Best Chainsaw for Firewood How to Choose
For those of you who are looking for the best chainsaw for firewood, you have come to the right place. We will also talk about the kinds of trees that would be suitable for wood fuel or firewood. But first, let’s talk about the best size of wood suitable for firewood especially for heating homes. 
If you are used to buying firewood that are already chopped or corded, basically you can use these immediately. But if you’ll be using an axe or a chainsaw to turn logs into firewood, the tendency is to split the logs into halves or into four parts to make them fit into your kiln or furnace. However, the rule of thumb here is that when cutting logs for firewood, you must not cut the logs more than 18 inches long if you’re fitting it in the furnace. The ideal length for firewood for the furnace is 16 inches which is the universal length. Also, you should cut it from 3 to 6 inches thick depending on your choice but not thicker than 8 inches as thick firewood takes time to burn and can easily fill the space in your fireplace. 
Moreover, cutting the logs for firewood using an axe takes time and you will bear the weight of the axe in no time on your arms and shoulder. Not to mention that some women may not be comfortable using axes to turn logs into firewood. So our best suggestion is to use the best chainsaw for cutting firewood. Either you use the electric or battery-powered for home use or the gas-powered for outdoor use which is more powerful and faster when cutting firewood from logs. 
Ideal Size for the Best Chainsaw for Cutting Firewood
Chainsaws come in different sizes, bar lengths, power and performance. So how would you know the size for the best chainsaw for cutting firewood among them? The first thing that you may want to consider is to think about how thick the trees you’ll be cutting to turn these into firewood. So, say the average trees that you wanted to cut would be 14 to 16 inches in diameter thick, you may want to use a chainsaw with a 14 to 18-inch bar. In essence, the length of the bar of your chainsaw should not be shorter than the thickness of the trees to enable you to make just one cut pass. 
But if you want to cut thicker trees, say 20 to 23-inch in diameter, you have to use a more robust chainsaw with about 20 to 24-inch bar length. On the other hand, we won’t recommend chainsaws that have more than 24 inches bar for cutting firewood because the longer the bar, the heavier the machine can get and what you need for a chainsaw for such purpose is a lighter one to let you move it up and down with ease when cutting the logs. 
Nonetheless, aside from the need for a short and handy best chainsaw for firewood, don’t compromise the power of the engine. Cutting wood with a chainsaw would be easy if your machine has the right length and of course the right power to do your work faster and more efficient. You also have to include the ergonomic design of the machine because if not, working with a machine with an awkward feel can also strain your arms and shoulders.
Cutting wood with chainsaw
Cutting wood with chainsaw is obviously faster than using an axe. But there is an even greater benefit in using a chainsaw when it comes to producing and using firewood and that is the avoidance of using gas in heating your home during the cold season. So imagine how much you’ll be spending on paying for gas for the whole year compared to buying one single chainsaw for cutting firewood which you can use every time you need firewood? 
Wood is always cheaper than gas and safer for families to use when it comes to heating. As long as you will be allowed to cut trees and turn it into firewood, this can save you a lot of money while allowing you to use your chainsaw for other cutting purposes. 
But how do you consider a chainsaw that best fits for cutting firewood? Here are some tips from the experts along with some pointers for other chainsaw uses. 
For gas-powered chainsaws, choose units that have 50-60cc engines. The power of these machines can complete all the wood cutting process starting from cutting down the trees and cutting it into slabs into cutting the slabs into firewood sizes. As such, there are also the best trees for firewood while some trees would not be perfect candidates as wood fuel. 
For rechargeable type chainsaws, we say the ideal type should have 80V 2Ah batteries which is equivalent to a 45cc engine in terms of power output. These saws will be ideal for cutting firewood inside your garage or shed without the fumes or the loud noise.
If you need a chainsaw that is only for pruning and cutting small trees, chainsaws with 30-40 cc engines would be perfect. However, at this power rate, these machines would only be capable of cutting smaller trees but can still produce firewood from these trees. 
