Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Chainsaw mill buying guide

Updated: 22 October 2026

You already own a petrol chainsaw, and a listing called a portable sawmill is in the basket at anything from about £25 to about £125. Those prices are not the same tool. This chainsaw mill buying guide is the order of checks before you pay: which type of frame the title is hiding, how much of your bar the clamps will use, and whether the saw you already have is the expensive half of the job. Named picks sit on our [mobile sawmill comparison](/hub/power-saws/mobile-sawmill), read on 20 October 2026 by Peter F. from amazon.co.uk listings. There is no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already own a petrol chainsaw, and a listing called a portable sawmill is in the basket at anything from about £25 to about £125. Those prices are not the same tool.

Our top picks

Zozen Zozen 36–92 cm chainsaw mill

Best overall

Zozen Zozen 36–92 cm chainsaw mill
8.6/10about £69.99
View offer
zozen zozen 14–36 inch chainsaw mill

Rank 2

zozen zozen 14–36 inch chainsaw mill
8.9/10about £89.45
View offer
AGS AGS vertical chainsaw jig

Rank 3

AGS AGS vertical chainsaw jig
5.3/10about £27.78
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Two products share the name
  2. 2.The bar is shorter than the title
  3. 3.The saw is the expensive half
  4. 4.When the frame is the wrong purchase

Two products share the name

On amazon.co.uk this set splits in two. A horizontal planking frame is rails and bar clamps, about 7.5–8.2 kg. The four cards with a usable bar window are £69.99, £89.45, £110.15 and £124.70. None includes a chainsaw. The bar window is around 14–36 inches, which one card writes as 36–92 cm, and slabs often run from about half an inch to 12 or 13 inches. The four mini guides weigh 1.53–2.49 kg and cost £24.49 to £31.19. One states 2–6 inch boards. The AGS, at £27.78, is the only guide with review text: 3.3 from 13, and the UK notes describe bind and a clamp that bent. A fifth title, at £252.27, also prints 500 g and a 10 mm cube. Those rows cannot both describe a 48 inch mill.

The bar is shorter than the title

Dealers do not agree on how many inches disappear, and this page will not average them. Chainsawbars, on a Granberg Mk IV, says two clamps cost about 8 inches (20 cm) of bar, so a 36 inch bar cuts about 28 inches, with about 4 inches more slack if the log is lumpy. Brian’s of Risborough puts the loss at about 2–4 inches and prices that mill at £344.52–£453.60. A UK review of the £69.99 Zozen says a 16 inch bar left about 12 inches of cutting bar. Measure the widest log you will mill, then add the loss stated for that frame. A 14–36 inch title is the window the clamp accepts, not the width of the slab.
Zozen Zozen 36–92 cm chainsaw mill

Testsieger

Zozen Zozen 36–92 cm chainsaw mill
8.6/10about £69.99
View offer

The saw is the expensive half

The frame is the cheap object. The saw has to pull a chain the length of a log, with the grain. None of these nine listings states a minimum chainsaw. Granberg’s staff guidance is a maker’s rule of thumb, not a line on these cards: do not mill under 50 cc, and prefer about 70 cc for larger logs. The listings do not name oak, or any other species. A ripping chain is what the mill makers point you towards, and oil goes with it. These frames are not oilers. The Chilterns on-site note says the chain has to be sharpened often, including taking the saw off the mill.

When the frame is the wrong purchase

A horizontal frame in this price band is for a few logs you can reach with a saw you already own. It is the wrong purchase when you will mill often, or when a wide chain kerf matters. The Granberg MKIV at £344.52–£453.60 is still a clamp-on mill, not a bandsaw. If the question is a bandsaw or a rail mill, that comparison is on chainsaw mill or bandsaw mill. Which reviewed frame is the top pick is on best portable chainsaw mill. The cut itself is on how to use a chainsaw mill.

Common questions

Does the mill include the chainsaw?
No. All nine listings in this amazon.co.uk set are a frame or a small guide. The bullets describe clamps, and in some cases wedges, a wrench or a manual. The saw is yours. A power-source row that says petrol, corded or battery is not a motor packed in the box. If the listing is silent on the bar you own, measure that bar before you treat the title as a match.
What bar length do I need for the width I want?
Start from the slab, not from the title. Chainsawbars says a Granberg Mk IV gives up about 8 inches to the two clamps, so a 36 inch bar mills about 28 inches on that mill, and a lumpy log wants more slack. Brian’s states about 2–4 inches on its MKIV wording. A UK Zozen review with a 16 inch bar reported about 12 inches of cutting bar. Use the figure that belongs to the mill you are buying, and do not average them.
Is a £25 portable sawmill the same tool as an £80 frame?
No. In this set the £24.49–£31.19 listings are vertical guides around 1.5–2.5 kg. One states 2–6 inch boards. The others barely state a width. The £69.99–£124.70 listings are horizontal frames around 7.5–8.2 kg with a bar window and a slab range. The shared words on the title are not a shared job. Buy the guide only if a narrow board is the job.
Will a homeowner saw mill oak?
These frames do not state a timber species and do not state a minimum saw. Granberg’s rule of thumb, which is maker guidance rather than a line on these Amazon cards, is not to mill under 50 cc and to prefer about 70 cc for larger logs. A small garden saw is the wrong emphasis on a large hardwood log, oak included. The chain should be a ripping chain, and the oil has to keep up. Neither is supplied by the frame.
Should I buy a Granberg or a cheaper aluminium frame?
Buy the cheaper frame when you have a few logs, a saw inside the maker’s rule of thumb, and a bar that still leaves a useful width after the clamps. Buy the Granberg, at £344.52–£453.60 from Brian’s of Risborough for the MKIV, when you expect to mill often enough that a dealer-stated loss and a known mill matter more than the sticker. It is still a chainsaw mill. It does not become a bandsaw because it costs more.

Related pages

Portable sawmill for a small woodland

Mobile sawmill

Best portable chainsaw mill UK: the reviewed frames

Chainsaw mill vs bandsaw mill: kerf, weight and hire

How to use a chainsaw mill: first face, oil, wedges

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Shelf date 20 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK, when a felling licence is needed (retrieved October 2026)
  2. Forestry Act 1967, section 9 (retrieved October 2026)
  3. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved October 2026)
  4. HSE, chainsaw PPE (retrieved October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK, supply of machinery regulations (retrieved October 2026)
  6. Chilterns, on-site sawmilling (retrieved October 2026)
  7. Brian’s of Risborough, Granberg MKIV (retrieved October 2026)
  8. Logosol UK, F3 chain sawmill (retrieved October 2026)