Review: Oregon Easy-cut Saw Horse

After looking elsewhere for reviews, I didn’t know whether to go ahead and buy or not.  I Figured if it was a success it would pay for itself.   A solid enough brand so took a gamble and bought one.

For the diy firewood market it is a brilliant piece of kit.  Very effective at producing large amounts of logs quickly at the required log length needed according to your fire or woodburner.  It really does save your back as you stand in a good position as you saw through the heap.  The holding of the logs is positive, in 10+ cubic metres of mainly sycamore, Ive only had two 2 inch diameter branches spin with saw contact.

I reckon the biggest advantage for the arborist or treeworker is that it is more suited to smaller logs, I reckon up to 10-15cm diameter max.  Which in my opinion up to that size is not that worthwhile putting through a firewood processor, as it reduces the volume per hour rate potential of the machine and can miss the splitting part of the process.  I personally will use the small 2-3cm diameter pieces without splitting as they will soon season.

It is very light and manuvreable. ideal for taking to piles around the woods or wherever you have dropped a tree if you don’t have to sweep up on location you just take the logs home.  I found working alone it takes the same amount of time to stack the sawhorse and saw the logs as it does to gather them up.

In the woods with a compact tractor and car type trailer with 2 x .64 cubic metre builders dumpy bags two of us managed 10 bags in an 8 hour day including taking the logs away. A lot of the material was already cut to good lengths to go straight in the horse. You can work safely with 2 people as you move the horse after cutting to a new place and the sawer stacks whilst the other gathers or vice versa. I reckon this workrate could be optimised more. I was using a husky 357xp with a 15inch bar, you would not cut through the stack width with a smaller bar. Unless you approached from both sides and the stack would collapse and prove fiddly. Maybe an arbtalk event in the future. The poor mans firewood processor event!

The easycut sawhorse is light and easy to move around, however it is not made in an olde blacksmith shop. It is very much like a fold out ironing board in construction. Needs a firm surface with all feet solidly on an even floor or it will twist and probably bend. You don’t want a rugby lad practicing his throws with logs into the horse, it will break. I won’t be using it for large diameter logs as I can hire u1000 mog with his processor in which is much more effective. However to make better use of brashy materials that would get burnt or shoved through a chipper in to a lower value product, Its a good way of providing something worthwhile to do when you can’t get out and make money due to weather or quiet times.

Im now toying with the idea of making a wider none folding robust framed saw horse to attach over the tractor bucket for yard use,so it all drops in and I don’t have to pick up the logs. and keep the Oregon for mobile work.

I have caught the frame at the bottom twice, blame myself for it. Pushing a not so sharp chain. I am glad I bought it and can see its weakness and strengths, in the future if I make the tractor bucket idea I know better than if I’d built from scratch.

Yes if this one breaks I would probably buy another, I wouldn’t buy a used one without seeing it first.

So in conclusion:
1. It is effective for volume saw horse work.
2. Always use a sharp chain!!!!
3. Handle with kindness and it will last a while.
4. It is not a commercial piece of kit.
5. It should pay for itself quickly.
6. Much better for the back.
7. Probably better for the saw, as less idle time.