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What size chainsaw bar you need
Updated
Measure the thickest wood you plan to cut and add 2 inches. That is the bar to shop for. It is a common rule of thumb, and BLACK+DECKER's own page follows it: its 10 inch saw has an 8 inch cut capacity. Buy the shortest bar that covers your wood. Husqvarna's homeowner guide says a shorter bar weighs less and is easier to maneuver when removing limbs.
Bar length by job
| Your wood | Bar to look for | Picks here |
|---|---|---|
| Pruning, branches up to about 3 or 4 inches | 6 to 8 in | Milwaukee 2527-20 Hatchet, if you own M12 batteries |
| Limbs and small logs up to about 8 inches | 10 in | WORX WG322, BLACK+DECKER LCS1020 |
| Logs up to about 10 inches | 12 in | DEWALT DCCS621P1 |
| Firewood and storm wood up to about 14 inches | 16 in | EGO CS1613, Greenworks 40V 16 in |
| Wood up to about 16 inches | 18 in | Husqvarna Power Axe 350i |
- Husqvarna 350i16 in
- EGO CS161314 in
- Greenworks 40V 16 in14 in
- DEWALT DCCS621P110 in
- WORX WG3228 in
- BLACK and DECKER LCS10208 in
- Milwaukee Hatchet4 in
Why not just buy the longest bar
- Control. Husqvarna says the right bar length depends on tree size and, to some extent, on your level of expertise. A long bar puts the kickback zone farther from your hands and adds weight out front.
- Battery. A longer bar invites bigger wood, and work goes up with the square of the diameter. A 14 inch log is 12.6 times the wood of a 4x4. See the calculator.
- Weight. The WORX WG322 is 6.2 pounds on its listing. The Greenworks 40V 16 in is 9.28 on the maker page. You hold that at arm's length.
About those 28 and 30 inch claims
The Greenworks listing says its 16 inch saw handles trees and limbs up to 28 inches in diameter. The maker page says cutting capacity up to 30 inches. A 16 inch bar can only get through wood that size by cutting from both sides. That is a real technique, but it is not where a new user should start, and one owner's note about 32 inch logs on the Husqvarna is the same story. Wood that big is heavy, it shifts, and it pinches bars. Treat the bar-minus-2 number as your working limit.
What a mini or pruning saw is not for
A 6 inch saw like the Milwaukee 2527-20 Hatchet is a powered pruning saw. Milwaukee says it has the power to cut 3 inch hardwoods. It is not a firewood tool. Small saws also tempt people to work one-handed or reach overhead. Keep two hands on it and keep it below your shoulders, same as any chainsaw.
Run your own wood through the bar length and cuts calculator, or compare all seven picks on the roundup page.
Before any cut
- Gear. CDC lists a hard hat, safety glasses, hearing protection, heavy work gloves, chainsaw chaps from the waist to the top of the foot, and boots that cover the ankle.
- Height. CDC says to always cut at waist level or below. Canada's workplace safety centre says do not saw above shoulder height. No ladders.
- Bar nose. Kickback starts when the top of the bar tip touches something. Know where the tip is at all times.
- People. CDC says keep others at least 30 feet from anyone cutting limbs or a fallen tree, and at least 150 feet from anyone felling a tree.
- Battery saws are still chainsaws. They are quiet and start with a button. The chain does not care. Take the battery out before you touch the chain.