what log / chainsaw saw horse

Hello All,

Looking at getting a saw horse as we are starting to source uncut logs for our log burner.

I need to cut logs say 4 to 2 foot long down to 12 inches, ready for splitting.

this is 25 quid from Amazon, will this do the job?

this is £30, looks to be able to grip the log better, but is the spacing too big to be able to cut 2 foot logs in half?

or is it best to go and get something like this, 50 quid

What are you using?

Knock one up from scrap wood like the Amazon job or visit an independent wood yard. For £25 you get a sturdier build than that, it looks a bit flimsy.

I’ve got the porchek (sp?) one the £50 job. Excellent bit of kit well worth the money. makes the whole job a lot safer and can be used by people who are otherwise not confident with a chainsaw

I built this last week…

ditto,

I’m far far from any sort of carpenter (I was once told I’d make a good chippy …… cry!), I did knock one up last week out of a few bits of old roof truss & battening for my friend on the Isle of Mull while we were up there …… took a while as I kept stopping to watch the wildlife in the spectacular scenery! but on the whole far sturdier than the above samples.

One of these ?

Piece o cake to nock one up yourself, dont buy a metal one, not good on your saw chain if you hit the steel

The first ones a clothes horse right ?

Build your own, its not rocket science.

I made one out of pallets, the 3×2 bearers, not the 3×1 planks.
It’s got loads of chunks out of it by now, where I’ve gone off line a bit with the chainsaw. I wouldn’t use a metal one.

The problem with the x section saw horse is how to hold the wood and operate a chain saw.

I have a Smart Wood Log Holder and it is a fantastic piece of kit. It is extremely well designed, with great attention to detail. I was so impressed I bought my father one.

As far as I am concerned nothing comes close.

The problem with the x section saw horse is how to hold the wood and operate a chain saw.

Can’t say I’ve ever had a problem, the weight of the log and rotation of the saw seem to hold them fine.

I have the metal one, think it’s pretty good for sawing long logs, though I’m not using a chainsaw. I usually prop one set of legs aginst a step to steady it and then it’s fine. I was going to make one but then saw this, seems ok, the serrated teeth grip the timber well.

thanks all for your help.

after looking into the suggestions, the first yellow one does look a bit limp.

could make my own, what sort of spacing are you guys using between the legs? and what length are the finished logs you cut?

kilo / tonyplym and anyone who has used the type which hold the chain saw – have you also used the x-type horse to compare? is the log secure in the ‘tray’? i like the idea of this saw horse, seems to free up a hand.

JohnB – Smart Wood Log Holder, seems a serious bit of kit, for around £75 quid it would have to be good. what sort of size logs can this hold? are they just for long lengths or can they be used to cut 2 foot logs into foot lengths for example?

thanks all, replies much appreciated.

I’ve a saw jaw, have a Google, its good.

The logs should be cut an inch or two shorter than the opening on your fire.

I made one.It can hold about 20 logs, and one cut with the chain saw goes though all of them. There stay in place so a few cut turns the 20 logs into about 60 small sections ready for splitting.

I made mine from 4x4s. Drilled each of the three scissors with a 10mm bit, bolted together with threaded rod. If possible recess the nuts and washers to saw the saw catching them. Line up the scissors, the end ones a little closer than the third to suit your log size, then nail three 3×1 length ways to join them together.

I’ve chopped a mountain of wood and the horse has stood outdoors for ten years.

JohnB – Smart Wood Log Holder, seems a serious bit of kit, for around £75 quid it would have to be good. what sort of size logs can this hold? are they just for long lengths or can they be used to cut 2 foot logs into foot lengths for example?

It can hold from arm size upto about 300mm dia. The biggest logs I have put in I could not lift in one go.

You can put in long and short wood. 2 foot will go in no problem.

~Lay something solid on the ground, say two bits of old sleeper. at 90 degrees to cut. Then two rows of stakes beaten in solid. You can now stack your timber and cut multiple blocks at once.

kilo / tonyplym and anyone who has used the type which hold the chain saw – have you also used the x-type horse to compare? is the log secure in the ‘tray’? i like the idea of this saw horse, seems to free up a hand.

I’ve only ever used the metal one in the OP. The log is secure because of either the weight of it in the tray or you can use one hand to hold it in place as the saw only needs one hand to operate it. If your hitting metal as one poster mentioned you’ve not put the saw in properly. I use it in an uneven stony yard or in quite a tight wood shed so it’s great the saw is clamped out of the way, ticking over when i’m moving logs to cut and it folds flat. Also because it’s so easy to use, the wife is happy to cut wood – obviously this leads to competitive wood cutting and ensuing rows

Ive got the 3rd one you show, the Portek logmaster. While it was great when I was 1st starting out and very scared of the chainsaw, I find that now I dont use it that much and just cut the logs where they lay usually in a pile. Its not getting used that much now.

I kept a couple of big logs that didn’t roll and cut Vs in them. The advantage is that they are low down so kicks are easier to handle and you don’t get falling wood bouncing around. The downside is that my back can only cope with an hour or so of bending over.

could make my own, what sort of spacing are you guys using between the legs?

I made my own out of scrap wood and I made the smaller right hand space so that it was the maximum length for my wood burner. If it falls through the gap it fits in the fire if not it needs a cut.

The left side is roughly twice as wide.

Knocked-up this a few weeks ago because I had a load of large timber to saw down to size…

Free pallet wood.
Screws.
Teak oil.

About a tenner all in and about two hours of my time.

[Ramsay]DONE…![/Ramsay]

Ooh, get you and your fancy cross halfing joints and diagonal bracing. 😛

If your hitting metal as one poster mentioned you’ve not put the saw in properly

Yeah, I appreciate that, but if you’re cutting all sorts of odd knobbly crooked stuff, it’s one less thing to worry about.

just got in from using mine. A cantilever design – great for long cords. Built it a while ago based around a spare sleeper. Easy to rebuild and modify as the sides are sacrificial.

Slowly filling the store.