Letter Re: A Firewood Sawing Reality Check

Hello Jim;  
In reference to the recent letter on using a muscle-powered crosscut saw:   For about four years now, I’ve been doing much of my wood cutting with a DC to AC inverter (AIMS 5000) that I purchased for $299 back then – they are now listed at $399.  I hook it to a used deep cycle battery that was given to me by someone who works setting up remoted gas wells.  I throw the battery, inverter and either a Husqvarna electric chain saw (for deadfallen trees) or an old Skilsaw (for old pallets) in the van and go foraging for wood. 

The inverter easily handles the demands of either saw and I can fill the van before the battery seriously drops in voltage. It’s still pretty noisy but is better than gas powered.  I also have several solar panels and could run the whole set up “from the sun” if need be.  I wasn’t thinking about preparation when I got it but that inverter and several of those batteries would greatly ease things in a grid-down situation. Thanks for all you do! – Hobomatt