Cutting firewood; what type of saw ?

[Andrew Br]

What's the best (power) tool for cutting "scrap" wood eg roof battens (not logs or similar) ?
I have a chain saw that I use for logs but it seems/is OTT for the pre-cut wood that I've scavenged from skips after roof renovations, extensions, loft conversions.

It seems the two options are jig-saw and circular saw.
Anything else ?
Any particular makes/models worth looking out for ?
I'm thinking electric and cutting up to about 5cm thick.

[Tewdric]

Chop saw.  Makita if you can stretch to it.

[loadsabikes]

Without a doubt, Chopsaw everytime!!

[Exit Stage Left]

Loft conversion waste will have plaster and other muck on the surface, and nails in it. I can sharpen a chainsaw very quickly, so I'd go that way. Actually I'd not be cutting anything with stuff that can blunt a saw. I'd probably try to smash it up with a sledgehammer or splitting maul, but I need the practice swinging a hammer to help me with my axe work.

[Wobbly John]

I have chainsaw, chop saw (Makita sliding compound mitre), hand held circular saw, jigsaws, and lots more to choose from.

Chainsaw only gets used when there is more than a wheelbarrow full of logs to cut.

The hand held circular saw gets used for pallets.

The chop saw gets used if it is ready set up (eg. cutting up offcuts from a job) or if there is a large quantity of timber to cut.

Jigsaw - never.

Most often used is a bowsaw. 



They are supprisingly quick at cutting. I've taken down 30ft high trees with just a bowsaw, and I could  probably cut a wheel barrow full of firewood from battens in the time it would take to get the chop saw and extention lead out of the garage! 

[Cudzoziemiec]

My grandfather had a huge two-handled saw, left behind in the house by the previous occupant, a retired admiral. We used it to cut up logs into firewood. Hot work!

[Wobbly John]

Bonus - the firewood keeps you warm twice. Once when you cut it up, and again when you burn it. 

[Andrew Br]

Loft conversion waste will have plaster and other muck on the surface, and nails in it. I can sharpen a chainsaw very quickly, so I'd go that way. Actually I'd not be cutting anything with stuff that can blunt a saw. I'd probably try to smash it up with a sledgehammer or splitting maul, but I need the practice swinging a hammer to help me with my axe work.

Sorry, I should have been clearer; I'm thinking about the bits that are "clean" wood such as the ends of new battens (sp ?) but which are still too long to go into a small woodburner.
Any "dirty" wood gets left in the skip   

Using my chainsaw for these pieces seems too much, the resulting mounds of sawdust would almost dwarf the woodpile.
I'm very careful, with the chainsaw, to avoid nails.

When I had a lot of logs to split I became, IMO, quite proficient at it; I managed to make technique overcome strength limitations. In the end, the back breaking part was picking up the split logs and piling them up...................

[Andrew Br]

I have chainsaw, chop saw (Makita sliding compound mitre), hand held circular saw, jigsaws, and lots more to choose from.

Chainsaw only gets used when there is more than a wheelbarrow full of logs to cut.

The hand held circular saw gets used for pallets.

The chop saw gets used if it is ready set up (eg. cutting up offcuts from a job) or if there is a large quantity of timber to cut.

Jigsaw - never.

Most often used is a bowsaw. 



They are supprisingly quick at cutting. I've taken down 30ft high trees with just a bowsaw, and I could  probably cut a wheel barrow full of firewood from battens in the time it would take to get the chop saw and extention lead out of the garage! 

I'm beginning to think that a manual saw would be the best way forward. The exercise certainly wouldn't do me any harm 
I've ruled out using pallets. In a previous job where I had access to an industrial scale bandsaw and every duff pallet that the warehouse guy found (there were lots), I found that the cutting/extracting nails v burn time just didn't warrant it.

[Mrs Pingu]

Found this thread on a Google

I've got a load of semi chopped 2x4 and pallets that I need to get chopping up a bit shorter soon. Last year after a bit of a similar internet search I bought a reciprocating saw.
It is shit.
Not only is it even slower than the jigsaw, it vibrates so much I can barely feel my arms after a few minutes. Obviously not a good thing.

I've noticed the bloke across the road has a chop saw but I'm not asking to chop my wood in his garage because that would just be weird!
So, should I buy my own chop saw (and some chain mail gloves haha) or would a bow saw really be good enough?
Bear in mind my upper body strength is fairly rubbish.

[HeltorChasca]

+1 for a bowsaw.

