How to use a log saw horse
Updated: 22 October 2026
The log is already on the ground. You are not felling a tree, and you want the rounds off it without the bar finding steel or the trunk rolling back at your legs. A log saw horse holds that piece. It does not train you, and the cut has to finish in wood. This is how to use a log saw horse for that job: set it, seat the log, mark a gap the bar can exit through, then stack and fold. Model limits below come from the amazon.co.uk listings in our [saw horse wood comparison](/hub/forestry-tools/saw-horse-wood). Peter F. did not film a cut. If you buy through our links, a qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The log is already on the ground. You are not felling a tree, and you want the rounds off it without the bar finding steel or the trunk rolling back at your legs. A log saw horse holds that piece.
The log is already on the ground. You are not felling a tree, and you want the rounds off it without the bar finding steel or the trunk rolling back at your legs. A log saw horse holds that piece. It does not train you, and the cut has to finish in wood. This is how to use a log saw horse for that job: set it, seat the log, mark a gap the bar can exit through, then stack and fold. Model limits below come from the amazon.co.uk listings in our saw horse wood comparison. Peter F. did not film a cut. If you buy through our links, a qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Grip | Stated load | Weight | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  eSkde eSkde ESLH1 | Adjustable jaws | 150 kg | 10 kg | 9.3 | about £59.99 | View offer |
 Oregon Oregon 584145 | Serrated teeth | 79.83 kg | 6.63 kg | 9.1 | about £39.50 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Einhell Einhell 4500067 | Serrated rail | 150 kg | 7 kg | 7.9 | about £32.97 | View offer |
On this page
Before the log goes on
Put the horse on ground that does not rock. Open it fully and look at the locks, the feet, and any brace clip before the weight arrives. An Oregon review says the 584145 is less steady on uneven ground, so a sloping lawn is a reason to move the job onto the flattest patch you have, or to chock a foot, rather than to hope the teeth will compensate. On the Einhell 4500067, reviewers say brace clips can pop out in use. If a clip is already shy of its seat, fix that before the log goes on.
Look through the frame for a bar that will meet steel. On the Harbour single, B0CYHBNJ3M, one of four review texts says the middle strut stops a full cut-through. That is a check for that horse, not a fault of every cradle. If you can see a rail, a centre support, or a bolt in the line where the bar will leave the wood, turn the horse or move the cutting point before you start. Check the bolts you fitted yourself. Oregon builds in the sample take from about 30 minutes to several hours because the diagram is small and a spanner is not in the box. Einhell’s listing says assembly is not required, and the reviews describe a kit that is easy to assemble the wrong way.
Seat the log and mark the cut
Roll one log into the teeth or the jaws. One log, not a stack. The serrations on the Oregon, Einhell, Relaxdays, and Harbour single are there to stop the round turning. The eSkde uses adjustable jaws. Seat the log so it sits down in the grip, not balanced on a high point that will spin when the chain bites. If it still wants to roll, it is too large for that jaw, or the horse is not the tool. The Oregon listing stops at 27 cm. The Einhell bullets stop at 300 mm. Neither figure is a challenge.
Mark the cut in a gap, between supports, where you can see daylight under the exit. The bottom of the bar should finish in wood and then in air. Forest and estate practice, including FISA 304, treats a proper bearer as part of cross-cutting. You do not hold the log with a hand, a knee, or a boot near the bar. If you cannot see daylight where the bar will exit, move the log before you start.
The cut
Stand so that a roll takes the log away from you, and so that you can step back without tripping over the offcut pile. Cut one length at a time. Where the wood is supported at both ends and the kerf will close, the compression side is the first cut, which is the FISA order, and then you release the tension side. Get that the wrong way and the bar pinches. Switch the saw off, wait until the chain is still, and open the cut with a wedge or by lifting the end only if you can do that without putting a hand near the bar. If you cannot, leave it.
Do not start the cut on the tip of the bar. A tip bury is how a saw kicks. Keep the chain in the wood you marked. On the way out, the risk is the rail you already looked for. A metal bar under the log can blunt the chain. If the saw drops towards a tooth, stop and reset. Heights we can print are the Einhell’s 600, 640, and 680 mm. The Oregon page does not list working-height steps. There is no universal waist height in millimetres that we can honestly give you.
Stack, fold, and when you stop
Move each round clear before you cut the next. A pile against the horse is a second log waiting to roll. FISA’s manual stacking guidance is about 1 metre for a hand-built pile, with the stack stable, and at least 5 metres between people if more than one of you is working. One person on a length. Fold only when the horse is empty. On the Einhell, do not force a brace clip that has popped. Seat it, then fold. Plastic feet are a trestle problem more than a cradle problem: BORA PM-3350T reviews describe feet that crack when the horse is slammed shut. Wipe wet sap off painted steel before you put the cradle away.
Stop when the piece is still a tree, or when it is hung up, windblown, or bigger than you can roll without strain. Stop when the lock, a foot, or a rail is bent, cracked, or missing a bolt. Stop when you do not know how to release a pinched bar without your hand near the chain. Ground chainsaw clothing, and the point that no clothing stops every cut, is on the chainsaw saw horse page. A trestle’s flat top will let a wet trunk roll. Do not make do for one afternoon.
Common questions
Where do I stand the horse?
On the flattest ground you can reach, with the feet down and the locks seated. The Oregon sample includes a review that uneven ground is a weak point. Do not set up on a pile of brash or on a slope where a roll has a long run towards you. If you cannot get four feet quiet, move the log to a better patch rather than shimming a rock under one leg and hoping.
How do I stop the log turning?
Seat one round down into the teeth or the jaws, and do not stack a second piece on top. Serrations are the grip on the Oregon, Einhell, Relaxdays, and Harbour single. The eSkde uses adjustable jaws. If the log still spins, it is too big for that cradle or it is sitting on a high spot. Hands, knees, and boots are not clamps.
Where should the cut fall so the bar misses the steel?
In a gap you can see through, so the bar exits into air rather than into a rail, a centre strut, or a bolt. On the Harbour single, a reviewer found the middle support in the way of a full cut. Check that on your own frame before the first log. If there is no daylight, move the log. A blunt chain from a tooth is a failed set-up, not a reason to push on.
What if the log is supported at both ends and the bar might pinch?
Cut the compression side first, then release the tension side, which is the FISA order for a supported length. If the bar does pinch, switch the saw off and wait until the chain stops. Do not pull harder. Free the cut with a wedge or by moving the end only when your hands stay clear of the bar. If you cannot do that, leave the saw and get help.
What height is comfortable?
The only stepped heights we can quote are the Einhell’s 600, 640, and 680 mm. The Oregon listing does not print a set of working heights, and we will not invent a waist measurement. Use the step that lets you cut without bending double and without reaching up so the bar is near your face. If none of the steps does that, the horse is the wrong height for you, not a test of toughness.
When do I stop and get someone who fells trees for a living?
When the wood is standing, hung up, or windblown, or when you cannot control the roll, or when you do not know the release for a pinched bar. A horse under a log that is already down is a domestic cross-cut. A stem in a tree, or a log you cannot move, is someone else’s job. A bent rail is a stop as well. Do not cut on a damaged frame because the wood is already booked for the stove.
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)