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How to use a hand chainsaw

Updated: 22 October 2026

The parcel has arrived, the chain feels slack, the oil bottle is empty, and the listing still shows a one-handed cut. Before you touch a branch you need bar oil, correct tension with the battery removed, and both hands on the tool, whether you bought a £34 Angseen or the Bosch EasyChain. The [hand chainsaw comparison](/hub/forestry-tools/hand-chainsaw) lists twelve kits with manual bulbs, claimed auto oilers or, on the Bosch, a small filled bottle. This page covers the first afternoon: oil, tension, grip and when to stop. Peter F. used the listings and HSE guidance, not a lab cut. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The parcel has arrived, the chain feels slack, the oil bottle is empty, and the listing still shows a one-handed cut.

Our top picks

Bosch Bosch EasyChain 18V-15-7

Best overall

Bosch Bosch EasyChain 18V-15-7
7.4/10about £143.99
View offer
Seesii Seesii CH850

Rank 2

Seesii Seesii CH850
9.1/10about £69.98
View offer
Supstable Supstable 10C6M

Best value

Supstable Supstable 10C6M
8.9/10about £39.98
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Put oil in before the first cut
  2. 2.Set the chain with the battery out
  3. 3.Both hands, and the nose of the bar
  4. 4.Stop, and do not open the gearbox

Put oil in before the first cut

Bar oil stays on the chain. It is not two-stroke mix and not used engine oil, which clogs passages and flings off the bar. Stihl’s fuel-mix pages apply to petrol saws, not these battery minis. Most kits ship an empty bottle or a manual primer. SINPY, Supstable, Seesii and Angseen reviews say chain oil is not in the box. SINPY claims automatic delivery. You still buy bar oil first. The Bosch EasyChain lists a fifty-millilitre bottle. Do not test a dry cut. Pump or idle until oil shows on the bar rails. Which listing fits the wood is on best hand chainsaw for a UK garden.

Set the chain with the battery out

Stihl UK and Husqvarna both say switch off, remove the battery, then adjust tension or refit the chain. That applies here even when the card shows the pack still fitted. Tension should be snug but movable by hand, not hanging loose and not drum-tight. A new chain stretches in the first minutes. Recheck after a short run. A chain tightened hot may need slackening when cool. Supstable six-inch kits use a primer bulb. Seesii rows use a manual pump. SINPY claims automatic oiling. Peektook does not describe an oiler. Chain throw is the most repeated fault in the UK reviews, usually from slack tension. Use the side screw, or the Bosch SDS, as the listing describes. Lift the bar nose slightly so the chain seats. If it climbed off, refit it with the battery still out.
Bosch Bosch EasyChain 18V-15-7

Testsieger

Bosch Bosch EasyChain 18V-15-7
7.4/10about £143.99
View offer

Both hands, and the nose of the bar

Kickback is the upward jerk when the nose hits wood or a pinch closes the kerf. HSE’s INDG317 puts the danger zone at the tip. Plunging a six-inch nose into a thick stem is where inexperienced users get hurt, even at low voltage. Use both hands. Fit the auxiliary handle on the Supstable 10C6M and the Seesii CH700R. A trigger lock is not a substitute for stance. Kit gloves and goggles are not HSE chainsaw clothing. Keep the cut below shoulder height with feet on level ground. If the branch is above you, stop. INDG317 says avoid chainsaws on ladders. Height and permission are on pruning with a hand chainsaw.

Stop, and do not open the gearbox

Stop if the bar smokes, the chain throws after proper tension and oil, the motor stalls in clean wood, or sparks come from the housing. Stop if a safety button sticks. ARTKUNST reviews describe a saw that would not switch off. Stop if a fresh battery dies in minutes. GAEEP and Angseen reviews cite weak packs. Do not open the gearbox. If a new saw will not run, arrives scuffed or is missing parts, Consumer Rights Act remedies can apply. This page stops at return or contact the seller. It is not legal advice. Hand over ladder work, a hung-up stem, a protected tree, or paid work without a certificate.

Common questions

What oil goes in the bottle?
Purpose-made bar and chain oil from a garden or tool supplier. Not two-stroke mix, and not WD-40 as a permanent substitute. One Angseen review mentions WD-40. Stick to bar oil so it stays on the chain. Used engine oil clogs passages and flings off the bar. Most kits here ship the bottle empty, so buy oil before the first cut.
Why did the chain come off on the first branch?
Usually the tension was slack, or the chain was not seated on the sprocket before you started. Oil alone does not fix a chain that was never fitted. Lift the bar nose slightly while you tighten, then refit on the sprocket with the battery out. Chain throw is the most repeated fault in the UK reviews for these kits.
The bar smoked. What do I stop and check?
Stop immediately. Check oil flow, tension, and whether the chain is on the sprocket. Let the bar cool before you adjust. A smoking bar is what UK buyers describe after a dry cut. Do not open the gearbox. If oil and tension are correct and it still smokes or throws the chain, stop using it and contact the seller.
Are the gloves in the box chainsaw PPE?
No. HSE lists chainsaw trousers to BS EN 381-5, proper boots, a helmet, and hearing and eye protection for chainsaw work. Gloves and goggles in a mini-saw kit are better than nothing for one garden session. They are not that standard and not approval for professional tree work.
Can I use the saw with one hand because the listing says so?
Use two hands unless you are in a genuine special circumstance. Minis are lighter. They are not safer when you cut one-handed around the kickback zone at the nose. Fit the auxiliary handle where the kit includes one. HSE treats a chainsaw as a two-hand machine except in those special circumstances.

Related pages

Hand chainsaw buying guide

Hand chainsaw

Best hand chainsaw UK: top pick and best value kit

Hand chainsaw for pruning: reachable garden branches

Hand chainsaw vs petrol chainsaw for UK garden logs

Sources

Public UK sources first, then amazon.co.uk listing details from the saved files dated 20 October 2026. This is not a laboratory test. Prices were not re-checked live on that date.

  1. HSE, Working with chainsaws (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. HSE, INDG317 Chainsaws at work (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. HSE, Chainsaw PPE (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. HSE, PUWER training and competence (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK, When a felling licence is needed (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Forestry Act 1967, section 9 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. GOV.UK, Tree preservation orders and conservation areas (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Arboricultural Association, Guidance on pruning (retrieved 20 October 2026)