences when it does eventually jam)
Reciprocating saws/Sawzalla - I was considering one of these a while back, but someone on here pointed out that when they jam - you start reciprocating instead!
A circular saw is NOT the right tool.
my wife got me a Saker pruning saw from Amazon for Christmas. Made short work of some branches I needed tidying up and weighs 1kg
Huge fan of the various Makita options here.
The reciprocating drywall saw is ideal for most stuff up to about 3” diameter which is a lot! As said, eats batteries (mine is the older brushed motor one) but fab kit.
The 36v battery chainsaw is brill too for the odd occasion its needed.
My fave and most flexible option however is the mighty DUX60 z with 191T pole saw. That cuts EVERYTHING and allows safe operating distance as you are always 6 foot away from the spinny nasty sharp bits. Coupled with the corresponding pole hedge trimmer it will cut/trim/prune anything in the garden or further afield. Not cheapest option but paid for itself by being able to easily DIY rather than get a person in to cut my mums hedges etc.
The bowsaw is most efficient at cutting, but not very on-bike portable.
Carrying it around your neck works well 👍
Makita DUV357. 350 mm bar. Single battery, brushless.
Happily chomps through 7 inch diameter branches. I've not needed to try a larger diameter as stick man can't lift them into position. 😋
Away from home base I use a Silky:
Hard work on a 8" diameter log though.
Definitely do not use a circular saw OP. As said above a bow saw or silky for small stuff and for bigger stuff use the right tool for the job, chainsaw.
What you need is a Shelby, not a silky
@kayak23, as great and nimble as top handled saws are. There's a reason the petrol ones were intended for professional use only. They are incredibly easy to use one handed and to cut and catch. If you want a picture of my right hand with some cut tendons let me know. (I was 5years into an arboreal career, young, dumb and full of confident complacency).