STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® discipline Hot Saw
The aim of the Hot Saw discipline is to use a racing chainsaw to cut three wooden discs as quickly as possible within 15 cm of the horizontally anchored wooden block with a diameter of 46 cm.
In a nutshell
The aim is to cut three complete cookies from a horizontally positioned log within a marked area of 15 cm as quickly as possible using a Hot Saw. This is an extremely powerful, individually tuned and customized chainsaw. The challenge in this discipline lies in controlling the power delivered by the 60 to 80 HP saw. With a chain speed of approximately 240 km/h and a weight of nearly 30 kg, these machines demand maximum physical and mental performance from the athletes. The best times in the Hot Saw event are under six seconds. The Hot Saw counts as one of the most difficult disciplines and is usually the last discipline that an athlete learns and trains.
Competition formats in which the discipline is featured:
How Saw is featured in the Individual and Intermediate competition formats. In the Intermediate format, a STIHL MS 881 chainsaw is used as the Hot Saw.
- False start
- Not having the hands correctly on the block before the discipline starts
- Incomplete cookie(s)
- Cutting over the line of the marked 15cm area
- Not pointing the saw in a safe direction while it is running
- Failing the required protection measures (ear, eye and leg protection)
- Quick reaction
- Saw maintenance and tuning
- Saw handling
- Precise cuts
- Nerves of steel
- Hot Saw (individually tuned and customized chain saw)
- STIHL MS 881 chain saw for Intermediates
- Ear protection, eye protection, leg protection (mostly chaps)
- Pro: 46 cm
- Intermediate: 40 cm
Pro record
Top-Athletes
Rundown of a heat
To guarantee fair and safe sawing conditions, all hot saws being used in competition are checked before the discipline starts. Prior to any competition, the organiser’s saw technician or competition judge will complete a technical check on each athlete’s hot saw to make sure their saw fits within competition rules.
After entering the stage, the athlete has 60 seconds to warm up their hot saw before cutting. Following this preparation phase, the athletes must place their hands on the log. At the Starting gun, the athletes pick up the saw, start it and begin cutting.
The first cut is a downward cut, followed by an upward cut and one final, downward cut. The competitor must saw three complete cookies, so if any of the first three aren’t complete, the competitor can make further cuts in either direction to achieve this. However, this must still all be done within the allowed 15 cm space.
The clock only stops when the last cookie is cut from the block, so time adjustments may be made if the athlete decides to make another cut.
Cassidy Scheer from the USA on the Hot Saw at the Individual World Championship 2019.
