Fourteen inches is the default British chainsaw. It is the size most homeowner petrol saws ship with, the size most 36V battery saws top out at, and enough bar for the overwhelming majority of garden and firewood work in this country. We hold 51 models with a 35 cm (14 inch) bar.
- What it cuts: logs and trunks up to about 30 cm comfortably, more if you cut from both sides.
- Power it needs: 35 to 45 cc on petrol, 36V or more on battery, or 1,800W to 2,000W on mains.
- Who it suits: anyone cutting a few cubic metres of firewood a year, clearing storm damage, or wanting one saw that covers most jobs.
If you mainly prune branches, a shorter bar is lighter and safer to handle. If you fell trees with trunks much over 30 cm, go longer: a bar that has to be worked from both sides makes an accurate felling hinge much harder.
14 inch chainsaws compared
Current models on file at this bar length, across petrol, battery and mains.
How much wood a 14 inch bar really handles
The usable cutting length is the number quoted, measured from the saw body to the bar tip, so a 35 cm bar cuts a log of about 35 cm in one pass. The practical working rule is to choose a bar around 5 cm longer than the thickest wood you cut regularly, which puts this size at its best on timber up to roughly 30 cm.
Thicker logs are not impossible: cutting from both sides doubles the effective capacity. It is slower, and on a felling cut it makes an accurate hinge harder, which is why felling wants a bar longer than the trunk rather than a technique that works around a short one.
Matching the engine or motor to the bar
At this length a petrol saw wants roughly 35 to 45 cc. Homeowner saws such as the Stihl MS 181 and Husqvarna 120 and 130 sit exactly here, which is why 35 cm is the size they are most often sold with. On battery, 36V is the realistic minimum: an 18V saw with a 35 cm bar exists but will labour in hardwood. On mains, 1,800W to 2,000W drives this bar well.
An underpowered saw with a long bar is the most common bad buy in this market: it cuts slowly, loses chain speed in the cut, and wears the drive sprocket. Manufacturers list permitted bar lengths per model for exactly this reason, and fitting a longer bar than the list allows usually voids the guarantee.
Chains and files for this size
Most 35 cm bars run either 3/8 inch low-profile chain, which takes a 4.0 mm round file, or 0.325 inch chain on the more powerful petrol saws, which takes a 4.8 mm file. Gauge is usually 1.3 mm. Check your own bar rather than assuming, because both are common at this size.
Three numbers buy a chain: the cutting length, the pitch and the gauge, plus the drive link count. All of them are usually stamped on the bar near the saw body. Chain length is not interchangeable between saws of the same bar length, because drive link counts differ.
One size up, one size down
Step down to 12 inch for a lighter saw that is easier to hold at arm's length and better for pruning. Step up to 16 inch if you regularly cut logs over 30 cm, which is where firewood processing starts to get slow on a 14 inch bar.
If you are still deciding on power rather than length, compare the petrol, cordless and corded ranges.
14 inch chainsaw FAQs
How do you measure a chainsaw bar?
Measure from the point where the bar leaves the saw body to the tip, then round to the nearest standard size. That gives the cutting length, which is what "14 inch" means here and on the packaging. The whole bar is longer, because part of it is clamped inside the saw, so measuring the bar on its own gives a number that does not match anything you can buy. A 14 inch bar is 35 cm.
Is a 14 inch chainsaw big enough for firewood?
For most households, yes. A 35 cm bar handles logs up to about 30 cm in one pass, which covers the great majority of delivered logs and felled garden timber. If you are processing whole trunks of 40 cm or more every winter, a 16 or 18 inch saw will be quicker and less frustrating.
What size chainsaw do I need?
Measure the thickest wood you cut regularly and add about 5 cm. That gives you the bar length. Most people arrive at 14 or 16 inches. Buying longer than you need costs weight, money and cutting speed, because a long bar on a small engine slows the chain down rather than cutting more.
How tight should the chain be?
Tight enough that the drive links stay in the bar groove when you pull the chain away from the bar, loose enough to turn it round the bar by hand with a glove on. Check it cold, and again after the first few cuts with a new chain, because chains stretch as they bed in. A chain that keeps coming off is usually too loose or running on worn bar rails.
Can I fit a longer bar to a 14 inch chainsaw?
Only if the manufacturer lists that length for your model. Every saw has a permitted range of bar lengths based on its power and sprocket, and fitting something longer makes the saw cut slowly, strains the clutch and usually voids the guarantee. You also need the matching chain, since drive link counts change with bar length.
