How to Properly Sharpen A Chainsaw

You wouldn’t cut a filet with a plastic knife, so why would you chop down a tree with a dull chainsaw? A sharpened chainsaw cuts the hard work spent on landscape tasks. Properly sharpening a chainsaw in addition helps prevent injury in the course of saw usage.

Tips on How to Sharpen a Chainsaw

Sharpening a chainsaw should be seen as a three step operation. These steps are: 1) sharpening the cutters, or teeth of the saw; 2) adjusting the depth gauge; and 3) tightening the tension.

Sharpening your chainsaw begins with the right tools. Prior to describing sharpening, let’s consider the kinds of tools you’ll have to have: round files, a filing guide, and a flat file.

Practice Before You Begin

Practicing your sharpening skills is going to benefit you when your cutters become dull on an older blade. It is actually best to train on a new saw blade since the details of the depth gauge height and cutter angles will be very similar to exactly what you need to master.

It’s now time to get started sharpening the cutters. To start, tighten up your chain around the blade to make sure that there’s no slack. This is perfect for sharpening, though impractical for genuine saw use. Next, clamp your filing guide into the center of the bar. Turn the filing guide to fit the angle of the cutter’s edge. Oil the file before you start filing. File each cutter using strokes which move toward the cutter’s point. Repeat the same strokes on all cutters.

Get Ready to Adjust The Depth Gauge

This is a lot simpler process compared to the actual filing of cutters. You will only have to fine-tune the depth gauge every 3 sharpenings. Put the depth gauge guide on the chains to ensure that it mounts two of the top cutters. Eliminate any part of your depth gauge that sticks out beyond the slots in the guide using a flat file. Rotate the saw until eventually you’ve realigned all depth gauges.

Adjusting The Tension

When you are done sharpening the chainsaw, it is time for you to adjust the tension. Loosen up the chain simply by unscrewing the 2 nuts which hold the bar. Your chain will hang loosely. Slowly tighten the tension screw to ensure that the chain slack tightens up at the base of your saw. After the chain is almost tightened without having slack, reinstall the two anchor nuts. If your tension is correct, the chain should rotate freely.

If you properly adhere to these instructions, you’ll continually have a chainsaw which is sharp and ready for the task at hand. Check out the chainsaw right after every job and use these steps.

If you’re in need of tools for splitting logs or firewood, check out my articles on the tractor log splitter and Husqvarna chain saws.