I live in Ottawa Ontario. I’ve been framing houses here since I was 14 and theres one thing I never understood. Nearly every crew in Ottawa frames a house with a chainsaw. From the first day on site I never understood that or heard of it. I’ve been using wormdrives since I started and never thought twice about it. In my younger days I worked on a crew that used them and was convinced thet were the only way to go. As are many framers around the city. They say there faster and there not building a house for quality there building it for speed. What I cna’t understand is that there are a lot of bad framers in this world, don’t you think someone else would of thought of this if it was faster. Has anyone else heard of this, it’s driving me nuts.
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
The IQ Vise has angled jaws, a simple locking mechanism, and solid holding power.
Featured Video
Related Stories
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Fine Homebuilding Magazine
Fine Home Building
Follow
-
Fine Homebuilding
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial Now -
GBA Prime
Get instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
- Home Group
- Antique Trader
- Arts & Crafts Homes
- Bank Note Reporter
- Cabin Life
- Cuisine at Home
- Fine Gardening
- Fine Woodworking
- Green Building Advisor
- Garden Gate
- Horticulture
- Keep Craft Alive
- Log Home Living
- Military Trader/Vehicles
- Numismatic News
- Numismaster
- Old Cars Weekly
- Old House Journal
- Period Homes
- Popular Woodworking
- Script
- ShopNotes
- Sports Collectors Digest
- Threads
- Timber Home Living
- Traditional Building
- Woodsmith
- World Coin News
- Writer's Digest
Replies
I worked for a Amish crew once and they used chain saws because they don't believe in using electric. Not that hard to cut accurate with a sharp chain.
"They say there faster and there not building a house for quality there building it for speed."
Isn't that all you need to know? Even they know they are hacks.
chainsaws have their place in homebuilding, i know people that can make sculpture with them. just because someone is using a chainsaw doesn't make them a hack.
you should see me cut blocks for framing with no marks! all by eye, yet they are all square and fit perfect. (its so fast to do it that way, if you get a bad fit or out of square cut you throw it to the side and cut another one) you have to use a wormdrive, it can't be done with a sidewinder.
You're right, chainsaws have their place in homebuilding--even FINE HOMEBUILDING. I remember an article a few years back (maybe 10), about chainsaws on a framing job. They showed how they could be very helpful in some applications. Seems like a 45 degree cantilevered bay was one example.
Anyone who would admit to building for speed instead of quality, probably trims w/ a chainsaw too.
In 30 years i have never seen a chainsaw used for framing, But i dont know everything, I guess on bigger timbers it would make sense, I did follow up a framing crew with all big hatchets once, Very fast i dont know why they had big hatchets i never had to hatchet much in my career, All the time they saved was lost in out or square rooms but hey they were long gone by then
When I saw the title, I knew you must live in Ottawa. I don't know why, but you're right they all use them. An hour each way and no one in Montreal or Kingston seems to. Lets hope it doesn't spread.
You find regional differences in construction techniques all through Southern Ontario. Some towns have all poured foundations, ten miles away its all block. Here on Vancouver Island we all crib our foundations from 1" x 8"s, but take the ferry to the Mainland and its all rental forms. A number of factors are responsible. Its funny that we think we do things for logical reasons, when obviously other things come into play.
Its funny you metion about Montreal. A lot of guys here say its all the guys from Quebec and basically giving them a bad name, but as you mention go to Montreal and its back to circ saws. I sure hope it dosen't spread I'm so sick of seeing them.
Every crew out here (BC) has at least one, usually a smallish one (under 20" bar) for trimming ply out of window openings and adjusting log work (which is common here). Other uses include trimming p-lams, glue-lams, and built-up beams. I've also used them for plunge cuts in logs to make way for anchors.
I wouldn't say it smacks of hackery at all. Now as for those Sawsalls.....
Scott.
Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
No doubt, construction chainsaws have their place, and are a better choice than a reciprocating saw for some cuts.But when someone says the reason they use them is they (and I quote the original poster) "don't build houses for quality", then they are a HACK. And, they are a non self-respecting hack as well- a "Hacker's Hack" if you will....
I've been working in the Laurentiens (Quebec) for the past few months and all of the framers on my site were using chainsaws. Unfortunately they weren't much good with them and they did a horrible framing job.We ended up spending a good few weeks fixing all of their mistakes and re-framing walls. Unfortunately I didn't have enough influence with the owner to get him to make sure things were done properly.
Guess it all depends on what you're doing with them. I can make a he11 of a mess with a $300 router too. But I get some very nice cuts out of my chainsaw.
View Image
View Image
When I saw the title of this thread, the very first thing I thought of was remembering these pics.=0)Thought maybe you'd done some more and came back to post more pics.=0)
No trees were killed in the manufacture of this message. But a large number of electrons were horribly disfigured.
Just like a framer. Safety glasses are on the hat when you're using a chainsaw. I love it.
Oh man........ busted.View Image
seeing as i am a mile south of ottawa i have seen a few ways of framing a house
the chain saw method seems ok if only applied to framing and shims used when req,d
i worked with a finnish carpenter who framed a house once and i swore i grew a lot older just because of his habbet of everything being cut to the right or left of the pencil line
you dont need every piece cut to 1/64 " tollerance otherwise you will be bankrupt in my opinion
"i worked with a finnish carpenter who framed a house once and i swore i grew a lot older just because of his habbet of everything being cut to the right or left of the pencil line"You think the Finns are a pain, the Swedes are even worse. I don't understand why they don't use chainsaws for finish work, they make the best, don't they?
Thirty years ago I had a framing crew who used chainsaws to frame production homes. I never used them again ... Thanks to your post, now I know where they came from!
Its really funny when you work next to a guy with a chainsaw and your both making 1 cut across a 2x6. I grab my wormdrive and zip it through he stands there for two minutes pulling and pulling the cord of his saw. Yeah real fast guys I already got the piece nailed in while your still starting you saw.
Hey deisel where did you get that rig for your chainsaw, pretty slick. Is it accurate? Maybe I can show these guys around here how to use a chainsaw for framing.
It's also about what the Generals will accept as a final product.
Tract housing where the framers are down to the penny will chainsaw.
The small custom builders will frame better as they may be trimming out their own frame. Why shoot yourself in the foot.
Frame subs in O town, quick and dirty, dumpsters full of wood.
Yep, hackers!
I got mine from Bigfoot Tools.... they same guys who make the 10" and 14" wormdrive conversion kits/saws. www.bigfootsaws.com
It's very accurate for square cuts on up to about 7 pitch (30 degrees or so). After that I find that the base is just a little too small to effectively off-set the weight of the saw and keep the table flat to the stock. Could be my techinique though. And practice gets expensive. ;)
I hardly ever gang cut rafters though. Seems as though we can burn off a stack of rafters with a pattern and a guy at each end of the horses in about the same amount of time it takes me to properly rack the lumber and lay it out. Again.... probably just my technique again cuz some guys swear by gang cutting. For me it's kinda of a novelty until I get better at it.
But, man oh man.... for I-joists? Nothing could be easier. Half the time we don't even have to pop the bands on them. Just pick up the whole mess with the forklift and set it on some shorties (12" horses) and snap a few lines. I usually tack a 2X fence on for the saw to ride against and it's pretty much on auto-pilot from there. I wouldn't dream of cutting I-joists any other way any more.View Image