Me and the Mrs plan to move to Thailand in the next 12 months.

We plan look around and lease a plot of land somewhere and build a few bungalows, a restaurant etc.

Talking about this last night I mentioned to the Mrs that I will bring my chainsaw with me.

Her reply was "Mai chai, completely mai dai" and then went on to tell me they are banned to help stop illegal logging.

Getting it through customs would not be a problem. I can strip that baby down to nuts and bults and put it back together blindfolded. Easy to scatter the bits and pieces throughout our belongings.

Anyway my question is; are they COMPLETELY banned? or are there loopholes of sorts. For example:

1) Are they only banned from being sold but it's ok to own one?

2) It's ok to have one if you have a licence that costs 100bht?

3) They are banned from sale and from owning one but no one gives a shit in Thailand?

4) Or will the first time I fire her up the chainsaw police will come down on me like a tonn of bricks, cuff me in irons and frog march me to the nearest clanger?

So which one is it boys? do you think it's ok to bring it over?

Or do I have to leave my beloved chainsaw in Australia.

Info. withdrawn.

Edited May 13, 200917 yr by phaethon

Me and the Mrs plan to move to Thailand in the next 12 months.

We plan look around and lease a plot of land somewhere and build a few bungalows, a restaurant etc.

Talking about this last night I mentioned to the Mrs that I will bring my chainsaw with me.

Her reply was "Mai chai, completely mai dai" and then went on to tell me they are banned to help stop illegal logging.

Getting it through customs would not be a problem. I can strip that baby down to nuts and bults and put it back together blindfolded. Easy to scatter the bits and pieces throughout our belongings.

Anyway my question is; are they COMPLETELY banned? or are there loopholes of sorts. For example:

1) Are they only banned from being sold but it's ok to own one?

2) It's ok to have one if you have a licence that costs 100bht?

3) They are banned from sale and from owning one but no one gives a shit in Thailand?

4) Or will the first time I fire her up the chainsaw police will come down on me like a tonn of bricks, cuff me in irons and frog march me to the nearest clanger?

So which one is it boys? do you think it's ok to bring it over?

Or do I have to leave my beloved chainsaw in Australia.

I see that Sthill chainsaws have a distributor in BKK so you may be in luck,just asked my lady and she didn't think they are

banned/illegal whatever.Have travelled through the north and heard them operating when I have stopped on the bike up in mountains.

Any way I miss my younger days cutting ironbark and rosewood fence posts..if you leave it behind some Kiwi may get his hands on it.

Depending on what is on the land. The loggers will buy the tree and cut it down, at least that's how it works around here.

Depending on what is on the land. The loggers will buy the tree and cut it down, at least that's how it works around here.

I don't want to cut down trees. A chainsaw is a very handy and time saving tool when building cabins or bungalows.

Not to mention a self defence device.

Nothing moves an intruder faster than the sound of a chainsaw at full throttle

I don't think it's simply a matter of paying to get a license nor that the sound of a chainsaw moves intruders.

The ownership and use of chainsaws is highly restricted - We hired a crew to clear our land of trees (they paid us for the timber, so what I expected to be a cost turned out to be a profit).

But on the day the crew started cutting trees the police turned up within an hour of them starting and stopped all the work until they had seen the licenses, the machines and the IDs of the crew.

This wasn't a "Police Check" of the type we read so much of involving money changing hands, but a thorough check of documents, recording of machine serial numbers etc.

The real labour saving device, if you are looking for such a thing, is the payment of a very reasonable day rate to local workers - Sell you chainsaw before you come over and save the cash towards these very reasonable day rates.

1. I can strip that baby down to nuts and bults and put it back together blindfolded. Easy to scatter the bits and pieces throughout our belongings.

2. There's your answer!
   

Customs weren't overjoyed at me bringing in a small GMC table saw but I said it was for cutting bamboo ........... Ok then ......LoL

It is illegal to own/operate the full size chain saws in Thailand, however, licensed operators, with equipment to make usable planks etc are available. You can legally buy small chain saws from many stores, but they are not much more than brush cutters. Forget about importing one, it will be more trouble than it is worth.

Me and the Mrs plan to move to Thailand in the next 12 months.

We plan look around and lease a plot of land somewhere and build a few bungalows, a restaurant etc.

Talking about this last night I mentioned to the Mrs that I will bring my chainsaw with me.

Her reply was "Mai chai, completely mai dai" and then went on to tell me they are banned to help stop illegal logging.

Getting it through customs would not be a problem. I can strip that baby down to nuts and bults and put it back together blindfolded. Easy to scatter the bits and pieces throughout our belongings.

Anyway my question is; are they COMPLETELY banned? or are there loopholes of sorts. For example:

1) Are they only banned from being sold but it's ok to own one?

2) It's ok to have one if you have a licence that costs 100bht?

3) They are banned from sale and from owning one but no one gives a shit in Thailand?

4) Or will the first time I fire her up the chainsaw police will come down on me like a tonn of bricks, cuff me in irons and frog march me to the nearest clanger?

So which one is it boys? do you think it's ok to bring it over?

Or do I have to leave my beloved chainsaw in Australia.

I see that Sthill chainsaws have a distributor in BKK so you may be in luck,just asked my lady and she didn't think they are

banned/illegal whatever.Have travelled through the north and heard them operating when I have stopped on the bike up in mountains.

Any way I miss my younger days cutting ironbark and rosewood fence posts..if you leave it behind some Kiwi may get his hands on it.

A Kiwi may get their flightless wings on it, if the OP leaves it in New Zealand but not in Australia.

justcruisin, do you know you are in Thailand?

3 nights ago at 1 AM for an hour and a half the neighbor unloaded a huge tree on 2 trucks with a crane , must have been 50 meters tall at least, and a meter thick . Considerate , huh?

At 8 am the next morning a crew arrived with a big chainsaw and for the past 2 days, they've been at work really, really making an incredible amount of noise about 20 meters from my house.

They are taking the lumber elsewhere, I think it might be a teak tree, hence the midnight offload . Our lane is rather secluded.

I took pics , I posted on gen topic " What kind of wood is this? " is there somewhere I can complain to ?

Home Mart in Chiang Mai have/had them if that's any help.