Chainsaws that are packed with 70-80cc engines are also excellent for log cutting up to cutting firewood. On the contrary, at this power level, the machine could be heavy. So unless you need this for other heavier tasks such as for felling large trees and chainsaw milling, this size would be suitable for firewood cutting. 
Some special features with your best chainsaw for cutting firewood must not also be overlooked. By this, we mean the safety features such as automatic chain brake as well as the easy access controls, ergonomic design, quick start/off control and fuel or oil indicator. 
Interchangeable bar capability. This should be one of the essential elements that the best chainsaw for firewood needs to have – the capacity to change the bar of your chainsaw from the standard bar length into longer or shorter length. This feature will enable you to modify your machine to pattern it according to the size of the wood you need to cut especially if you need your saw for cutting firewood. 
Now, let us give you two examples of the best chainsaws that have the right capacity and features for producing firewood.
Best Chainsaw for Firewood – Reviews
Husqvarna 18 Inch 455 Rancher Gas Chainsaw
We can say that this 18-inch, 20-pound Husky rancher can be your best chainsaw for firewood. But to top it off, this can be anyone’s best overall chainsaw for homeowners and commercial use. Packed with a 55.5cc X-Torq engine, this can lower emission by as much as 60% which is extraordinary among 2-cycle engine chainsaws. And because the engine can prevent the excess burning of fuel and oil, its fuel consumption is also lessened by as much as 20%. 
For other amazing features, this machine has an automatic oiler system that will continuously lubricate the bar and chain but you can also adjust the oil’s flow to cater to your cutting operation. You can also change its bar up to 24-inch long and cut bigger logs. For safety features, it has an inertia-activated chain brake which can stop the chain automatically from moving once the machine experiences a kickback.
And because most chainsaws usually develop their issues due to low-quality air filters, this best chainsaw for firewood has a Centrifugal Air Cleaning system that blows away sawdust from the air filter so there’s not much need for air cleaner cleaning. If you are allowed to look for fallen trees to get firewood from, you can be sure you’ll go home with some firewood you need with this powerful machine no matter how large the log is. 
Pros:
Loaded with a 55.5 cc X-torque engine
Inertia-activated chain brake for safety against kickbacks
Automatic chain oiler system
Centrifugal air-cleaning system with quick release air filter
Side-mounted chain tensioning system for quick chain adjustment
Anti-vibration system
Interchangeable bar up to 24-inch
Best owned by landowners, homeowners and loggers for lighter logging work
Best use for cutting trees, pruning, light chainsaw milling and firewood cutting
Cons:
Heavy and can strain the back and limbs on prolong use
Greenworks Pro 80V 18-Inch Cordless Chainsaw,
Do you want to switch from the gas-powered chainsaw into the battery rechargeable type but in doubt if this can give out power the same as the gas-powered? Well, this Greenworks Pro is a unit you can always count on when it comes to cutting best trees for firewood. For a start, this 18-inch chainsaw is packed with a DigiPro Brushless motor that can deliver power equal to the 45cc engine of a gas-powered chainsaw. And with an 80V 2Ah battery, this will give you around 45 minutes of cutting time without the fumes and smoke. 
On top of that, this unit has steel bucking spikes. These spikes serve as prevention for kickback by resting and stabbing these on the wood you are cutting. So when performing a buck cut, the potential of kickback can be reduced. There’s also the automatic oiler to keep the bar and chain well-lubricated and the tool-less chain tensioning system will let you tighten the chain easily without a single tool required. 
The battery of this unit can get fully charged in around 30 minutes only. But if you have an extra battery, that would be more than enough to produce lots of firewood to keep your home warm for days. Weighing only about 10 pounds, this can also be the best chainsaw for cutting firewood that even the lady’s like to use. 