[Vince]

Chop saws are good. You will need a workmate-a-like to mount it on, unless you like kneeling on the floor. Beyond the pallets etc you already have, will you have a continual supply of this sort of wood to justify the cost?
I'm currently cutting up bits of fir tree for my sister with a chainsaw which copes better with the larger  lumps of wood.
Personally I wouldn't use chainmail gloves as used by butchers. If the blade catches them it will drag your hand into the saw. Just take care where your hands are at all times. In any case, the blade gets automatically covered when not cutting.

ETA. Mine is an Evolution from B&Q, relatively cheap and has a blade that will cut metal as well as wood. Has the advantage that nails left in scavenged wood won't damage the blade.

[mrcharly-YHT]

A decent bowsaw takes very little effort - but you really need something to rest the wood on. Best to get a bowsaw with fairly small teeth if cutting softish wood like pallets or the teeth just dig in to start with and it is hard to get going.

[Aunt Maud]

I'd cut it with a sharp handsaw or chainsaw. If you strap a bundle together on a firewood saw horse, you can just cut through lots of it straight into the wheelbarrow underneath.

Don't cut firewood on a chop saw or with any other carpentry saw, such as a jigsaw or circular saw. They aren't designed for it and you can do yourself a mischief, as they can grab the wood and fling it around if its not very big or held down properly. They can also jump back at you, which can be quite an exciting experience.

They are called chop saws for a reason, watch your fingers. Speak to any carpenter or joiner who is missing a finger and they will tell you that it hurts like fuckery.

[Quisling]

I use a chain saw for timber over 2-3" diameter, and hand saw for smaller stuff, and have (on occasion) used a chop saw very successfully to whistle through a good deal of smaller timber, old planks etc.

+1 to Aunt Maud's warning about chop saws.  They are a bit brutal and kick a lot of dust around. 

Bow saws are fine as long as the teeth are aligned ok otherwise they're a PITA.

The "right" solution will also be influenced on whether you want to take the wood to the saw or the saw to the wood.  Whole pallets require the latter approach.

[Kim]

Don't cut firewood on a chop saw or with any other carpentry saw, such as a jigsaw or circular saw. They aren't designed for it...

Presumably this depends largely on whether it's 'firewood' in the sense of random bits of dead tree, or 'firewood' in the sense of waste lumber (off-cuts, dismantled pallets, etc).  If you really have an endless supply of scrap 2x4 that you can be sure isn't hiding surprise nails, then what's the harm of feeding it to a chop saw?

Personally, chopping firewood is prime example of a GAMI job.  They can use what they like.

[Aunt Maud]

Chopping small pieces of wood on a mitre saw is equally as dangerous as chopping branches.

[Mrs Pingu]

Well in the end I stuck a new blade in the jigsaw and sprung 20 quid for a folding work bench from Screwfix. Chopped up all my dismantled pallet wood and made all my kindling this afternoon so I should be all set for winter

[Diver300]

I've found that a hand circular saw is fine. Fit a tungsten carbide tipped blade, so that it isn't destroyed by the first nail you find with it.

As all circular saws have a sprung blade guard, it's really quite difficult to get your fingers to the spinning blade.

[chrisbainbridge]

difficult to get your fingers to the spinning blade.

Yet I see several people manage it every week and so does every other hand surgeon in the country.

[HeltorChasca]

difficult to get your fingers to the spinning blade.

Yet I see several people manage it every week and so does every other hand surgeon in the country.

A friend's father has done it twice. Two fingers gone. Lessons aren't easily learned by some. The smaller ones are worse as you can have one hand free, waving about. I have Makita's 2nd largest which is so heavy you need 2 hands to operate it. That's 2 hands on the handles and they won't get in the way of the blade.

[harvey]

Well mounted chop saw or radial arm saw, but a circular saw is 10x safer than a chain saw for cutting smallish boards

[Aunt Maud]

I watched a formwork carpenter cross his arms over with his right hand pushing the circular saw and his left hand holding the board. He had his chest directly behind the saw and could have either cut off his left arm, cut into his chest or cut the board in two, all depending on the will of the saw.

Hair raising.

[Jurek]

Gas central heating is your friend.
Full count of fingers and thumbs here.

[Kim]

That's 2 hands on the handles and they won't get in the way of the blade.

This.

TBH, I expect it's a bit like clipless pedals, in that they only catch you out once you stop being terrified of them.  Except that you stand to lose a lot more than your pride...

Gas central heating is your friend.

Also this.