A dedicated metal or wooden chainsaw sawhorse is a useful accessory that can really allow you to get the most out of your chainsaw whilst you are using it to cut logs and individual items of timber.
As well as being useful it also allows you to work safer and normally faster whilst carrying out logging work, whether you are cutting firewood to use with your log burner, an aga wood stove, or just cutting up timber for other uses.
Main Use of A Sawhorse
The main use of one of these sawhorses is to support the workpiece that you are cutting with your chainsaw. This could be a section of wood, maybe a fresh piece of timber that you have bought from your local timber merchant, builders merchant, or DIY shop. Or it could be a log or branch that you have obtained from a nearby wood, off the estate, farm, or simply from your own garden.
What Is A Sawhorse Used For?
A chainsaw sawhorse is a type of support that is used to support a log or an item of wood whilst it is being sawed with a chain saw tool. In the USA it is often referred to as a sawbuck. Another way to think of it is as being a mobile support workbench, but being designed to securely hold logs and tree branches in particular. They are commonly made from aluminium, steel, and also from wood.
The components of a sawhorse work with a number of cross supports that form a “V” arrangement on this accessory, with logs and timber to be sawn being placed centrally in this part of the sawhorse.
Transportation and portability
Most brands and models of chain saw sawhorses fold flat for easy storage as well as transportation, the latter being a great point if you are a chainsaw user that doesn’t just work in a workshop, fabrication shop, or a large shed in the bottom of the garden.
Being able to carry one of these accessories means that you can carry it to the job site regardless of where it is, this could be a work area that you have set up on your farm, your estate, the building site, or your front or rear garden at home.
Being able to store it flat whilst you are not using it can be another large plus point. Especially if you have vacant room on your shed or garage wall. You can just hang it on the wall using a couple of brackets or even a pair of heavy duty screws or nails if need be!
Is A Chainsaw Sawhorse Useful For Logging Work?
When it comes to carrying our logging work with your cordless, electric, or petrol engined chainsaw, a wooden sawhorse or a metal sawhorse can make a big difference in our opinion.
As well as speeding-up the job of cutting logs, backache can be eliminated in most cases if you choose to use one. You can cut logs in an almost upright position which is far more natural than being bent over cutting them on the ground instead.
Forestry workers and arborist personnel can all benefit from having access to a chainsaw sawhorse to use in their day-to-day work. Having the right logging equipment to hand makes this physically demanding job easier and far less time consuming.
Cut Equal Lengths Of Logs Repeatedly
If you have asked yourself just how useful is a chain saw sawhorse? we think this point is well worthy of a mention. A sawhorse allows the operator of one of these tools to repeatedly cut similar length of timber, one after the other on an ongoing basis.
You can use the length of the sawhorse as a guide to allow equal lengths of logs to be cut, which is very useful if these logs are to be used in a wood burning stove or woodburner heater.
Infact, some models of them such as the good quality Stihl Wooden Sawhorse even have measurements printed on the saw horse itself. This makes this particular model a good choice if you need a sawhorse to sue for construction timber, where the precise measurements are really important.
Wooden Or Metal Construction
If you are just starting to look to buy the best chainsaw sawhorse, and have recognised that perhaps one of these useful accessories would be of been a big bonus to you ages ago, you might be wondering whether you should choose to buy a metal or wooden one!
The majority of the saw horses available to buy (specifically for use with chainsaws) are manufactured from steel, usually galvanized or painted steel ones. The material used to manufacture a saw horse can effect the overall design as well as the selling price, and this is what usually determines what is sold on the market place and at what price point.
Usually a steel model is sold at a higher price than a wooden one, but branding also comes into it at some point too, without us trying to confuse you here!
Steel models are more robust though than wooden sawhorses, as you can generally transport them about just as you would a similar metal product, they can withstand the occasional knock and drop here and there whereas a wooden model might be chipped or split from impact.
Wooden ones also have to be stored away in a dry environment, as otherwise they can become damaged due to excessive moisture. You also have to carefully look at your work pieces whilst carrying out the cutting work, as you could accidentally cut all the way through the supports of a wooden saw horse.
On the other hand though, be-aware, if you make contact with the steel supports of a metal chainsaw sawhorse with any chainsaw, you are going to blunt the teeth on your blade regardless, meaning that it will need sharpening.
Metal Sawhorse VS Wooden Sawhorse: Pros and Cons
| Wooden Sawhorse | Metal Sawhorse |
| Light in weight, easy to carry | Heavier than wooden model |
| Can be fragile if knocked | Can withstand knocks |
| Usually can fold flat | May fold flat, or be fixed once assembled |
| Needs storing in a dry environment | More robust than wooden equivalent |
| Needs log securing usually with a retaining strap | Might have “teeth” as part of the unit to secure log being cut |
Weight Carrying and Capabilities
When looking to buy the best chainsaw sawhorse to suit your individual needs you need to be aware of the weight limitations that the sawhorse can support. If the model that you are considering buying cannot support the weight of timber sections or logs that you want to cut, everything will come crashing down to the floor!
All makes and models have a weight capacity that they can comfortably and safely support, and it’s well worth investigating this well before you take the plunge and buy a particular or recommended model of saw horse.
Of note the popular Stihl Metal Sawhorse at the time of writing this article has a maximum bearing load of 100kg. Their wooden equivalent has a maximum bearing load of 70kg. Worthy of mentioning the budget but affordable Silverline 127998 model has a capacity of 150kg, and the Oregon 584145 has a capacity of 80kg.
Cheap or Higher Priced Sawhorse? Which Should You Go For?
When you start to look around at the metal sawhorse and wooden sawhorse models that are available, you will soon see that there are some that sell at cheap prices and some which are far more costly to buy! At the lower end of the price scale there are models that are definitely manufactured for the cheapest price, with inferior materials, finish, and robustness. With some of these we do wonder how long they will last as they seem to be quite flimsy.
On the other side of the scale there are also some which really seem to be of good quality and which in our view offer good value for money. Without sounding biased these include brands such as Draper, Handy, Oregon, Portek, and Stihl. (The latter of course being well known for their comprehensive range of petrol as well as electric chainsaws that are known Worldwide).
Professional Models
These are sawhorses that are intended to be used by professional tradespeople; think of tree surgeons, landscapers, professional gardeners, and similar trades. They are intended for regular usage and hence are manufactured to meet these needs.
DIY Models
As the heading suggests, these are variants that are manufactured for the DIY / Home User market. For private users that have a need to buy and use one on an occasional basis, maybe several times per year. They are not manufactured to heavy duty standards (which they don’t need to be) but are available to buy at a far cheaper price than a trade model.
Summary
To sum up, we think that one of these accessories is invaluable for any user or owner of a chainsaw. Whilst carrying out logging work two hands are never enough, and a chainsaw sawhorse actually becomes your third hand!
This accessory effectively supports and holds the log, whilst you can use two hands to hold and operate your chain saw. Purchasing one of these products will change forever the way you cut logs and wood, and you will soon see just how useful a chainsaw sawhorse is.