# Practical Weapon: Chainsword



## KarlFranz40k (Jan 30, 2009)

I was thinking about this last summer when I was cutting down a bunch of trees, and just remembered it today, just how practical is a chainsword as a weapon?

Now who here has actually ever used a chainsaw? For a start its heavy, really heavy. Secondly the balance is terrible, the blade itself weighs very little in comparison to the motor, infact I can say with confidance that it is nearly impossible to use a chainsaw one-handed, you need to use both hands, one on each handle, to give yourself the leverage you need to cut up anything tougher than cheese. Then there's the chain itself, if it snags anything of resistance like a nail, it jams, and you have to pull back and restart the motor.

Fast-forward 38,000 years and some bright spark has made it into a melee weapon.
The first problem is balance, in the diagrams I've seen of chainswords the motor runs up the length of the blade, now that means you can swing it, but have nearly no controle over it at all since all the weight is up the blade, it would be like a club. This could be solved by a suitably heavy pomel on the handle, but that adds even more weight.
The second problem is the chain itself. Assuming it works in the same way as a chainsaw the teeth will all be part of one chain. Now if that chain slips or meets resistance it can't handle, it will break, and suddendly you're left holding a useless heavy motor. 
Lets consider the stuff that chainswords are meant to cut through, flesh and bone obviously, but what about the armour? Flak, carapace, cerimite etc. These are all much tougher than wood. Take it from me, a chainsaw only goes through wood at a rate of about 3 or 4 inches a second, not quite as cut-in-two as is sometimes portrayed.
And remember you would not only need really sharp teeth to cut through this stuff, but a seriously powerful motor so it doesn't jam. 

IG infantry are meant to be able to wield these! Personally I don't think its possible, what do you think?


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## dotalchemy (Mar 4, 2009)

Let's consider that 38,000 years in the future, a chainblade isn't made from steel like it is now, but from some ultra strong, lightweight material. After all, they do have the technology to make lascannons and starships - they've probably advanced a wee bit in terms of the material that the chainsword is constructed of.

Also, the power source. Modern chainsaws use a petrol motor - now, I grant you, 38,000 years in the future and it sounds like they use one there too, but to all intents and purposes, they're significantly smaller.

There's no definition of how much they physically weigh in the fluff world to my knowledge. Nothing saying that they do weigh as much as a modern day chainsaw. IG could very well weild the weapon if the weight was down and they were trained correctly.

You're quite correct - a chainblade as described in 40k is not possible with modern technology. That's why we have plasma cutters, which are incredibly slow and hardly useful as a personal defense weapon. In a universe where they have plasma drives, warp translation, void sheilding, Titan's capable of firing tiny little stars? I'm suprised they're not using lightsabers...


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## Eliazar (Jan 28, 2009)

I think with the improved technology of the far future (sharper, lighter material, better power source, etc.), it's an extremely practical weapon, for the way I imagine it, you just have to hit something, and the chain blade will tear it apart. Not too bad, in my opinion. Perhaps they are a little like a diamond-teeth chainsaw with a really powerful motor would be today.


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## 1001st Son (Feb 28, 2009)

skiddy said:


> Also, the power source. Modern chainsaws use a petrol motor - now, I grant you, 38,000 years in the future and it sounds like they use one there too, but to all intents and purposes, they're significantly smaller.


Actually, I don't think they use petrol for much of anything in the 41st millennium.

@KarlFranz40k: There's a pretty big difference in the type of chain they use. Chainsaws today use very small blades that are barely bigger than the chain, while a chainsword's chain has large, angled teeth designed specifically for combat.

Here's a couple pictures for reference:

Modern-day chainsaw:









Chainsword:


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## steck (Feb 12, 2009)

they might not use gas to power it, but it seems to be something similar. i also think the chain is made from the same stuff as marine armor, so it would be really strong and able to cut through marine armor


they do have lightsabers, power wpns


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## 1001st Son (Feb 28, 2009)

SM armor is made of ceramite, which is unpractical as a means of making weapons. The higher quality weapons are made of adamantium.


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## Commissar Maximus (Sep 20, 2008)

I remember something about the teeth on the blade of a chain fist being the teeth of some kraken of some sort...thus more penetration.I dont think this apply to a chainsword tough,im with 1001st Son on this one(adamantium).


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## rata tat tat (Dec 23, 2008)

some are made of ceramite, at least Mad Donna's is in the Necromunda novels.

and i think promethium is supposed to gas.


