Log saw horse or trestle
Updated: 22 October 2026
The timber in front of you is either round or it is not. Choosing a log saw horse or trestle is that decision, and the amazon.co.uk shelf uses one name for both. Round firewood needs teeth so the stem does not roll. A board, a door, or a sheet needs a flat trestle pair. This page picks the type. The twelve rows, with GBP shelf prices, are in our [saw horse comparison](/hub/forestry-tools/saw-horse), captured on 19 October 2026. Peter F. did not test a load. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Named models, and who should skip them, come after the shape of the timber is settled.
The timber in front of you is either round or it is not. Choosing a log saw horse or trestle is that decision, and the amazon.co.uk shelf uses one name for both. Round firewood needs teeth so the stem does not roll.
The timber in front of you is either round or it is not. Choosing a log saw horse or trestle is that decision, and the amazon.co.uk shelf uses one name for both. Round firewood needs teeth so the stem does not roll. A board, a door, or a sheet needs a flat trestle pair. This page picks the type. The twelve rows, with GBP shelf prices, are in our saw horse comparison, captured on 19 October 2026. Peter F. did not test a load. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Named models, and who should skip them, come after the shape of the timber is settled.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Type | Grip or slot | Pack | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Stanley Stanley STST1-70713 | Folding trestle | V-grooves | Pair | 9.3 | about £39.95 | View offer |
 Oregon Oregon 584145 | Log horse | Teeth, 27 cm | Single | 9.1 | about £39.50 | View offer | |
 Einhell Einhell 4500067 | Log horse | Teeth, 300 mm | Single | 7.9 | about £32.97 | View offer |
On this page
What a log horse is holding
A log horse holds a round stem. Teeth or a serrated cradle bite the bark so the log does not spin when the saw enters. Tooled Up's log-horse notes use the same split: teeth or clamps for round timber, and a flat carpenter's top is not for that roll. Their kilogram band is shop copy, not a measurement of these listings. Only three horses in this capture do that job. The Oregon 584145 is painted alloy steel at £39.50, with teeth and a stated maximum of 27 cm. The line is 4.5 from 4,130 amazon.co.uk reviews. The load field is 79.83 kg with no cited test, and you assemble it without a spanner in the box. The Einhell 4500067 is £32.97, states trunks up to 300 mm and a load of 150 kg, and lists heights of 600, 640 and 680 mm. The line is 3.9 from 4,072 reviews, and those reviews describe a bolt kit the field does not mention. Harbour Housewares is iron, at £23.99 and 4.7 kg, with three pairs of teeth, no printed load, and 3.9 from 16 reviews. The title uses the words log splitter. The bullets describe a horse that holds timber for cutting. The word in the title does not make it a splitter.
What a trestle is holding
A trestle holds something flat. Boards, doors, sheet material, and a temporary bench sit on a top, a V-groove, or a bracket, and a long piece needs a pair so one end does not drop. The other nine listings here are trestles: Stanley, Evolution, Amazon Basics, both B2C stands, Roughneck, and the three BORA pairs. This page does not review all nine. The main table does. What they share is the lack of log teeth. Stanley is a polypropylene pair at £39.95 for light DIY, with 450 kg in the title and 45 kg in a bullet. The Speedhorse asks for a 38 by 89 mm sacrificial board, which is finished UK CLS, not a fatter sawn 4x2. Roughneck is one steel horse with a pipe prop for 15 mm and 22 mm pipe and a working height from 630 to 820 mm. Amazon Basics is a light folding pair whose table says metal and whose UK reviews say plastic. None of that is a cradle for a log. If the afternoon is a door, you are in this group. If the afternoon is stove wood, you are not.
What goes wrong if you swap them
A log on a plastic trestle can roll. The top is smooth, the feet are light, and nothing stops the stem turning as the saw bites. FISA 304 tells you to support timber on bearers and to step back if a log can roll. A trestle can be a bearer for a board. It is a poor bearer for a round stem, and the blade can hit the stand because the log is not held in a known place. A log horse under a door fails the other way. Teeth mark the face and do not give you a paste table. The third failure is steel in the cut. One Harbour review says the middle strut stops a complete cut. If the timber is round firewood, buy a log horse. If it is a board, a door, or a sheet, buy a trestle pair. Who each strong listing is for, once the type is settled, is on best saw horse.
If you do both jobs
Buy one of each. A plastic trestle asked to clamp a log rolls. A log horse asked to hold a door scars the paint. Oregon covers the woodpile if 27 cm is enough and you will assemble it. Einhell covers a wider stated trunk if you will build the kit. A Stanley pair covers doors. A BORA pair covers sheet material if you can carry it and the slot matches. Harbour belongs there only after you have seen a clear path for the bar past the strut. There is no middle ASIN that does both. Chainsaw PPE and the cut are on chainsaw saw horse firewood, which assumes the log horse has already won. Stihl's UK note only points out that a sawhorse belongs to shortening, not to felling. If you will do both jobs, put two supports on the list. If you will do one, buy that one.
Common questions
Can I cut a log on a folding plastic trestle?
No. The plastic rows here have a flat top or a groove for boards, not teeth for a round stem. A log can roll, and light feet are not a clamp. Use the Oregon, the Einhell, or Harbour, and use Harbour only after you have checked the centre strut. FISA 304 expects bearers and a firm footing when you cross-cut. A decorating trestle is the wrong bearer for that stem.
Can I paint a door on a log horse?
A log horse is a poor paste table. The teeth and the cradle are shaped for a stem, not for a flat face you are trying not to mark. A trestle pair, such as the Stanley polypropylene pair, gives you two supports and a top without log teeth. A long door needs two stands. The single Oregon will not hold both ends, and the serrations are in the wrong place for wet paint.
What is a sawbuck?
A sawbuck is the older name for a crossed or toothed support that holds a round log while you shorten it. In this capture that job is the log horse: Oregon, Einhell, and Harbour. A carpenter's trestle is the other tool, with a flat top for boards and doors. Shops file both under saw horses, which is why the shelf looks like one product. The shape of the timber tells you which one you are buying.
Do I need teeth or a chain?
For a round log, you need something that stops the stem turning. Teeth do that on the Oregon and on Harbour, and the Einhell listing describes a serrated support. A chain or band is an extra restraint some firewood notes mention. A board does not need teeth. It needs a flat top or a slot, and usually a second trestle. A chain around a door is not a pair of stands.
Is a trestle pair enough if I only use a hand saw?
Yes, when the timber is a board, a door, or a sheet, and both ends are supported so the kerf can open. A hand saw does not change the shape of the work. A round log still rolls on a smooth top, whether the saw is a panel saw or a chainsaw. The chainsaw adds PPE and kickback, which a hand saw does not. For flat work, a trestle pair from the main table is the right family. You still do not stand on it.
Which of the twelve are actually log horses?
Only three: Oregon 584145, Einhell 4500067, and Harbour Housewares. Oregon states 27 cm. Einhell states 300 mm and 150 kg. Harbour states no load, and one of four written reviews says the middle strut blocks the cut. The other nine are trestles. Their names, and both load figures where a listing prints two, are on the main comparison. A plastic groove is not a log cradle.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources listed below, last checked on 22 October 2026. Prices in the rows are amazon.co.uk shelf prices captured on 19 October 2026.
- FISA 304: chainsaw cross-cutting (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- FISA 301: chainsaw practice and PPE (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE INDG317: chainsaw training (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE: Chainsaw PPE (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, sections 9 and 11 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Product safety advice for businesses, including Northern Ireland (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Elliotts: kiln-dried C16 CLS timber (retrieved 22 October 2026)