Electric chainsaw for logs and firewood
Updated: 22 October 2026
A winter log pile and a 6 inch amazon.co.uk bestseller answer the same search and not the same job. Bucking on a sawhorse beside a socket is what the 14–16 inch corded saws in the [electric chainsaw comparison](/hub/forestry-tools/electric-chainsaw) were listed for. Twigs are what the mini kits do, and their review counts must not outrank Hyundai or Oregon when the wood is thick. This page maps diameter to bar length and says when to stop. Peter F. used the listing fields and STIGA’s rule of thumb, and did not lab-test a pile. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
A winter log pile and a 6 inch amazon.co.uk bestseller answer the same search and not the same job.
A winter log pile and a 6 inch amazon.co.uk bestseller answer the same search and not the same job. Bucking on a sawhorse beside a socket is what the 14–16 inch corded saws in the electric chainsaw comparison were listed for. Twigs are what the mini kits do, and their review counts must not outrank Hyundai or Oregon when the wood is thick. This page maps diameter to bar length and says when to stop. Peter F. used the listing fields and STIGA’s rule of thumb, and did not lab-test a pile. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Bar | Listed power | Cable | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Oregon Oregon CS1400 | 16 inch | 2400 W | n/a | 9.0 | about £114.42 | View offer |
| Best value |  Hyundai Hyundai HYC2400E | 40 cm (16 inch) | 2400 W | 12 m | 8.8 | about £88.98 | View offer |
 Hyundai Hyundai HYC1600E | 35 cm (14 inch) | 1600 W | 3 m | 8.6 | about £59.50 | View offer |
On this page
What diameter you are cutting
STIGA’s UK guide, a manufacturer rule of thumb rather than a test of these listings, suggests a guide bar about 2–5 cm longer than the thickest piece you cut in one pass. They place 30–35 cm and roughly 1800 W corded for regular firewood, and 35–40 cm with about 2–2.2 kW for larger storm timber. In this table, rounds in the 10–20 cm band appear often in UK reviewer notes on Oregon and Hyundai. A 6 inch bar cannot reach across a round that already needs a 14 inch pass.
Hardwood pushes harder than softwood. One Hyundai HYC1600E review says thick hardwood was too much, which is the limit of a 1600 W 14 inch saw, not proof that every log fails. If the trunk is still standing and could hit the house, road, or a neighbour’s fence, you are outside stove-log bucking. Overhead lines within 10 metres mean the network operator, not a longer bar.
Which saws match a log pile
Hyundai HYC1600E at about £59.50 is the small-end corded choice: 14 inches, 1600 W, and a 3 m cable, fine close to the socket and tight at the bottom of a long garden. Hyundai HYC2400E at about £88.98 is 2400 W, 16 inches, and a 12 m lead, the best value corded pick if you buy oil and retension the chain. DOVAMAN DCS01A at about £94.97 adds two chains and a stated brake time on a 6 m cable, with only nine UK ratings.
Oregon CS1400 at about £114.42 is the top pick on review depth, with 1,561 ratings and a stated integrated chain brake. Its cable length is unstated. GEARPASS lists 16 inches on a battery, with brake and handle complaints in eleven scores, so skip it for firewood until you verify the brake. Every 6 inch kit is the wrong class for a winter pile. Oil is not in the box on the corded saws, so budget a bottle first.
Sawhorse, cable, and where you stop
Cross-cut on a sawhorse so the bar is not pinching in the dirt. Electrical Safety First still wants the cable behind you, an RCD, and dry weather. The 12 m Hyundai lead cuts extension-reel work. The HYC1600E’s 3 m lead may need a rated reel, fully unwound. Oregon reviewers check oil every few logs when the window is hard to read.
Stop if the round binds, the chain smokes, or you are tired, and sharpen rather than force the cut. Felling and then bucking with the same saw is only for a garden-scale stem that does not lean toward a hazard. All-day farm firewood is still a petrol job. Oil, tension, and the brake, before any of this, are on how to use an electric chainsaw.
Splitting first, and a blunt chain
Splitting oversized rounds with a wedge and maul before the saw touches the wood is still sound practice. The bar is not a splitting maul. Forcing a cut through a diameter that binds the bar wastes time and risks kickback. DOVAMAN’s bumper spikes help the saw bite on a supported round. They do not turn a consumer listing into professional felling kit.
Brush chips off the oil ports when you finish, and check for soil on the chain. Hyundai and Oregon reviewers describe a sudden loss of power that was a blunt chain after dirt. Bar-length trade-offs are on the electric chainsaw buying guide.
Common questions
Can a corded electric saw cut firewood?
Yes, for rounds already down and within bar reach, on a sawhorse, with bar-and-chain oil and PPE. The corded rows in this set, from the 14 inch Hyundai HYC1600E to the 16 inch 2400 W saws, are the log band. A 6 inch mini is not a firewood strategy.
Is 14 inch enough, or do I need 16 inch?
Fourteen inches with 1600 W suits lighter piles close to the socket. Sixteen inches with 2400 W is the mainstream log choice here, on the Hyundai HYC2400E, DOVAMAN, and Oregon CS1400. Use STIGA’s 2–5 cm extra bar on the thickest round you cut in one pass.
Will a 6 inch cordless saw get through a log?
Not as a firewood plan. It may nibble small softwood pieces. It is the wrong tool class for a stove pile, even when the review count is in the thousands. SEESII, SINPY, and the Supstable minis stay in the pruning group.
Do I need a sawhorse?
Yes for repeatable bucking. Cutting between your boots, or on muddy ground, blunts the chain and risks the bind-ups UK reviews describe. Support the round so the bar is not pinching in the dirt.
Can I fell the tree and then log it with the same saw?
Only within ordinary garden scope and skill, and never toward people, roads, or overhead lines. A stem that could hit the house or a neighbour’s fence is professional felling, not a longer-bar purchase. Lines within 10 metres mean the network operator.
What about hardwood?
Expect slower cuts and more sharpening. A HYC1600E review warns that thick hardwood was too much for that 1600 W 14 inch saw. Step up in bar and wattage, or split oversized rounds with a wedge and maul before you saw them.
How does the cable change a log session?
A 3 m lead on the HYC1600E keeps the pile next to the socket. Six metres is the DOVAMAN figure. Twelve metres on the HYC2400E reduces extension use. Oregon does not state a cable length. Plan the lead path before you start, and keep the flex behind you.
Related pages
Sources
Public sources listed for this comparison, October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures in that set. We did not run a lab test.
- Electrical Safety First, chainsaws (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE chainsaw PPE (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE INDG317 (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE training and competence (retrieved October 2026)
- GOV.UK outdoor noise regulations 2001 (retrieved October 2026)
- BS EN 62841-4-1:2020 via BSI (retrieved October 2026)
- STIGA UK, how to choose a chainsaw (retrieved October 2026)
- Which?, petrol versus cordless chainsaws (retrieved October 2026)