How to use a timber jack
Updated: 22 October 2026
You already own a felling lever or timber jack, and the next job is a cross-cut that keeps the chain out of the soil and the load off your spine. Husqvarna’s UK guidance and HSE’s INDG317 name the risks: kickback when the nose hits something solid, a bar pinched as the kerf closes, and a cut that dives into dirt. The [felling jack comparison](/hub/forestry-tools/felling-jack) shows which listings claim a foot and a lift. This page is method only. Peter F. did not film a test cut. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You already own a felling lever or timber jack, and the next job is a cross-cut that keeps the chain out of the soil and the load off your spine.
You already own a felling lever or timber jack, and the next job is a cross-cut that keeps the chain out of the soil and the load off your spine. Husqvarna’s UK guidance and HSE’s INDG317 name the risks: kickback when the nose hits something solid, a bar pinched as the kerf closes, and a cut that dives into dirt. The felling jack comparison shows which listings claim a foot and a lift. This page is method only. Peter F. did not film a test cut. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Foot or stand | Hook | Lifts clear | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Insaga Insaga timber jack | Dual support | Toothed jaw | 25.4 cm stated | 9.8 | about £117.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Unbranded Steel 51 in timberjack | Screw-on base | Removable hook | Yes, height n/a | 8.8 | about £68.69 | View offer |
 ISTA ISTA 80 cm felling lifter | Foot plate | Reversible hook | Not stated | 8.0 | about £44.92 | View offer |
Check the tool and the log
Start with a straight bar. Ochsenkopf’s lever documentation says one person, and replace the bar if it is bent. Do not straighten it cold in a vice. On the steel timberjack, UK reviewers report play in the screw-on base. Check every fastener, and add washers if the foot wobbles, before you load it. On Insaga, confirm the support sits flat and the toothed jaw closes.
If the log can move downhill or toward your feet, chock it before the hook bites. Husqvarna’s UK page says never stand downhill of a rolling stem, including on garden ground that only looks flat. Wet bark can spin a hook that felt secure.
Match the hook to the diameter. ISTA’s only review says the span was too small for a larger tree. If the jaw will not reach, stop. Insaga claims 53 cm in a bullet. UK notes on the steel jack describe about nine inches. Your wood decides. INDG317 asks for the fuel can at least four metres from where you start the saw.
Roll it, then lift it
Roll first when the stem lies flat and you need a clean face. STIHL’s UK firewood article turns a trunk with a felling lever after a partial cut. The same roll works with a cant hook or a jaw. Use your legs and both hands. HSE’s INDG145 is the posture guide for that push, not a one-handed tug.
The lift is a lever, not a dead-lift. Slide the foot under the point you want raised, set the hook, and push the handle down until the bar will clear the soil. UK text on the steel jack describes that clearance on modest diameters. Insaga’s bullet names 25.4 cm after clamping. That is seller wording you can check with a tape once, not a promise for every listing. A finger’s width of clearance can still beat a cut in the dirt. Read the tension again before you saw.
Two people on the handle can skid the foot or pop the hook. One operator, and fix a loose foot before you load it.
The cut
Stand to the side of the closing kerf. Husqvarna’s UK sequence starts on the compression side for about a third of the diameter, then meets the cut from the other side once you know whether tension is on the top or the bottom. After the jack moves the stem, that tension can flip. Read it again before the chain spins.
Keep the nose clear of the jack, the chocks, and your boot. INDG317 treats the chain brake as a reduction in kickback, not a removal. Saw below chest height, and never prop the bar on the jack handle. If the bar pinches, stop the saw and ease the bind with a wedge. Do not yank the jack while the chain is live.
Before the saw starts, HSE’s chainsaw PPE page lists a helmet to BS EN 397 or BS EN 14052, hearing protection to BS EN 352, a visor to BS EN 1731, glasses to BS EN 166, gloves to BS EN 381-7 where required, legs to BS EN 381-5, and boots to BS EN ISO 17249. None of these listings includes that kit. Stove lengths are on log jack for firewood.
When this page ends
This page ends at ground work. If the tree is still standing and the plan needs a notch plus hydraulic force against the lean, you are in FISA Technical Note 001 on tree jack vs felling lever, not in a timber-jack foot tutorial. A Lantra Level 2 award up to 380 mm is fell-and-process training, not a jacking ticket. Do not infer competence from a basic course title.
Extreme tension, windblow root plates, and hung-up stems are stop lines. When in doubt, a professional with the right award and insurance is the cheaper option.
Common questions
Where do I put the hook and the foot?
Set the hook near a balance point that lets you roll or lift the face you intend to cut, with the foot or stand on firm ground under the lift side. Avoid a soft lawn edge that tilts the stand. Chock the log before the hook bites if it can roll toward your feet.
Do I push the handle with my back?
Use your legs and both hands, with a straight back, as INDG145 describes for manual handling. Do not curl over the handle on your own. The lift is a lever. Slide the foot under the point you want raised, then push the handle down.
Which side of the log do I cut first?
Start from the compression side for roughly a third of the diameter, then meet the cut from the other side once you have read whether tension is on the top or the bottom. Husqvarna’s UK cross-cut guidance is the source. After a jack moves the stem, read the tension again.
What if the log can roll?
Chock it before you hook, and chock it again after each roll. Never stand downhill of a round stem, including on a garden that only looks flat. Wet bark can spin a hook that felt secure.
What PPE is on before the saw starts?
Helmet, hearing, eye and face, gloves where required, legs, and boots, to the BS EN numbers on HSE’s chainsaw PPE page. None of these listings includes that kit.
When do I stop and not jack a standing tree?
Stop when the stem is leaning the wrong way, decayed, hung up, or windblown, or when Technical Note 001 jacking would be required. A timber-jack foot is for a log on the ground. Switch to a competent person and the versus page for a standing lean.
Related pages
Sources
Public sources named in the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Prices captured 19 October 2026.
- UK FISA Technical Note 001: using a tree jack (retrieved October 2026)
- PUWER 1998 regulation 9 (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE: chainsaw personal protective equipment (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE: chainsaw operator guidance (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE: Chainsaws at work (INDG317) (retrieved October 2026)
- STIHL UK: forestry tools and accessories (retrieved October 2026)
- STIHL UK: cutting firewood with a chainsaw (retrieved October 2026)
- Ochsenkopf catalogue 2022 (OX 58) (retrieved October 2026)