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## steck (Feb 12, 2009)

promethium is flamer fuel, it seems more like kerosene then gas to me

it dosnt say on wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promethium#Applications)


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## rata tat tat (Dec 23, 2008)

steck said:


> promethium is flamer fuel, it seems more like kerosene then gas to me
> 
> it dosnt say on wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promethium#Applications)


it's more than just flamer fuel if the various IG and Cain novels are anything to go by. some of the CSMs have had their chainswords reconfigured to run on promethium as well, cuz it's just cooler to have something that looks evil, rusty and belches oily smoke as it tears someone in half.

most probably supplies of power-cells are scarce in the Eye of Terror as well.

i'm pretty sure the promethium in 40k is not the element we know from the periodic table. they probably used the Greek god Prometheus, or was he Roman... i dunno. anyway, the myth of his bringing fire to mortals and then getting cast down to have his liver eaten over and over again... cuz it regenerates, right... he's a god. anyway, as all the Gothic language is a hodge-podge of English and bastardized Latin... you get a holy sounding word for a substance which burns and is refined from petroleum. 

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Promethium

ok, in one state it is flamer fuel and in a more refined state it powers vehicles... aka... refined petroleum...


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## Arcane (Feb 17, 2009)

Stihl currently makes a 1 handed chainsaw. I sell it in my shop. It's not actually intended to be used 1 handed, but it is made for arborists that sometimes need that extra mobility and though it's against safety code it 'can' be used 1 handed. 

Btw, I don't recommend ever using a chainsaw 1 handed, nor doed Stihl >.>


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## 1001st Son (Feb 28, 2009)

rata tat tat said:


> some are made of ceramite, at least Mad Donna's is in the Necromunda novels.


Knowing the characters in Necromunda, they probably had ceramite chainswords because they couldn't afford anything better. Ceramite is essentially ceramic, like a really really strong flower pot. That doesn't strike me as a very effective material to make weapons out of.


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## Daneel2.0 (Jul 24, 2008)

Chainswords wouldn't make a very effective weapon, except under very limited circumstances. 

The requirements to make it work effectively would just be far too stringent. First you would need a massively high speed, requiring a ton of energy, a high efficiency motor and a very low friction system. Then you would need to have a substance that held a fine edge even after brutal use, which would also require some kind of sharpening system (which would be pretty difficult in itself since the general rule is that a material either holds an edge or gets an edge easily). Finally you would need a material stronger than the one that you were cutting.

I just don't see that happening. Like most GW weapons, this one just isn't very "realistic". Not that it needs to be in order for the game to function, but there you go.


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## Galahad (Dec 21, 2006)

I always find it hilarious when people go to lengths to defend or question the practicality of, well...almost anything in 40k

40k runs off of the Rule of Cool. If it's cool, it works.
40,000 years and nobody knows how to weld? Fuck it, bolts look cooler. Riveted spaceship hulls work in 40k.

.75 caliber gyrojet rifles with no butt stock, an amazingly compact 30 round magazine that's about a third as big as it should be, virtually no barrel and, oh yeah, for some reason it ejects shell cases...why not? It's Waaaaay cooler than something more practical and less intimidating. Make it double-barreled and one-handed while you're at it.

Chainsaw swords are alarmingly cool, so they work fine in 40k. 

If you want it to make more sense than that then think of it as being just like ork tech. Ork tech works because orks think it works...same thing, just humans have made a religion out of it. The machine spirit makes it all work just peachy keen


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## raverboi (Jan 15, 2009)

what most are forgeting is 40000 years of tech would yeild so much advancement, high power, high effieciency motors and pointlessly sharp blades, whose to say chainsword teeth dont have simular properties to power weapons?, i can see it now, a chainsword which is stupidly light ,retardedly sharp and reving at 20,000 rpms  im sure it would simply fall through most things it touches


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## Galahad (Dec 21, 2006)

Of course, by the rules it's exactly as effective as a boot knife, or a headbutt from a foot tall Familiar ;-)


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## CamTheApostle (Oct 31, 2008)

Galahad said:


> I always find it hilarious when people go to lengths to defend or question the practicality of, well...almost anything in 40k
> 
> 40k runs off of the Rule of Cool. If it's cool, it works.
> 40,000 years and nobody knows how to weld? Fuck it, bolts look cooler. Riveted spaceship hulls work in 40k.
> ...


Actually, the chainsword follows not only the Rule of Cool, but also the Chainsaw Good rule. That makes it doubly effective. The game is very stylized, as weapons and shoulderpads the size they are would be completely impractical.

