What Size Chainsaw Do I Need to Buy?

Chainsaws are a versatile tool that helps fall trees, prune branches, cut Firewood, and clean up after a severe storm. There are various kinds of chainsaws available in the market.

Different tasks will require chainsaws of various sizes. So it’s a complicated question for you “What size chainsaw do I need?” Though it depends on your requirements, choosing which one will be appropriate for you is challenging.

It is a must to find the best saw for your use. So let’s figure out the right chainsaw size for you according to your needs.

What Size Chainsaw Do I Need

How to Choose the Right Chainsaw

If you want to know which size chainsaw will be right for you, you have to understand how to measure a chainsaw.

The size of the chainsaw depends on the length of the guide bar. So let’s see how you can measure the guide bar. You can measure the guide bar by using a measurement tape.

You can measure it from the tip of the chain to the base where the guide bar enters the engine’s housing, then round up the nearest even number, and it is the size of your chainsaw.

Which Size would be Appropriate for You?

The point you need to focus on is the quality of the wood you will cut. To do this, you need to choose a chainsaw with a bar two inches longer than the diameter of wood you need to cut.

Considering this guideline, when you need to cut a tree across 10 inches, you have to use a chainsaw with a 12 inches guide bar or blade.

While it is possible to cut a piece of wood with a shorter bar, it would be difficult and require much effort. So it is intelligible to choose a chainsaw with a larger bar than the cutting wood.

The power of the engine is another matter that should be considered. A powerful chainsaw means the saw has a powerful engine.

You can learn how powerful your saw engine is by seeing the guide bar because the longer the guide bar, the more influential the engine is.

Each woodcutting task requires a specific guide bar or blade length, and a certain size helps get a safe cut. Let’s see which size is suitable for which job.

6″ to 10″ Chainsaw for Pruning Limbs

Pruning means selectively trimming or removing branches from a tree. Pruning is essential for trees as it removes unwanted components of the tree and helps to improve the structure of the tree. 6″ to 10″ chainsaw is the best size for pruning small branches or trees which are thin.

See About Guide to Choose the best chainsaw for milling

8″ to 12″ Chainsaw for Removing Branches

Small trees, as well as large trees, need to remove unwanted branches for healthy growth. The components of the large tree are often about 6″ to 10″ thick. For cutting these thick branches, an 8″ to 12″ guide bar would be ideal. So 8″ to 12″ chainsaws help remove components from more giant trees.

12″ to 14″ Chainsaw for Felling Small Trees

Sometimes, we need to cut down small trees in our yard or garden to clean and spruce our surroundings. For cutting wood, we need a chainsaw. If you want to miss a small tree, you need a chainsaw with a 12″ to 14″ guide bar.

14″ to 16″ for Splitting Firewood

According to Wikipedia, Wood splitting is an ancient technique used in carpentry to make lumber for making objects, some basket weaving, and Firewood. If you have moderately sized logs, you can split them with a chainsaw of 14″ to 16″.

Read Also: My best chainsaw for cutting Firewood

16″ to 18″ Chainsaw for Felling Medium Trees

Medium size trees are more significant than small trees. So as a 14″ to 16″ chainsaw is required for dropping a small tree, medium trees will need a giant chainsaw. So 16″ to 18″ chainsaw blade will be perfect for easily felling medium-size trees.

20″ or larger than 20″ Chainsaw for Felling Large Trees

Overthrowing large trees is a difficult task and also risky for ordinary people. So it would be better if professionals did this task.

Nonetheless, if you want to fell a large tree, you need a saw that has a 20″ large blade at least. If your saw is more minor than 20″, you can’t use it for cutting large trees, but you can use your saw if the guide bar of the saw is more significant than 20″.

What Problems You May Face If You Choose the Wrong Chainsaw?

You have to figure out which chainsaw will be perfect for you. If your saw is more prominent in size, you have to face three problems. First, the saw will be dangerous for you while working with it, as larger chainsaws are harder to handle.

You cannot work with it inefficient manner, and it will be an unwise step to buy a bigger saw. The next is increasing kickback possibility. If the machine is significant, it will give you kickback repeatedly.

The last one is spending money on garbage. When the saw is not perfect in size based on its user, it is like garbage. You can’t operate it efficiently, so it’s nothing but a waste of money and effort.

On the other hand, if your saw is smaller, you can get the cut by following the cutting process several times.

But in this process, it will take double time from you and dual fuel, which will not be an issue with a larger saw as it will be able to cut with just a single effort. So it will be a waste of money and a waste of time and effort.

Final Verdict

After discussing the above, you can know how important it is to select the right chainsaw for your work. Otherwise, it will be a waste and will threaten its users.

So it would help if you were careful enough to choose the right chainsaw and get efficient and flawless work. I think the question “What size chainsaw do I need?” is clear to you now.


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