# Removing a car's roof with a chain saw? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 29, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073 "2009-05-29T19:49:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Joe_Meager)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/1 "2009-05-29T19:49:45Z")
Back in college there was a guy who claimed he had cut off the roof of a car with a chainsaw. He was a hothead with a coke problem so I can believe this would be the kind of thing he might _attempt_. But he was a standard east-coast suburban kid, and nothing was ever said about the chain saw being anything other than a standard model with a standard chain. From what I know about chain saws (which isn’t much), they do a fine job on wood, but the chains just aren’t designed to cut metal. Not to mention car pillars. So… is this even feasable? Or was this guy just bragging? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/2 "2009-05-29T20:10:02Z")
I don’t see it happening. In 30 seconds or less the blades would be dull and he might get through just one of the 4-6 pillars needed. The rear pillars are usually quite thick, too. ---
**Author:** ![J-P\_L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/j-p_l/32/3156_2.png) [@J-P\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J-P_L)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/3 "2009-05-29T20:20:43Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > I don’t see it happening. In 30 seconds or less the blades would be dull and he might get through just one of the 4-6 pillars needed. > > The rear pillars are usually quite thick, too. I can see it happening. While I do not know that much about chainsaw either, I know the profile of the chain is rather agressive and it runs VERY fast. With enough leverage, you could probably get thru the pillars. Of course, the chain would be ruined, I don’t think it could even be sharpened again. Also, anyone atempting this better be wearing protective clothing and eye protection, preferably with full face coverage. My guess is that if a car was modified that way, you could tell by simply looking at it. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/4 "2009-05-29T20:45:31Z")
Jared Leto and Jake Gyllenhall use a handheld circular saw to cut the roof off of their muscle car (I think it was a Dodge Charger) to turn it into a convertible in the woefully underrated road-trip adventure film [Highway](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165361/) (2002.) Don’t know about a chainsaw though - I sure as hell wouldn’t want to try cutting up a car with such a rough blade. ---
**Author:** ![LionelHutz405](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lionelhutz405/32/536_2.png) [@LionelHutz405](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LionelHutz405)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/5 "2009-05-29T20:54:12Z")
I call bullshit. Chainsaws are not designed to cut metal. It cuts by the teeth taking small chips out of the wood. The teeth of the saw would dull in no time and a dull chainsaw doesn’t even cut wood very well. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/6 "2009-05-29T21:07:31Z")
I’m having a hard time seeing this happen. Chainsaws just dull too quickly when you hit metallic objects (or rocks, trust me). More likely is you’d break the chain and then all sorts of fun would happen. Time to call Mythbusters! ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/7 "2009-05-29T21:20:46Z")
Didn’t Bruce Campbell do this to his Oldsmobile in “Army of Darkness”? Mind you, the chainsaw was fused to his hand at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Gbro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Gbro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gbro)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/8 "2009-05-29T21:39:45Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Jared Leto and Jake Gyllenhall use a handheld circular saw to cut the roof off of their muscle car (I think it was a Dodge Charger) to turn it into a convertible in the woefully underrated road-trip adventure film [Highway](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165361/) (2002.) Don’t know about a chainsaw though - I sure as hell wouldn’t want to try cutting up a car with such a rough blade. A blade installed to run backwards has been used for cutting metal. It would be interesting to try a chain saw with the chain backwards:dubious:. > [@](#): > > nothing was ever said about the chain saw being anything other than a standard model with a standard chain. That statement is not proof a [carbide chain](http://www.rapcoindustries.com/) wasn’t used;) ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/9 "2009-05-29T22:34:38Z")
Older cars had very thin pillars. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/10 "2009-05-29T22:44:32Z")
Are you sure he didn’t say it was a “Sawzall” (pronounced “saws all”)? ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/11 "2009-05-29T22:45:44Z")
I’d say it’s Plauseable but definitely dangerous…:dubious: If you have ever run into a nail with either a chainsaw or skill saw, they like to buck pretty good, then kill the blade pretty fast. Carbide tipped and the right blade type would be fine. We use these for aluminum. But, If you use em on **steel** the blades will dull or even shatter, depending on the speed and feed. Now a SAWZALL…that’s different 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/12 "2009-05-30T00:42:56Z")
Sounds like something Red Green would do, trying to make a convertible! ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/13 "2009-05-30T02:07:12Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Sounds like something Red Green would do, trying to make a convertible! The thought of it makes me very unconvertible. ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/14 "2009-05-30T02:37:09Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > Are you sure he didn’t say it was a “Sawzall” (pronounced “saws all”)? I know a woman who did exactly that, cut the roof off her car with a sawzall (reciprocating saw) in the mid-80’s. The car was an old junker and it looked like shit afterwards, but had a cool punk appeal. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/15 "2009-05-30T03:09:43Z")
> [@BMax](#): > > The car was an old junker and it looked like shit afterwards, but had a cool punk appeal. And probably would have crumpled in a serious collision or roll over. ---
**Author:** ![Fastidiots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fastidiots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fastidiots)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/16 "2009-05-30T03:35:35Z")
The issue isn’t that the “blade” would dull. Its that the _teeth_ would break off. I can imagine getting through a bit of aluminum, but as soon as you touched some stainless subframe you’d just be making heat and noise. Eventually you’d be standing there rattling as the riders chatter on the steel. I call bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/17 "2009-05-30T03:39:33Z")
> [@BMax](#): > > I know a woman who did exactly that, cut the roof off her car with a sawzall (reciprocating saw) in the mid-80’s. The car was an old junker and it looked like shit afterwards, but had a cool punk appeal. When I was on the fire department, we carried a couple Sawzalls with the Fire-Rescue blade as backups in case anything happened to our hydraulic Hurst Tools. I took a full extrication class that used nothing but the Sawzall once, I was impressed with how much you could do with it. That said, I don’t see someone being able to cut off a car roof with a chain saw using a standard chain. You’d either break the chain or dull it down to nothing before you got through all that metal. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/18 "2009-05-30T03:46:31Z")
A friend and I cut the roof off of a '69 Toyota Corolla with hammers and chisels in perhaps an hour or two, and I once accidentally cut through several inches of steel angle iron about 1/4" thick with a cheap circular saw, which didn’t act any different going through it and didn’t seem to cut wood any differently afterwards. Chain saw teeth might catch and rock backwards and bind much more than they would in wood, so I dunno… ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/19 "2009-05-30T04:04:28Z")
My brother used a sawz-all. Probably was a Toyota Corolla too. 🙂 Then they painted it with superboy blue latex paint, spray painted the interior red, mounted house speakers on the rear deck and mounted a longhorn cattle horn on the front hood. Someone stole it. The police couldn’t find it. I pretty much lost a lot of faith in the cops after that. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073/20 "2009-05-30T08:10:57Z")
Unless it was a ragtop or there is a tool-steel chain, no way in hell. You couldn’t break the skin of the car before the blades would be too dull to cut butter. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-a-cars-roof-with-a-chain-saw/498073.md?page=2)