How to use a wall chaser
Updated: October 2026
The machine is on the floor, and the temptation is to set the guard to the maximum and follow the pencil line. How to use a wall chaser starts before the disc turns: identify the leaf, find the services, mark a chase the wall is allowed to take, then cut in the direction that tool uses. The steps follow the amazon.co.uk listings in our [wall chaser comparison](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/wall-chaser), captured on 15 October 2026. No cutting test was run. Amazon links are affiliate links (tag pcuk26-21). Dust control is the [silica page](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/wall-chaser/sub/wall-chaser-dust-and-silica), not a line you can skip.
The machine is on the floor, and the temptation is to set the guard to the maximum and follow the pencil line.
The machine is on the floor, and the temptation is to set the guard to the maximum and follow the pencil line. How to use a wall chaser starts before the disc turns: identify the leaf, find the services, mark a chase the wall is allowed to take, then cut in the direction that tool uses. The steps follow the amazon.co.uk listings in our wall chaser comparison, captured on 15 October 2026. No cutting test was run. Amazon links are affiliate links (tag pcuk26-21). Dust control is the silica page, not a line you can skip.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Cut direction | Depth stated | Dust on the listing | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Metabo Metabo MFE 40 wall chaser | Push cut | Up to 40 mm | Port, no hose | 8.6 | about £347.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Einhell Einhell TC-MA 1300 wall chaser | Pull cut | 8–30 mm | Port, no vacuum | 8.3 | about £89.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Draper Draper 54956 125 mm wall chaser | Pull (review) | 10–30 mm | Extraction outlet | 7.7 | about £98.95 | View offer |
On this page
Before the disc turns
Identify the leaf before you trust a millimetre on the guard. In England, Approved Document A paragraph 2C30 limits a vertical chase to one third of the leaf and a horizontal chase to one sixth. On a 100 mm leaf that is about 33 mm and about 17 mm, excluding plaster. A chimney breast, a flue, or a party wall is a stop. Detect cables and pipes, and mark the line. A cable buried less than 50 mm from the surface, in SELECT's summary of BS 7671:2018+A2:2022, needs a prescribed zone plus 30 mA RCD protection, or a listed alternative. Connect an M or H class extractor and put on RPE at APF 20.
Pull on an Einhell, push on a Metabo
These instructions are not interchangeable. The Einhell TC-MA 1300 and the cordless Einhell TP-MA 36/30 both say pull cut. You draw the tool towards you. UK reviews of the corded Einhell describe kickback if you push. The Metabo MFE 40 listing says push cut, so you can see the line. You move that tool away from you. A pleased Draper review says pull, not push. The Draper bullets do not state a direction, so that cue is one review. Let the discs reach speed, keep the guard flat, and do not force the feed.
Knock out the web and make good
A wall chaser cuts two parallel kerfs. It does not open the wall. Speedy Hire describes a narrow, even channel. The web comes out with a bolster or a cold chisel. The Draper box includes a chisel. Break the web out in short sections so the cable or pipe sits. Filler does not repair a chase that was cut past the leaf limit. Do not dry-sweep the dust. HSE treats dry sweeping as its own dusty task.
If it stalls, blocks, or kicks
UK reviews of the Einhell TC-MA 1300 are the fault list. The cut stalls when it is not straight. A thermal cut-out stops the motor, in one case after about 300 mm, so you let it cool. The dust port blocks once plaster flakes arrive. Kickback follows a push on that pull-cut tool. Concrete blocks were too much for one Draper buyer, who went back to an angle grinder and a dust shroud. The MAXXT R2409-EU listing says it is not for concrete or stone.
Where you stop and call someone
In England, GOV.UK treats a new circuit, a replacement consumer unit, and work in a bath or shower zone as building-regulations work. An extra socket on an existing circuit, outside that zone, is described as non-notifiable. The tool does not certify the circuit. Stop on a chimney breast, a flue, or a party wall, or when the chase would pass one third of the leaf vertically or one sixth horizontally. An unknown leaf thickness is the same stop. Choosing the machine, rather than using one, is the buying guide.
Common questions
Do I pull the chaser or push it?
Read the tool in your hands. Both Einhell listings in this set say pull cut. The Metabo MFE 40 says push cut, so the line stays visible. A pleased Draper review says pull, not push, and the Draper bullets are silent on direction. The wrong direction is a review complaint, including kickback on the Einhell. There is no single rule for every brand.
Does the machine remove the middle of the channel?
No. The discs leave two kerfs. You knock the web out with a bolster or a chisel, then clear the slot. Speedy Hire describes a narrow channel, not a tool that opens the wall. The Draper includes a chisel. Make good after the cable or pipe is fixed, and do not dry-sweep the dust.
How deep should I set the guard on a 100 mm leaf?
Use the leaf limit, not the tool's maximum. In England the fractions are one third vertical and one sixth horizontal. On a 100 mm leaf that is about 33 mm and about 17 mm, excluding plaster. It is arithmetic from Approved Document A, not a measured wall. A 50 mm setting on a horizontal chase can overcut that example.
What do I do if it stalls or cuts out?
Stop forcing it. On the Einhell TC-MA 1300, UK reviews describe stalling on a cut that is not straight, and a thermal cut-out after about 300 mm in one account. Let it cool, clear a blocked port, and keep the guard flat. If concrete blocks already sent a Draper buyer back to a grinder, a harder push is the wrong response. A printed 4,800 W figure is not the cure.
When do I call an electrician?
In England, a new circuit, a consumer-unit change, or work in a bath or shower zone is building-regulations work. An extra point on an existing circuit, outside that zone, is described as non-notifiable. The chaser does not certify the circuit. A cable less than 50 mm from the surface still needs a prescribed zone and 30 mA RCD protection, or a listed alternative, in SELECT's summary of BS 7671.
When do I stop for the structure?
Stop before a chimney breast, a flue, or a party wall, and before a chase would exceed one third of the leaf vertically or one sixth horizontally. Call building control or a structural person. A council note of 24 April 2024 bars back-to-back chases and states 15 mm residual thickness on hollow blocks unless the manufacturer says otherwise. An unknown leaf is a stop, not a guess.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, retrieved 15 October 2026.
- HSE: Chasing concrete and raking mortar (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE: Construction dust (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE: Silicosis (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE: Construction information sheet CN2 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Approved Document A, structure (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Eden District Council: Wall chases (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- SELECT: Installation of cables (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Building work, replacements and repairs (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Approved Document P, electrical safety (retrieved 15 October 2026)