Chainsaw for firewood UK
Updated: 22 October 2026
You ordered a mini because the price looked right, then found the stove still wants thirty-centimetre rounds and the chain is smoking after the third cut. Firewood punishes bar length, motor cooling and patience more than hedge trimming does. The [chainsaw comparison](/hub/forestry-tools/chainsaw) lists twelve amazon.co.uk models from six-inch minis to a twenty-inch petrol saw. This page maps log size and session length onto those rows. It does not teach felling. Prices and counts are the saved amazon.co.uk figures. Peter F. checked those listings. This is not a laboratory cut. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You ordered a mini because the price looked right, then found the stove still wants thirty-centimetre rounds and the chain is smoking after the third cut.
You ordered a mini because the price looked right, then found the stove still wants thirty-centimetre rounds and the chain is smoking after the third cut. Firewood punishes bar length, motor cooling and patience more than hedge trimming does. The chainsaw comparison lists twelve amazon.co.uk models from six-inch minis to a twenty-inch petrol saw. This page maps log size and session length onto those rows. It does not teach felling. Prices and counts are the saved amazon.co.uk figures. Peter F. checked those listings. This is not a laboratory cut. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Bar | Power | Lead or fuel | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Hyundai Hyundai HYC2400E | 16 inch | Corded 2,400 W | 12 m cable | 9.0 | about £88.98 | View offer |
 Hyundai Hyundai HYC6200X | 20 inch | Petrol 62 cc | 40:1 in UK reviews | 8.8 | about £109.89 | View offer | |
 Hyundai Hyundai HYC1600E | 14 inch | Corded 1,600 W | 3 m cable | 8.8 | about £59.50 | View offer |
On this page
Measure your wood before you measure watts
The guide bar should be a little longer than the diameter you want to cut in one pass, with the nose kept out of a plunge cut. Measure a few representative rounds with a tape. Storm wood is often irregular. Write down the largest sensible number. If most rounds exceed six inches, the minis in this comparison are the wrong class, even when a bullet claims an eight-second cut.
Softwood garden waste is not dense oak or an old fruit-tree limb. UK reviews on the fourteen-inch corded Hyundai mention hardwood that stalled a 1,600 W motor. That is a capacity signal, not proof that every unit fails. Split oversized rounds with a splitting axe or wedge first, so the chainsaw works inside its bar instead of burying the nose.
Why minis struggle on stove logs
Six-inch and eight-inch battery kits dominate the lower price band. They suit pruning and storm twigs, not an afternoon bucking a winter pile. Chains overheat when owners force long cuts. Batteries drain after a handful of thick kerfs. Manual oilers need attention every few minutes. The large Seesii review count reflects garden tidy-up, not cordwood work.
If firewood is the main job, compare bar length on the corded pair: fourteen inches with a 1,600 W motor and a three-metre lead, against sixteen inches with 2,400 W and twelve metres. The longer lead matters when the stack sits away from the house and you will not daisy-chain extension reels across a wet lawn. How petrol, corded and battery divide that choice is on petrol versus cordless.
Corded firewood by the house
When a BS 1363 socket is within a safe run, corded 230 V is the straightforward firewood path here. The Hyundai HYC2400E is the best value for that job: sixteen inches, 2,400 W, about £88.98, 4.3 from 1,037 ratings, with automatic oiling stated and chain oil not in the box. Reviewers praise the twelve-metre cable and report thrown chains if tension is skipped after warm-up slack.
The HYC1600E is about £59.50 with a fourteen-inch bar, 3.9 kg and 859 ratings. The three-metre cable keeps you near the socket. Choose it for modest rounds. Bullets on that listing say 2,400 W. Use the 1,600 W title and spec block. Neither corded listing names a chain brake in the five bullets. Wear leg protection to BS EN 381-5 for ground bucking.
Petrol for volume and storm timber
When power does not reach the stack, or sessions run long, the Hyundai HYC6200X is the petrol row: 62 cc, a twenty-inch bar, two chains, about £109.89 and 4.2 from 1,335 ratings. Reviewers describe storm oak with a 40:1 mix, because the listing omits a ratio. Budget bar oil, a proper file, and time for a starter when pawls strip.
Petrol adds noise, fumes and 7 kg before fuel. Refuel only when the engine is stopped and cool, outdoors. Trousers, boots and oil can rival the cheapest mini. In England some private-garden work is outside a felling licence. A tree preservation order or a conservation area still needs the council. Scotland and Northern Ireland differ.
Practical session tips
Retension after the first few cuts, once the chain is warm. Top up bar oil on corded saws and on manual mini reservoirs before the chain runs dry. A dry chain overheats and stretches. Pause when the motor labours. Forcing a small bar through a thick round invites kickback from the nose. Keep a two-tree-length exclusion zone in mind when other people walk nearby, as HSE work guidance describes, even for a hobby cut. Stop and call a professional for a hung-up stem, an overhead line, or any stem you cannot reach with both feet on the ground. Oil and tension before a long session are on how to use a chainsaw.
Common questions
Can a six-inch mini cut stove logs?
Only small soft rounds well inside the bar, and not for a full winter pile. Chains smoke and packs drain when owners force thick kerfs. For regular stove fuel, use a fourteen- or sixteen-inch corded saw, or the twenty-inch petrol row, in this comparison.
Is fourteen inches enough for thirty-centimetre rounds?
Often yes, with a clean technique and split halves when the round is dense, but the margin on the nose is tight. Sixteen inches, on the HYC2400E, gives more clearance. Thirty centimetres is about twelve inches, so a fourteen-inch bar is only a little longer than the wood.
Petrol or corded for a winter log pile?
Corded when the socket and the cable run are safe and the pile is near the house. That is the HYC2400E with twelve metres, or the HYC1600E if three metres is enough. Petrol, the HYC6200X, when power is absent or the timber is large and the sessions are long.
Is the petrol Hyundai enough for oak?
Reviewers mention storm oak on the HYC6200X. Oak is dense. The bar, the chain and your fatigue still limit the session. Expect sharpening breaks. The kit file is criticised in UK comments, so budget a better file, and wear full PPE.
When is firewood work professional under HSE?
When it is paid tree work, or forestry an employer controls, HSE’s high-risk rules apply, including competence for work on or in a tree. Cutting your own garden wood as a hobby is a different legal setting. PPE and knowing when to stop still apply. Hung-up stems and overhead lines are a job for a qualified arborist.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026.
- HSE: Chainsaw operators (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE: Chainsaw PPE (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE: Training and competence (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- AFAG805: occasional users (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- BS EN ISO 11681-1:2022 portable chain-saw safety (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- EN 62841-4-1:2020 electric chain saws (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- When you do not need a felling licence (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- OPSS product safety report 2609-0234 (retrieved 22 October 2026)