Pros:
With DigiPro brushless motor that delivers power like a 45cc engine
80V 2.0 Ah Lithium-Ion battery
30-45 minutes cutting time with fully-charged battery
Tool-less tensioning system
Automatic oiler
30 minutes charging time
Weighs only 10 pounds
No cord, fumes or noise but only raw power
Cons:
Oil tanks should always be emptied after use to prevent leak which is normal for all battery and corded chainsaws.
What Are the Best Trees for Firewood
Some of us don’t know that not all trees can be good sources of firewood. Yes, all kinds of wood can burn. But not all trees would be ideal candidates as firewood sources. The reason for this is in the density of the wood structure which influences how fast or slow the wood can burn. So it is important to learn how to choose the best trees for firewood and which trees to avoid. 
Typically, the hardwood trees are the best tree types for firewood because they have denser structures compared to softwoods. Denser means more compact and when the wood is heavy and solid, it burns longer, produces cleaner smoke, and can give out hotter flames. For example, ironwood firewood can burn for 3 to 4 hours while a Juniper firewood could completely burn within an hour. 
To know the best tree species that are generally chosen for firewood, here is a list of the hardest woods we’ve found that burn longer and can give hotter flames:
Ash
Beech
Douglas Fir
Hemlock
Hickory
Ironwood
Manitoba Maple
Oak
Red Alder
Red Elm
Red Maple
Rock Elm
Sugar Maple
White Birch
Yellow Birch
Examples of softwoods are:
Alder
Balsam
Cedar
Fir
Juniper
Pine
Poplar
Spruce
Tamarack
However, we all have different preferences even when it comes to firewood choices. Some people also prefer the softwoods because accordingly, they burn with a cleaner smoke and leave soft ashes compared to hardwoods. 
Some softwoods also leave a good refreshing scent inside the house as it burns like pine. But the best trees for firewood that can burn longer are still the hardwoods which are excellent for wood stoves and fireplaces. Hardwoods can always burn hotter and steadily. If you want to leave your furnace alive with flames for longer hours like overnight, go for the hardwood firewood.
Choosing The Best Trees for Firewood
The best examples of hardwood trees ideal for firewood sources are maples, oak, birch, hickory and ash. The only problem with some of them is that they usually leave hard residues in their leftover ashes due to their burned sap and bark. So maintenance with your fireplace is a must. On the other hand, since softwoods burn faster and their ashes are cleaner, some homeowners mix hardwoods and a bit of the softwoods when heating their homes. 
However, be aware when burning firewood because regardless of the type of firewood, these must be properly seasoned to burn it properly. Seasoning in firewood means “drying”. Note that when a tree is cut, its wood can retain 50% of its moisture for days. If you will be cutting wood with chainsaw you will also notice the moisture that’s still on the wood fiber if the tree is freshly cut. Wet wood when burned inside homes can produce lots of smoke and will only produce less heat. So make sure that the moisture content of your firewood should be between 15-20%. 
How would you know that the wood is properly seasoned? Burn test some of it. You can also feel the reduction in its weight when it’s properly dried and you can see from the fiber that the wood becomes paler and smooth. Also, properly seasoned firewood will always burn quickly.
OUR
Chainsaws can be the homeowners’ best friends when it comes to home heating because these are the ideal machines that can quickly turn trees and logs into firewood. So if you are planning to buy your best chainsaw for firewood, take our tips.
To summarize what we have discussed above, your choice of chainsaws for cutting firewood should be lighter on your hand and with a power capacity that can be able to cut even the hardest of hardwoods. The length of the bar must also be considered, that’s why it’s better to have a chainsaw that you can change the bar size. So always think about the size of the logs you need to cut before going ahead and making a purchase. 
For our next blog, we will talk about how to choose firewood that are seasoned. These are the kiln dried firewood that are suitable for burning inside homes and will not produce smokes. We will also discuss a bit of the tree types that are suitable for cutting firewood from.
