Reciprocating Saw for firewood ???

BADGER.BRAD

BADGER.BRAD

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Hello all,

I have a friend who always gives me large amounts of firewood, most of it is 3X2 timber but sometimes up to 4x4 ( where talking Manley British inches here ! ) Normally I just cut the off cuts to size with a hand saw but as I've destroyed my shoulder I will be needing a bit of help will a Reciprocating saw be any good ? I've never used one ! I normally cut the wood outside so will need to be able to easily access the saw and store it !

Thanks all

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I've found that the vibration from a reciprocating saw can be quite harsh and if you've got shoulder pain it's likely that it would make it worse. A circular saw on a stand might be a better idea.
 
The only really good use for my reciprocating saw is for breaking down pallets. That circular saw that James posted is a decent buy. I have one of their cordless drills which I use mainly as a screwdriver, and it's excellent.
 
Jelster said:
The only really good use for my reciprocating saw is for breaking down pallets. That circular saw that James posted is a decent buy. I have one of their cordless drills which I use mainly as a screwdriver, and it's excellent.
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I don't have to deal with many pallets but when I do, a jigsaw with a vicious blade does the job for me.

Depending on how long the injury is expected to take to heal and how good a friend the offcut man is, I'd ask him to chop it up for me in return for a favour once the shoulder's better.
 
The chopsaw is your best way forward. A Reciprocating saw will cut what you want if the blade is long enough, and you can hold it securely enough. The chopsaw will cut the same bit of timber in a fraction of the time. And it gives options for angled cuts etc if needed in the future.
 
If you have the money, then a mitre / chop saw and a saw bench would be perfect.
 
Getting a length of timber up onto a chop saw's table and holding it securely (or even doing up the clamps) isn't easy one handed. Getting the same chunk up onto a saw horse or similar will probably be easier.
 
One of what?
 
I cut 3m lengths of skirting on my chop saw so I doubt balancing off cuts is going to be an issue. I certainly wouldn’t want to be hand holding a 2 ft length with a reciprocating saw less than a foot from my hand.
I do have a bench I can flat pack but the garden table works fine as does the floor.
If chopping long bits of wood for firewood I just put the timber across the saw and cut it at the mid point each time. Generally chopping less than 3 ft so doesn’t tend to be any issue
 
cheap bandsaw on a table would be ideal for that i suspect or a table saw , would give you both hands free and a flat stable surface
 
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Thanks everyone Chop saw it is then ! I'm waiting for an operation ( Two months now !) To have my Collarbone reattached to my shoulder and at present have partial use of my right arm, After the op it will be strictly in a sling for a month and then at least another two until I can use it properly. The plan is to get as much as I can and chop it before the op in the hope of having enough to last the recovery time !. I had seen the chop saws before but thought you had to have it bench mounted in a way that you had space under the saw bed for the blade to pass through.
 
You shouldn't be using any power saw with a dodgy shoulder, arm, wrist or fingers unless you intend to do yourself even more damage. I've seen too many "accidents" in my time. I was given a circular saw with what I was told was red paint on the working surface. It wasn't!!!
 
Pixbarmy said:
You shouldn't be using any power saw with a dodgy shoulder, arm, wrist or fingers unless you intend to do yourself even more damage. I've seen too many "accidents" in my time. I was given a circular saw with what I was told was red paint on the working surface. It wasn't!!!
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Good advice. Perhaps just give up cutting your own firewood until you recover.
 
Maybe let grown adults make thier own decisions regarding thier ability to use tools, using certain equipment is perfectly safe and doesnt require any strengh or muscle to control as is the case with a chop saw. Much more likely to have an accident with a sharp knife in the kitchen than using a chop saw
 
AgentOrange76 said:
Maybe let grown adults make thier own decisions regarding thier ability to use tools, using certain equipment is perfectly safe and doesnt require any strengh or muscle to control as is the case with a chop saw. Much more likely to have an accident with a sharp knife in the kitchen than using a chop saw
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A & E s are full of such "grown adults" having "Accidents and Emergencies"! Agreed, it is their decision, which is why I offered the "advice", based on my experiences as a first aider and carer. We only get one body but can so easily lose or damage parts due to our uninformed decisions.
 
Yep, and has little to do with the tool in question and more to do with the tool using equipment in a manner it’s not intended, failing to follow safety procedures or poorly maintaining it.
My neighbour cuts and strims his grass in flip flops, I leave him to find out how much strimmer cord hurts and just keep a bag of frozen peas in case the worst happens
 
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