demolition with a chainsaw???

[musch]

I have an old barn roof that I would like to cut into chunks and dumpster.
Problem is, of course, shingles, nails, and the like.

Is there a saw/chain combo that would work for this job? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

I was thinking along the lines of Stihl 66 with a 16 or 20" bar and a carbide chain.

Anybody have experience with such a thing???

 

[Lakeside53]

A 260, 361 or 440 will be fine.. your don't need that much HP.. And yes, if you're cutting through composite shingles, a carbide chain is a must. But... large nails and bolts will shatter the cutters in a heartbeat... so know where you are cutting.

Check out Rapco's web site for the right chain.

 

[nilzlofgren]

At our firehouse, we have a Stihl 460 rescue saw, It has the chain with the double sided cutter (RDS). Now its redesigned and named RDR. Cuts through shingles like butter.

 

[WRW]

A 260, 361 or 440 will be fine.. your don't need that much HP.. And yes, if you're cutting through composite shingles, a carbide chain is a must. But... large nails and bolts will shatter the cutters in a heartbeat... so know where you are cutting.

Check out Rapco's web site for the right chain.

Cutters edge is slower, but tolerates nails a bit better. Both good choices.

 

[DKinWA]

I've demo'd a few small buildings and started out using a chainsaw and wasn't very happy with the results. Too much sharpening and screwed up chains for me Then I tried a skilsaw with a demolition blade (carbide and cuts just about anything) on the last building and it made a world of difference. I cut the entire storage building up into 4' x 10' panels and was able to stack them in my dumptruck. I think it was actually easier than using my excavator since I was able to get more in the truck and make fewer trips to the dump.

 

[musch]

My concern is that it is a fallen barn, and that there is practically no way to avoid nails, short of pulling up all the shingles and looking.
so, perhaps a 260 with a carbide chain?? Sounds like that might be interesting.

Anything else I need to consider? I can take my time on this "project", its not going anywhere without me...opcorn:

 

[Madsaw]

Experince here is use a old saw you do not like. Lots of good personel protection and a few just about junk chains. Why spend the money on a chain that if you have 5 old ones that are just about junk to tear up. The cutter do fly off when you hit nails. I love farm auctions for picking up chains for this purpose. I have a couple of old homelite xl101's for the job in the past. I have ripped up 2 barn roofs and a porch roof with this set up. Sure beats using a nice saw that can cost a bunch to repair if it breaks. Also use semi cheisel chain it does not grab the roofing nails as bad. Add a face mask in the bag too so your not breathing anything from cutting the shingles.
Later
Bob

 

[musch]

Thanks Bob, good advice, to be sure.

 

[Lakeside53]

Given the choice, I'd use a track hoe...

 

[musch]

It is not THAT big of a job, Lake, but I appreciate the sentiment.:hmm3grin2orange:
I was just wondering if it was something I could reasonably tackle with stuff I more or less had around.

 

[SmokinDodge]

Given the choice, I'd use a track hoe...

Or two gallons of diesel.


Musch I have had good luck with a skill saw that I hated and a blade that I wasn't proud of. Best of luck to ya and be safe!

 

[musch]

Or two gallons of diesel.

Oh, believe me, I REALLY have thought long and hard about lighting that baby up plenty of times, but there is so much crap inside, the fumes would probably kill me.

Its an old barn/shed that was pulled over with a tractor, and left to rot.

I plan to remove the roof, pull out all the debris (carpet, pvc, etc) and then burn the rest to the foundation.

Too bad they didn't just leave it stand, I'd have a nice saw shed!

 

[musch]

Is this what you guys are reffering to??? http://www.skilshop.com/saw_blades/all_saw_blades/75518.html

 

[joesawer]

Cutters Edge in Julian Ca sells Bullet chain that will serve your purpose very well.
I have personally used it to cut through roofs, shingles, nails, decking, flashing, rafters, nail plates, it didn't matter. It cut as good when done as when I started. Not fast by square chisel standards, But not slow compared to a rocked or metal damaged wood cutting chain.
Last year I worked in Julian for about 6 months, a very small town. While there I met one of the guys that works for cutting edge and he told me that they test every batch of bullet chain by cutting steel boiler plate with it.
Very impressive stuff.
Most of the carbide chains out there are for abrasive use and don't handle impact well at all.

 

[DGG]

I would use a sawzall, not a chain saw. You are probably not cutting up anything that large. The right blades on a sawsall will cut anything; metal, wood, pipes, conduit, asphalt shingles, anything. If electical power isn't available you can always rent a small generator. I could cut a barn in half with my sawzall I think. I don't think a chainsaw is what you want to use for demolition.

http://www.mytoolstore.com/milwauke/6523-21.html

 

[djmercer1]

attached is a pic of a demo job i did this past week. i used a poulan pro 260(42cc-18" b/c). the demolition saw and skil saw was tried but was a pain and would have taken too much time.

the building was standing before i started, it was a 16x22 barn style woods shack. i plunged cut through the roof and cut to the sill plate between every joist. i found that a light saw was necessary, and it is very dirty work.

i had a backup saw for cutting lines and i decided before i started that i would junk the b/c, or use it for other demo jobs only. i ran the file over the chain only once and even though dull it woul still cut the osb sheeting ok. make sure that you keep the oil passages clear because the bar will get hot.

 

[04ultra]

Musch it really does a nice job...........Were taking down a barn in a few weeks with the hoe.. I should have the camera along..



.

 

[wdchuck]

WE used a skil-saw with some cheap carbide toothed blades, and a recipricating saw, bought the econo-pak at Menards, to cut up a roof from a 30x50 garage, after we dropped it, so it was all work from the shingle side; cedar shake, two layers of asphalt, nails. Two of us cut it up and loaded the dumpster with room to spare in two days. Safety glasses/goggles for sure. It went pretty easy, should have saved more of that old lumber in retropsect though.

 

[musch]

Thanks for all the responses guys!!!

I am gonna try a sawzall, which I already have, but we'll see how many blades I go through..

I will move to circular saw, then chainsaw, depending on results.

Last ditch effort will involve some propellant..:angry2: