Electric saw for firewood
Updated: 22 October 2026
You have a stove, timber already on the ground, and you wonder whether a saw in the [electric log saw comparison](/hub/forestry-tools/electric-log-saw) can turn it into usable lengths. This page is cross-cutting wood that is already down, not felling a living tree. Felling can still need a Forestry Act licence or fall foul of a tree preservation order. The job here is length, bar reach, support, and when to stop. Peter F. used the listing fields and did not lab-test the saws. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have a stove, timber already on the ground, and you wonder whether a saw in the electric log saw comparison can turn it into usable lengths.
You have a stove, timber already on the ground, and you wonder whether a saw in the electric log saw comparison can turn it into usable lengths. This page is cross-cutting wood that is already down, not felling a living tree. Felling can still need a Forestry Act licence or fall foul of a tree preservation order. The job here is length, bar reach, support, and when to stop. Peter F. used the listing fields and did not lab-test the saws. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Bar | Saw type | Power | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Seesii Seesii 8 inch cordless mini chainsaw | 8 inch | Cordless mini | 21 V battery | 9.0 | about £69.98 | View offer |
| Best value |  Supstable Supstable 6 inch cordless mini chainsaw | 6 inch | Cordless mini | UK-plug battery | 8.8 | about £39.98 | View offer |
 Hyundai Hyundai HYC1600E corded chainsaw | 14 inch title | Corded chainsaw | 230 V corded | 8.4 | about £59.50 | View offer |
On this page
Cut to the stove, then split
Husqvarna’s UK firewood guidance suggests about 30–40 cm so the piece suits the opening, then splitting so air reaches the grain. That band is the manufacturer’s rule of thumb, not UK law, and it tests the bar at once. A 6 inch mini cannot cross a 30 cm round in one pass. Match your own stove opening as well.
The saw only sets length. Splitting needs an axe, a maul or a rented splitter. Skip the split and oversized rounds smoulder. Skip the length and logs jam the door. Seasoning and emissions stay outside this page.
The bar has to be longer than the round
Toolstation places firewood bars in roughly the 30–40 cm class. Stiga advises a bar a few centimetres longer than the diameter. Six-inch minis match pruning and the four-inch softwood in Angseen reviews, not a season of 25 cm oak. The 8 inch Seesii and the M8 Boost reach thicker brash and still sit below a 14 inch pass.
Hyundai HYC1600E is the only corded chain saw here. The title bar is 14 inches (35 cm). It can reach typical stove rounds if you support the log and the box matches HYC1600E, not the 2400 W and 16 inch bullets in the same file. Reviewers describe modest softwood, in one story about 15 cm, and smoke or failure in others. Treat it as occasional firewood near a socket.
Both Sukumo F007 poles and the Seesii pole are the wrong shape for a pile on the ground. The Seesii pole’s star line describes a handheld mini, not pole owners.
Support the log and stay off the soil
Stihl’s UK method warns against letting the chain hit the ground and uses a sawhorse so the log cannot roll into the bar. Mark, support, cut part-way, roll, and finish. Soil dulls the cutters and kicks the bar toward you. Oil and tension before that cut are on how to use an electric log saw.
Electrical Safety First wants both hands on the tool, an RCD on a corded saw, dry weather, and no ladder. Packed gloves rarely cite BS EN 381-7. For a wood pile, chaps and boots matter more than the carton accessories. If the round is wider than the bar, roll the kerf open. If the nose still meets earth, the round is beyond this tool class.
What in this set is actually for a wood pile
The corded Hyundai fits modest rounds beside a socket when the box is HYC1600E, you supply oil, and you accept 859 reviews that mix praise with burn-out stories. It is the closest row to an electric saw for stove lengths. It is still not a cradle saw for fifty identical cuts.
The 8 inch Seesii, the top pick for thicker brash, or the M8 Boost, suits small logs and kindling from branches already down. Reviewers mention firewood around four inches, not full hardwood rounds. The best value 6 inch Supstable belongs to branch tidying unless you reset the cut many times on small sections.
Skip the poles for a wood pile. A mini does not replace a cradle saw near £329 for uniform 30 cm softwood on a bench. Call a professional if the stem is hung, leans toward a road or power line, or is larger than you can support, and if the saw smokes on light wood with oil confirmed. A garden tree can be exempt from a felling licence and still be covered by a tree preservation order. Check before you fell living timber.
Common questions
What length should stove logs be?
About 30–40 cm is Husqvarna’s fireplace guidance, so the piece suits a typical opening and then splits. It is a manufacturer rule of thumb, not UK law. Match your stove opening. A 6 inch bar cannot cross a 30 cm round in one pass.
Can a 6 inch cordless saw cut firewood?
Only small sections. Reviewers mention roughly four-inch logs and branches, not 25–30 cm oak rounds. Rolling a larger piece still leaves you short of a 14 inch corded pass. Call the 6 inch kit a pruner unless the wood is already small.
Is the Hyundai 14 inch bar enough?
For many domestic rounds near 30–35 cm, if the log is supported and the model is HYC1600E, not the 2400 W and 16 inch bullets. The title bar is 14 inches, about 35 cm. Reviewers also report smoke and cut-outs, so treat it as occasional firewood near a socket.
Should I cut on the ground or on a sawhorse?
Use a sawhorse or another stable support, and keep the chain out of the soil. Stihl warns that a chain in the dirt dulls and can kick back. If the round is too heavy to lift, cut part-way, roll it, and finish, with the bar nose still clear of the ground.
Do I fell the tree or only cut what is down?
Cut wood that is already down. Felling a living tree in England can need a Forestry Act licence, and a tree preservation order can still forbid the cut when a garden exception exists. Check before you fell living timber to restock the pile.
Will a pole saw cut a log pile?
It is a poor choice. Both Sukumo F007 listings and the Seesii pole are for height, with your feet on the ground. A log pile wants a handheld or corded chain saw, or a cradle saw for identical lengths. The Seesii pole’s star line is not evidence from pole owners.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison, plus the amazon.co.uk listings on this page. Retrieved October 2026.
- Electrical Safety First: chainsaws (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE: chainsaw PPE (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE: PUWER training and competence (retrieved October 2026)
- GOV.UK OPSS: chainsaw safety news (retrieved October 2026)
- Forestry Act 1967 section 9 (retrieved October 2026)
- GOV.UK: tree felling, getting permission (retrieved October 2026)
- BSI: BS EN 62841-4-1:2020 electric chain saws (retrieved October 2026)
- IEC: electric chain saw standard, pole pruners excluded (retrieved October 2026)
- Screwfix: tree-cutting tools guide (retrieved October 2026)