Saw horse buying guide
Updated: 22 October 2026
You are about to buy a saw horse for wood, and the amazon.co.uk list is selling two tools under one name. One is a folding steel cradle that grips a round while you cross-cut firewood. The other is a trestle, often a pair, that holds a door, a plank, or a sheet. This saw horse buying guide is the order of those decisions: job, then the load line, then grip and fold, then whether a slot matches the timber in your shed. The twelve prices and star lines live on the [saw horse wood comparison](/hub/forestry-tools/saw-horse-wood). Peter F. read those listings on 21 October 2026 and did not load-test a horse. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are about to buy a saw horse for wood, and the amazon.co.uk list is selling two tools under one name. One is a folding steel cradle that grips a round while you cross-cut firewood.
You are about to buy a saw horse for wood, and the amazon.co.uk list is selling two tools under one name. One is a folding steel cradle that grips a round while you cross-cut firewood. The other is a trestle, often a pair, that holds a door, a plank, or a sheet. This saw horse buying guide is the order of those decisions: job, then the load line, then grip and fold, then whether a slot matches the timber in your shed. The twelve prices and star lines live on the saw horse wood comparison. Peter F. read those listings on 21 October 2026 and did not load-test a horse. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Job | Grip | Stated load | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  BORA BORA PM-3350T | Trestle | 2x4 slots | 612 kg each | 9.5 | about £76.74 | View offer |
 Oregon Oregon 584145 | Log cradle | Serrated teeth | 79.83 kg | 9.1 | about £39.50 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Einhell Einhell 4500067 | Log cradle | Serrated rail | 150 kg | 7.9 | about £32.97 | View offer |
On this page
Log cradle or trestle
Start with the cut, because a higher kilogram will not turn the wrong frame into the right one. A log cradle is a single folding stand with teeth or jaws, and you put one round in it. In this set that group is the Oregon 584145 at £39.50, the Einhell 4500067 at £32.97, the Relaxdays 10029462 at £39.90, the Harbour single at £23.99, and the eSkde ESLH1 at £59.99. A trestle has a flatter top, usually no log teeth, and it is meant to be one of two supports under a long piece. That group is the BORA PM-3350T pair at £76.74, the BORA PM-3360T pair at £90.00, the Evolution twin pack at £44.98, the Stanley pair at £39.95, the Harbour pair at £33.99, the B2C plastic pair at £36.29, and the Roughneck COLT 600E, one trestle at £67.97.
The Harbour title is the trap. B0CYHBNJ3M is the toothed single. B0CYHFG1VV is the pair with a non-slip top and no serrated teeth, even though the wording still mentions logs. If you are still unsure which job you have, the log saw horse vs trestle page is the fork. A plastic pair can be a sensible door stand. It is the wrong stand for a wet trunk and a chainsaw.
Read the load line
Once the job is right, treat every kilogram as a claim printed by the seller. This guide does not confirm it. When two figures appear, keep both visible and plan around the lower one until you know which line the seller will stand behind. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods must match the description, which is why a contradictory load is a buying problem.
On the Stanley STST1-70713 the title and the spec block say 450 kg, and a bullet says the design holds up to 45 kg per pair, both on B009O8FW2A at £39.95. On the BORA PM-3350T the bullets say 612 kg each, and the spec block also prints 2.5E+3 pounds. On the Roughneck the title says 589 kg and the bullets say 598 kg, while the spec block prints 1 kg and a 1 cm cube that cannot be this horse. Ignore that 1 kg and that 1 cm as size and weight. The Oregon spec block says 79.83 kg, which matches the maker’s 176 lb claim, and it is a much smaller number than the 150 kg lines on the Einhell and the Relaxdays. A larger printed kilogram does not make a chainsaw safer. The horse is not personal protective equipment. If the horse is work equipment, PUWER 1998 still applies to the employer. HSE’s INDG291 says a domestic job in a private household sits outside that.