As for fluff explination, I believe the blades on the chainsword are mono-molecular, making them instantly better with such a cool-sounding improvement. Also, they probably incorporate some sort of auto-cleaning mechanism (to keep out the gore) and a more powerful engine to compensate for cutting through things harder then wood. But I wonder, what sort of fighting style would be needed to compensate for such a 'unique' weapon.

As for myself, I avoid chainswords in my army. They all carry more practical oversized swords, axes and hammers from the WHFB Chaos Warrior sprue. Much more practical. :grin:


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## Arcane (Feb 17, 2009)

raverboi said:


> what most are forgeting is 40000 years of tech would yeild so much advancement, high power, high effieciency motors and pointlessly sharp blades, whose to say chainsword teeth dont have simular properties to power weapons?, i can see it now, a chainsword which is stupidly light ,retardedly sharp and reving at 20,000 rpms  im sure it would simply fall through most things it touches


Then they better change those sound clips from Dawn of War because hearing 20,000 rpms would be like hearing a solid high pitched shriek.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Commissar Maximus said:


> I remember something about the teeth on the blade of a chain fist being the teeth of some kraken of some sort...


Ragnar Blackmanes Frostblade is believed to have been forged using the teeth of the Ice Kraken, I think that might be what you mean


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## Zondarian (Nov 17, 2007)

steck said:


> they do have lightsabers, power wpns


Are you kidding a Lightsaber is pretty much the most powerful CC weapon in any fantasy/sci-fi world. The power weapon is dangerous but is still based off a very basis principle that goes against evrything the Jedi are about, strength. The harder you hit something the more it hurts. If a Space Marine, in an untrained manner compared to a Jedi, took a swing at said Jedi he would have lost his arm before he knew what was happening. A power weapon is powerful but a lightsaber would have to ignore armour and invunerable saves, be a power weapon and if it hit automatically wound (strength makes no difference if you are about to slice a SM like he's butter)
Literally Power Weapons are nothing like Lightsabers in either fighting style, apperence, well actually in anyway. I would happily take my chances with Calgar and his master crafted powerfists over yoda and a lightsaber anyday, for that matter I would rather take on Calgar than a padawan.


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## KarlFranz40k (Jan 30, 2009)

Now don't start with comparing it to star wars, 40k is star wars' bigger, grittier, less apreciated, more realistic brother.

Lets appreciate this fact, lightsabers are cool...but frankly impossible. As if alot of star wars stuff, infact the most realistic major feature of star wars is the force. The rest, crossing the galaxy in a matter of days by "going to light speed" and blowing up a planet with a big laser, are just stupid, thanks to Einstien and Newton.

At least 40k thinks abit about its stuff before writing it down. Abe-it not too hardly.


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## Daneel2.0 (Jul 24, 2008)

Lets not start the Star Wars vs. 40K. There is an excellent thread  here  that goes into detail concerning the comparisons.



Galahad said:


> I always find it hilarious when people go to lengths to defend or question the practicality of, well...almost anything in 40k


I don't think I would go that far. There are a ton of examples of technical innovations that owe their existence to Science Fiction writing. It's exactly this process that may one day see an actual chain sword produced after all (somebody reads a HH book and the description or idea of a chain sword so enchants them that they come up with a real way of accomplishing it.)

As long as you realize that the lack of current realism doesn't detract from the story, or the game, then not only do I see no problems with it, but I actually enjoy and find enormous benefits in doing it.


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## MyI)arkness (Jun 8, 2008)

Well as some people said - this is freakin 38 thousand years into the future, if you think by nowdays tech standarts, almost Nothing is possible to even make, that is being used in 40k (power armor, lasguns, plasma etc etc), so just use the sci-fi rule of "its possible because of scientific advancements!" as for practicality of this weapon, i think it has certain advantages over bladed weapons, first of all you couldnt possibly cut through power armor or some tyranid armor with normal knife, even with the strength of marine, the blade would probably get dull very fast from that anyway. Now chainsword works on principle of cutting it slowly using brute force of pushing it into enemy, so you cut through that 1 inch or whatever power armor and the damage of blades to living body is just too great to even compare to any bladed weapon (even power weapons, because they do a "Clean" cut) so chainsword is a sure-kill if you manage to hold it long enough against power armor, while any unarmored aliens just get splattered apart. Oh another advantage is this blood preasure thing, normal blades can easily get stuck in a body and be quite hard to push out (some medieval weapons had certain adjustments to reduce that), but chainsword has no problem with that.


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## DuesIncarmine (Jul 3, 2009)

the chainswords are made of out of adamantium so breaking is a no issue and as far as a motor goes, well there are plasma drive and so on so i would assume that those blades would be hard to stop once going. as for wieght i dont know probly the same wieght as a claymore.


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