Cordless reciprocating saw

[Sophon]

I need something to cut the small trees that grow all along (and often into) the fence along our border. We are only talking about branches of approx. 5-6 cm in thickness or less, so I don't need a lot of power, but at times maneuvering the saw into position can be tricky so the saw shouldn't be too big. I was thinking about something along the lines of the Makita DJR183Z.

 

 

You can get it on Lazada or Shopee for around THB 8.5k including two batteries and charger. The same shop on Lazada also sells the same saw for THB 3,100 and the batteries for THB 1,750 a piece, which seem to be cheaper, but I haven't been able to find anybody selling the charger separately.

 

I am not married to this particular model (or the idea of a reciprocating saw for that matter), so does anyone have a recommendation of a good brand/model of reciprocating saw or alternative tool for cutting these annoying small trees? It has to be something small and cordless (and no, a manual saw will not do as we have over 400m of fence and I don't enjoy hard work in the sun).

 

Any ideas are appreciated.

Edited July 25, 2020 by Sophon

[Crossy]

You'll need to get the special big-toothed blades if you want to cut green wood, the regular blades clog and jam.

 

We have the De-Walt version and it's not wonderful on damp wood tending to vibrate either itself or the tree (or both) rather than actually cutting. 

 

One of the 12" petrol chainsaws (no licence required for the short blade) may be more suitable.

[prophet01]

I'd personally go with a reciprocating saw over a chainsaw;

• Convenience - Battery powered
• Utility - Can be used for many other applications
• Safety - Due to its operation and relatively light weight

Use with a dedicated pruning blade as per this video.

Pruning with a reciprocating saw

 

As far as cost is concerned it's a one off cost for an item that'll be regularly used over many years so good value in my view.

 

[Sophon]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

You'll need to get the special big-toothed blades if you want to cut green wood, the regular blades clog and jam.

 

We have the De-Walt version and it's not wonderful on damp wood tending to vibrate either itself or the tree (or both) rather than actually cutting. 

 

One of the 12" petrol chainsaws (no licence required for the short blade) may be more suitable.

I already have a 12" chainsaw, and there is no way that it can do this job without cutting the links in the fence. The trees grow in and out of the fence, so I need something with control and not too much power. It's also a pain to have to empty and clean the chainsaw of the oil every-time you use it.

 

Yeah, I now that I will need the "wet wood" special saw blades. I actually already have those as I bought a cheap Chinese reciprocating saw just to try it out. It actually worked very well, but the two battery packs packed it in after less than two weeks work, hence I am now looking for a quality product.

 

I am also considering this saw Makita DJR186Z.

 

I have no doubt it's a better saw, but I can actually get it at only THB 600-700 more than the smaller DJR183Z (I think because it's an old model that has now been replaced with the DJR187Z). I am just not sure if it is better for what I need. 

• It's bigger, so not so easy to get into tight spots. It's probably best used with both hands
• At 3,5 kg it weighs twice as much as the DJR183Z, which I guess is both good and bad. It adds stability and minimizes vibrations, but it also makes it heavier to work with and carry around
• The stroke length is 32 mm against 13 mm for the DJR183Z. I don't have much experience with reciprocating saws, so I don't know if this is good or bad (I'm leaning towards good)

 

[Sophon]

31 minutes ago, prophet01 said:

I'd personally go with a reciprocating saw over a chainsaw;

• Convenience - Battery powered
• Utility - Can be used for many other applications
• Safety - Due to its operation and relatively light weight

Use with a dedicated pruning blade as per this video.

Pruning with a reciprocating saw

 

As far as cost is concerned it's a one off cost for an item that'll be regularly used over many years so good value in my view.

 

I agree with your points. However, I assume that it will not totally be a one off cost, I would think that I will have to replace the battery packs after a number of years.

[sometimewoodworker]

For small branch’s like you are talking about, one of these is much better 

not to mention easier and cheaper 

[Sophon]

4 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

For small branch’s like you are talking about, one of these is much better 

not to mention easier and cheaper 

Sure, for one or two small trees it's fine, but not for two or three hundred. Besides, I have one of those and it doesn't work on trees growing in and out of the holes of a fence. This is the type of fence we have:

 

The trees grows next to the concrete, and often crosses in and out of the fence multiple times. I also, sometimes, need to cut trees growing on the neighbors land through the fence from our side (he can't be bothered).

[Sophon]

This is the kind of situation I am talking about

 

I have to cut the trees all the way down at the ground, otherwise they just grow back very quickly.

Edited July 25, 2020 by Sophon

[prophet01]

1 hour ago, Sophon said:

I agree with your points. However, I assume that it will not totally be a one off cost, I would think that I will have to replace the battery packs after a number of years.

 

I can't remeber how many years ago I bought the first of my (now many) Makita 18v tools but 6 years ago, when I bought my circular saw, I decided to buy a spare battery and bought a cheap chinese copy, about 500Bt

 

Both original and copy are still performing and charging as when new.

[cooked]

I did stuff like this for many years, worked with chainsaws etc. Even if you can only do a few every day, I would definitely  prefer (or similar):

Easy to sharpen, no big deal  if you touch the fence wire.

[Sophon]

4 minutes ago, cooked said:

I did stuff like this for many years, worked with chainsaws etc. Even if you can only do a few every day, I would definitely  prefer (or similar):

Easy to sharpen, no big deal  if you touch the fence wire.

I have one of those too, and the blade is sometimes too wide to get into tight spots. It's also difficult to cut trees growing on the neighbours land behind a wire strand. Because you don't have to move a reciprocating saw and the blade only moves a couple of cm it's much better in tight spots.

 

Besides, as I mentioned in the OP, I don't enjoy doing physical work in the hot sun. Manual saws are not an option for me.

[innosiem]

one thing to consider as you want cordless is
does the brand have any other cordless tools that you may purchase in future ?
(so batteries can be shared)
milwaukee, Dewalt, Bosch or makita seem to be your best options
or for cheap can find a cheap chinese brand for 750 baht excluding battery (makita fits afaict)
or even just a drill attachment for 600 baht 
 

[GreasyFingers]

Personally I would use the liquid saw, sump oil, petrol or roundup.