How to use a Makita cordless chainsaw
Updated: 22 October 2026
The saw is already chosen, and the first cut goes wrong if the tank is empty or the chain is slack. This is how to use a Makita cordless chainsaw, and the same sequence covers a compatible mini on the same packs: bar oil in, battery out while you set the chain, both hands on, and a stop when the work leaves the ground. The [Makita cordless chainsaw comparison](/hub/forestry-tools/makita-cordless-chainsaw) is where the model choice sits. Peter F. followed listing text, amazon.co.uk reviews in this set, and HSE leaflets on 22 October 2026. There is no lab test, and a qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The saw is already chosen, and the first cut goes wrong if the tank is empty or the chain is slack.
The saw is already chosen, and the first cut goes wrong if the tank is empty or the chain is slack. This is how to use a Makita cordless chainsaw, and the same sequence covers a compatible mini on the same packs: bar oil in, battery out while you set the chain, both hands on, and a stop when the work leaves the ground. The Makita cordless chainsaw comparison is where the model choice sits. Peter F. followed listing text, amazon.co.uk reviews in this set, and HSE leaflets on 22 October 2026. There is no lab test, and a qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Oil | Tension | Brake | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Makita Makita DUC122Z | About 80 ml | n/a | Not named | 9.4 | about £144.39 | View offer |
 Makita Makita DUC252Z | 85 ml on the sheet | n/a | Kickback brake | 9.4 | about £197.62 | View offer | |
| Best value |  KIESBOHR KIESBOHR CSE002 | Automatic, 30 ml | Tool-free | Not named | 9.2 | about £54.99 | View offer |
On this page
Oil before the first cut
The chain tank takes bar and chain oil. Two-stroke mix is the wrong bottle. The DUC252Z sheet lists 85 ml, a UK dealer lists about 80 ml for the DUC122Z, CSE002 states 30 ml automatic and CSX003 states 70 ml. QUPERR leaves the oil out of the box. Fill to the sight window where the listing has one. Reviews on the DUC252Z, the DUC122Z, the CSE002 and the Seesii describe a full tank leaking in the case, including when the CSE002 sits upside down. Empty the tank, or store the saw upright, before it goes away.
Tension with the battery out
Take the battery off before you touch the chain. Stihl’s UK note puts the pack out before an adjustment, and that order applies to a Makita body and to any mini here. These files give no millimetre gap and no torque, so follow the manual that arrived, and stop if it did not. Seesii owners report a chain that comes off, or a spare that arrived twisted. One GARTOL chain came off after about 10 minutes, and Waitley tension can slip if you overload the saw. Put the pack back only when your hands are off the bar, then recheck after a short run. Warm chain stretches. Retire a kinked chain. Which body you bought is on the Makita cordless chainsaw buying guide.
Both hands, no ladder
INDG317 separates a rear-handled saw on the ground from a top-handled saw used off the ground by trained arborists, and it rules out a chainsaw on a ladder. A bullet that says one-handed does not change that. Keep one hand on the rear handle and the other on the front. The DUC122 manual’s tree-service line is trained work, not a tidy from a step ladder. AFAG308 is written for petrol saws, so do not copy its starter-cord checks onto a battery saw. Both handles still apply. In this twelve only the DUC252Z bullets say kickback brake, and a lock is not that test. Kit gloves are not HSE’s clothing list. Which packs fit is on the Makita 18 V chainsaw battery page.
When you stop
Stop when the work leaves the ground. A crown, a ladder, or a stem hung up in another tree is a climber’s job, or a ground worker with the certificate the HSE expects, unless that person is under supervision. A dealer page marks the DUC252Z for trained tree surgeons. If the chain pinches in a suspended stem, you leave it. Forestry Act 1967 section 9 exempts topping, lopping, fruit trees and gardens from a felling licence. Outside those exemptions in England the quarterly allowance is 5 cubic metres, of which 2 cubic metres may be sold. A tree preservation order and a section 211 notice still apply in a garden. The best Makita cordless chainsaw page assigns pruning and a longer bar, not work above your head.
Common questions
What oil goes in the tank?
Bar and chain oil. Two-stroke mix stays in the petrol can. The DUC252 sheet lists 85 ml, a UK dealer lists about 80 ml for the DUC122, CSE002 states 30 ml and CSX003 states 70 ml. QUPERR does not include oil. Fill before the first cut, and check the window again after a few minutes, because several of these saws use oil quickly once the chain is moving.
When do you take the battery out?
Before you tension, replace or untangle the chain. The pack goes back on only when your hands are clear of the bar. Stihl’s UK note is the same order, and it applies to a cordless Makita body as much as to a mini. A chain that moved while you were fitting it is the accident the order is there to avoid. There is no torque figure in these files to add to that step.
Why does oil pool in the case?
Reviews on the DUC252Z, the DUC122Z, the CSE002 and the Seesii describe a full tank leaking in storage, including when the CSE002 sits upside down in its case. The oiler is doing what a gravity-fed tank does once the saw is laid on its side. Empty the tank or store the saw upright. Wiping the bar before the next cut is part of the same habit.
Can you use the saw with one hand if the listing says so?
The bullet can say one-handed and you still keep both hands on. INDG317 is the ground rule for a chainsaw: two hands, and no ladder. A 6 inch bar makes the saw lighter. It does not make a single-hand grip a safe method. If you cannot reach with both hands and both feet on the ground, the branch waits or someone with the right training takes it.
Can you stand on a ladder with a mini?
No. INDG317 rules out a chainsaw on a ladder, and the size of the bar does not create an exception. A top-handled saw is for trained people working off the ground, with a chain-brake check before it goes up, which AFAG308 states for petrol saws and which you do not replace with a starter-cord routine on a battery model. From a ladder you cannot step away if the bar kicks.
What should you check before a top-handle saw leaves the ground?
That you are the trained person the HSE leaflet is written for, that both hands will be on the handles, and that the listing actually names a chain brake you can test. In this set only the DUC252Z bullets say kickback brake. A lock on a mini is not that check. If the job is a garden branch you can reach from the ground, the saw stays on the ground.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026.
- HSE, INDG317: chainsaws at work (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE, AFAG308: top-handled chainsaws (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE: chainsaw PPE (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: when a felling licence is needed (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Forestry Act 1967 section 9 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: tree preservation orders (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- OPSS product safety report 2403-0234 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Makita DUC252Z product sheet (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- DVS Power Tools: Makita DUC122Z (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Makita UK: DUC256 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Data Power Tools: Makita DUC252Z (retrieved 22 October 2026)