Grip, fold, and a pair
Rounds need teeth or jaws so the log does not roll into the bar. The Oregon, Einhell, Relaxdays, and Harbour single use serrations. The eSkde uses adjustable jaws and vice-like teeth, and it does not print a maximum diameter. A door or a sheet needs a top you can set a straight edge on, and a second support. One trestle is only half a bench. The Roughneck page is priced for a single horse, which surprised a reviewer, so a sheet job means buying two unless you already own a mate for it.
Fold and weight decide whether the horse lives in a van. The Relaxdays folds to about 7.5 cm thick at 5.71 kg. The Einhell states three working heights, 600, 640, and 680 mm, and reviews say it does not always fold as flat as you might hope. The Oregon folds, and a first build can take from about 30 minutes to several hours because the diagram is poor and a spanner is not in the box. The Einhell spec field says assembly is not required, and the reviews describe a kit.
Slots and UK timber
A 2x4 slot is a US phrase on a UK listing. It is not a promise that your stick will enter the bracket. BORA PM-3350T reviews say the brackets do not fit the UK 2x4 those owners had, and this capture has no measured slot width. On the PM-3360T one review says the end slots will not take a UK 4x2, and another says 45 mm timber does fit. You measure the slot and the stick.
Merchant timber is not one size either. Jewson stocks nominal 50 × 100 mm CLS at an actual 38 × 89 mm. A sawn 4x2 is often regularised nearer 47 × 100 mm, which is a carpenter’s rule of thumb from a timber converter, not a measurement of your piece. The Evolution pair’s 4x2 brackets are described by a reviewer as an afterthought that can rattle loose. This page will not name a single winner. Ranking the cradles is the best log saw horse page.
Common questions
Do I need a log cradle or a trestle pair?
You need a cradle if the piece is a round and the tool is a chainsaw or a bow saw. You need a trestle pair if the piece is a door, a plank, or a sheet that must be supported in two places. One horse can be half of a bench. It cannot be both a toothed log holder and a flat door stand at the same time. The Harbour single and the Harbour pair are different ASINs, so read the model, not only the brand.
What load figure should I trust when the title and a bullet disagree?
Keep both figures and do not average them. On the Stanley pair the title and spec block say 450 kg and a bullet says 45 kg per pair. Plan the work around the lower printed claim until the seller confirms which line is the description you can rely on. We did not test either number. A contradictory listing is a reason to be cautious, not a reason to pick the larger one because it looks more capable.
Is plastic strong enough for doors and sheet?
It can be, for light and medium work, and the reviews say so with a limit. The Stanley pair scores 4.6 from 1,768 ratings and is used for doors, ply, and a temporary bench, and the same sample reports legs and hooks snapping. The B2C pair is lighter still, at 2.32 kg a stand, with one report of a collapse while wood was moved. Plastic is a material choice for a door job. It is a poor choice for a wet trunk.
Will a 2x4 slot take UK timber?
Sometimes, and you cannot know from the phrase 2x4 alone. Reviews on the BORA pairs conflict, and nominal CLS at 50 × 100 mm is often sold at 38 × 89 mm, while sawn 4x2 can be nearer 47 × 100 mm. Measure the slot and the piece you own. A review that says it fitted my stick is not a measurement of yours.
Should I buy one horse or a pair?
Buy one cradle for one log. Buy a pair, or two singles, when the job is a long board or a sheet. The Roughneck COLT 600E is sold as one trestle at £67.97, so a bench means a second purchase. The Stanley title says twin pack while a number-of-items field says 1, so check the box count on the day rather than assuming the word pair survived into the carton.
Does a higher kilogram make a chainsaw safer?
No. A larger claim is still a claim, and the horse does not replace competence, a sharp chain, or the protective clothing for ground work. The Oregon’s 79.83 kg line is more coherent than a 150 kg line on a lighter frame, and it is not a safety certificate. If the log is heavier than you can control, the right move is to leave it, not to shop for a bigger number.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026.
- HSE: Chainsaw PPE (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE: Working with chainsaws (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE: INDG291 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE: Woodworking manual handling (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE: WIS2 stacking logs and boards (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Oregon 584145 product page (retrieved 22 October 2026)