Why I Own a Mini Chainsaw (and Maybe You Should Too)

No sooner do you dive into the DIY home repair and maintenance rabbit hole (a hole lined with all the money you’ll save!) than you start collecting tools. Some of these will be single-use items that you store in your garage or tool shed for decades, like a museum exhibit. But sometimes, even these tools can surprise you by being much more useful than you initially imagined.

For me, the mini chainsaw was one of those tools. This one, in particular (I considered others, but really wanted a one-handed cordless option because I live in a small urban home, not a sprawling farmhouse that runs on firewood and steam). I bought it specifically for landscaping and pruning tasks, but it quickly proved to be one of the most useful little tools I own – so useful, in fact, that I think every DIYer should have one. Here are some ways I use it to good effect.

Size

The mini chainsaw’s initial use case was for trimming overgrown branches and vines from my neighbor’s yard, which is almost sentient in its determination to colonize my property. I love my neighbors, and this is not a point of contention, but if I don’t stay on top of this situation, my entire house will be enveloped by a creeping vine that has colonized their yrad for so long it’s almost structural, and I will never see the sun again due to the overgrown branches of the trees in their yard. The mini chainsaw is perfect for this job. It slices through vines (surprisingly thick and sturdy), as well as tree branches. Since it is a one-handed tool, I can safely operate it from a ladder without risking my fingers (or more critical body parts).

Cutting more than just branches

If you think you only use chainsaws on wood, for cutting firewood, or for clearing fallen trees, you are wrong. The great thing about a chainsaw in general is that it cuts through dense, thick materials like this with ease. I used mine to cut things like PVC during minor plumbing jobs around the house, and it worked wonderfully.

It’s also great for quick cuts on wood. While I wouldn’t use a chainsaw in place of a circular saw or table saw for precision cuts, it saved me a lot of time to just cut a little here and there, especially after securing a 2×4 in place with screws only to realize that I had miscalculated the initial cut by a quarter inch. The mini chainsaw simply cuts off the excess without drama.

Some people online claim to have used mini chainsaws to make quick cuts in drywall, but I’m not sure I want to try that. I’m sure it works, but it seems like an unnecessary exaggeration.

Demonstration work

Every DIY project begins with a demonstration and disassembly, and a mini chainsaw has become an essential tool. For example, when I redid a deck recently, I had to remove and remove all the old boards and structures. The mini chainsaw allowed me to easily cut everything down to a more manageable size, saving me from navigating 10 foot boards around the house. It was a quick and easy way to reduce a lot of bulky waste and avoid some of the inevitable damage I was causing (to my back as well as my house).

Have fun while tinkering

This isn’t really a use case, but it’s still worth mentioning: mini chainsaws are amusing to use. The ability to just press a button and remove whatever is irritating you is worth the price alone. (If you’re like me, the ability to make your own chainsaw noises while you use it is just an added, unnecessary bonus.)